Tag Archives: Caroline Linden

Review: My Once and Future Duke by Caroline Linden

My Once and Future Duke by Caroline Linden
Historical romance released by Avon on February 27, 2018

 What happens at the infamous Vega Club . . .
Sophie Campbell is determined to be mistress of her own fate. Surviving on her skill at cards, she never risks what she can’t afford to lose. Yet when the Duke of Ware proposes a scandalous wager that’s too extravagant to refuse, she can’t resist. If she wins, she’ll get five thousand pounds, enough to secure her independence forever.

Stays at the Vega Club . . .
Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, tells himself he’s at the Vega Club merely to save his reckless brother from losing everything, but he knows it’s a lie. He can’t keep his eyes off Sophie, and to get her he breaks his ironclad rule against gambling. If he wins, he wants her—for a week.

Until now.
A week with Jack could ruin what’s left of Sophie’s reputation. It might even cost her her heart. But when it comes to love, all bets are off . . .

I was right, everyone! There is a professional female gambler in this book. The best way to explain this is that it’s a mashup between Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast—without the ominous flowers or footwear. The characters even have real names—something that bothered me when I read the older versions of the fairy tales. Their names are Sophie—our professional gambler, and Jack—the duke. Both Sophie and Jack reach out to others throughout the book; they see each other differently than society might. Continue reading

Teaser Tuesday Exclusive Excerpt: My Once and Future Duke by Caroline Linden

Hi friends! I’m super excited to share an exclusive excerpt of Caroline Linden’s upcoming book with you! I saw some promo [on twitter] and was like “!!!!” and then also Caroline is super wonderful, so I emailed her and was like “HEY I WANT YOU TO DO A SOMETHING AT ALBTALBS” and since she is very kind and delightful, she agreed. <3 Yay for us!

My Once and Future Duke will be out February 27th, and here’s a teaser for you! 😀  (In the form of an exclusive excerpt, because you know we don’t do it any other way at ALBTALBS.)

My Once and Future Duke Cover

What happens at the infamous Vega Club . . .
Sophie Campbell is determined to be mistress of her own fate. Surviving on her skill at cards, she never risks what she can’t afford to lose. Yet when the Duke of Ware proposes a scandalous wager that’s too extravagant to refuse, she can’t resist. If she wins, she’ll get five thousand pounds, enough to secure her independence forever.

Stays at the Vega Club . . .
Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, tells himself he’s at the Vega Club merely to save his reckless brother from losing everything, but he knows it’s a lie. He can’t keep his eyes off Sophie, and to get her he breaks his ironclad rule against gambling. If he wins, he wants her—for a week.

Until now.
A week with Jack could ruin what’s left of Sophie’s reputation. It might even cost her her heart. But when it comes to love, all bets are off . . .

Continue reading

Guest: Caroline Linden on Secondary Characters

Hi friends! Is everyone stateside recovered from … :X Tax Day? Today we have a short and sweet post from Caroline Linden, who is a first timer to ALBTALBS! So everyone be nice to her! It’s possible she’s offering a bribe too. 😉 Her newest book All’s Fair in Love and Scandal will be out on April 21, and is only $1.99 right now! Soon soon soon! But – let’s see what she has to say today. 🙂

Blame It on BathI always love my secondary characters.

Sometimes I fully intend to write another book starring them; in that case I try to sort them out during the first book, with an eye toward dropping clues and hints about their (future) story. Sometimes it’s more accidental, and the character just grows on me so much I don’t want to let them go. That’s what led to I Love the Earl, the novella I wrote about a character in Blame It on Bath who was just meant to be a passing presence, the helpful aunt who passed the hero some information. Other times… well, other times I really like the characters but am perfectly happy to let them remain un-written-about. Continue reading