Lendle

How To Distract a Duchess (previous print edition published as Distracting the Duchess …

Artemisia Dalrymple Pelham-Smythe doesn’t give two figs for the town’s opinions on propriety. She wants to be taken seriously as an artist, so the widowed Duchess of Southwycke is painting the entire Roman pantheon in glorious nudes. The man who arrived to pose for her is far too muscular and virile to fit her vision of a cherubic Cupid, so she’ll simply turn him into Mars.

Trevelyn Deveridge never expected to pose naked to serve Queen and country, but the trail of the elusive Mr. Beddington leads right to the door of the duchess. Unless Trev retrieves Beddington’s key, a whole string of operatives in India are in danger of discovery. Since he’s convinced Her Grace can point him in the right direction, he’s left with little choice but to play along with her artistic endeavors.

Besides, when a lady asks a gentleman to disrobe, how can he refuse?


Reviews …

Marlowe ” has a great handle on the material and characters, creating a charming, colorful story with an intricate, fast-paced story line.” ~ Publishers Weekly

“A cast of characters that stays with you long after you close the book. Desire, sex, intrigue and betrayal…this book has it all.” ~ NightOwl Romance


“Wickedly witty writing and wonderfully entertaining characters are the key ingredients in (this) sinfully sexy historical romance, which touches shrewdly on many key elements of the Victorian era, from extreme decorum to empire building to passions for the classical past, science (including anatomy), and art.” ~ Booklist

Ms. Marlowe “has penned a great story and historical fans will want to pick this title up. It gives you a little bit of everything from intrigue to murder to love.” ~ The Romance Reader Connection