Excerpt & giveaway: The King of Threadneedle Street by Moriah Densley

You guys, I’m so happy to share a release week with my good friend Moriah Densley. She’s an incredibly talented author who writes sumptuous, sensuous historical romance and very fun paranormal romance.

Today her historical romance King of Threadneedle Street is being re-released. I’ve read this book twice, but I’m going to buy myself a new copy and read it again over Christmas. I think when you read the excerpt below, you will too!

First, here’s the book.

He owns three shipping companies, a diamond mine, and his own castle.
He knows Portuguese, Hindi, Mandarin and Morse code.
His assets net thirteen million.

Everyone thinks Andrew Tilmore, Lord Preston, the financial prodigy dubbed “The King of Threadneedle Street,” has it all, but he wants the one prize money can’t buy: his childhood sweetheart.

Alysia Villier can’t say if it’s worse having Andrew’s father in control of her inheritance or Andrew in control of her heart. He’s ruined her for any other man, but she simply can’t give in to him. She knows he’s destined for great things — marrying a courtesan’s daughter would jeopardize everything he stands for.

Keeping Alysia out of trouble and away from eager suitors becomes a cross-continental quest for Andrew, and he won’t be stopped by his old-fashioned family or the disapproval of the ton. After all, he’s a man with the power to play newspapers and investors like pawns, tumble world markets and incite riots… but can he win the biggest gamble of his life?

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EXCERPT

I absolutely looove this excerpt. Here’s what Moriah says about it: “Making Alysia a semi-famous painter was a joy. I took art lessons the year I wrote this manuscript, which helped me write from the perspective of an artist who sees light, color, and shape as possibilities instead of facts. There’s a scene wherein Alysia claims not to be affected by ‘heroic nudity’ in art, and Andrew calls her bluff. You’d better believe that was fun to write!”

Andrew held out a finger to trace the lines, but withdrew. “The Dying Gaul?” He turned his discerning gaze on her.

“One of my favorites. He reminds me of you,” she confessed. The heat of his stare was too intense; she diverted her eyes to the case of pastels in her hand.

“But I have no moustache.” Playful, but she knew he was trying to draw her out.

“The resemblance is in his form and his masculine expression.”

“But he is dying.”

“But not in despair, he is brave. He meets his fate proudly.”

His eyes gleamed with mischief. “He is naked. Surely you don’t imagine me that way.”

“As an admirer of great art I am quite unaffected by heroic nudity in the erotic sense.”

Andrew was removing his clothes. He often shed his jacket, waistcoat, and necktie in her presence, but he now had his shirt off and was unfastening his trouser buttons.

“Andrew! What are you doing?”

“You said you wanted to sketch me?” He held his arms out. “I want to be sketched. No better time than now.”

He shut the door of the salon. The turning lock echoed, a sinister sound.

“But — I… I had a portrait in mind. A decent one.”

“Oh, it will be better than decent.” He tossed his boots and stockings into a chair.

“I mean, presentable. To the public.” She watched with wide eyes as Andrew wadded his trousers and launched them into the chair as well.

“You said you aren’t averse to heroic nudity.”

“But not yours!” She felt on the verge of panic. “Besides, what is heroic about this?”

“You’re the artist with the vivid imagination. Make something up.”

He tossed his drawers into her lap, and a whimper squeaked from her throat. She heard him drop onto the settee opposite her.

“Well?”

Alysia reined in the giddy feeling making her lightheaded and opened the book to a blank page. She selected a pencil then looked up at him.

Giveaway!

Moriah’s giving away some beautiful jewelry that she’s made. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Moriah Densley

Bestselling author Moriah Densley sees nothing odd at all about keeping both a violin case and a range bag stuffed with pistols in the back seat of her car. They hold up the stack of books in the middle, of course. She enjoys writing about Victorians, assassins, and geeks. Her muses are summoned by the smell of chocolate, usually at odd hours of the night. By day her alter ego is your friendly neighborhood music teacher. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband, four children, and two possibly brain-damaged cats.

Moriah has a Master’s degree in music, is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist, 2012 National Reader’s Choice Award winner, and ’12 NRCA “Best First Book” finalist. She’s the author of the bestselling “Rougemont” Historical Romance series from Eskape Press, and the “Network-One” Paranormal Romance series coming 2014 from Entangled Publishing. Moriah is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Greenburger Associates.

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