A British officer’s life is saved when a young woman and her dog risk their lives and rescue him from beneath dead bodies, while trying to escape the New Orleans battlefield before shooting begins.
Welcome to book 1 in the new Rakes of Mayhem series from bestselling author Anna St. Claire!
Colonel Matthew Romney, a favored son with the British military, is gravely wounded during the Battle of New Orleans. With most available British forces dead and his weak pleas for help muffled beneath the dead soldier he lies below, the British report him missing in the aftermath.
Bethany Phillips and her dog visit the Villeré Plantation’s gardens searching for herbs and food and unexpectedly become caught in the crossfire of grapeshot and cannon fire and forced to take cover until the battle ends. When the smoke clears, Bethany follows the sound of a man’s moans and pulls him from beneath a pile of dead soldiers being readied for a mass grave. Bethany saves Matthew’s life but in doing so, threatens her heart and her own life.
Against all odds, sparks fly between Matthew and Bethany. A hired investigator for his father finds Matthew and encourages him to journey home. Matthew and Bethany leave the safety of her home and travel a dangerous path through the wilderness of America and across a ravaged, war-torn ocean to reach his family.
Can their romance survive the dangers and uncertainty that follow them?
"Earl of Excess is a sweeping, romantic journey that I didn’t want to end!" ★★★★★ ~ Jenna at Reading Rebel Reviews “Having grown up along the bayous south of New Orleans, I find the story telling, the use of the locale and speech, to be rather good. I have seen the reenactment of the Battle of New Orleans and it was indeed a bloody battle for the British. The leprosy colony I grew up knowing and visiting in my nurses training was much further up the Mississippi River. Yellow fever was common back then as well. To have woven these facts through the storyline was good. It gave more depth to the story.” ★★★★★ ~ Brebre716 “Take a journey in this highly engaging story, that starts out with a battle and wounded soldier, and doesn't stop until the end!” ★★★★★ ~ Lori D “This was a super entertaining book. The characters are wonderful and different from the normal romance stories.” ★★★★★ ~ Nanna “This book captures the flavor and feel of Louisiana. The romance was heartwarming and left me smiling. The characters were vivid and shone brightly. Great things are in store for this series. I am thrilled I found this exciting book.” ★★★★★ ~ Jenna “This is an emotional and at times funny, historical romance. All the characters are fabulous, especially the dog. A grand adventure.“ ★★★★★ ~ Petula “Ms. Saint Claire has blown my mind with this read. Action right off the bat, gets you in the feels.” ★★★★★ ~ Jessica Clements “A story that brought such vivid colour and life to a time and place, I have previously had very little knowledge of, and found refreshingly engaging as a result.” ★★★★★ ~ Sandra “Ms. St. Claire has written an intriguing and entertaining story that captured my interest from the start and I was engrossed till the last page.” ★★★★★ ~ Anonymous 5 “What a wonderful start to a new series! Anna St. Claire has done a fabulous job with this one. An engaging tale of class differences in a time and place where the hero and heroine are on equal ground. Our heroine is strong, resourceful, and independent while our hero is wounded, determined, and more than our heroine thinks he is. Ms. St. Claire's descriptive writing has me imagining myself there in that place and time. Worth more than 5 stars! ★★★★★ ~ Dee "Ms. St. Claire has done a wonderful job of providing us with a distinct view of an often overlooked history specifically The War of 1812 and especially the aftermath of The Battle of New Orleans. Her characters are rich and engaging while her commitment to historical themes and morays of the times is commendable to say the least. I'd highly recommend her new novel to any who love historical or romance. Well done ma'am, we done indeed." ★★★★★ ~ fiddlertrain