{"product_id":"goddess-of-the-hunt-isbn-9780345506863","title":"Goddess of the Hunt","description":"In this lush and seductive novel, exciting new author Tessa Dare takes desire to  brazen heights.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting  for a husband. But first she needs some target practice. So she turns to her brother’ s best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles  on him before setting her sights on another man. But her practice kisses spark a  smoldering passion–one that could send all her plans up in smoke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jeremy has an  influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets.  He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless  scheming, he must give his passions free rein. Their sensual battle of wills is as  maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong  temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control. When scandal breaks, can he  bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin? Or will he risk his heart and claim her  for his own?“The sweetest, sexiest romance you’ll read all year.”—Eloisa James\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“From the time Toby Aldridge had whimsically crowned her Goddess of the Hunt, 11-year-old Lucy Waltham had adored him. Now, eight years later, with Toby intending to propose to someone else, naïve Lucy boldly plans to seduce him but needs practice—and an ally. Who better than her emotionally chilly best friend, Jeremy Trescott, Earl of Kendall, to make Toby jealous? This is an exceptional debut novel, from the first hilarious “practice” session to the gradual melting of Jem’s outward reserve and ­Lucy’s maturing realization of whom she really loves. A beautifully crafted tale that captivates with sassy wit, a lush, sweetly intense sensuality, and an abundance of beautifully articulated, appealing characters.”—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A daring debut…Dare is on the path to stardom.”—\u003ci\u003eRomantic Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Debut author Tessa Dare bursts upon the scene with a high-energy and high-drama romance. She tells the story with provocative words and feverish action. Her cast of secondary characters is unforgettable and set the stage for the next book in this back-to-back series.”—\u003ci\u003eFresh Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Highly original… Tessa Dare is an author to watch!”—\u003ci\u003eRomance Reader’s Connection\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I fell in love with \u003cb\u003eGoddess of the Hunt\u003c\/b\u003e and Tessa Dare from the very first page! \u003cb\u003eGoddess of the Hunt\u003c\/b\u003e is a romantic delight sure to satisfy every reader.\" —Teresa MedeirosTessa Dare is a part-time librarian, full-time mommy, and swing-shift writer. She makes her home in Southern California, where she shares a cozy, cluttered bungalow with her husband, their two children, and a dog.\u003ci\u003eChapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAutumn, 1817\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA knock on the door in the dead of night could only mean disaster.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy pulled a pair of worn breeches on under his nightshirt and stumbled toward the bedchamber door. A fire? He didn’t smell smoke. Perhaps a Waltham family emergency? An urgent message from his steward, maybe—unrest at Corbinsdale would not come as a surprise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA memory assailed him, unbidden. Unnerving. His heart thudded wildly in his chest. He paused, clutching the door handle, cursing his body for recalling so quickly what he’d worked long years to forget.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLogic caught up to his racing pulse, reining it in. The dim glow of banked coals cast ominous shadows, but Jeremy forced the room into focus. This was not that night. He was in his usual bedchamber at Waltham Manor, not wandering Corbinsdale Woods. More than twenty years had passed, and he was no longer a boy. Whatever surprise awaited him on the other side of the door, he was fully equipped to face it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen he slid back the rusted bolt and wrenched open the door, Jeremy was prepared for the worst.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hold still,” came the whispered command.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe had an instant to register a feminine silhouette, a tangle of dark curls, and two hands grasping his shoulders. Then Lucy Waltham, the younger sister of his oldest friend, popped up on her toes and pressed her lips to his with such force, he stumbled against the doorjamb.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGood Lord. The girl was kissing him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWell, he thought ironically, he’d been prepared for the worst. And of the many kisses Jeremy Trescott had experienced in his nine-and-twenty years, this was, undoubtedly, the worst.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucy kissed with her lips perfectly puckered and her eyes open wide. And if she lacked in finesse, she compensated with bold enthusiasm. Her hands were everywhere at once—tangling in his hair, skimming his shoulders, exploring the broad expanse of his chest.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis wasn’t a kiss. It was a siege.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFurthermore, it was incomprehensible, wholly illogical, and a dozen different shades of wrong.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomehow Jeremy’s hands found their way to her elbows, and he wrested himself from her eager embrace. “Lucy! What the devil do you think you’re doing?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Shhhh.” Her eyes darted to either side, scanning the darkened corridor. Then her gaze tilted back up to his, narrowing with a disturbing intensity, and Jeremy fancied briefly—absurdly—that someone had painted a target on his face.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m practicing,” she whispered, her fingers tightening over his arms. “Let me try one more time.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe swooped up for another kiss, and he instinctively ducked, pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind them. In a more rational moment, it might have occurred to him that the impropriety of kissing his host’s sister in the corridor would only be compounded by yanking her into his bedchamber. But Jeremy’s faculties of reason had temporarily vacated Waltham Manor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLucy had, quite literally, kissed him witless.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Did it work, then?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe stared at her, mute with confusion. Did what work? At the moment, it seemed that nothing worked, least of all his brain. Shock had frozen his limbs. He certainly couldn’t force an answer from his lips.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStepping back, she crossed her arms over her crimson velvet dressing gown and surveyed his form boldly. As her gaze traveled downward, Jeremy grew uncomfortably aware of his own dishabille, from nightshirt to worn breeches to bare feet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA satisfied smile spread across her face. “It must have worked. You did pull me into your bedchamber.” She reached for the door handle. “Very well, Jemmy. I suppose that’s enough practice. I’ll see you at breakfast.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe cracked open the door. Jeremy put out a hand and slammed it shut.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShooting him a glare, she grasped the handle with both hands and tugged. “I beg your pardon. I’ll be on my way, then.