His Wicked Dream by Adrienne deWolfe

His Wicked Dream

by Adrienne deWolfe

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BLURB:

Haunted by scandal, Eden Mallory is determined to start over in a small Kentucky town.  But she won't soon forget the sexy, rugged doctor who rescued her from an outlaw, then rode off into the storm.

After losing his kid-brother to consumption, Dr. Michael Jones is obsessed with saving lives. He has no room for love or a wife. But the nights are lonely, and Eden haunts his dreams.

When Eden becomes his backdoor neighbor, she turns his world upside-down with her unconventional healing skills and sweet temptations.  Then outlaws return, forcing Michael to confront his past if he is to save the most precious life of all.


Excerpt:

Eden Remembers

His inky fringe of lashes lowered. Her pulse skyrocketed. It pounded so hard, she could hear nothing of the birds, the wind, the orphaned animals in their cages, or even the boys. There was only Michael and the singing in her blood as his head moved closer and his breath grazed her lips.

"Eden." His voice throbbed around her, as deep and rich as the fertile earth. "I—"

A bucket clanged behind them.

"Are you two gonna start smacking lips again?" Jamie demanded.

Michael reared back, his face crimson. Eden blinked, slightly dazed. She hadn't heard the boys' approach through the clearing in the woods. Jamie, his coonskin cap draping his left ear, looked as repulsed by the kissing idea as he had when Michael had tried to explain what worms could do to a dog's heart.

Collie, his muscles quivering like a wildcat ready to defend its young, halted beside her. Eden wasn't sure whether it was the 15-year-old’s narrowed stare or sheer embarrassment that caused Michael to climb so hastily to his feet. All she knew was a crushing disappointment, because whatever he had meant to say, whatever he had meant to do, were lost to her now.

"Did you finish watering the animals, Jamie?" Michael demanded, sweeping up his instruments with an economy that made Eden wince.

The boy nodded, growing contrite before that blazing blue glare.

"Good." Michael checked his pocket watch and muttered something that wasn't meant for children's ears. "Jamie, you'd better ride to the town marker with me before your mother hires a posse to bring you home." He jerked his head in the direction of the trees. "Fetch Brutus."

Eden's brow furrowed. Brutus?  That was the name of his horse?

A half-formed memory niggled at her mind. As Jamie scurried off for the gelding, she started to rise from her knees, her thoughts chasing dim, elusive specters.

Michael, as distant as Mars, closed his bag with a sharp snick. "Collie, I trust you can see Miss Eden back home?"

"I brought her here, didn't I?" the boy growled.

"My point exactly."

Michael gave her a curt nod. She felt like Alice must have felt when she'd shrunk to six inches in size.

"Michael, wait—"

She bit her lip. The gaze that met her own proved as dispassionate as... well, a physician's. She struggled with the frustration that welled inside her.

"You were going to say something," she reminded him.

Those placid, blue pools never wavered.

"Right before Jamie interrupted," she prompted huskily.

An alpine spring couldn't have been any cooler. "I don't recall."

She choked. She wished he'd slapped her. A slap wouldn't have stung half as much as his words.

"Please, Michael. Don't go back to being so—"

"It's better this way."

Why, damn you?

Tears threatened faster than she could blink them back. He was walking away. He was leaving her, his message unmistakable. What more could she say? What dared she say, with Collie standing like a guard dog at her side?

She stomped her foot. She hated the tear that slipped past her lashes, but she couldn't stop it any more than she could stop the maelstrom of yearning, the girlish hopes and fantasies that churned through her chest, unleashed after these eight long years.

Finally, she'd put two and two together.  The man who'd saved her life that night in Whiskey Bend—the unarmed hero who'd bluffed his way past the outlaw with the knife—had ridden a black gelding named Brutus.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Adrienne deWolfe is a #1 best-selling author and the recipient of 48 writing awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year for Texas Wildcat (Book 3, Wild Texas Nights) and Doubleday’s Book of the Month Selection for His Wicked Dream (Book 2, Velvet Lies.)  Adrienne is excited to announce that she will be donating a portion of her royalties from the Velvet Lies Series to urban reforestation efforts.

Fascinated by all things mystical, Adrienne writes a weekly blog about dragons, magic, and the paranormal at http://MagicMayhemBlog.com to help her research her upcoming paranormal romance series. She also writes a weekly blog featuring tips about the business of writing at http://WritingNovelsThatSell.com. She enjoys mentoring aspiring authors and offers professional story critiques with her book coaching services.

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Purchase Adrienne deWolfe’s Books:

Velvet Lies Series

Wild Texas Nights Series

The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published (Series)

Tin-Stars and Troublemakers

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My Review:  July 2014     ~ Review Copies ~

His Wicked Dream by Adrienne deWolfe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First, I would like to thank the author Adrienne deWolfe for giving me this book for an honest review. I enjoyed this story, the characters are nicely developed, the story flows nicely. I look forward to reading more from this author and the next book in this series.

View all my reviews