The Dragon's Bride by Jo Beverley

Here’s another reprint from the Company of Rogues that takes us another step down memory lane….
1013507 Con Somerford, Viscount Amleigh, is not pleased to have inherited the Earldom of Wyvern and the monstrous house that goes with it. He’s even less pleased when the first person he encounters there is Susan Kerslake with a pistol in her hands. Susan and he have a past, a bitter one. The years in between, however, have been years of war. That must, surely, have armed him so he can resist her, and deal with the smuggling with which she is clearly involved.

Although Con Somerford and Susan Kerslake knew each other for two weeks as teenagers, 11 years prior, they are brought together in The Dragon’s Bride – the next in the “Company of Rogues” series by Jo Beverley. At the youthful age of 15, Susan and Con had a magical two week affair that ended when Susan rejected Con as she found out he wasn’t going to be the next Earl of Wyvern. Through a series of events, Con is now the Earl and Susan is the housekeeper of the castle owned by the Earl of Wyvern. Despite their history, Con and Susan find themselves drawn to each other with Con wondering if Susan is still only interested in him as she wants to be the Countess of Wyvern. As our story proceeds we find out that David, Susan’s brother, who leads smuggling in the area and Susan have a history that we start to uncover.

I was attracted to this book as it was another in the series, but I have placed it near the top of my Jo Beverley books for her skillful handling of a complex plot line and imperfect, yet wonderfully endearing characters. A plot line that involves the discovery of hidden marriages, peers that are off their rocker, and a castle with dragons that is involved in smuggling are enough to be challenging, but once again, Jo Beverley provides us with book impossible to put down until the last page has been read!
Dragon’s Bride was a RITA Finalist

RT Book Reviews labels Dragon’s Bride as a top pick and gives it 4.5 stars saying: “THE DRAGONS BRIDE is vintage Jo Beverley. Fast pacing, strong characters, sensuality and a poignant love story make this a tale to cherish time and again.”

The Dragon’s Bride is available from Amazon