New Release! Avoiding the Earl's Lust, Book 2 in C.H. Admirand's The Lords of Vice Series

Welcome to the pre-launch for the second book in my new series for Dragonblade Publishing: The Lords of Vice.

I'm delighted to introduce Edward, Earl Lippincott, the Duke of Wyndmere's younger brother. Like his older brother, he shares the Lippincott piercing blue eyes and dark wavy chestnut hair. Unlike his brother, he enjoys flashing his dimples when he smiles--his secret weapon with the ladies. He's 6'2" tall with broad shoulders and the same imposing build and devilishly good looks as his brother Jared. Edward loves the social whirl of society and thrives on the never-ending entertainments that last well past dawn and end someplace quiet with a warm and willing woman.

Lady Aurelia Coddington is making her debut into society with her good friend Lady Phoebe Lippincott, younger sister to Edward and Jared. A diminutive blonde beauty, standing at just 5' tall, Aurelia's summer blue eyes and curvaceous figure catch the earl's attention. The innocent debutante has captivated him, but she avoids him at all costs, having been warned away from him by his sister Phoebe and his sister-in-law Persephone, Duchess of Wyndmere. 

My characters seldom choose to follow along with the detailed synopses I create for them, and Edward and Aurelia are no exception. However, I do tend to listen when my characters insist that they would never act or think the way I intend them to. How is it that fictional characters I create and breathe life into refuse to listen to me? Sigh, the answer must lie somewhere deep in the dark recesses of my beleaguered brain. A mystery for now, to be solved at another point in time.

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Here's the blurb:

Pride, Lust, Envy and Greed…vices that could lead a gentleman down the road to ruin. Unless he meets his saving grace in the form of an innocent debutante…

Edward, Earl Lippincott is cut from the same cloth as his late and unlamented brother, the Fifth Duke of Wyndmere. When a madman has the earl’s family in his crosshairs, the earl’s overindulgence, and self-destructive ways halt. He works alongside his brother, the Sixth Duke of Wyndmere, restoring the family name to secure a suitable marriage for their sister, but is distracted by their sister’s lovely friend Lady Aurelia.

Lady Aurelia is enthralled by the handsome earl and secretly delighted when he dances with her at his sister’s ball. Everyone warns her to stay away from the earl—even his own sister! The earl’s social invitations tempt her to accept, but her uncle insists she decline.

Will she follow her heart or listen to her head in this sweet tale of love and redemption?

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Read an excerpt from the Prologue:

Edward, Earl Lippincott, gazed into the heart-shaped face of his sister’s friend, Lady Aurelia Coddington. Her smile was like a beam of sunlight in the crowded ballroom where they met in the middle of the dance floor executing yet another step in the quadrille.

As they progressed through the dance, he glanced over his shoulder in time to admire her curvaceous form. The debutante was uncommonly pretty and had attracted his attention from the moment she entered the ballroom.

Her eyes echoed the bright blue of a midsummer sky. Light blonde hair gleaming beneath the glow of a hundred candles, softened to a darker blonde as she moved from beneath the chandelier.

The steps brought them together again, and he did his best to dazzle her with his secret weapon—his dimpled smile.

Aurelia’s step faltered. He smiled, knowing he succeeded as he steadied her before she misstepped.

Her smile was tremulous. “Thank you, your lordship.”

“My pleasure.” And it would be, if he could but get her alone for just a few moments after the dance ended. Mayhap a walk in the dimly lit garden of his brother’s town house to steal a kiss and more. A glance at the Duke of Wyndmere had Edward sighing. His brother was glaring at him—again.

Bloody hell! He’d given his word not to trifle with the affections of any female under the age of five and twenty. Another glance at his partner and he knew she would be somewhere nearer their sister’s age of eight and ten. Blast!

Her lips curved into a fetching smile with not a trace of artifice.

Good God! He was intrigued to the point of temptation. What he wouldn’t give if he could travel back in time before he’d given his word to his brother. He’d whisk the young lady away to a more private setting. Devilishly skilled in the art of seduction, more than her innocent curiosity would be satisfied.

