Title: Ravenhurst’s Return (Disreputable Dukes of Club Damnation #1)
Author: Sandra Sookoo
Genre: Historical romance, Regency romance, dark Regency romance
Book Blurb:
What doesn’t kill you might make you stronger unless it forces you to become what you hate…
Alexander Sutcliffe—the 8th Duke of Ravenhurst—has finally returned to England after a twenty-year absence, and he wants the man who destroyed his life punished. At the age of twenty-two, after being forced to witness his parents’ brutal murder, he was kidnapped from his bed in London and shanghaied onto a ship to toil in the English navy. Finally able to escape that life and the complications therein, he’s back and he has revenge on his mind.
Miss Madeline Hardesty will marry the Marquess of Inglehart in a week. Yet one rainy night she’s taken from her bed and kidnapped by Ravenhurst, the man she used to harbor a secret tendre for. When he disappeared from London and society, her brother spun her horrific tales about him, and she promptly forgot him out of necessity. Now that her less-than-savory brother wishes to marry her off to Inglehart, she wonders if everything she’s ever been told has been a lie.
Once Ravenhurst kidnaps her and takes her to his country estate in Cornwall, he intends to ruin the hell out of her, ransom her off to the highest bidder so he can restore his neglected properties, and wash his hands of his revenge, but he didn’t count on Maddie being a spirited fighter or an accidental support. Attraction clashes with resistance until one stormy night when secrets are discovered, and they finally give into desire. As the weeks go by, feelings and outlooks change, but unless they make peace with themselves and start living for a future they were denied years ago, nothing will change.
…yet there are many paths to redemption, but only if you take the first step.
Excerpt:
“No one blames you for leaving when you did.” Eggleton shook his head. “Leaving either organization, I should clarify.” He took a hearty swig of his brandy. “On that note, you’ve been in London for nearly three weeks, yet I’ve not heard tell of you rabble rousing or ridding the streets of human vermin, especially those who’ve wronged you. It also seems you’ve given up shaving or even trying to groom yourself.”
“How droll you can be.” One corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t laugh. While it was true, his black hair hadn’t seen scissors for more than six months or so, and neither had his face met a razor for just as long, it didn’t matter. In this guise, he was more formidable and more overlooked, which meant he could move through society with ease. “I have been otherwise occupied.”
“Brooding? Stewing? Pouting? Wishing all of us to the devil?”
“Not helpful.” Alexander downed the remainder of his brandy then savored the burn of the alcohol in his throat. The liquid was always top-notch where Eggleton was concerned, and a good sight better than the swill he oftentimes had aboard his ship or in the ports. “However, yes, there are people I do wish to the devil, and if Old Scratch doesn’t get them, I might just do it myself.”
Unfortunately, ever since he’d returned, he’d found everything had changed but nothing truly had. The same men were in charge of the government; the same matrons controlled the manners and development of society. Horrid people did more horrible things against people who largely probably deserved it, and even some who didn’t. Vices reigned and immorality was everywhere, while still matchmaking mamas were eager to shove their virgin daughters at any man with a title, regardless of the character of said man.
It is exhausting.
“Ah.” Eggleton poured another measure of the amber liquid into both of their snifters. “You are in London for a specific purpose.”
“Indeed.” Alexander frowned at his friend. “In truth, I’m after revenge, on the man who ruined my life. If only I could discern who’d orchestrated me being shanghaied or had my parents killed.”
For long moments, silence brewed between them. Sounds of men laughing and talking filled the air, for Club Damnation was quite popular with men whose characters were morally gray or their reputations far more sullied and damaged than the prigs who belonged to White’s, located just down the street. Courtesans took clients upstairs to their rooms, or if a man was of a mind, he could visit the two gambling rooms on the second level. To say nothing of other sins a man could stumble onto while at the club.
And it must be quite lucrative for Eggleton; otherwise, the man would have closed the place years ago.
