Excerpt Tour: If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke

IF THE DUKE DARES

by Darcy Burke

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Regency Historical Romance

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Incorrigible flirt Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne is in need of a duchess. En route to greet a potential bride, he encounters a most intriguing and captivating widow who completely distracts him from his task. However, she disappears before he can deepen their acquaintance. Acton begrudgingly goes to meet his bride, unaware she and the widow are one and the same.

When Persephone Barclay’s younger sister is compromised, Persephone must wed before the scandal spreads. Her parents scramble to present her to the Duke of Wellesbourne; except he’s precisely the kind of rogue she has now vowed to avoid. Taking flight to avoid a match, Persephone runs straight into her would-be betrothed and pretends to be someone else. But dash it all, the duke proves to be irresistibly charming! If she remains in his company, she’ll end up in the wicked scoundrel’s clutches.

Even worse, her second attempt at escape lands her in increasingly poor circumstances. With nowhere to turn and her safety at risk, she may have to accept help from the one man who threatens her resolve—and her reputation.

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

"Men can be absolutely awful.”

“And yet we are all destined to marry one, whether we want to or not,” Tamsin said, also rising. “Why should a reprobate like Bane be allowed to ruin a sweet person like Pandora?”

“Because he’s an earl and heir to a dukedom. He can do whatever he wishes and likely suffer no consequences.” Gwendolyn Price, the newest member of their club, got to her feet as she shook her head. Her brown eyes glittered with outrage as her dark curls brushed her cheeks. “It isn’t remotely fair.”

“But what can we do?” Pandora asked forlornly.

Persephone clasped her sister’s hand and looked into her eyes. “We can vow to not let them get away with their behavior. We can band together and say enough. We won’t tolerate being treated this way, and we won’t play by their rules.”

“We’ll make our own rules,” Min said.

“Starting with ‘never walk alone with a rogue,’” Pandora said bitterly. “And never flirt with one either.”

Gwen held up her hand. “Forgive me, but what is a rogue exactly? Are all men rogues?”

“Yes,” Pandora said emphatically.

Min sent Pandora a sympathetic look. “Not all men, but a great many who swan about with their privilege, their poor reputations for whatever transgressions they’ve committed, and their arrogance.”

“I would say rogues pay little attention to Society’s rules—or any rules, really,” Ellis said.

“That would be their privilege,” Persephone added with a nod. “They think they can get away with whatever they want without a care for anyone else. Utterly reckless.”

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Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of over sixty captivating, compelling historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Her novels have been translated into five languages and are also available as audio books. Join her Reader Club at https://www.darcyburke.com/join.

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming, teacher husband, artist daughter, and writer (yes!) son. They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, a rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, an adorable former stray who wandered onto their deck and into their hearts, and two bonded boys who used to belong to (separate) neighbors but chose them instead. You can find Darcy in her comfy writing chair, folding laundry (which she loves), or enjoying game night with the family. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and follow her social media: Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans, Instagram at http://www.instagram/darcyburkeauthor, and Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/darcyburkewrite.

If the Duke Dares website link: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares

If the Duke Dares buy links

Amazon: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Amz

Apple: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-App

Barnes & Noble: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-BN

Google Play: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-GP

Kobo: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Kobo

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