Scandalous Ever After

by Theresa Romain

Overview

"Abounds with delightful characters...an entertaining collision of crossed purposes and mixed messages ensues."—Publishers Weekly

After years apart, old friends Lady Kate Whelan and Evan Rhys reunite at a race. They've been masking their feelings for each other for years, but when Evan must protect Kate from her late husband's secrets, he may not be able to resist her any longer.

After being widowed by a steeplechase accident in Ireland, Lady Kate Whelan abandons the turf. But once her mourning is complete, her late husband's debts drive her to seek help in Newmarket amidst the whirl of a race meet. There she encounters antiquities expert Evan Rhys, her late husband's roguish friend—whom she hasn't seen since the day of his lordship's mysterious death.

Now that fate has reunited them, Evan seizes the chance to win over the woman he's always loved. But once back within the old stone walls of Whelan House, long-held secrets come to light that shake up everything Kate thought she knew about her marriage. Now she wonders who she can trust with her heart—and Evan must decide between love and a truth that will separate him from all his heart desires.

Romance of the Turf Series:
A Gentleman's Game (Book 1)
Scandalous Ever After (Book 2)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492649021
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	07/04/2017
Series:	Romance of the Turf , #2
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Historical romance author Theresa Romain pursued an impractical education that allowed her to read everything she could get her hands on. She then worked for universities and libraries, where she got to read even more. Eventually she started writing, too. She lives with her family in the Midwest.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2017
Romain’s diverting novel lacks the intrigue of some of her previous Regencies, but it abounds with delightful characters. Abigail Catherine “Kate” Durham, Irish Countess of Whelan, has only recently shed her widow’s weeds in favor of feathered hats and brightly colored dresses. It’s racing season in Newmarket, and she intends this trip to her father’s home to mark a new beginning. When Kate and her brother Jonah stop in Cambridge to take in a lecture on antiquities by expert Evan Rhys, she means it as an olive branch to Evan, a man she and her late husband once counted as a close friend. But Evan has absented himself from her life since the day of her husband’s fatal accident, and she’s not so sure she can trust his friendship anymore. When she invites him into her bedchamber, an entertaining collision of crossed purposes and mixed messages ensues. These misunderstandings more than make up for the rather lightweight subplot of possible murder, smuggling, and forgery. Agent: Paige Wheeler, Creative Media. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A solid effort from an up-and-coming writer." - Kirkus

""Abounds with delightful characters...an entertaining collision of crossed purposes and mixed messages ensues."" - Publishers Weekly

"Romain delivers another exciting and romantic installment in her Romance of the Turf series, which will make horse racing buffs stand up and cheer." - RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

"Romain's elegant prose, inventive plotting, brilliantly nuanced characters, and refreshingly different setting make her latest superbly written romance de rigueur for Regency romance fans." - Booklist, STARRED review

"Enchanting worlds, mesmerizing characters, precisely worded dialogues, and prose so sublime, it's hard to believe that Theresa Romain is a young 21st Century woman...Ms. Romain gets better with every book she writes." - Fresh Fiction

From the Publisher

2017-04-18
After an earl's death, his wife and his best friend must give themselves permission to love each other.Conall Ritchie Durham, the Earl of Whelan, was not much of a catch as either a friend or a husband. But when he died in a riding accident, his best friend, Evan Rhys, couldn't bear to stick around to comfort Con's widow. That's because Evan had been in love with her since the first time they met. For her part, Kate Durham, the Countess of Whelan, was shocked and saddened by her husband's death but not heartbroken. She was tired of his infidelities and his overspending. But she was heartbroken at being abandoned by her dear friend Evan. It was two full years after Con's death before Kate tracked Evan down on a visit to England from the Whelan estate in Ireland. Evan, who had resolved to stay away from Kate, was easily pulled away from his research into antiquities and back into her orbit, staying at her father's home before traveling with her back to Ireland. Kate knows she's attracted to Evan, but she doesn't realize that he's in love with her. Indeed, Kate and Evan and the naturalness of their dialogue are the best parts of the novel and the thing that will carry readers all the way through the last page. The plot is a bit wooden, and Romain (Passion Favors the Bold, 2017, etc.) could have spared readers the addition of a paper-thin villain. But the second full-length book in her Romance of the Turf series is worth reading anyway, because Romain writes the romantic parts of the tale so well and because there is just enough horse talk to please equestrians and not enough to put off people who don't ride. A solid effort from an up-and-coming writer.

Kirkus Reviews