Ravishing Camille: Those Notorious Americans, Book 5, Steamy Family Saga of the Gilded Age by Cerise Deland
DESCRIPTION
She’d wanted him for years…and denied she cared.
As a step-brother, he’d loved her.
But she’s older now and even more delectable. Should he walk away? Can he?
Pierce Hanniford returns to England after tripling his fortune in China. He’s come for business. Not pleasure. And definitely not for love.
Camille Bereston decided years ago that Pierce was not for her. He’s her step-brother, famous, restless, a savvy Shanghai taipan and a menace…to her heart.
She has ambitions to marry. Funny that none of her candidates seems good enough.
Yet Camille excites him as no woman ever has and he must have her, no matter the cost.
But should she take an older, experienced rogue as her lover…and should she claim him forever as her only love?
If you love swoon-worthy historical romance, starring endearing heroes, sassy heroines and a family of irresistible charmers, this book is for you! RAVISHING CAMILLE is the fifth book in THOSE NOTORIOUS AMERICANS series but can also be read as a standalone novel.
Publication date 28/6/2021
Book 1: Wild Lily (Lily and Julian)
Book 2: Daring Widow (Marianne and Remy)
Book 3: Sweet Siren (Liv and Killian)
Book 4: Scandalous Heiress (Ada and Victor)
Book 5: Ravishing Camille (Camille and Pierce)
Book 6: If You Were the Only Girl in the World (Katrina and Nate)
Excerpt from the book …..
Did she love him?
She had always wanted Pierce for more than the blush of passion. Always. No other man had compared to his humor, his zeal, his family devotion. She wanted him for now, for tomorrow and all their tomorrows. But for the first time, she asked herself, could she match him in those sterling qualities? And could she honor and keep him as he so well deserved?
It was one thing to ask herself these things. She had a few answers.
She glanced over at Pierce. In profile to her, he was her ideal. The wealth of stark black hair. The clean brow, the perfect straight nose. His lips. Full. His jaw. Firm. His throat. The sum of him, healthy, strong and more handsome than any man she’d ever encountered.
Sensing her, he met her regard and his silver eyes caressed her. Her mouth, her nose, her hair, her heaving breasts in the low cut shantung. He smiled and a melting sensation swept down to her loins. He took her hand and squeezed it, directing his gaze to her fingers as he toyed with them. Through her gloves, she burned to touch him skin to skin.
She took her hand away. Her lips parted in apology, but no words came forth. Her nipples ached. She arched her back and shifted.
“Camille,” he whispered as he lifted her hand and kissed the back. “Try to enjoy this.”
She had to laugh. The play or his kisses? “It’s very difficult.”
“I agree.” He inhaled and tore his attention to the stage. “We must.”
She nodded and attempted it, didn’t she? For the sake of propriety and their family.
She would not endure this kind of temptation for long. If she did not find words to ask him of his feelings for her, she would burst with need and do something rash, unforgivable.
Tonight, she would begin the discussion with him. She must. Did he see her as a woman, full grown, with a regard for him that bespoke of more than their shared past? Could he love her as a woman? As a wife?
She must learn. Then stay or leave.
My Review
Camille has loved Pierce ever since she was a little girl, that childish love grew into an adult love, but he’s her stepbrother, so he’s never really looked at her that way. So she’s put away her crush and is going to find herself a husband, then maybe she can love her stepbrother in the familial way. But now he’s coming back to visit, Camille is now torn, her heart only wants him, but how can she make him see her an adult and not the annoying little girl he left behind?
Pierce knows the reason he came home, it’s to take some of the burden from his father. He set out to prove himself, and he did it, but it’s time to come home. Owning companies and sourcing supplies has lead him on a few merry adventures, but it’s time to possibly settle down….. He’s missed Camille so much, watching her grow his feelings went from brotherly to something else. But what can he offer her? Yes he has money, but he’s so much older than her, she needs a younger husband to care and protect her. But watching the fops buzz around her only annoys him, he’s going to make Camille his!
Camille was such a fun character, being a novelist in this period couldn’t have been easy, but she writes romance and makes a little warning from it. She has a few friends and a loving family, but does Camille really know what she wants, or has she just written too many romances and believes what she’s written?
Pierce is your typical rogue charmer, seen the world, has had a good time whilst doing it. But I liked his character, he was a caring individual that sought to help his father and family. Reading his mixed emotions was good, usually the hero wants nothing to do with the “troublesome woman” until she proves her worth.
I did like the banter between Camille and Pierce, it had a sense of fun about it. Even when they were throwing hurtful words at one another it felt like they cared too much to be really mean! Fighting their attraction through banter came across as foreplay 😉and some moments did make me chuckle.
It’s easily read in an afternoon. Can also easily be read without reading the other books in this series.
🦋
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cerise DeLand loves to write about dashing heroes and the sassy women they adore. But I bet you knew that! Did you know that readers praise her for her poetic elegance and accuracy of detail? That she’s an award-winning author of more than 40 novels and was first published in 1991 by Kensington, then Pocket Books, later by St. Martin’s Press and independent presses? That her books have been monthly selections of the Doubleday Book Club and the Mystery Guild? Right. And she’s won awards. Lots of them. Need details? Write to her. She’ll send you the list! To research, she’s dived into the oldest texts, newspapers and prints and dustiest library shelves. She also travels abroad taking good walking shoes, trusty notebooks and pens, plus camera! She visits chateaux and country homes she loves to people with her own imaginary characters. And at home every day? She cooks. Never dusts. (That can be a problem.) She goes swimming or pumps iron once a week and tries (desperately) to grow vegetables in her arid backyard in south Texas! She’s valiant. And dedicated. So are her heroines and heroes.
Do visit her website, http://cerisedeland.com and blog at http://cerisedeland.blogspot.com. Also visit her YOUTube Channel for her videos of her research travels here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCba82P_…
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