The Garden Series by Cynthia Wicklund

HONOR – Adam Stanford, Earl of Ashworth, has always done the right thing. DESIRE – Lady Catherine Bourgeault, lonely and rejected, longs to experience passion, to love just once in her life. TREACHERY – The Baron Bourgeault, to what extremes will an obsessive, unstable man go to achieve his own dark ends? SEDUCTION – In the face of a love that will not be denied, Adam and Catherine risk everything to be together... moreHONOR – Adam Stanford, Earl of Ashworth, has always done the right thing. DESIRE – Lady Catherine Bourgeault, lonely and rejected, longs to experience passion, to love just once in her life. TREACHERY – The Baron Bourgeault, to what extremes will an obsessive, unstable man go to achieve his own dark ends? SEDUCTION – In the face of a love that will not be denied, Adam and Catherine risk everything to be together. BETRAYAL – What price must Catherine and Adam pay for a forbidden love in a time when honor meant everything? EXCERPT: Catherine didn’t know if she wanted to tell Lord Ashworth about her retreat. She had come upon it not long after her marriage to Edgar, and it had offered her the only peace she was to know for a long time. It was dangerous to share the only thing that belonged to one. Yet the thought of spending an afternoon with the earl in her most treasured place, sharing a leisurely meal, beckoned her. She glanced shyly over her shoulder to see if he still followed. Lord Ashworth rode only a few yards behind her horse, and he grinned when their eyes met. He had a lazy, sensual smile and, when he looked at her like that, she felt an odd breathless catch in her throat. She wondered how it would feel if he were to place those warm lips to hers instead of the back of her hand. Oh dear! There went that catch again. Within moments they entered a clearing. Catherine dismounted without waiting for the earl’s assistance and swung her arms wide as she turned in a circle about the shaded copse. “What do you think?” she asked. The earl, still astride, cast his gaze slowly around the tiny glen as he studied the scenery. He then turned his attention to Catherine but did not speak. A suggestive grin broke the calm of his expression as he continued to watch her. “More beautiful than I could have imagined,” he murmured. Simple statement that, but it held a wealth of meaning. Catherine dropped her arms while staring back in fascination. Her mouth fell open and her breathing quickened. The air vibrated with unspoken words as they shared a moment of absolute understanding. The specter of desire had been brought into the open and was acknowledged. Experience IN THE GARDEN OF TEMPTATION today. Meet characters you'll visit again in the other books in this series. Now Available on Amazon: IN THE GARDEN OF SEDUCTION, Book 2 of The Garden Series. IN THE GARDEN OF DISGRACE, Book 3 of The Garden Series. IN THE GARDEN OF DECEIT, Book 4 of The Garden Series. Just Released: THIEF OF SOULS Dark and sensual, Thief of Souls is one man's battle with evil for the fate of his humanity. It is a modern vampire-esque romance, gothic in tone, with a twist on the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, for the beast's ugliness resides on the inside rather than the outside, and his hope for redemption comes not from being loved by another but from discovering his own ability to love. less

Cassandra James is in for a terrible shock. She is not who she thinks she is, never has been. One morning she awakens to find the neat order of her wealthy, middle class world changed forever. Add to this the complication of Simon Fitzgerald, Marquess of Sutherfield. A handsome rogue at his most intriguing, he pursues Cassandra with single-minded determination, but his motives are not pure. He wishes to bed the lady, not marry her. Excerpt: Cassandra laughed. “I’ve never met anyone like you... moreCassandra James is in for a terrible shock. She is not who she thinks she is, never has been. One morning she awakens to find the neat order of her wealthy, middle class world changed forever. Add to this the complication of Simon Fitzgerald, Marquess of Sutherfield. A handsome rogue at his most intriguing, he pursues Cassandra with single-minded determination, but his motives are not pure. He wishes to bed the lady, not marry her. Excerpt: Cassandra laughed. “I’ve never met anyone like you.” “Is that a good thing?” the marquess asked tenderly. She glanced at him before quickly looking away. “I haven’t a clue, my lord. I’ll have to let you know when I discover the answer.” Lord Sutherfield rose to his feet and took her by the hand. “Walk with me.” “Shouldn’t I go back to the party? I’m sure to be missed,” she said, allowing him to help her stand. “What would you do if you were back in London and still living with Quintin James? Would a stroll in the garden be such a wicked thing?” The question was a shrewd one. She didn’t intend to let him know it, though. “Perhaps not, but my father doesn’t know you. I think if he were to meet you he’d be as cautious as my grandfather.” The marquess drew her arm through his and leaned down, his mouth close to her ear. “I’d like to think the caution is yours.” “That makes no sense at all,” she said impatiently. “It does if it is you rather than me you do not trust.” Lord Sutherfield’s warm breath drifted down her neck, causing her skin to prickle with excitement. Just when she had herself in check, he began the onslaught anew. Her body responded as it always did when his tone turned suggestive. Ambling down the winding path, they moved away from the safety of the house. The doors to the parlor had been thrown open to the main garden, and the voices of those guests still partying could be heard drifting from inside. If she were taking her little walk with the marquess right outside those doors, it would probably be considered completely respectable. They came upon a majestic oak looming out of the darkness at the end of the path, its branches spanning nearly thirty feet. Moonlight seeped through the aged limbs, splintered patches of illumination creating a fey realm beneath the sprawling canopy of the tree. The gauze of Cassandra’s dress sparkled like dozens of tiny, glowing night beetles in the dimness. Just like a sprite, she reflected whimsically, touched by the enchantment of the balmy evening. All at once, she wanted to make the most of the magical moment. Did she want the marquess to kiss her? Yes, she thought, perhaps she did. She liked it when he kissed her—although she had spent a lot of time denying that fact—and maybe now she would kiss him back. Several steps in front of Lord Sutherfield, she whisked around to face him. With her hands clasped behind her back, she leaned coquettishly against the massive trunk of the tree. His expression was drawn tight with desire as he moved closer, and an intoxicating power welled within her. How the next few minutes went were hers alone to decide—unless he were a cad. Her instincts denied that possibility. She tilted her head, smiling faintly at him. His gaze sharpened. “This is a dangerous game, Miss James. Are you certain you wish to play so deep?” Now Available on Amazon: IN THE GARDEN OF TEMPTATION, Book 1 of The Garden Series. IN THE GARDEN OF DISGRACE, Book 3 of The Garden Series. Coming Soon: IN THE GARDEN OF DECEIT, Book 4 of The Garden Series less