THE COUNTESS CONFESSIONS - Jillian Hunter
A Boscastle Affairs Novel
Signet Select
ISBN: 978-0-451-41533-2
February 2014
Historical Romance

England - 1820

Disguised as a gypsy, Emily Rowland, daughter of a local baron, pretends to read Tarot cards at a neighborhood party. She plans to entice her childhood friend and now the man she believes she loves into becoming romantically interested in her. Just when it is his turn to enter the tent set up at her best friend Lucy's house party, another man pushes him aside and a roguish Scot enters the tent. After a few minutes of reluctant attraction, he kisses Emily and escapes. Her Tarot cards disperse as the tent tumbles down. Except two cards, the marriage card, which goes with the rogue, and the card Emily pulled from the deck, the passion card. She encounters the rogue again later that evening at a tower on the property where she planned to return to her normal appearance before rejoining the party as herself. Except, a group of anarchists is holding an impromptu meeting there, and she overhears their plans. Her rogue helps her escape, but noise alerts the anarchists, and one of them recognizes a gypsy running away. Her encounter puts her in imminent danger.

Damien Boscastle, the Earl of Shalcross, is undercover disguised as an anarchist and working as a spy for the crown to flush out these traitors. His actions put his gypsy in danger. Then he learns she is his friend Michael's sister Emily. When the pair's father is about to physically punish her for her transgression, he steps forward as his undisguised self and marries her…just for her protection of course.

As undeniable passion ignites between this couple locked in a marriage of convenience and honor, problems and happenstance seem to endanger them further. They have some strong associates in their respective valet and lady's maid; Emily's brother Michael who is half Romany; and Damien's large family. The dialogue between Damien and Emily is often
humorous with wit-laden innuendo. Many hot marital encounters fill the pages, and the mystery of who is behind the anarchists follows the couple from one aristocratic social gathering to another. Fun reading.

Robin Lee