A sexy historical romance novella by New York Times bestselling author, and member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. In 1765 a desperate mother accepts shelter with a stranger for herself and her children, but at what cost? England in the Georgian age was not kind to the poor. When Lily Gifford finds herself homeless in the countryside on a bitter November evening has no choice but to accept shelter from a passing stranger. But when she and her children arrive at Brooks Hall, the house is cold and neglected, and their host abandons them to his handful of resentful servants. When Lily learns Sir Benjamin Brook's secret, she sees hope for herself and her family, if only she dare risk all to grasp it.
Author
Mary Josephine Dunn was born 22 September 1947 in Lancashire, England, UK. At the age of eleven she went to an all-girls boarding school, Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool. At sixteen, she wrote her first romance, with a medieval setting, completed in installments in an exercise book. From 1966 to 1970, she obtained a degree in English history from Keele University in Staffordshire, where she met her future husband, Ken Beverley. After graduation, they married on June 24, 1971. She quickly attained a position as a youth employment officer until 1976, working first in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, and then in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. In 1976, her scientist husband was invited to do post-doctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When her professional qualifications proved not to be usable in the Canadian labour market, she raised their two sons and started to write her first romances. Moved to Ottawa, in 1985 she became a founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association, that her “nurturing community” for the next twelve years. The same year, she completed a regency romance, but it was promptly rejected by a number of publishers, and she settled more earnestly to learning the craft. In 1988, it sold to Walker, and was published as "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed". She regularly appears on bestseller lists including the USA Today overall bestseller list, the New York Times, and and the Publishers Weekly list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Leaf, the Award of Excellence, the National Readers Choice, and a two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. She is also a five time winner of the RITA, the top award of the Romance Writers Of America, and a member of their Hall of Fame and Honor Roll. Jo Beverley passed away on May 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.
