Book 1 – Her Gilded Prison
Daughters of Sin Series, Book 1
She was determined to secure the succession, he was in it for the pleasure. Falling in love was not part of the arrangement.
When dashing twenty-five-year-old Stephen Cranbourne arrives at the estate he will one day inherit, it’s expected he will make a match with his beautiful second cousin, Araminta.
But while proud, fiery Araminta and her shy, plain sister, Hetty, parade their very different charms before him, it’s their mother, Sybil, a lonely and discarded wife, who evokes first his sympathy and then stokes his lustful fires.
As Stephen introduces Sybil to every pleasure she’s been deprived of, duty and passion become a deep and mutual love. But with the unexpected arrival of a contender to the estate, Sybil realises that what she’s set in motion to save the family might have tragic consequences.
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Description
HER GILDED PRISON is Book 1 in the Daughters of Sin series, a Regency-set ‘Dynasty’ that follows the sibling rivalry between Viscount Partington’s two nobly-born and three illegitimate daughters as they compete for love during several London Seasons. HER GILDED PRISON can, however, be read as a stand-alone.
Sybil realises that in order to preserve the happiness of her younger, plainer daughter, Hetty, she must provide an heir to the estate – whatever the cost to herself. It is then she propositions the newly ousted heir, Stephen, to help her.
***
She opened her eyes when Stephen cleared his throat. She was conscious of the warmth emanating from him. Once again, the scent of bergamot and horses assailed her nostrils; a pleasant, manly scent she recognized with a rush of familiarity from the occasion he’d comforted her over Lizzy Hazlitt’s mare.
He showed no trace of embarrassment and seemed only to want to clarify the matter. “So if your hopes for entering into this unusual coupling are realized, have you thought how you might explain an apparently immaculate conception to your husband?” He seemed both amused and concerned.
Sybil shook her head and avoided his eye, now wishing she could turn back the clock. How could she have been so bold? Nevertheless, she said truthfully, “I believe Humphrey would prefer anything rather than hand the reins to Edgar.” She smiled grimly. “Anything, that is, except do his duty with me.”
She’d barely finished before Stephen had both her hands in one of his large ones and the other clasped round her waist. Highly irregular yet the most exciting compromising situation she’d ever been in.
“I can see you wavering, Lady Partington, so am spurred on to encourage you not to lose heart.” She saw the excited anticipation swirling in the depths of his warm gray eyes; warmer and more encouraging, even, than hitherto. Sybil could not believe it. He actually looked as if he’d been promised the greatest of gifts. “I believe it is an excellent idea, and I accept with the greatest delight—on one condition.”
It was hard to breathe. She winced from the pain of her fingernails digging into her palms and her heart thumped even harder as she wondered why she didn’t cast everything to the wind and simply take to her heels like a coward. Instead she whispered, “What is your condition?” as his face filled her vision and his gently curved lips drew nearer.
“That you regard this…solution…as more than just a conscious act of duty.”
An act of duty. That’s exactly what she’d intended it.
A tremor ran through her as she closed her eyes, relishing the light caress of his hand over her hair. Her body tingled with expectation; so that she could fully pledge her commitment when he added, brushing her lips with his fingertips, “And that you respond to me accordingly.”
Publish Date: March 14, 2015
ASIN: B00UQGX8E8
ISBN:9781524298821
Heat Rating: Sizzling Romance
9 reviews for Book 1 – Her Gilded Prison
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admin –
“Beverley Oakley broke every rule in the romance manual creating Stephen and Sybil. There was scandal, intrigue and consequences for every move this couple made…This pairing breaks many a stereotype, pushes the envelope repeatedly but even though you see the obvious trainwreck coming, is hard to turn away from. Her Gilded Prison is the reason guilty pleasures are so addictive.” ~ Goodreads Reviewer
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“Intriguing and Unique Historical Plot.” ~ Romancing the Book
admin –
This was a well written, good read and not your usual Regency romance.” ~ Amazon Reader
admin –
“An entertaining period romance with a twist…about a neglected wife, her adulterous husband, their two very different daughters, and the family’s heir.” ~ H. Lenz
admin –
“The theme was so very clever and so novel. There are so many different twists and turns woven into this story.”~ Zena
admin –
“The storyline is almost insane. The characters all play their parts beautifully.” ~ D. Scott
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“A sexy and highly interesting story.” P. Winmill
admin –
“I was disbelieving of the blurb describing this story cycle as a Regency-era Dynasty, but now I can see why. The matriarch & patriarch are married, yes, but only in name; Humphrey neglects his titled family to spend all his time & happy emojis with his OTHER family, & he considers it cheapening to his beloved mistress to make babies on his wife. Classy. 😀 But now that the legit daughters are preparing to enter their Season, our heroine Sybil, a 40-yr-old mum, has had enough of being the superfluous, neglected spleen on her family. Nobody gives a rat’s ass about her feelings except her younger daughter, Hetty (who’s in love with mimbo cousin Edgar), so Sybil decides to have an affair with 25-yr-old hero Stephen, Humphrey’s distant relation. Add to the mix a massive bankroll, an estate without a proper heir, hints of Napoleonic traitors, & compromising scandals attached to the family — plus Sybil’s guilt over her Cougar Feelz for a guy her spoiled, bitchy daughter Araminta is also hot for — & you do indeed have soap of the highest order.” ~ Goodreads Reviewer
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“Victorian erotica is a heavily worked genre and the author who wants to write a book worth noticing needs to find something different–something that stands out from the crowd. Beverley Oakley achieves this and the moment when Stephen leads Lady Partington into her bedroom with the intention of possessing her is richly satisfying–for us as well as for them. There are clever plot twists that this reader, at any rate, did not see coming and they add to the enjoyment.”~ Amazon Reviewer