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Donna Richards

 

Donna MacMeans, author of historical romances

Books

Forthcoming

The Redemption of the Rogue
August 2011

 

Now Available

The Seduction of a Duke coverTHE SEDUCTION OF A DUKE
April, 2009
Berkeley
ISBN: 978-0425228067
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William Chambers, Duke of Bedford, ascended to the title upon his father’s death, but he also inherited his father’s extensive debts.  Desperate to avoid scandal and ruin, he is willing to go to any lengths – including marrying, sight unseen, a reclusive American heiress known as Frosty Franny. 

Not pleased to be trapped in an arranged marriage, Francesca Winthrop conspires to turn lemons into lemonade with the assistance of a courtesan’s journal.

Reviews:

"The sequel to THE EDUCATION OF MRS. BRIMLEY, THE SEDUCTION OF A DUKE is a wonderful Victorian romance starring two likable protagonists who fall in love while she applies the courtesan’s diary to their relationship. The story line contains droll double entendres, a staple of Donna MacMeans. With a strong support cast and plenty of wit, sub-genre readers will enjoy this intelligent amusing historical."
--Harriet Klausner
Genre-Go-Round Reviews
The World of Romance
http://genregoroundreviews.blogspot.com:80/2009/02/seduction-of-duke-donna-macmeans.html

"She knows how to make the pages sizzle and play on readers' fantasies while incorporating intrigue and a solid story into her delectable novels."
-- Kathe Robin, Romantic Times Bookreviews

 

romantic times award
 

The Trouble with Moonlight CoverTHE TROUBLE WITH MOONLIGHT
June, 2008
Berkley (June 3, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0425221989
ISBN-13: 978-0425221983

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Romantic Times 2009 Historical Love and Laughter Award Finalist!

In the midst of a moonlit safe-cracking mission, British spy James Locke witnesses a ruby necklace spirited away as if by conjurer's trick. Following the jewels leads him to Lusinda Havershaw, who's inherited the talent of turning invisible in the moonlight--at least, the parts of her that are unclothed. Locke trains Lusinda in espionage, even while he finds her close proximity bewitchingly distracting. And as their mission to track Russian spies grows treacherous, they'll find that the heart behaves even more mysteriously than Lusinda in the moonlight.

"MacMeans' second novel is ingenious, humorous and intoxicating. Cleverly blending the paranormal with the sensual and suspense with a passionate love story, she fulfills readers' fantasies."
--Romantic Times

 

The Education of Mrs. Brimley Coverromantic times awardTHE EDUCATION OF MRS. BRIMLEY
October 2007
Berkley
ISBN-10: 0425218303
ISBN-13: 978-0425218303
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Rhapsody Book Club
Doubleday Book Club

Romantic Times 2008 finalist for First Historical

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In this delightfully sexy debut, Donna MacMeans—“a witty, wonderful new voice in historical romance”*—vividly portrays the importance of a well-rounded education…

More Reviews

Emma Brimley made one small fib in her application to the Pettibone School for Young Ladies: she claimed to be a widow. But when she arrives in Yorkshire, she is dismayed to learn that she’s expected to prepare her students for the intimacies of marriage—of which she knows nothing! Her only hope of maintaining her place lies with the alluring Lord Nicholas Chambers, a neighboring artist whose behavior is scarcely consistent with that of a gentleman.

True to his reputation, “Lord Bedchambers” offers Emma a scandalous bargain: he will answer her questions about anatomy and bedroom etiquette, if she will pose for him…in the Grecian fashion. Though keenly aware of the dangers of such a scenario, Emma determines to best this noble roué—never thinking she may be risking her heart as well…

“A feisty heroine with the best traits of Jane Eyre and a charismatic hero to rival Mr. Rochester. I can’t wait for other books from this author.”—*New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper

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- Out of Print -

DreamQuest CoverDream Quest

Used copies available at Amazon

You're invited to follow your heart and your dreams through nine stunning paranormal romances, including stories by award winning authors J.C. Wilder, Megan Sybil Baker, Rosemary Laurie, Isabo Kelly, C.B. Scott, Gail McAbee and more!

