Lord Atwood's Lovers

By Eva Clancy

To the rest of the ton, Lord and Lady Atwood seem to have the perfect marriage. They wed for love and their marriage bed doesn't lack for passion – but Imogen is haunted by the memory of her first marriage…while Charles harbors secret thoughts and desires he's been unable to confess to his wife. Then Charles's ex–lover, Alexander Lambert, arrives in town, throwing Charles into a tailspin – and awakening a surprising attraction in Imogen. Now, both have to face the possibility that they may need more than just each other to be truly complete….

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781460813973

Eva Clancy

Eva Clancy currently resides in the United Kingdom and loves reading, dreaming and writing sexy, romantic, emotional fiction. With favourite films such as: Talk to Her, The English Patient and Sweet Charity, musically she loves Midlake, John Grant, The Civil Wars and Bach. When it comes to books, her favourites are: The Sioux by Irene Handl, Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, and The Adrien English mysteries by Josh Lanyon.

Book preview

Chapter One

That Sir Charles Atwood was always watching his wife was a fact much remarked upon at the Countess of Ballater’s ball, attended by Lord and Lady Atwood some four months after their surprising marriage.

It was the first entertainment that the Atwoods had attended as man and wife and the curiosity of the jaded, weary ton was momentarily piqued by their entrance. Quizzing glasses were raised and eyes peeped over fans as Lord Atwood and his new lady perambulated the ballroom greeting friends and acquaintances.

It was noted that, after dancing the first set with his wife, Lord Atwood joined a group of gentlemen who were discussing politics and hunting, whilst Lady Atwood continued to dance. She danced every set, and over the course of the evening, drew about her a circle of adoring gentlemen. There was a great deal of laughter from her corner of the ballroom.

The former Mrs. Imogen Standish had been a notorious slayer of hearts before she met her husband and it appeared that nothing had changed now that she was married. The lady wore an expression of almost perpetual merriment, her brown eyes bright with laughter. She was a very pretty woman but it was not her beauty that enslaved; it was her irrepressible, infectious joie de vivre.

It was odd, some said, that she had chosen to marry Lord Atwood, a man who—though handsome—was known to be rather grim. She had had other suitors after all, including a marquess, no less.

Atwood had been on the marriage mart for many years and hadn’t shown the slightest interest in settling down. But that had changed the instant he set eyes on Imogen Standish. He had pursued her with single-minded determination, making no secret of his feelings. Never one for dancing, all of sudden he was at every ball of the season, always hovering near to her, his eyes always on her. Within a few weeks they were constant companions. Within two short months, they were married.

Some predicted that Lady Atwood’s flirtatiousness would quickly be curtailed by her serious-minded husband; others were certain that Lady Atwood would bring out her husband’s softer side. Lady Ballater’s ball was the ton’s first chance to see what changes the first few weeks of marriage had wrought.

Several hundred curious eyes watched Lord Atwood’s icy gaze follow his wife’s progress around the ballroom. He stood, impassive, as she flirted and danced and laughed with her circle of admirers. It was impossible to guess what he made of it all.

But he watched her.

Endlessly. Obsessively. Missing nothing.

At one o’ clock in the morning, Lord Atwood approached his lady. She was, at that precise moment, in the process of listening to an ode that had been hurriedly composed in her honor by a young gentleman of her court. The would-be poet—Viscount Blackstone—was occupying a rather uncomfortable position on one knee before his muse when her husband arrived. Atwood stared at Blackstone. He slowly raised one eyebrow as the other man hastily scrambled to his feet, blushing.

Have you had a pleasant evening, my lord? Lady Atwood asked politely of her husband.

Yes indeed, ma’am, he replied coolly, though he had neither danced nor played cards. Are you ready to leave?

Of course, his wife murmured. She rose to her feet and placed her gloved hand on her husband’s arm.

Good night, gentlemen, she announced, smiling at her circle of admirers. Then, turning to the embarrassed-looking poet, she said, I am sorry that I am obliged to leave before hearing the rest of your delightful composition. I am so terribly tired. But perhaps you would call upon me one day this week, in order that I may hear it in full?

"It will

Reviews for Lord Atwood's Lovers

[fanip_12 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately, for me, Lord Atwood's lovers, though not bad, was way too short to be interesting. In just about 40 pages, we are to meet a happily married couple, come to like them and understand why they decided to include another man, the hero's ex-lover who the heroine didn't even know that existed, in their relationship, and see the three of them as a kind of family. Though I had no problems with the heroes, they were pretty nice, it's impossible to come and care at all about them in such short a space, so what's left is the sexual part of the story. The sex scenes were well done, tasteful yet hot, but to be honest, I think I've read much more scorching scenes in more traditional romances. On top of that, we learn that the two men were lovers in the past, but they don't have sex with each other here (if you define 'sex' as Bill Clinton does, which I do in this case, lol); the only sex they have is m/f/m, while they all agree to try other things in the future.Not bad, but nothing great either; I believe a few extra pages were necessary in this case.ARC received by NetGalley

[lavinient · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one is super short - only 43 pages. But Clancy does a very good job giving us a sense of who the characters are and a nice little story between the sex scenes. I did find Imogen a little too perfect, and therefore a little unbelievable. She takes the news that her husband had a male lover before they met a little too easily. But I think the author wanted to highlight more the conflict between the two male characters.Otherwise, a very well done, short sexy read.ARC provided through NetGalley.

[hoosgracie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this short novella. The characters (Lord and Lady Atwood - Charles & Imogen - and Charles' ex-lover Alexander Lambert) and were quite well developed for a 40 page novella. The sexual tension was well built-up among the three characters and the sex was very steamy.