“As is always the case, secrets don’t stay buried. Eventually, everything has a habit of coming to light, even the most egregious of stories.” With a sigh, the older man set his snifter on a nearby ivory-inlaid table then he rested the full force of his gaze on Alexander. “And, since you have been absent from Town for twenty years with nary a clue to your whereabouts, some of those secrets have slipped out, for perhaps the perpetrator thought you dead, thought it was safe to brag.”
His chest tightened, as did his fingers that were wrapped around his own glass. “Meaning?”
Eggleton shrugged. A trace of pity went through his expression. “Would you like to know the identity of the man who ruined your life?”
“What?” Shock plowed into him. “You know?”
“Yes, and only recently too. To be honest, I hadn’t given it much thought these past ten years or so, for everyone thought you dead or perhaps living out your life as a pirate.” There was no levity in his demeanor. “But when I heard rumors that you had returned to England, I thought it prudent to do a little digging. A few rigged games of faro, a little too much of free-flowing wine, and a couple of very skilled courtesans later, and I had the information that I sought.”
Dear God, after all this time he would have a name. He would finally know the name of the man to drop all his hate and fury upon, which had been building for the past twenty years. “Tell me.”
“Why?” Eggleton frowned. Apprehension glimmered in his blue eyes. “What will you do with the information?”
What else could he do? He’d thought of nothing else. “Kill him, of course, and then drink myself into oblivion, for the task I’d set for myself since I was forced out of London will finally have been accomplished.”
One of Eggleton’s eyebrows cocked. “Drink yourself unconscious in your shadowy townhouse with mourning crepe still covering the portraits and furniture, or will you run to your country estate in Essex, which is even more neglected than the townhouse? I can’t imagine the state of either.”
There was that. Since he’d come back, he’d only made use of two rooms in the townhouse—his bedchamber and his study. The rest of the rooms he kept the doors closed so he wouldn’t need to peer inside. He didn’t care, honestly, for he wasn’t there to entertain, and as long as he could ignore the looks of pity or curiosity from the servants, he could get on with his mission.
“Does it matter what I do after that? I have no future. The man I am was decided long ago by my past. It was forced upon me, and now I am a monster. Might as well embrace that mantle.” In two gulps, he finished his brandy then rested the snifter on the table. “Until the end.”
“Surely you don’t truly believe you are that sort of man.” Doubt hung on Eggleton’s words and reflected in his eyes.
“Why not?” Alexander shrugged. “Now, tell me the man who killed my parents.” He’d been alone since that time, for he had no siblings. At the time of his birth, he’d been a twin, but his brother—younger than him by two minutes—had apparently failed to thrive and had died a month later. No one knew why, for they had the same care.
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On sale for 99 cents today only!
What’s your favorite part about being a romance author?
Creating happy endings. It’s why I started writing at the age of ten, because life was extremely crappy back then and I wanted happy endings, so I started creating them for my characters, which, in turn, makes me happy.
Here’s my tip to add romance to your love life:
Never stop holding hands. That tactile feel and comfort does wonders.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs February 1 – 28, 2025
Drawing will be held on March 1, 2025.
Author Biography:
Sandra Sookoo is a USA Today bestselling author who firmly believes every person deserves acceptance and a happy ending. That is why her characters are not in the usual style and oftentimes struggle with things out of the norm. She’s written for publication since 2008. Most days you can find her creating scandal and mischief in the Regency-era, serendipity and happenstance in the Victorian era, or historical romantic suspense complete with mystery and intrigue. Reading is a lot like eating chocolates—you can’t just have one book. Give her the chance with one book and you’ll be hooked.
When she’s not wearing out computer keyboards or mice, Sandra spends time with her real-life Prince Charming in Central Indiana where she also runs a gourmet cookie business and makes moments count with the man because the key to life is laughter. Inspired to storytelling by Walt Disney since the age of ten, when her soul gets bogged down and her imagination flags, a trip to Walt Disney World is in order. Nothing fills the well and fuels her dreams more than the land of eternal happy endings, hope and love stories.
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