Life, love, ghosts, space stations, shape shifters, dragons, intergalactic intrigue and more! Enter the romantic and intriguing worlds of Dream Quest.

Exerpt from Smoke and Mirrors by Donna Mac Means :

"Hey Tom, we're all heading over to the Blue Moon after work. Join us?"

Jealousy burned in Amber Wilson's stomach. Pretending not to hear the friendly banter outside her office door, she stuffed papers into her satchel for later review. Don't invite the fat girl, she thought to herself. She doesn't have any feelings.

Laughter and hurried footfalls of the five o'clock exit shook her office walls. At one point, Amber thought someone had hesitated outside her door. Her spirits lifted in hopes that one person, just one, might stop and ask her about her plans for the weekend, maybe care enough to invite her to join the others.

But the footsteps continued past, the hallway fell silent, and she remained alone. An all too familiar lump of anguish settled in her throat. Tears threatened. One would think she'd be used to rejection by now. She'd certainly had enough practice. She silently packed up work to finish at home.

July heat radiated off the wide downtown sidewalks, making the short walk to the parking garage a stroll through Hell. Hesitant to merge into the crowd of perspiration-soaked workers, Amber sought the path where the pavement joined the buildings and a thin line of shade lingered.

Just as a rivulet of sweat slipped down her back, an unexpected current of chill air wisped over her shoulder, luring her toward an antiquities store's open doorway. Basking in the escaping air conditioning, Amber studied the contents of the display window.

"You see something you like?"

She glanced over to a withered old man leaning heavily on a cane just inside the doorway. At least, she thought it was a man. The body had no womanly attributes but the voice carried a husky feminine note, lending it a strange, seductive quality. He wore a faded turban that in another lifetime might have been a brilliant red.

"I was just looking at the rings," Amber said with a quick glance back to the window. The man had to be a hundred, if he was a day.

"These rings, not for you," he said, gesturing her inside the shop. "Come in. Come in. I show you something special."

She hesitated, trying to remember if she had ever passed this window display before. Stores like this didn't just appear overnight. Eventually, curiosity and the promise of relief from the heat carried her across the store threshold.

"Gaudy rings not for fine young fingers." The strange man wove a path through dusty display cases filled with odd crystals and twisted figurines. His cane bumped several teetering stacks of leather-bound books. Amber, following the circuitous route behind the old man, dragged her finger across one of the books, uncovering gilded lettering and liberating a tiny cloud of dust. (Donna's treasure is Magic trapped in Amber) She sneezed, sending more dust into the air. So much for the overnight theory, she sniffed, searching for a tissue. Dust like that takes years to accumulate.

The old man rummaged beneath a glass counter. His faded turban bobbed erratically with his search. Amber paused to admire a collection of clear glass orbs of various sizes. Paperweights, she supposed. The jumbled eclectic collection in this place could take hours to explore. "Lynn would love this stuff," she murmured, deciding to bring her best friend back for a visit.

"I found it." He called, barely straightening his rounded spine. The edge of a flat wooden box poked from beneath his arm. "This is your namesake," he said, with a reverent smile. "Come see."

The box unhinged with a stubborn creak. Amber stepped closer. There, on an inviting bed of black velvet, lay an amber amulet encircled by deep burnished gold.

"How did you know my name was Amber?" Her fingers darted out to touch the semi-precious stone.

"The necklace told me. Try it on." Before she could press for details, the heavy pendant dangled before her, light dancing in the deep golden shadows.

"Something's trapped in there." She peered closer in the dim light. "A bug or something."

"Or magic," the little old man whispered, drawing out the word. "Try it on."

 

 

Text copyright 2006-2008 by Donna MacMeans
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