EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
The Pursuit of Lady Harriett
(Tanglewood Book 3)
(Tanglewood Book 3)
by Rachael Anderson
The Pursuit of Lady Harriett is the third book in the Tanglewood series by Rachael Anderson. Also available: The Fall of Lord Drayson and The Rise of Miss Notley (read my blog post).
More books by this author: Prejudice Meets Pride (read my blog post), Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity (read my blog post), and Not Always Happenstance (read my blog post).
Description
When wills clash and hearts collide, who will reign victorious?
Termed an Incomparable during her first London season, Lady Harriett Cavendish is beautiful, spirited, and confident, capturing the attention of a great many suitors. Unfortunately, they all failed to capture her attention, and she concluded the season as unattached as she’d begun it.
Only weeks prior to her second season, Harriett encounters Lieutenant Christopher Jamison while visiting Tanglewood Manor. Recently returned from war, the lieutenant is everything that Harriett’s previous suitors were not. He’s arrogant, ungentlemanly, irritating, and challenges her at every opportunity. When he goes too far, Harriett decides that it’s time to turn the tables on him. But as she sets out to put the lieutenant in his place once and for all, she discovers there is more to him than meets the eye, and when it comes to matters of the heart, she has no control whatsoever.
Excerpt
The corners of the man’s eyes crinkled in a mild show of amusement. “Lady Harriett, I presume?” Rather than look at her with appreciation as most men did, he appeared amused.
At her nod, he tucked his hands behind his back, remaining a few steps above her. “I am Lieutenant Christopher Jamison, an old friend of Jonathan’s.”
“I was expecting you days ago,” she answered. “Lord Jonathan charged me with the unhappy task of informing you he and his new bride are currently away on their wedding trip. He is sorry he cannot be here to meet with you and has asked that I relay his apologies.”
“May I inquire as to how long they will be away?” he asked.
No, you may not, she wanted to say. Her neck was beginning to ache from looking up at him, but she forced her gaze to remain steady. “They expected to be gone a fortnight, sir.”
“And they have been gone how long, exactly?”
She felt an unaccountable hesitancy to tell him. “A week.”
“Ah.” He sounded disappointed but seemed to take the news in stride, glancing at Charlie as though wondering whether he ought to retrieve his horse or not. Harriett prayed that he would.
When his gaze strayed back to her, he took the unwelcome, and ungentlemanly, liberty of perusing her figure. When his eyes met hers again, his lips twitched into a slight smile. “Forgive me, my lady, but you appear to have had a run-in with a mud puddle and lost.”
How kind of him to point that out. Harriett kept her hands at her side rather than attempt to brush the dirt from her face and pelisse yet again. The damage was done, and no amount of brushing or shaking would remove the muck. What she needed was a hot bath and a change of clothes.
“Actually, sir, I was merely an innocent bystander.”
“Indeed?”
She picked up her skirts and ascended the steps, stopping on the stair above him so that she was eye level with him. “Are you always such a reckless rider, sir? Do you not pay heed to your surroundings?”
“Of course I do.”
“If you had, you would have seen me standing at the side of the road and, I would hope, thought to slow your animal down so as to not splash mud all over my pelisse.”
Her chilly set down did not have the desired effect. He did not appear the least bit repentant. Rather, he looked ready to burst into laughter. “And your face, apparently.” He leaned forward and squinted. “If I’m not mistaken, there is a splash or two of mud on your bonnet as well.”
Harriett glared at him. “How observant you are, Lieutenant Jamison. One can only wonder why you didn’t put that skill to good use earlier. If you had, perhaps my pelisse, face, and bonnet would still be clean.”
“I am always observant, my lady,” he said. “But might I suggest that if you would like to be noticed at the side of the road, you should wear a color that does not blend so perfectly with your surroundings. That particular shade of green looks quite lovely on you, but only someone with the eyes of an eagle would have spotted you in front of a landscape of evergreens.”
Harriett opened her mouth to respond, but no words were forthcoming. The man did not even attempt to behave like a gentleman. How could he be so . . . so . . .
“Have you no apology to offer, sir?” she finally spluttered.
“Oh, did I not apologize? Forgive me.”
“For what? Forgetting to apologize or for not doing so in the first place?”
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"I love the repartee between the heroine and hero. The dialog alone is so interesting and I loved all of the humor that was intertwined with the story." ~ shanabanana
"I have very much enjoyed this whole series, and this book was no exception. The struggles in the relationship were realistic and did not feel artificially contrived. The series as a whole is well-written. Just as in the previous books, there is a great sense of humour running throughout. The book is romantic, yet clean and the religious themes are well integrated into the story and not overpowering. The author is able to keep the tone of the book appealing to a modern audience while still maintaining an acceptable level of authenticity. She has obviously done a great deal of research. It is a highly recommended read." ~ Jenny
"What an absolutely delightful, funny story. I have read all 3 of the Tanglewood books and each one has gotten better. I have had several laugh out loud moments in all of them, but this one was the funniest in my opinion." ~ Denjohn
"I love this series and loved this third book, as well! Lady Harriett and Lieutenant Jamison were great characters and I loved the chemistry and banter between them. I frequently found myself smiling or laughing. This book can definitely be a stand alone book but the first two books are so good, too, that you should probably start with those if you haven't already read them. :)" ~ Feltner
"This was a great story. [...] I loved the relationship between the two main characters. This was a really sweet, clean romance." ~ Donnac
About the Author
A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.
Giveaway
Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.
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