The Princess in His Bed
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Fiery Tales [2]
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Lila Dipasqua
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Penguin Group USA, Inc. (2010)
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Rating:
| ****
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From Publishers Weekly
DiPasqua follows Awakened by a Kiss with this bawdy collection of three fairy tale–themed romances set in 17th-century France. In "The Marquis' New Clothes," young widow Aimee de Miran finds love and fulfillment when she helps a friend recover a ring from a notorious rake. In "The Lovely Duckling," Joseph d'Alumbert assumes a false identity to befriend a young woman he publicly humiliated 10 years ago, but all goes awry when he falls in love with her at an orgiastic country house party. In "The Princess and the Diamonds," spy Matthias de Tesson goes undercover to root out the man behind a murderous gambling operation, only to lose his heart to a sexy young woman with a dark secret. Ripe with steamy affairs, these lusty stories are hot enough to warm the coldest winter night. (Nov.) (c)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Strong-minded heroines you can relate to, breathtaking carnally gifted male leads...A sexy collection that readers will love."
Fresh Fiction.
"
If you only buy one book this week or this month, do yourself a favor and BUY this book! [THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED]
-- 5 STARS! The Romance Dish
"I recommend this to all adult fairytale lovers."
- 5 RIBBONS! --Romance Junkies
"What perfect adult bedtime stories."
- TOP PICK! --Night Owl Review
"Once again Ms. DiPasqua has rocked the Fiery Tale world. . Fluid paced storyline. . with such a steamy, additively seductive trio of romances!"
- 5 STARS! --Book Junkie
Table of Contents
Praise for
Awakened by a Kiss
“Lila DiPasqua’s lushly erotic writing is sophisticated, sensuous, and deeply romantic. If you love historical romance, this is an author to watch!”—Elizabeth Hoyt,
New York Times
bestselling author
“The most luscious, sexy take on classic fairy tales I’ve ever read! The three heroes are delicious!”
—Cheryl Holt,
New York Times
bestselling author
“An erotically charged retelling of classic stories. Steamy yet sweet, DiPasqua expertly melds emotionally charged erotica with fantasy, love, and hope, leaving no doubt as to the happily ever after. These are not your mother’s fairy tales!”
—Kathryn Smith,
USA Today
bestselling author
“Lila DiPasqua brilliantly pens three unique stories filled with mirth, passion, and sinfully charming heroes.”—
Romance Junkies
“
Awakened by a Kiss
is a sinfully erotic collection of multilayered plots and characters that’s sure to please.”
—
Lovin’ Me Some Romance
“I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves HOT romance filled with sumptuous fantasy.”
—Bookaholics
“Three fantastic stories that will take you away into a world of fairy tale romance, capturing your heart as well as your emotions . . . Love scenes that will light the pages on fire. Simply delicious.”
—Book Junkie
Berkley Sensation titles by Lila DiPasqua
Awakened by a Kiss
The Princess in His Bed
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control
over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2010 by Lila DiPasqua.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form
without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in
violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
BERKLEY
®
SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / November 2010
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DiPasqua, Lila.
The princess in his bed / Lila DiPasqua.—Berkley Sensation trade pbk. ed.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-101-46612-4
I. Title.
PS3604.I625P75 2010
813’.6—dc22
2010031426
http://us.penguingroup.com
To my children and my very own Prince Charming, Carm.
To my editor, Kate Seaver; editorial assistant, Katherine Pelz;
and my agent, Caren Johnson Estesen, all of whom work magic
every day in their own special ways. To Carolyn Williams,
Donna Jeffery, Franca Pelaccia, Vickie Marise, and
Mary Barone, who are the best critique partners
anyone can wish for.
And to my readers who share my love of fairy tales
and a happily ever after.
A Historical Tidbit
The court of Louis XIV was as decadent as it was opulent. It was a time of high culture, elegance, and excesses. The pursuit of sinful pleasures was a pastime. Sex, an art form. Louis was a lusty king. He and his courtiers were connoisseurs of the carnal arts.
It was during this wicked time period that authors first began writing down fairy tales—the folklore that had been passed on verbally for generations. It wasn’t long before fairy tales became a highly fashionable topic of discussion in the renowned salons of Paris. Though the fairy tales in this collection were made famous by Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish poet and author, perhaps his muse was stirred by hearing stories about characters such as these . . .
Happy Reading!
Lila
The Marquis’ New Clothes
1
“My life is over!” Louise d’Arcy exclaimed the moment after she’d yanked Aimee inside her elegant private apartments and slammed the door shut.
Aimee de Miran sighed. She’d just arrived at Versailles. Her sojourn at the palace was only ten minutes long and already she was rethinking her plan to attend court and visit with her cousin.
Dear Louise was always in the midst of chaos. It seemed now was no different.
Parched from the long carriage ride, Aimee walked over to the pitcher of water and orange slices on the ebony side table and promptly filled two crystal goblets. “Louise, darling, I’m certain your life isn’t over.” She held a goblet out to her cousin. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s wrong.”