The Lady Meets Her Match (Midnight Meetings) by Gina Conkle is a mysterious, intense and charming story of wit and determination. All Claire Mayhew wants is to own her own business, and is willing to do just about anything to get it. Despite society’s rules and restrictions, Claire is desperate to make her own way. Can she do that despite not being married?

In order to get what she wants she had a simple task – get in and out of the masked ball, without being discovered. However, when she comes face to face with Cyrus Ryland, the chase is on. Who’s playing who? Sparks ignite with all the mystery and the banter that’s exchanged between them is fantastic. It’s an absolutely fabulous story with chemistry that will melt your heart and a fantastic plot with rich details.

What happens when Cyrus decides he needs to know more? Will it cost him everything? Both have pasts that if discovered, could jeopardize their future. This Cinderella was a belle at the ball until the clock struck midnight, will Claire survive if she’s discovered? What will happen when she discovers what really keeps Cyrus up at night.

A beautiful story of hope, determination and lust. The attraction between the two is super hot and super intense. Secret desires. Secret hobbies. This cat and mouse game of seduction is smart and well played. I wish all men would do the laundry the way Cyrus did 🙂

I received this ARC for a fair and honest review from the publisher and absolutely loved it! I look forward to reading more books by Gina, what a great series! I’m looking forward to your next release.

*****

Today we’re sitting down with historical romance author Gina Conkle! Gina’s latest book, The Lady Meets Her Match, comes out this April. A quick question from Gina Conkle:

Q: What inspired you to become a writer?

A: I read Gone with the Wind in fifth grade and knew I wanted to be a writer, but apparently the writer bug goes further back. At Christmas, my mom dug up my grandmother’s old newsletters (my grandma had been involved in international stamp collecting and the California Historical Society). Grandma wrote that I’d been published in a local San Diego cookbook (a project I’d forgotten). She called me a “budding writer.” I was in kindergarten!

An Excerpt

Cyrus removed his fine blue coat, the slide of cloth on cloth an inviting sound to her benumbed senses.
“You’re not warming up sufficiently.” He leaned in and wrapped his coat over her shoulders, his deep voice like an intimate connection. “Someone needs to take care of you.”
She shuddered when his breath tickled her ear. His warmth and nearness was just as heavenly as what he draped around her. She could tell he found her refusal more amusing than deterring. Cyrus closed the coat in front of her, his body heat palpable inside. The collar’s woven broadcloth brushed her rain-misted cheeks, his pleasant scent on the cloth. The coat was part of an expensive, well-tailored ditto suit: identical blue fabric with spare gold trim on the coat, waistcoat, and breeches.
“I’ll ruin part of a perfectly good suit.” But she pulled the coat tighter, greedy for the snug feel.
He added more coal to the blaze. The inferno’s orange light danced across white cotton stretched over his shoulders. Muscles moved under the fabric, mesmerizing her while he built a hotter fire. And then there was his offer to waive her rent and give her a loan, an offer apparently free of unique requirements. His act of generosity pinched her conscience.
How dare he be so…nice.
“About the rent, the loan, I cannot accept your kind offer.” She cleared her throat, trying to sound competent. “I’ll find a way.”
Ryland glanced at her but said nothing to counter her refusal. Instead, he dropped to the floor, kneeling before her. Without asking her leave, he removed one shoe and then the other, and set the soaked footwear against the hearth’s ash pan.
“What are you doing?” Her words, like her body, went slack, all of her too worn down.
His head bent close to her knee. One hand, large and warm, curled around her ankle, rubbing life back into her foot. A big, masculine palm moved under the arch, creating delightful friction. She pressed her lips together, holding back a moan of pleasure.
“I would think a land steward’s daughter would know wet clothes are hazardous for one’s health.” He flashed a devilish grin. “You ought to remove your wet clothes, cover yourself with something warm and dry.”
Such as covering myself with you.

****GIVEAWAY*****

Rafflecoptor Link: a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 copies of Meet the Earl, Gina’s first book in Gina Conkle’s Midnight Series. The winners will be selected by the publisher after the tour on or around 4/20. Winner be contacted directly by publisher.

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/1FrN62T
Apple: https://apple.co/1bczPjI
BAM: https://bit.ly/1APsoUB
B&N: https://bit.ly/1GNfRWg
Indiebound: https://bit.ly/1bczVHZ
Kobo: https://bit.ly/18TXsf4

Author Info:

Gina Conkle, a history nerd to the core, loves castles and museums. Her motto is “the older and moldier, the better.” When not enjoying relics, she lives in the present, dabbling in organic gardening at her home in San Diego, California. She lives with Brian, her husband and favorite alpha male, and their two boys. Visit her at www.ginaconkle.com.