A Sense of Sin

Lizzie Paxton's dream in life is to be a widow--if only she could skip the wedding and the husband. When her childhood friend Captain James Marlowe proposes a marriage in name only, she accepts, knowing she'll have the independence she craves once he sets sail. Though James is the only man Lizzie trusts, she doesn't trust the scintillating desire he evokes in her.

James knows he shouldn't get involved with anyone, especially with his uncertain future. But he just can't help himself when he overhears Lizzie's declaration. Though he's promised her a marriage of convenience, he wastes no time in seducing her and taking her over the precipice of desire. Yet not even his beautiful wife can deter him from his cause.

But when Lizzie discovers her husband has deceived her, James must choose between devotion to duty and loyalty to the woman he cannot live without. . .

"Intrigue, sensuality and romance collide." --Jenna Petersen

"Elizabeth Essex's The Pursuit Of Pleasure is elegant, evocative, and absolutely dangerous to a good night's sleep." --Courtney MilanWhen not re-reading Jane Austen, sipping tea or mucking about her garden, Elizabeth Essex can be found at her computer, making up stories about people who live far more interesting lives than she.

It wasn't always so. Elizabeth graduated from Hollins College with a BA in Classical Studies and Art History and then earned her MA from Texas A&M University in Nautical Archaeology, also known as the archaeology of shipwrecks. While Elizabeth loved the adventurous life of a working archaeologist, after writing and reading all those dry, dusty reports on ship construction, she would daydream about how lovely it would have been if only someone had fallen in love on just one of those ships. And so now she writes stories about just that.

Naval Captain Hugh McAlden is accustomed to taking on deadly, high-stakes assignments--and being rewarded handsomely for his success at them. But to accomplish his latest mission, he'll need someone more inconspicuous among his own ranks. Someone like the larcenous beauty who just relieved him of his pocket watch under his very nose. . .

Meggs Tanner's livelihood--as one of London's stealthiest thieves--depends on her remaining un-tethered and unnoticed. But when she is caught by an icy-eyed Scottish officer with an unusual proposition, she sees a chance to escape her life of crime forever. Ever wary, she accepts the job even as she plots her exit strategy, ready to cut and run at a moment's notice.

But as Meggs and Hugh come nearer to the danger of their shared mission, thoughts of betrayal and distrust begin to dissolve. . .overshadowed by a passion worth any risk. . .

Praise for The Pursuit of Pleasure

Intrigue, sensuality and romance collide." --Jenna Petersen

Elegant, evocative, and absolutely dangerous to a good night's sleep." --Courtney Milan

The only thing Miss Melissa Goodly has ever wanted out of a marriage is love. But any hope of that dissolves one wild night, when she loses herself in the arms of the most irresistible--and unobtainable--man in all of England. For when they are discovered in a position as compromising as it is pleasurable, she has no choice but to accept his proposal.

What woman would refuse a Duke’s kiss?

Running from a dark secret past, Isabella Masters craves peace and stability, a life far from the prying eyes of society.

She does not dream of landing a lord.

But in the arms of a stranger with magnificent eyes, she loses herself in one breath-stealing kiss— only to discover she has been misled by a reluctant Duke.

Angered but enthralled, she dares not submit . . . though her passionate heart begs her to. He cannot wed her . . . but he must not lose her.

Only one possibility remains— one too scandalous to consider . . . yet too tempting to resist.

Being kidnapped is teaching Miss Celia Seaton a few things about life:

Lesson one: Never disrobe in front of a gentleman . . . unless his request comes at gunpoint.

Lesson two: If, when lost on the moors, you encounter Tarquin Compton, the leader of London society who ruined your marriage prospects, deny any previous acquaintance.

Lesson three: If presented with an opportunity to get back at Mr. Compton, the bigger the lie, the better. A faux engagement should do nicely.

Lesson four: Not all knowledge is found between the covers of a book. But an improper book may further your education in ways you never guessed.

And while an erotic novel may be entertaining, the real thing is even better.

A Proper Governess Should Never. . .

Assist a handsome stranger, alone on an unfamiliar road . . . unless the rake happens to be her new employer.

Take a position in a crumbling manor . . . especially if the household staff has been replaced by unruly former soldiers.

Allow her young charge entrée to her heart . . . for once done, it will be impossible to maintain proper distance.

Permit her charge's uncle a breathtaking kiss under a star-lit sky . . . henceforth she will most certainly lose composure whenever he is near.

And above all, she should never, ever fall completely, irreversibly in love with her employer . . . for nothing good can possibly come of it.

Lady Amelia Bertram may have a reputation as the most brazen beauty of the ton, but she shocks even herself when she accidently--and loudly--derides one of society's most eligible bachelors in the middle of a crowded ballroom. The timing of her faux pas couldn't be worse, for her father is seeking someone to take her off his hands that very night. . .

But when Thomas Armstrong overhears the so-called "Lady" Amelia slandering his sexual prowess in public, he cannot help but accept the dare implicit in her words. To her father's great delight, he offers to take her to his secluded country estate--properly chaperoned, of course--to teach the girl a lesson in ladylike behavior. . .

"A delightful debut! Beverley Kendall writes with wit and passion!" --Sophie Jordan, USA Today bestselling author