Devil Take the Duke by Sandra Sookoo is a Backlist Bonanza pick #regency #pnr #romance #giveaway
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    • Aug 29, 2023
    • 6 min read

Devil Take the Duke by Sandra Sookoo is a Backlist Bonanza pick #regency #pnr #romance #giveaway



Title: Devil Take the Duke (Lords of the Night #1)


Author: Sandra Sookoo


Genre: Regency romance, paranormal romance


Book Blurb:


He accepts her but doesn’t love her...


Donovan James Arthur Sinclair, 8th duke of Manchester, is cursed to roam the Earth as a wolf-shifter. He doesn’t mind the beast most days, for the life of a duke is quite splendid, but it is trying if he’s honest with himself. When he saves a country miss from an out-of-control carriage in a rural village, it occurs to him that he might be wrong.


She loves him but cannot accept what he truly is...


Miss Alice Morrowe, is blind and firmly on the shelf, unloved and unwanted by nearly everyone she’s ever met. While she’s happy with her life, she wants acceptance for who she is. When she is thrown to the ground in a tangle of limbs by a very naked man amidst a thunder of hooves, she cannot help but wonder if her life is about to change.


A marriage of convenience that’s anything but...


In her, Donovan sees a way to break his curse if he can seduce her into love. In him, Alice finds solace and the thrill of romance. She’s only too happy to wed him and grasp a life she’s always wanted, but is her love what he needs to banish the beast within? Emotions run high when things don’t turn out the way they’ve each planned. Only discovering truth and genuine love can bring clarity, hope… and happily ever after.


Excerpt:


“Ah, such innocence.” His voice tickled her ear as he put his lips to the shell of that organ. “The bit of the unknown heightens the act and adds mystery. And I ask again, my sweet country flower, are you of a mind for a tryst?”


She might be rejected by society, but she needn’t act the wanton because of it or when a strange man paid the slightest mind to her. “That is rather an improper offer.” And one she’d do well to steer clear of unless she wished to pay the consequences, for since he was so high on the instep, it was unlikely he’d do right by her or a child that might result. Yet the need for more information regarding his wont to blindfold mistresses warred with self-preservation.


“So it is.” But he didn’t release her and neither did she move. “Tempting, all the same, is it not?”


“Perhaps, if it was given to a different woman on a different day in a different life.” Oh, Alice, don’t be a widgeon. Don’t be what the village expects. Proper might be boring, but it kept her safe. Too many young girls fell for the charm of men like him and found themselves in situations that left them ostracized. This time when she pushed at his chest, she didn’t allow herself the distraction of exploring his hard body. Then she scuttled away, putting much needed distance between them. “I should go. This is highly irregular.”


And slightly maddening. No matter how much she longed for romance, she refused to go down this road where love didn’t dwell. Still, her heart squeezed from knowing that she wasn’t enough for a man of his caliber. He wanted to bed her, not court her.

“As should I.” The duke blew out a heavy breath as if finally remembering himself. The flesh-colored blob that represented his form stood. “I’ve held out a hand for you, should you require assistance up.”


At least it was more respect than his last offer. Alice felt around and when her fingers came into contact with his hand, she grasped it, only squealing a little when he hauled her into a standing position without effort. “Thank you, Your Grace.” How bizarre it was to converse with one so lofty in society while they were in such a situation. Thank goodness she’d learned the proper manners and deportment as a young lady before being abandoned. Her heart twinged for an entirely different reason. Her only family, distant though they were, didn’t want her when it had become apparent she wouldn’t “grow out” of the vision affliction. When they’d turned her from their home, the luxury of certain things attached to a barony went with them.


“It has truly been my pleasure.” He released her hand with alacrity, yanking her from her tortured musings. “However, despite my duty to escort you to wherever it is you were going, my lack of clothing prevents me from parading through the village.” His self-deprecating laugh was a sad affair. What was his life like? “I fear I shall have to leave you here.”


Her heart fluttered at the heroic implication, much better than the slight he’d given with a request for a tryst. “Indeed, and you’ve yet to explain why you’re naked to begin with.” Then she gasped. Her eyes widened. “You didn’t flee from a lady’s bed, did you?” Perhaps the woman, or even an angered husband, had tossed him and his clothing from a window. She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Was there a draw for noblemen to seek out liaisons in sleepy English villages?


“I did not.” A trace of humor lingered in his voice.


“That is good to know.” With haste, she removed her shawl and held it out to him. “Cover yourself, my lord. You’re in no danger of my seeing you in the altogether, but others might.” Though she’d touched the most shocking part him, and that was scandalous enough.


Oh, dear. Does this mean I’ve been compromised? Not that it mattered. She had no one in her life to impress or woo with a sterling reputation.


“You’re too kind,” he murmured, but when he took the garment, their fingers brushed. Pleasant tingles flowed up her arm from the point of contact. He retreated, presumably to wrap the shawl about his waist, but then he scooped up her hand and brought it to his lips. A certain thrill moved down her spine when he kissed the back. “Thank you for the loan. How should I return it? I don’t know your name, let alone your address.”


And neither shall you.


“It’s best that I remain a stranger.” Gently, she slipped her hand from his. Never had she been left at sixes and sevens in the presence of a man. It was odd, and every moment she spent in his company left her heartbeat tripping out an excited rhythm.


He snorted. “I’d rather know the identity of the woman I rescued, the woman who makes certain I don’t embarrass myself any further than I already have.”


Did that mean he felt sorry he’d asked for a tryst or that he’d appeared in the village sans clothes? Confliction bounced through her brain. It was unlikely they’d ever meet again, so what did withholding her name matter? “Miss Alice Morrowe. I’m nobody, and by tomorrow, you’ll have forgotten all about me. People always do.” The muscles of her stomach clenched. What a sad commentary of her life, that she couldn’t make a singular impression on anyone. “I’ve become used to it, so you needn’t do the pretty or lie to me.” Heat infused her cheeks at the admission. That she’d say such a thing to a relative stranger horrified her.


“That’s where you are wrong.” Once more he availed himself of her hand. “Today, you are someone, for I don’t concern myself with people who don’t matter.”


So says the ego of a duke. Before Alice could form a response, he applied the veriest pressure and tugged her to him. His face came vaguely into view. He had the dearest dimple in his left cheek, and then he brushed his lips against hers in an oh too brief kiss—her first kiss. Finally, she—Alice Minerva Morrowe, firmly on the shelf at the age of thirty—experienced the pleasing press of a man’s lips to hers.


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What makes your featured book a must-read?


Who doesn’t like a good wolf shifter hero set against the glittering backdrop of a Regency world?


Giveaway –


Enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card:



Open Internationally.


Runs August 23 – August 31, 2023.


Winner will be drawn on September 1, 2023.



Author Biography:


Sandra Sookoo is a USA Today bestselling author who firmly believes every person deserves acceptance and a happy ending. That is why her characters are not in the usual style and oftentimes struggle with things out of the norm. She’s written for publication since 2008. Most days you can find her creating scandal and mischief in the Regency-era, serendipity and happenstance in the Victorian era, or historical romantic suspense complete with mystery and intrigue. Reading is a lot like eating chocolates—you can’t just have one book. Give her the chance with one book and you’ll be hooked.


When she’s not wearing out computer keyboards or mice, Sandra spends time with her real-life Prince Charming in Central Indiana where she also runs a gourmet cookie business and makes moments count with the man because the key to life is laughter. Inspired to storytelling by Walt Disney since the age of ten, when her soul gets bogged down and her imagination flags, a trip to Walt Disney World is in order. Nothing fills the well and fuels her dreams more than the land of eternal happy endings, hope and love stories.


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