"Jilted In January" Is The First In A Great New Novella Series

Title:  Jilted In January
Author:  Kate Pearce
Format:  eARC
Length:  81 pages
Publisher:  Kate Pearce
Rating:  5 Stars

Rose Leyton is stuck at the Duke of Beckworth’s country estate waiting for the return of her betrothed. If it wasn’t for the handsome assistant land agent, Mr. Colin Ford, she might believe she had ceased to exist at all. But when her intended arrives things aren’t quite how she expected.

As the youngest son of an impoverished peer, Colin is all too aware of how it feels to be ignored. His impulsive offer to save Miss Leyton from an unwanted marriage quickly becomes more serious than either of them anticipated. Can they both step out of the shadows and find a way to true independence and happiness.

When matrimonial matters don’t go quite as planned, can one jilted bride and an unlikely hero save the day?

A YEAR WITHOUT A DUKE

The duke has died. Long live the duke! The only problem is no one knows who the new Duke of Beckworth is. All of England wonders, but no one more so than the people who depend upon Beckworth for their livelihood. In 1816, a year so cold that the word “summer” is a cruel joke, that livelihood is even more uncertain. However, they are all about to find out, with the duke away, there is nothing more warming than scandal and love…

A YEAR WITHOUT A DUKE...
Book 1: JILTED IN JANUARY by Kate Pearce;
Book 2: FORBIDDEN IN FEBRUARY by Suzanna Medeiros;
Book 3: SEDUCED IN SEPTEMBER by Genevieve Turner;
Book 4: AN AFFAIR IN AUTUMN by Jennifer Haymore;
Book 5: A DUKE BY DECEMBER by Sabrina Darby. (


My Thoughts
This wonderfully fleshed out novella tells the story of what happens in the House of Beckworth immediately following the death of its duke. Because the duke dies without a direct heir; the search for the next in line to inherit the dukedom has begun.

Rose Leyton may be a lady, but as a distant relation of the late duke, and and the betrothed of an officer away at war; she is a woman in limbo.
When the estate's land agent runs away with embezzled funds, leaving pressing questions and financial destruction in his wake.
Rose and the attractive and thoughtful assistant land agent, Colin Ford, are left to put things to rights. Becoming friends, and more, in the process.

Both Rose and Colin are very strong characters.  The more that readers get to know of them, and the more that they discover of each other; the more likeable they become on all accounts.
The fact that they are not part of the aristocracy, but are directly effected by the search for the duke. Serves to make their story both compelling and relevant.

Surprisingly, the attraction between Rose and Colin has more than enough time to mature within the course of 81 pages.
The surprising gateway to happily...comes in a very dramatic twist!

This is a great start to a wonderful series of interconnected stories.

About Kate
 NYT and USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce was born into a large family of girls in England, and spent much of her childhood living very happily in a dream world. Despite being told that she really needed to 'get with the program', she graduated from the University College of Wales with an honors degree in history.

A move to the USA finally allowed her to fulfill her dreams and sit down and write that novel. Along with being a voracious reader, Kate loves trail riding with her family, 'western style' in the regional parks of Northern California.

Kate is a member of RWA and is published by NAL Signet Eclipse, Kensington Aphrodisia, Ellora's Cave, Cleis Press and Virgin Black Lace/Cheek

Find Her:  Tweet / Facebook / Web / Goodreads