The music ended as thoughts of what might be whirled in his head. Entranced by Lady Aurelia. Unwilling to end their time together, he slowly lifted her hand to his lips. Dazzled sky-blue eyes widened as he pressed a kiss to the back of her gloved hand.

Delighted with her, intrigued by her lack of artifice, he knew he would have to see her again. The hand in his trembled as the confusion and untapped desire in the depths of her eyes held him enthralled.

“I trust you’ve enjoyed dancing with Earl Lippincott.”

Lord Coddington’s gravelly voice broke the spell Aurelia had woven about him. Edward noted the older man’s pointed look and released her hand.

Aurelia beamed. “Yes, Uncle Phineas.” Remembering her manners, she curtseyed. “Thank you ever so much for the delightful dance, your lordship.”

“It was indeed a pleasure, Lady Aurelia.”

She was staring at him as if committing the moment to memory. Was she? How odd. No other woman had ever looked at him in quite the same manner.

Her uncle tugged on her arm to get her moving. She looked over her shoulder and waved at him. “I’ll remember this dance always!”

Lady Aurelia’s reaction, though a bit unschooled, was refreshing. This could hardly be her first ball, could it? He watched her walk away, speculating at the number of balls she may have attended. Frustration filled him, wondering how many other jaded members of the ton she had cast her innocent spell upon. He would make discrete inquiries to that end, while at the same time learn more about the lovely young woman.

“Have you forgotten your promise already?”

Edward’s temper was rarely ignited by mere words, but his brother’s question had him fighting to rein in the acidic reply poised upon his tongue. Succeeding in that regard, he replied, “Nay, Your Grace.”

The duke’s one-word response had Edward chuckling. “I daresay, do you think your language is appropriate for our younger guests?”

“You would jest when this is a serious matter?”

Edward sighed. “I have just danced with a delightful young lady, who happens to be a friend to Phoebe. I found Lady Aurelia to be a breath of fresh air.”

He watched the lady and her uncle make their way over to the refreshment table before turning back to his brother. “Do not make light of my promise not to dally with any of our sister’s friends, this Season’s debutantes,” he warned the duke. “I gave my word.”

His brother sighed audibly. “Forgive me. The latest missive from our contact at the Bow Street Runners has me seeing the viscount skulking about in every corner of the ballroom and then dancing with our sister, Phoebe.”

Edward relaxed and clapped a hand to his brother’s back. “Your personal guard is stationed about the room.”

“True.”

“And your lovely duchess is watching over our sister,” Edward pointed out. “What could possibly happen?”

“What indeed?” the duke mumbled.

A short while later Edward noted Lord Coddington escorting his niece, and the young woman who accompanied them, from the ballroom. Mayhap another time, Lady Aurelia, he silently promised.

At half eleven he observed one of their footmen delivering a folded slip of paper to his brother. He knew without asking it was of some urgency and involved the man behind the threats to their family.

As previously arranged, he crossed the expanse of the ballroom to join his sister-in-law, the duchess. “I would have you know how much you have added to my brother’s life, Persephone,” the earl confided. “And ours.”

The look in his sister-in-law’s eyes warmed at his words, then changed abruptly. He had a split-second warning to prepare before all bloody hell broke loose.

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What's next in The Lords of Vice Series? Book 3: Tempering the Viscount's Envy. I turned in book 3 on Valentine's Day and am currently writing book 4: Redirecting the Baron's Greed. I have had such fun writing about the Lippincott men and their cousins. I hope you enjoy reading their stories.

Giveaway!! I'm running a rafflecopter giveaway beginning

 tomorrow, Release Day, March 16 - 21, 2021. 

Here's the link to enter for a chance to win! 

Avoiding the Earl's Lust Giveaway Contest

Two winners and the prize...

Someone will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and an e-book copy of Avoiding the Earl's Lust, and someone will win an e-book copy of Avoiding the Earl's Lust. Good Luck!!

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C.H.