Reluctant Rogues, 1
Sarah, the Countess de Marchand, has many secrets. She’s spent the last two years writing a gossip column while also carrying on a love affair with lumber baron, Simon Archer. Realizing she cannot continue either endeavor forever, she dismisses Simon and retires to Dorset, sure that he will be better off without her.
Orphan-turned-millionaire Simon Archer knows no amount of money will make him worthy in the eyes of the ton. But when Sarah’s neighbor, the penniless Earl of Tryll, cooks up a scheme to fake Simon’s heritage so that it will be socially acceptable for him to marry his daughter, Simon accepts, if only to spite everyone.
Now forced back into each other’s social spheres, will Sarah and Simon be able to continue with their separate plans for the future? Or will their passion prove too powerful to dismiss?
Excerpt:
As if the mere idea of Sarah summoned her, Simon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as a gentle set of footsteps sounded from behind him. The faint scent of almond soap invaded his nostrils.
“Charles? Who was at the…”
The feminine voice trailed off as Simon felt the wind go out of him. He fixed his attention on a small porcelain figure of a girl carrying a basket of flowers that sat on the mantle as the noise of a sharp intake of breath sounded behind him. A wave of heat grew against his back and he knew her eyes were on him.
A torrent of emotions began to swell within his body. He was suddenly hot and cold, eager, and hesitant, excited, and miserable all at once. The very blood in his veins began to bubble and fizz. Flexing his hands and with his pulse pounding, he took a deep breath and turned slowly as his gaze fell on her.
Sarah stood statue-like in the doorway, her face in disbelief, her perfect brows arched with shock. The air seemed to evaporate from the room at that moment, as well as the room itself. The entire world melted away, leaving only the distance between them.
Simon became breathless as he watched her. His heart felt like it was seizing in his chest. It was almost physically painful to be in her presence. A hundred memories rushed through his mind as he gazed at her, greedily taking in every inch of her flawless, tentative form.
God, how he had missed her.
Her perfect mouth slacked and Simon had to will himself to be still as every inch of his body urged him to go to her. After what felt like an eternity, she spoke.
“Si-Simon,” she breathed after a long, almost agonizingly quiet moment and he felt himself begin to shake.
No. He needed to remain in control and schooled his features to remain expressionless. Remain still.
“I’m sorry, my lady, but this man said he required an audience with you. I would have sent him away but—”
She shook her head and the butler stopped speaking.
“Thank you, Charles,” she said as the butler disappeared, leaving Simon and Sarah alone on opposite ends of the drawing room.
God, she was more beautiful than he remembered. Dressed in a rich mauve gown, her loose, dark curls framed her heart-shaped face. He wanted to run his hands through her hair, to bury his face in the thick mass. To breathe her in and exhale his desire for her. His fingers twitched with need.
She had always been the most beautiful woman Simon had ever seen, but seeing her now felt different than before. Their separation had only magnified her physical beauty and he wanted to touch her, to run his tongue over her smooth, golden skin and taste every sweet inch of her. The memory of her taste was only a fraction of the real thing and he suddenly felt like an addict in need of a drink.
Bloody hell. He felt as if he were finally home.
“Simon,” she finally said, her hand going up to her throat. “What are you doing here?”
The anguish in her voice made his mouth go dry, but he ignored it as he stepped towards her. He needed to focus. Disregarding the pounding urge in his body to reach for her, he took a deep breath. Instead, he rolled his fingers into fists and tried to keep his face from expressing anything he felt.
“I,” he tried, but his words stuck in his throat. He coughed to clear his throat. “I’m sorry to intrude.”
She took a step towards him. He had wanted to be emotionless, aloof, possibly even cruel when he saw her, but all the animosity he had felt for the past four months was abruptly sucked out of him.
“Are you really here?” she whispered, more to herself than to him.
For a fraction of a second, he simply stood there, until something in him broke. He took several large strides towards her and reaching for her, he pulled her against him. With a soft gasp, she molded perfectly against his body, just as she always had as his arms wrapped fiercely around her. It was unnerving how much he believed that she belonged in his arms.
She stared up at him and he opened his mouth to speak, but only managed to curse before kissing her.
He was whole the instant his mouth found hers, her hands coming to his head. Her fingers snaked through his wet hair as they always did when she pulled him in to kiss her. Sarah held onto him with a grip he hadn’t expected. After four long months alone, he was with her again and he felt like this kiss was breathing life back into him.
He held her tightly, fiercely, enough that he was sure she might bruise beneath his touch, but he could hardly stop himself. He needed her, beyond substance, beyond breath. She needed to feel how he felt, terrified and angry and grateful all at once as he crushed his mouth against hers.
Simon’s hands began to move around her as if his memory had forgotten the way she felt and he was desperate to remember. It was as if a fog that had settled over him these past months had lifted.
His mouth worked at hers expertly, kissing down her neck, to the back of her ear, as a tremor seized her body and a soft moan escaped her lips. The reaction satisfied him deeply.
“This is madness,” she breathed as she pulled back.
He licked and nipped at the column of her neck as the scent of almonds filled his senses. It was as if he hadn’t eaten in ages, as if he hadn’t drunk in years. Every bit of his body felt awake and buzzing and Simon felt the last bits of his self-control disappear.
“It was madness to be apart,” he countered, unwilling to stop.
This is Simon and Sarah's story. Sarah is having an affair with Simon and decides it is time to end it. But what will Sarah do when she hears the Simon might marry another? Will Sarah let her second chance really go? What about Simon does he really love this neighbor or is he doing it for status? Will he end up haveing another affair with Sarah or will they let their feelings come out?
