A Passion for Pleasure - By Nina Rowan Page 0,119
robots or cipher machines. His brother Darius, on the other hand…”
“But what if Sebastian has to care about a cipher machine?” Fanciful Nina reached for another bon-bon. “What if something happens that makes him lose his fun-loving attitude? Omigod, what if something happens that makes him lose his career?”
Serious Nina blinked. “You would make Sebastian lose his career?”
“You’re the one who said ‘anguish.’ What if his right hand is permanently injured?”
“But… but Sebastian is so dreamy. So devilishly handsome. Why would you do that to him?”
“So that he’s forced to find a new purpose.” Fanciful Nina jumped up and started pacing. “What if Sebastian has to stop focusing on himself for once in his life in order to help someone who needs him? Like his brother? Or Clara? Or his brother and Clara?”
“Well…”
Fanciful Nina clapped her hands. “What if Darius knows something is wrong? Being a mechanical-minded fellow, he’s seeking secret plans for a machine that could be used in wartime. And because encoding machines and automata often have similar mechanisms, the plans are hidden in the Museum of Automata where Clara lives. So Sebastian has to approach Clara because he promised to help Darius, only he can’t tell her what he needs. And he doesn’t yet know that Clara has a desperate, heart-wrenching goal of her own. And Sebastian is the only person who can help her attain it!”
Fanciful Nina raised her arms in victory. “Conflict. Anguish. Strong goals. Very hot, sexy attraction. I’ll figure out the happy ending later.”
Serious Nina was silent. She picked at the label of a turmeric bottle.
“What?” Fanciful Nina frowned. “It’s good.”
“But does Sebastian have to lose his career?”
“He’ll find his way back to music,” Fanciful Nina said reassuringly. “I promise.”
“With Clara.”
“Of course! Their love is so powerful that they create a new and exhilarating future together. With lots of steamy lovemaking.”
Serious Nina put the turmeric bottle back into place on the rack.
“Okay,” she finally agreed. “That’s cool.”
Happy Reading!
From the desk of Jane Graves
Dear Reader,
Our cat, Isabel, is a rescue kitty. She had it rough her first few years, but after living with her foster mom for several months, she was ready to be adopted. She was so sweet and engaging in spite of what had happened to her that we bonded instantly. Her foster mom was delighted that I was a writer, which meant someone was home all day every day to cater to Isabel's every whim. As she put it, “She hit the jackpot!”
As an animal lover, I’m always on the lookout for romance novels that feature pets. So when I was deciding what to write next, I wanted to include pets in a big way. Then I read a popular legend that revolves around pets—the Legend of the Rainbow Bridge—and I knew I’d found the basis for my new series. According to the legend, there’s a spirit world tied to earth, inhabited by beloved pets who’ve passed to the other side. With all earthly age and disease erased, they wait in this transitional paradise for their human companions to join them. After a joyful reunion, together they cross the Rainbow Bridge to heaven.
From there, I created Rainbow Valley, a small town deep in the Texas Hill Country, which is considered to be the home of the mythical Rainbow Bridge and bills itself as the most pet-friendly town in America. The first book, COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY, revolves around the Rainbow Valley Animal Shelter, a place where animals like Isabel get a second chance to find a loving home.
As I write this, Isabel is asleep in my lap. She weighs approximately a thousand pounds these days and makes my legs fall asleep, but how can I tell her to move? We’re here to make her life better than the life she knew before. I don’t know if the legend is true or not. But I do know that the spirit of the legend—that of enduring love—couldn’t be more appropriate for a romance novel. And I like the idea that someday, when I leave this world, she just might be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge.
I hope you enjoy COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY!
Happy reading!
janegraves.com
Facebook.com
Twitter@janegraves
Also by Nina Rowan
A Study in Seduction
PRAISE FOR A STUDY IN SEDUCTION
“A rare combination of beautiful writing and hot sensuality—readers are going to love A Study in Seduction!”
—Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author
“Here at BookPage we are loving debut romance novelist Nina Rowan and her new book A Study in Seduction. If you are a romance enthusiast with a little bit of closet nerd inside of you, then this novel is the perfect fit for you.”
—BookPage
“Four stars! Rowan debuts a historical romance that has plenty of sizzle contained within a strong story line, featuring a feminist approach, likable characters, a mystery with plot twists galore, and plenty of sassy repartee. Readers will eagerly await the next in Rowan’s Daring Hearts series so they can savor her well-crafted, sensual prose.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[A] fabulous Victorian romance in which the mathematical puzzles provide freshness…The lead couple is a nice pairing of intelligent individuals and the siblings are fully developed…sub-genre fans will enjoy the theorem of love.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
Thank you for buying this e-book, published by Hachette Digital.
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Contents
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Preview of A Dream of Desire
The Dish
Also by Nina Rowan
Praise for A Study in Seduction
Newsletters
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Nina Rowan
Excerpt from A Dream of Desire copyright © 2013 by Nina Rowan
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: April 2013
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ISBN 978-1-4555-0957-7
Table of Contents
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Preview of A Dream of Desire
The Dish
Also by Nina Rowan
Praise for A Study in Seduction
Newsletters
Copyright