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“No, you won’t.” He leaned his weight on the door, effectively bolting it closed. Lucy might be used to flouting her brother’s half-hearted attempts at guardianship, but Jeremy had four inches and two stone on Henry Waltham, not to mention an iron will. Lucy did not walk all over him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe mustered his most autocratic, Earl-of-Kendall tone. “You are not going anywhere. You’re going to sit down and explain yourself.” She opened her mouth to object. He grabbed her by the elbow and steered her toward a chair. “But first,” he said, “I am going to have a drink.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe stopped struggling under his grip and dropped gracelessly into the chair. “A drink,” she repeated. “Why didn’t I think of that? A drink would be just the thing, thank you.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShaking his head, Jeremy strode to the bar and poured a single glass of whiskey. He downed half the liquor in one greedy swallow, closing his eyes to savor the burn spreading down his throat. When he opened them again, he looked around to assure himself this was, indeed, the same Waltham Manor he’d been visiting each autumn since Cambridge. Roughhewn beams scored the sloping ceiling. Muted tapestries covered the walls, and an unfussy, timeworn carpet obliged his bare feet. The room had not altered in the past eight years, any more than it likely had in the past one hundred.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn decor, in landscape, in the quartet of old friends enjoying their annual sporting holiday—Waltham Manor had remained a welcome constant in Jeremy’s life. Until this year, when everything had changed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Why couldn’t everything just go on as it was?” Lucy stirred the fire with a poker, sending swirls of agitated sparks into the air. “Why did Felix have to go and get married? He’s ruined everything.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy drowned his reply with a sip of his drink. He would not have admitted it, but he rather agreed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It was all right when Henry got married,” she continued. “Marianne’s so busy with the children, at least she stays out of the way. But that shrew Felix married is going to expect to be entertained. And to make it all worse, she’s brought along her sister, that Sophia.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mrs. Crowley-Cumberbatch and Miss Hathaway are, by all accounts, charming young ladies. One would think you’d be glad of their company.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe threw him an incredulous look.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Or not.” Truth be told, Jeremy wasn’t glad of their presence, either. There was nothing precisely offensive about Felix’s wife, Kitty, or her sister, Sophia. To the contrary, Sophia Hathaway was the epitome of an inoffensive, well-bred society beauty. A bit of meringue— insubstantial, but pleasing enough, if one’s tastes ran to sweet. As Toby’s apparently did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy tossed back another swallow of whiskey and tasted the irony. Henry and Felix married, Toby on the verge . . . their bachelor’s retreat had become a family house party. Well, if all his friends were determined to shackle themselves in marriage, at least he would be in no imminent danger of joining them. All three ladies at Waltham Manor were safely accounted for.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe sound of fingers drumming wood interrupted his thoughts. “Do you intend to drink the whole bottle yourself?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnless, of course, one counted Lucy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd he did not count Lucy. She was neither eligible nor a lady. She was Henry’s much younger sister and ward, and she was Jeremy’s personal version of a biblical plague. She’d spent years devising ways to get under his skin. Now she was charging into his bedchamber and . . . and practicing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMuch as he wished to erase that kiss from his memory, he couldn’t ignore it. Neither could he ignore the obvious implications of that word, “practicing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe could, however, ignore her request for a drink. Jer?emy refilled his own glass and carried it toward the hearth, dropping into the chair opposite hers. Raking a hand through his hair, he exhaled slowly. “I don’t like to ask this. I dread your response. But for what, exactly, are you practicing?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Not ‘what,’?” she answered. “Who.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, it only got worse. “For whom are you practicing, then? Some local youth? The vicar’s boy?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“For Toby, of course.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe gave a wry laugh. “For Toby? Why would you be kissing Toby? He’s all but engaged to Miss Hathaway.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe hugged her knees to her chest, curling into a ball of red velvet and chestnut curls. The chair’s masculine proportions dwarfed her, and her green eyes brimmed with raw, undisguised hurt. “Then it’s true.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBloody hell. Suddenly this bizarre nighttime visit made sense. Jeremy punched the arm of his chair. Of all the irretrievably stupid things to say.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“My maid said she heard it from Toby’s valet. I didn’t want to believe her. I couldn’t believe her. But it’s true.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy had to look away. It was a matter of self-preservation. Lucy’s countenance was a collection of pixie features set within a heart-shaped face—a face designed to display, unfiltered, every emotion of the heart within. One couldn’t look at her without knowing exactly how she was feeling, and Jeremy didn’t wish to know how Lucy was feeling. He preferred to keep a respectful distance from even his own emotions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“How could he?” she squeaked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy winced. Lucy sniffed loudly, and he took another slow sip of whiskey. She could not cry, he wanted to remind her. That was the rule—Henry’s single exercise in authority. He’d allowed the chit to run rough?shod over them every autumn, tagging along on their hunting and fishing excursions, parroting their curses, even taking nips off their flasks—under one condition. Lucy was not to cry. In eight years, he had never seen her shed a single tear. He prayed she wasn’t about to start now. If there was one thing he couldn’t abide, it was a crying woman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe stole a glance at her. Damn it, her chin was quivering. “You’re not going to start weeping, are you?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“No.” Her voice quivered, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJeremy busied himself adding wood to the fire, stall?ing for time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCurse Toby. This was all his fault. He’d always made such a pet of the girl. Every autumn, Lucy clung to Toby like a tick on a hound. He baited her hooks and taught her bawdy Latin conjugations. He brought her flowers and wove her crowns of ivy that went straight to her head. His Diana, Toby called her. Goddess of the hunt.","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304005947621,"sku":"NP9780345506863","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345506863.jpg?v=1767728256","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/goddess-of-the-hunt-isbn-9780345506863","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}