The last thing he wants is a bride… Nicholas de Lorris, the fifth Earl of Crewe, vowed to avoid the marriage noose after a betrayal left him scorned. When his mother persuades him to escort her to a house party, he reluctantly agrees, despite learning that self-proclaimed matchmaker, Lady Pansy Osborne, has organized it. Hardened to the ploys of marriage-minded mamas and their daughters, Nick is unprepared when he meets a beautiful young woman who seems completely indifferent to him and his title. The last thing she needs is a husband… Lady Alora Owens finds Society oppressive and marriage frightening, having lost her mother in childbirth. Accepting spinsterhood, she avoids ton gatherings in favor of riding her horses and other outdoor activities. Exasperated, her father accepts an invitation to a house party, forcing her to attend and promising to join her later. Upon arriving, Alora hears the cries of a young colt being mishandled by two stable hands and runs to its rescue. Her frustration leads her to accept a wager proposed by Lady Osborne to ride the temperamental colt, belonging to the Earl of Crewe, in three days’ time—unwittingly making herself and Lord Crewe the latest targets in Lady Osborne’s matchmaking scheme. Continually paired during the house party, Nick and Alora discover a conspiracy to steal his horse, which has direct champion lineage. As they work to discover who is behind the plot, they find unexpected feelings growing for one another. Can Nick and Alora survive the danger they uncover and find the love they both crave?
Author
Who knew I’d become an author? Not me. But when the opportunity knocked, I answered the door and welcomed it in. I approach life with as much positivity as I can—celebrating the hits and laughing at the misses. Nothing worthwhile is easy, and that includes everything in my life. But I have much to smile about—my lovely mother, a beautiful daughter, two precious granddaughters, my adorable dogs, and my sweet husband of over thirty years. He has always supported me—including uprooting to move to the other side of Charlotte, N.C. for a life change, just when we thought we were settled. If settled means not going after my dreams, then I never want to be settled. I give my all to things I enjoy—and that includes writing. In 2021, I hit the USA Today Bestselling Author list, and recently, two of my books were named RONE Finalists! I love to express myself to the point that my daughter avoids going to the movies with me because I’m that woman in the row in front of you who gleefully munches her popcorn and laughs at every hilarious scene. Loudly. Besides my family, I love chocolate, popcorn, laughter, and animals. I love animals so much that I frequently sprinkle them in my stories as secondary characters. They usually steal the show! British and American history have always interested me, so writing historical romances set in the U.K. and the US is where my passion is. When I was barely three years old, my parents divorced, and my mom moved my sister and me from New York to South Carolina to live near her parents. Juggling a full-time job and full-time school, my mother became my first genuine hero—she never waved the white flag when things were tough. And things quickly got tough. My grandmother, who helped care for my sister and me while my mother worked, became ill with cancer, and didn’t survive the surgery, dying before I was seven. Losing Grandma devastated me. She read to me and taught me to read before I started first grade. I credit her for inspiring my love of reading, and I credit my mother for encouraging me to turn my ideas into stories. When I was ten, my neighbor gave me her book club copy of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind and it remains one of my favorite books. But it was Kathleen Woodiwiss’ Shanna and Ashes in the Wind, that hooked me on historical romance and sparked my dream of becoming a published author. While I primarily write Regency Romance, I enjoy almost any period in American and British history. I love hearing from readers. To get in touch, email me at annastclaireauthor@gmail.com. To keep up to date on my new releases, special promotions, contests, giveaways, and more, sign up for my newsletter by clicking here. You can also follow me on BookBub, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
