Counting on a Countess: The London Underground

by Eva Leigh

Overview

For a shameless libertine and a wily smuggler in the London Underground, marriage is more than convenience—it’s strategy . . .

Christopher “Kit” Ellingsworth, war veteran and newly minted Earl of Blakemere, buries his demons under every sort of pleasure and vice. His scandalous ways have all but emptied his coffers . . . until a wealthy mentor leaves him a sizeable fortune. The only stipulation? He must marry within one month to inherit the money. Kit needs a bride and the bold, mysterious Miss Tamsyn Pearce seems perfect.

Husband hunting isn’t Tamsyn’s top priority—she’s in London to sell her new shipment of illicit goods—but she’s desperate for funds to keep her smuggling operation afloat. When a handsome earl offers to wed her and send her back to Cornwall with a hefty allowance, Tamsyn agrees. After all, her secrets could land her in prison and an attentive, love-struck spouse could destroy everything.

But when an unexpected proviso in the will grants Tamsyn control of the inheritance, their arrangement becomes anything but convenient. Now, Kit’s counting on his countess to make his wildest dreams a reality and he plans to convince her, one pleasurable seduction at a time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062499431
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/27/2018
Series:	London Underground Romance Series , #2
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Eva Leigh is a USA Today bestselling romance author who has always loved historical romance. She writes novels chock-full of determined women and men who are here for it. She enjoys baking, spending too much time on the Internet, and listening to music from the '80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.

Eva also writes in multiple romance genres as Zoë Archer and Alexis Stanton.

Visit her on the web at http://evaleighauthor.com

Editorial Reviews

01/15/2018
Leigh’s sexy second London Underground Regency (after From Duke Till Dawn) finds Christopher “Kit” Ellingsworth, the Earl of Blakemere, in need of a wife in order to claim the funds bequeathed to him by a friend. Tamsyn Pearce hopes to buy her childhood home from her no-good relatives in order to continue her smuggling business, which feeds the villagers of Newcombe. When Kit suggests they marry, he’s honest with Tamsyn regarding his reasons and intents, but his known hatred of criminal activities prevents Tamsyn from coming clean. When Kit learns that one stipulation of the will is that Tamsyn have control over the finances, he sets out to woo her into giving him the money he needs to build his pleasure garden, but she refuses, causing discord in their blooming relationship. Then Kit stumbles upon her true profession, and he must choose between his dedication to the Crown and the woman he’s come to love. Tamsyn and Kit are a match in charm, wit, and intelligence. Their passion ignites the pages, and their journey to love and trust will touch the hearts of readers. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Tamsyn and Kit are a match in charm, wit, and intelligence. Their passion ignites the pages, and their journey to love and trust will touch the hearts of readers.” — Publishers Weekly

“Leigh proves that the most intriguing part of London is its underground; a place where a smuggler and a nobleman can make the perfect match. Always original, sensual, absorbing and fast paced, Leigh’s novels explore the dark and dangerous aspects of the era. Readers will be clambering for more of her emotional, well-told tales that can be enjoyed over and over again.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick)

“Eva Leigh is proving herself as vital a voice in the genre as those with slightly lengthier book lists to their credit. Leigh consistently crafts whip-smart heroines and irresistible heroes delivered in packages bursting with wicked wit, feminist leanings, and sex positivity... For any who question whether historical romance is outdated or can be feminist, look no further than Eva Leigh’s work – while maintaining assiduous historical accuracy, she delivers intoxicating yarns that bulldoze tropes and flip gender expectations on their head.” — Entertainment Weekly

“there’s just something about the way [Leigh] structures her plots that slips under my skin and gets my mental wheels turning every time...” — Seattle Review of Books

From the Publisher

Leigh proves that the most intriguing part of London is its underground; a place where a smuggler and a nobleman can make the perfect match. Always original, sensual, absorbing and fast paced, Leigh’s novels explore the dark and dangerous aspects of the era. Readers will be clambering for more of her emotional, well-told tales that can be enjoyed over and over again.

RT Book Reviews (top pick)

Eva Leigh is proving herself as vital a voice in the genre as those with slightly lengthier book lists to their credit. Leigh consistently crafts whip-smart heroines and irresistible heroes delivered in packages bursting with wicked wit, feminist leanings, and sex positivity... For any who question whether historical romance is outdated or can be feminist, look no further than Eva Leigh’s work – while maintaining assiduous historical accuracy, she delivers intoxicating yarns that bulldoze tropes and flip gender expectations on their head.

Entertainment Weekly

there’s just something about the way [Leigh] structures her plots that slips under my skin and gets my mental wheels turning every time...

Seattle Review of Books

2018-01-23
A smuggling ring in Cornwall and a war hero with entrepreneurial dreams add some novelty to this Regency romance.Leigh (From Duke Till Dawn, 2017, etc.) returns to the trope of a lying heroine with a heart of gold that she employed in the first novel in her London Underground series. Tamsyn Pearce, the impoverished orphan daughter of minor gentry, meets Kit Ellingsworth, the new Earl of Blakemere, at a London ball where they are both seeking a marriage of convenience: she needs a husband's money to buy a home base for her smuggling operation, which is keeping her entire Cornish village afloat; Kit is widely known to be bound by a will that requires matrimony before the awarding of a substantial inheritance. Their instant attraction is a surprise bonus. A quick wedding seems like the best option, but a new clause in the will is revealed after the ceremony—one that hands control of the promised funds to Tamsyn. The unexpected twist, followed by Kit's bungling attempt to seduce Tamsyn into financing a cherished venture, threatens the bond that had begun to override their initial mercenary intent. There is also the small matter of Tamsyn's criminal activity, which she is determined to continue and keep a secret from Kit—even when using his house to store goods. The logical consequence of this choice can be predicted well in advance, like the basement scene in a slasher movie. The novel does a credible job of showing the couple's growing love, though mostly in scenes of Kit striving to make his countess happy, and also fleshes out some of the minor characters. But the pacing is uneven; a scene in a sex club, for example, is unexciting, more like a clumsy detour into a 1970s key party orgy.Love excuses bad ethics in this implausible tale of an intrepid baron's daughter who lies her way to a happy ending. For fans of risk-taking heroines and saved-by-the-bell conclusions.

Kirkus Reviews