The Countess and the Commoner is a second-chance romance that puts its protagonists through a wringer—but it’s a struggle of their own making. Neither Sarah nor Simon was willing to be honest about their feelings when they were having an affair, which Sarah broke off when she felt their connection becoming more than casual. Coming back together when Sarah hears that Simon might marry a neighbor leads them down the same paths of deception and self-deception. I really appreciated that Madison took the unusual twist of having this couple’s first connection be an affair that ended. It’s a great way to start this type of romance because there are all sorts of layers of regret and bitterness on both their parts that Simon and Sarah need to work through. Sarah is a countess and loves that role and the responsibility to raise her son after she’s widowed (though why she started writing a gossip column didn’t quite make sense to me). So marrying someone like Simon, who is incredibly wealthy and yet not at all of the nobility, seems both impractical and a shattering of the promise she made to her dying husband never to love another (a trope I don’t like, but Madison makes it work here). Simon, on the other hand, is completely gone for Sarah and bitterly crushed when their affair ends—so much so that he’ll marry anothers just to be near Sarah. I also enjoyed the robust secondary characters in The Countess and the Commoner, from newspaper publishers to lords and ladies, who cause further complications for Simon and Sarah. These two are both flawed protagonists, and the best part of this book is seeing how both realize what they need to keep and more importantly, what they need to let go of to be able to be together openly as a couple. It’s a grand read from Madison, and fans of historical romance should search The Countess and the Commoner out!
This book evokes so many emotions in both the characters and the reader. The main characters, Sarah and Simon, will go through various feelings, including heartbreak, jealousy, loneliness, hope, tears, and love. The tension between them lasts throughout the book. The writing takes you in and lets you feel every emotion. This book is hard to put down.
Sarah Cummings, the Countess De Marchand, is a widow with a young son. She loved her husband and now feels the loneliness but has a secret. Simon, a wealthy self-made man without the respect of the ton, meets Sarah at a masquerade ball. They fall hard and fast until things end. This is such a good and emotional romance with lovely characters that you cannot help but like. I enjoyed their story from beginning to end. I cannot wait for the next story in this new "Reluctant Rogues" series.
The start to the Reluctant Rogues, Sarah, the Countess de Marchand and Orphan-turned-millionaire Simon Archer's forbidden love story grabbed my interest from the start and did not let go until they got their happy ending.
Sarah, the Countess de Marchard has secrets. She has been writing a gossip column for two (2) years. Her column is very popular in London. She is also in a relationship with Simon Archer. Simon, and his brother are self made millionaires Simon knows they are not accepted by the ton. Sarah decides to resign from her gossip column. She also ends her affair with Simon. She states that she has many responsibilities. Sarah stated that due to their differences in their social status, the affair cannot continue. She retires to her country home. Earl of Tyrrell cooks up a scheme, to fake Simon's heritage He arranges a marriage between Simon , and his daughter. Sarah, and Simon are thrown back together in the same social circle. Will they stay apart? Can they resist their passion?. I enjoyed reading this book!!! The story flowed well. The characters were likeable, and realistic. There is a hea!
I found this to be an enjoyable read, I have read many historical romances over the years and I don't think I have really ever read one quite like this, where the man is a Commoner, it made for a good point of difference. All sorts of themes in this book class-difference, secrets, scandal, gossip, blackmail, arranged marriage vs marrying for love. I hope other characters introduced in this book also get their story told, Jack, Meredith and Beatrice. This is the first book I have read by Matilda Madison and I will be on the look out for more.
Very well written, full of drama, love, romance, steam, action, intrigue, secrets, society, kidnapping, twists and turns. Sarah is a widow but also a Countess with a young son who will inherit an Earldom when he turns 18. Simon is a self made millionaire who came from nowhere with brother. Not knowing who his father or mother really was, Simon knows and dislikes society and they way they treat people. He meets Sarah at a ball and together they start a hide and seek affair for some time till she breaks it off. Both of them are just too afraid to say what they think and feel about each other. Simon ends up agreeing to be engaged to be engaged to another women but all he really wants is to be near Sarah. Both have secrets that you that you learn about as you read this fabulous story. Hope for more on Jack, Meredith, the Duke and Beatrice in some future books. Excellent book to curl up with and enjoy. Would strongly recommend to everyone.
I don't usually pick up historicals, but Matilda Madison is quickly becoming a must-buy! I first read the second book of the series, The Beauty and the Boxer, and loved Sarah and Simon in their roles of the sage, happily married secondary characters. I was curious about how they came together, since Sarah was a widowed young noblewoman and Simon was a rich businessman with humble roots, and, oh boy, did The Countess and the Commoner deliver! Sarah and Simon had a clandestine relationship for two years, which Sarah broke off because they were both getting miserable and bitter thanks to their inability to openly be together; that's where the book starts. I generally read contemporary romance, where this type of societal scorn doesn't exist anymore (at least for hetero relationships), so it was interesting to read about Sarah - who was smart, tough, passionate, and all around a great heroine - denying her own bleeding heart in order to conform to the peers' rigid standards and ensure good prospects for her sisters and son. I was really heartbroken for Simon, who was all in from the start and would've done anything for her, but was powerless against the enormity of societal pressure on Sarah. The side plots involving Simon's parentage and Sarah's literary pursuits, as well as the glimpses of upcoming stories involving Sarah's sisters, all enhanced the reading experience. All around, this was a great book, with beautiful fluid writing, and so much deep emotion and raw passion between Simon and Sarah, there might've been smoke coming out of my ears!
