How to Woo a Reluctant Lady (The Hellions of Halstead Hall Book 3)

THE HELLIONS OF HALSTEAD HALL When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmothers ultimatum, the Sharpe clans strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance and ignites his imagination. Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmothers demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minervas would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minervas imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him. Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giless secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. New York Times-bestseller Jeffries (The Truth About Lord Stone) delivers a delightful addition to the scandalous Sharpe family saga. Lady Minerva Sharpe must wed by year's end or lose her inheritance. Minerva, a successful writer of gothic novels, doesn't care about the money for herself, but for the sake of her siblings. Hoping to force her grandmother into changing this ultimatum, Minerva agrees to a bargain with her secret "weakness," Giles Masters, whom her grandmother hates. In exchange for marrying Giles, Minerva will kill off her favorite villain, the Marquess of Rockton, a spy and all-around rogue based-very loosely-on Giles. Coincidently, Giles really is a spy for the British government, when he's not working hard as one of the most promising young barristers in the country. Minerva worries about the secrets Giles is keeping from her, while Giles worries that his nemesis might seek revenge by hurting her. Quick pacing, witty dialogue, and charmingly original characters set Jeffries's books apart, and this one is sure to please old fans and make plenty of new ones as well. From Booklist As one of England's most popular gothic novelists, Minerva Sharpe might write about rogues, but that doesn't mean she wants to marry one, especially not one as notorious as Giles Masters. Unfortunately, Minerva's grandmother, Lady Hester Plumtree, has come up with a fiendishly clever way to get her grandchildren to finally consider marriage. Unless all of the Sharpe siblings are married within a year, all of them will be disinherited. Which means Minerva now needs Giles. If Giles will agree to go along with a faux engagement long enough to thwart her grandmother, Minerva will agree to stop patterning her favorite fictional villain, the marquess of Rockton, after Giles. But there's a catch. Giles really does want to marry her! The latest addition to Jeffries' exceptionally entertaining Hellions of Halstead Hall series is richly imbued with steamy passion, deftly spiced with dangerous intrigue, and neatly tempered with just the right amount of tart wit. --John Charles New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries delights readers yet again with the third sizzling Regency romance in her Hellions of Hallstead Hall series, featuring the independent Lady Minerva Sharpe and the reckless Giles Masters. When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmother’s ultimatum, the Sharpe clan’s strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance—and ignites his imagination. Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother’s demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva’s would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva’s imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him. Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents’ deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles’s secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back to her heart. The third novel in Sabrina Jeffries's Hellions of Hallstead Hall series, featuring the independent and talentedLady Minerva Sharpe. When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmother's ultimatum, the Sharpe clan's strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance and ignites his imagination. Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother's demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva's would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva's imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him. Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents' deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles's secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart.

THE HELLIONS OF HALSTEAD HALL

When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmother’s ultimatum, the Sharpe clan’s strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance and ignites his imagination.

Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother’s demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva’s would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva’s imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him. Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents’ deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles’s secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart.

The third sizzling romance in the Hellions of Hallstead Hall series, from New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries, follows a fiercely independent woman as she schemes to avoid an arranged marriage...but she may lose her heart in the process. Lady Minerva Sharpe's grandmother has a life-changing ultimatum for her inheritance—get married. But Lady Minerva believes she's come up with the perfect plan—embark on a fake engagement to a notorious rogue. Surely her grandmother would rather release her inheritance than have her married to a scoundrel. She just has to find one to play the part. Luckily, there's the wild barrister Giles Masters, the same man who has haunted her thoughts since he kissed her on her nineteenth birthday. Of course, she has no intention of falling for such a rake, much less marrying him. But soon, their fake betrothal leads to very real desire. An untputdownable romance, How to Woo a Reluctant Lady "is richly imbued with steamy passion, deftly spiced with dangerous intrigue, and neatly tempered with just the right amount of tart wit" ( Booklist ). And who better to play the part of Minerva’s would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered with Minerva, though she has no intention of falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him! Little does she know, Giles really is a covert government operative. When the two team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents’ deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles’s secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back to her heart. "Lady Minerva Sharpe doesn't ever intend to marry because no respectable man would allow her to continue writing her books. So when the only man she was ever attracted to, reckless and wild barrister Giles Masters, proposes that she marry him to meet her grandmother's ultimatum, she counters with a different proposal: a fake courtship that will upset Gran's plans in a way that her brother's fake betrothal did not."--Back cover.