Elizabeth Hoyt - Scandalous Desires

The Raven Prince

The Leopard Prince

The Serpent Prince

To Taste Temptation

To Seduce a Sinner

To Beguile a Beast

To Desire a Devil

Wicked Intentions

Notorious Pleasures

Theres an enchantment to Hoyts stories that makes you believe in the magic of love.

RT Book Reviews

Emotionally stunning The sinfully sensual chemistry Hoyt creates between her shrewd, acid-tongued heroine and her scandalous sexy hero is pure romance.

Booklist

Fans of historical detail will love [Notorious Pleasures] the mysterious happenings provide excitement and suspense.

Publishers Weekly

Incredible, steamy, and erotic a great historical romance.

Fresh Fiction

4 Stars! TOP PICK! A magnificently rendered story that not only enchants but enthralls.

RT Book Reviews

Hoyt brings steamy sensuality to the slums of early eighteenth-century London earthy, richly detailed characterizations and deft historical touches.

Publishers Weekly

Hoyt brings her Georgian-set Legend of the Four Soldiers series to a riveting conclusion Rich with dangerous intrigue, suffused with desire, and spiked with wit, To Desire a Devil is nothing less than brilliant.

Booklist (starred review)

4 Stars! TOP PICK! The kind of powerfully emotional, sensual romance, tinged with fairy tale that readers have come to expect from this gifted storyteller.

RT Book Reviews

Hoyts skills are some of the best in the industry Sharp dialogue, strong characterization, smart heroines with spines, and yummy tortured heroes this book is really, really good.

LikesBooks.com

Hoyt works her own brand of literary magic in the exquisitely romantic, superbly sensual third addition to her extraordinary Georgian-set Legend of the Four Soldiers series.

Booklist

4 Stars! Top Pick! A magical love story that reads like a mystical fable and a very real and highly passionate romance. Hoyt has found a unique niche that highlights both her storytelling abilities and her considerable talents for depth of character and emotion.

RT Book Reviews

Desert Isle Keeper! Books such as this one are the reason I read romance Just about as good as it can get.

LikesBooks.com

Superbly nuanced historical romance.

Chicago Tribune

4 Stars! TOP PICK! Hoyts magical fairy-tale romances have won the hearts of readers who adore sizzling sensuality perfectly merged with poignancy.

RT Book Reviews

Hoyt expertly sifts a generous measure of danger into the latest intriguing addition to her Four Soldiers, Georgian-era series. Her ability to fuse wicked wittiness with sinfully sensual romance is stunning.

Booklist

Hoyt is firmly in control of her craft with engaging characters, gripping plot, and clever dialogue.

Publishers Weekly

4 Stars! Hoyts new series begins with destruction and ends with glorious love.

RT Book Reviews

Exquisite romance mesmerizing storytelling incredibly vivid lead characters, earthy writing, and an intense love story.

Publishers Weekly

4 Stars! TOP PICK! An unforgettable love story that ignites the pages not only with heated love scenes but also with a mystery.

RT Book Reviews

Hoyt expertly spices this stunning debut novel with a sharp sense of wit and then sweetens her lusciously dark, lushly sensual historical romance with a generous sprinkling of fairy-tale charm.

Chicago Tribune

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2011 by Nancy M. Finney

Excerpt from Thief of Shadows copyright 2011 by Nancy M. Finney

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Book Group

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New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

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First eBook Edition: November 2011

Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-609-41912-7

One of the best things about being an author is getting a behind-the-scenes look at how books are put together. I had the exciting opportunity to attend the cover shoot for Scandalous Desires and Id like to thank all the professionals involved: my super editor, Amy Pierpont; her excellent editorial assistant, Lauren Plude; Grand Central Publishings art director, Diane Luger; the photographer, Shirley Green; the cover shoot stylist, Sharon; the cover illustrator, Alan Ayers; the models, Ewa daCruz and Emmanuel Fremin; and, finally, my fabulous agent, Susannah Taylor.

I had a wonderful time and you all did a magnificent job. Thank you!

Now once there was a king who ruled a tiny kingdom by the sea. He had no sons, but he did have three nephews, and the youngest one was called Clever John.

from Clever John

L ONDON , E NGLAND

A PRIL 1738

Wolves, as Silence Hollingbrook well knew, are savage beasts, little given to pity or honor. If one must face a wolf cleverly disguised in human form, it did no good to show fear. Rather, one must throw ones shoulders back, lift ones chin, and stare the damned beast down.

At least that was what Silence told herself as she eyed Charming Mickey OConnor, the most notorious river pirate in London. As she watched, Mr. OConnor did something far more alarming than any real wolf.

He smiled at her.

Silence swallowed.

Mickey OConnor lounged like the pirate king he was on a gilded throne of red velvet at one end of a lavishly corrupt room. The walls were lined with sheets of gold, the floor was a fabulous mosaic of different colored marbles, and around her, piled high, were the spoils of thieving: trunks overflowing with furs and silks, crates of tea and spices, and treasures from every corner of the globe, all of it stolen from the merchant ships that came into Londons docks. Silence stood in the midst of this illicit opulence like a petitioner.

Once again.

Mr. OConnor plucked a sweetmeat from a tray offered by a small boy, holding it between long, beringed fingers as he examined her. One corner of his wide, sensuous mouth curled in amusement. Tis always a pleasure to gaze upon yer sparklin hazel eyes, Mrs. Hollingbrook, but I do wonder why yeve come to see me this lovely afternoon.