Rose Bride is the third book in the Lust in the Tudor Court series by Elizabeth Moss and is a seductive and steamy tale set within the court of King Henry VIII. Could you survive as a member of the royal court? Our dear heroine has returned to court, will she be able to stay this time?
Marjerie Croft left court years ago with a secret that she just can’t run away from. The rumors surrounding that fateful night years ago still haunt her, are they true? Men don’t believe her and woman fear her. A woman has no voice in Henry’s court unless you’re the queen or in the King’s favor. Will Marjerie find the strength to survive? Unable to give up she finds an ally in the most unlikely place.
Virgil Elton is a doctor at court and is enchanted by Marjerie. Yet he too is caught up in the rumors that surround her past. Even when he comes to her aid will he still has doubts. They will form an unorthodox friendship, no good came come of it. Virgil also has secrets, what will Marjerie do when she discovers what he’s been hiding.
One of the most satisfying aspects of this series is that it’s gritty, complicated and completely captivating. This three and a half pepper spicy latte read has a story that will sweep you away to a time when the king’s word meant life or death.
Life in King Henry’s court is full of lust, all eyes are watching your every move and no one can be trusted.
Proceed with caution, this three pepper spicy latte must read is 
pretty hot and may offend. For mature readers 18+.
This seductive adventure will tie up loose ends, reveal the naughty ways of the royal court and show how just one rumor can potentially destroy many lives.
While this book is part of a series one can enjoy it as a stand alone read. However, I can’t imagine not indulging in each book in this must read series!
I received this ARC from the publisher for a fair and honest review.
ICYMI:
***** TIP FOR SURVIVING THE TUDOR PERIOD *****
DON’T DRINK THE WATER
You won’t survive long in the Tudor period if you drink the water. There’s no such thing as clean water in towns, where sewage runs freely from street ditches into the rivers, and even in the less polluted country, you may find animals have been there before you. Water is strictly for washing only, and in fact, washing is not really recommended either. After all, you might catch a cold or get an infection if you strip off for a wash in dirty water, and there’s no easy way to lower a temperature. (Some poor people are actually sewn into their clothes for the winter. Which saves on laundry too.) Basically, if you want to survive the night, just say no to sewage-infected water, and reach for a goblet of something safer instead. Tasty substitutes for water include wine for the well-heeled Tudor middle-classes and ale for the poor. I wouldn’t advise bathing in either of those though!
Excerpt
Virgil stopped, listening. Someone was coming along the shadowy corridor ahead. He could hear light footsteps, almost shuffling. Then a dim figure passed beneath the nearest torch and he saw her face, pale, her eyes open but devoid of expression, her lips parted in a string of barely coherent whispers.
It was Margerie Croft herself, wandering barefoot in her sleep, her unbound hair tumbling in a cloudy red cascade to her waist, clad in nothing but a thin white shift.
Fortuna audaces iuvat, he thought fiercely. Fortune favours the bold. And he would have to be bold if he wished to be favoured by this beautiful, elusive creature.
‘He will not touch me again. No, I shall not allow it,’ she was whispering to herself. ‘You must let me go, sir. You cannot keep me here forever.’
So her night wanderings were not at an end, as she had tried to pretend. And here was the proof.
Virgil stepped into her path and caught her by the shoulders. ‘Margerie,’ he said quietly, looking into her face.
But her clear green gaze looked past him, empty and seemingly unaware of her surroundings.
She was asleep.
Virgil stood a moment, thinking, still holding her lightly. He had read of somnambulists in ancient texts, troubled souls who walked in their sleep, and had even prescribed a sleeping draught to keep her nightmares at bay. But he had not truly believed it to be possible until he had seen the phenomenon with his own eyes, thinking she and Kate Langley must have exaggerated her condition.
What was it that stirred her soul so deeply, she must wander the palace at night in this dreamlike state?
‘Are you awake, Margerie? Can you hear me?’ His whisper echoed in the narrow corridor. ‘Do you know where you are?’
She did not respond but stood passive and blank-faced, breathing more deeply now, as though fast asleep. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and a powerful surge of desire moved through his body, surprising him.
She was at once vulnerable and strong, her swaying curves generous, her height imposing, suggesting she was the equal of a man. In any other woman such fiery independence of spirit would have left him cool. Yet something about Margerie threw out a challenge to every male she passed – an instinctive lure as old as time, a dare that he found nigh impossible to resist – to tame and subdue her if he was up to the task. And Virgil knew he was.
But he wanted Margerie to be awake when he took her.
‘Margerie, I am going to kiss you,’ he warned her, but there was no flicker of response in that pale face.
Was she in truth asleep, or just feigning?
There was one way to find out. Grasping her shoulders, Virgil leant forward and set his lips to hers. The violent shock that ran through him as their mouths touched stole his ability to breathe, to think, to retain control over himself. She was still asleep. He should not be doing this, it was not right. Still he could not draw away.
His kiss deepened, and as her lips parted softly under that pressure, Virgil pushed his tongue inside and tasted her. That was his undoing.
She tasted like honey, and God’s blood, he was drowning in her. Drowning …
Then suddenly Margerie was struggling in his arms, jerking away from him, gasping and shaking. Virgil let her go. He was not interested in forcing Margerie into an embrace she did not welcome.
Besides, her eyes held shocked awareness now. She was awake.
RAFFLECOPTER: THREE Copies of Rebel Bride up for grabs from Sourcebooks Cassablanca – click the link for all the details and entry form. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Books I Love A Latte is not responsible for selecting winner. Winner will be notified by the publisher at the end of the contest.
Get your copy here:
Wolf Bride (Lust in the Tudor Court)
Rebel Bride (Lust in the Tudor Court)
Rose Bride (Lust in the Tudor Court)
Author Info:
Born into a literary family, Elizabeth Moss lives with her husband and five children in South-West England, and is a keen countryside walker. She writes fun and sexy historical romances. She also writes award-winning fiction as Victoria Lamb. For more information, please visit her website: https://www.elizabethmossfiction.com.
Social Networking Links
Website: https://www.elizabethmossfiction.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.moss.566
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElizabethMoss1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ElizabethMoss
