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A Scandal By Any Other Name

BOOK TWO OF THE HAMILTON SERIES WARNING: A Regency Era novel. Adult content with detailed smut…Read at you own risk⚠️⛔️ Genre: Historical Romance / Smut / Enemies-to-Lovers / Mystery / Comedy [Book Two of the Hamilton Series. Can be read as a standalone, but better enjoyed after Lady Ines’ Scandalous Hobby.] To the world, Duke Rowan Hamilton is the perfect gentleman. But in the bedroom, he is a man possessed. Rowan Hamilton has it all: a Ducal title, the face of a fallen angel, and a smile that makes debutantes faint. He is the "Golden Duke"—charming, responsible, and utterly adored by society. But it’s all a lie. Beneath the coats and polite manners, Rowan is a man haunted by a ghost. For three years, he has remained faithful to the memory of a masked woman who stole a kiss, bested him at a game of chance, and vanished into the night. He doesn't want any one as his wife; he wants her. When his domineering aunt tires of his bachelorhood, she hires London’s most notorious underground matchmaker to force the issue. Enter Miss Delaney Kingsley. She is sharp-tongued, infuriatingly competent, and entirely unimpressed by his title. Her mission? To drag Rowan to the altar with the season’s "Diamond," Lady Celine, within three months to collect the juicy payment Rowan’s aunt had to offer. Rowan intends to fire the meddlesome woman. But when Delaney looks at him with those hazel, intelligent eyes and orders him around like a young lad, he feels the first spark of life he’s felt in years. He decides to play her game. He will let her "coach" him on how to woo a lady. He will let her teach him how to dance, how to flirt, and how to seduce. But he has no intention of using those lessons on Lady Celine. "You were hired to find me a Duchess, Miss Kingsley. But the only person I want in my duchy and in my bed... is you." As the lessons turn into forbidden nights and the bickering turns into scorching passion, Rowan begins to suspect that his matchmaker is hiding a secret of her own. She moves like a shadow, handles a rifle like a soldier, and tastes exactly like the ghost he’s been hunting for three years. What to Expect: * The Golden Retriever Duke: Who turns into a possessive Alpha behind closed doors. * The Matchmaker Trope: She’s trying to marry him off; he’s trying to take her clothes off. * High Heat: Slow burn that explodes into intense smut. * Competence Kink: He falls harder every time she bosses him around. * Cameos: Featuring the chaotic domestic life of Duchess Ines and Duke Carcel (and their baby Harry!). Excerpt: "Your Grace, please focus," Delaney snapped, adjusting his cravat with efficient, gloved hands. "Lady Celine is waiting in the ballroom. You must look at her as if she is the only woman in the world." Rowan caught her wrist, stopping her movements. He stepped into her space, backing her against the heavy oak door of the study, his "Golden Boy" mask slipping to reveal the hunger beneath. "And how, exactly, does one do that, Miss Kingsley?" he whispered, his voice rough. "Show me." "I—I cannot show you, I am merely the coach—" "Then teach me," he growled, lowering his head until his lips brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. "Teach me how to pretend I am not burning alive every time you walk into a room."
Cameron_Rose_8326 · 140.5k Views

Game of Thrones: The Gilded Predator

The realization didn't come with a flash of light, but with the cold weight of a Valyrian steel ring on his finger and the suffocating heat of King’s Landing. He was no longer a spectator to the tragedy; he was the tragedy. As Aegon II Targaryen, he knew the math of the Red Keep was simple: there is no room for a king’s eldest son in a kingdom ruled by his sister. To Rhaenyra, his very existence was a declaration of war. In the quiet of the library, the scent of old parchment and beeswax hung heavy in the air. "Your Highness, you seem to have developed a sudden, singular passion for the chronicles of our ancestors." Otto Hightower moved with the practiced grace of a predator, taking the seat opposite his grandson. His eyes, sharp as a maester’s quill, scanned the boy for any sign of the drunken wastrel he had expected to find. Aegon didn't look up immediately. His fingers traced the cracked leather of an ancient volume, his touch almost reverent. "Grandfather," he began, his voice distant, "if you were to open every history book in this Citadel, from the Doom of Valyria to the day my father took his seat on the Iron Throne... what do you think they would truly say?" Otto’s brow furrowed, his Hand’s pin catching the flickering candlelight. "The histories? They speak of many things, Aegon. Duty, lineage, the rise and fall of great houses. There is much to learn of governance within them." Aegon finally looked up. The dazed fog in his eyes had cleared, replaced by a terrifying, lucid spark. A slow, sharp smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "I’ve read them all, Grandfather. I’ve looked past the dates and the names of dead lords. Between the lines of every conquest and every betrayal, the ink screams the same thing." He leaned forward, the shadows of the library dancing across his face.
Kaguya_hime20 · 282.9k Views