Tuesday, March 17, 2015

A Code of the Heart by Jacki Delecki Blog Tour


Miss Amelia Bonnington has been in love with Michael Harcourt since she was nine years old… or so she thought until a not-so proper impassioned and unyielding kiss from the not-so honorable and equally disreputable Mr. Derrick Brinsley, gave her reason to question the feelings of the heart.

Derrick Brinsley, brother to the Earl of Falconbridge, shunned from society for running off with his brother’s fiancée, hasn’t cared about or questioned his lack of acceptance until meeting the beguiling Amelia Bonnington. One passionate moment with the fiery Miss Bonnington has him more than willing to play by society’s rules to possess the breathtaking, red-haired woman.

Amelia unwittingly becomes embroiled in espionage when she stumbles upon a smuggling ring in the modiste shop of her good friend. To prove her French friend’s innocence, she dangerously jumps into the fray, jeopardizing more than her life.

On clandestine assignment to prevent the French from stealing the Royal Navy’s secret weapon, Derrick must fight to protect British secrets from falling into the hands of French spies, but also the chance at love with the only woman capable of redeeming him.

Add to Goodreads


Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo




Prologue

Edworth House Party
Christmas Eve, 1802


Amelia Bonnington braced herself as the crowd bumped and pushed, straining to get close to His Highness. The crème of society shoved and elbowed, politely-of-course, since one would never want to be accused of bad manners.

The Prince Regent stood on a small platform elaborately decorated with heavy boughs of greenery and red velvet, matching the Christmas décor of the massive ballroom. Hundreds of beeswax candles burned. No expense had been spared for the house party celebrating his royal visit.

Amelia had no desire to be part of the prince’s circle; they were a ghastly group who were only interested in themselves and their own pleasure.

She sucked in the little air left in the room and pushed, courteously-of-course, toward the door. The crowd and the heat were unbearable. She wasn’t one to swoon, but with the thick mix of perfume and the hot bodies, she felt tonight might be her first. She, one of the steadiest women, felt unsteady and unsafe. The last days of upheaval must have had a greater effect on her than she had wanted to believe.

Her whole world had been turned upside down and twisted sideways at this house party. In the last two days, her friends had been poisoned and kidnapped, and she had been ensnared in the French villain’s trap. But the deadly crisis had to be kept secret. Nothing must look out of the ordinary. No one outside the intelligence world ever know about the enemy’s threat to the Prince Regent’s life. The ball must go on.

Amelia looked over her shoulder for the closest exit, but the throng pushed her forward. She needed to escape from the packed room.

A gentleman used the chaos in the crowded room, to crash into her, to take liberties with her person. After spending the last four years in congested ballrooms, she fully recognized the scoundrel’s ploy. His heavy eyelids didn’t conceal his hungry eyes, focused down her décolletage. As his eyes remained fixated on her breasts, he grabbed her elbow, pretending to help her when in fact he intended to pull her close against his hefty, malodorous body.

His reek of stale alcohol and sour sweat constricted her stomach and burned her throat. She pulled her arm away from his grasp, repulsed by the wetness seeping through his gloves. “Sir, release me this instant.”

She was about to dig her heel into the supposed gentleman’s fat toe when suddenly a space opened around her and a smell of fresh lime soap surrounded her.

The perspiring man stared behind her. His slack mouth and his blood-shot eyes widened in fear.

She recognized Lord Brinsley’s scent without needing to turn; he was an impossibly difficult, yet irresistibly appealing man. His deep, velvety voice flitted down her skin like a caress. “Miss Amelia, may I escort you away from this mob?”

Relief and something much more potent buzzed all her nerve endings. She turned quickly and found herself pressed against the broad chest of the man she had been forced to conspire with to save her friends.

She hastily straightened herself. “I never thought I’d be happy to see you.” She refused to be like all the other women who fawned for his slightest glance.

He lifted an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth in that sardonic way she always found irritating. He was too big, too handsome, and too confident for her to find him irresistible. She’d never let him have the satisfaction of knowing she found him…almost irresistible.




Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela☆☆☆☆
A Code of the Heart is the third book in the Code Breakers series. I should note that while I read book one, I did not read book two. While there are references to the events in book two, they do not prevent the reader from enjoying this book as each book is about a different couple. Additionally, Ms. Delecki does a wonderful job of using the Prologue to catch up readers like myself with the events that transpired in A Christmas Code without spoiling that book should a potential reader want to go back and read it – like I hope to do. That said, I do recommend reading A Code of Love first as it sets the stage for the series and introduces the various agencies and entities that tie the books together.

Unlike the heroines of the previous books, Amelia has no interest in the spy-bug that has bit her friends. She is relieved that she is able to return to her “normal” world and resume her art and fashion interests. But one would be remiss to assume that Amelia is a flighty female simply because she prefers fashion and artistic endeavors over the riskier activities of her friends, because she is far from a simple-minded woman of the ton. Amelia proves her mettle time and time again as she attempts to uncover who is behind a diamond smuggling operation that has put another of her friend’s life and livelihood in jeopardy. As if that were not enough, she undertakes all of this at the same time she is coming to terms with her true feelings for the man she expected to marry and a man whose presence in her life has forced her to reevaluate those feelings – Lord Derrick Jeremy Randolph Brinsley. I snickered at that scene because nothing says a man is in trouble like a woman calling him by his full name. Our story would not be complete without the slightly broken hero in need of the love of our heroine and Derrick more than fits that bill.

I enjoyed the bit of intrigue that Ms. Delecki infuses in A Code of the Heart and that she was able to involve Amelia in the happenings without giving her skills she did not possess previously (i.e., code breaking). The manner in which Amelia became embroiled in the events felt reasonable to her lifestyle and realistic to the time, especially considering the way the women were underestimated during that period. I enjoyed the banter between her and Derrick, especially once she got over her uncharacteristic shyness around him. I also liked that she took the measure of the man she came to know through her interactions with Derrick rather than accepting the ton’s gossip as gospel. Her faith in him went far in allowing Derrick to shake off the guilt he held about his father’s and brother’s behavior once his secrets were revealed. While the timing of their first interlude was not in keeping with the behavior of the era for a couple of their standing, that there was only one sex scene was consistent with the genre. But considering all that they had endured at that point, I had no problem with their premarital dalliance. I found A Code of the Heart to be a very enjoyable read and look forward to the next book in the Code Breaker series.


Also Available in the Code Breakers Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo


Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo




Descended from a long line of storytellers, Jacki spins adventures filled with mystery, healing and romance. Jacki’s love affair with the arts began at a young age and inspired her to train as a jazz singer and dancer. She has performed many acting roles with the Seattle Opera Company and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her travels to London and Paris ignited a deep-seated passion to write A Code of Love, a romantic mystery set in the Regency era. Jacki is certain she spent at least one lifetime dancing in the Moulin Rouge.

Although writing now fills most of her days, she continues to volunteer with Seattle’s Ballet and Opera companies, as well as leading children’s tours of Pike Street Market. Her volunteer work with Seattle’s homeless shelters influenced one of her main characters in An Inner Fire. Jacki’s two Golden Labs, Gus and Talley, are her constant companions. Their years of devotion and intuition inspired her to write both dogs as heroes in A Code of Love. A geek at heart, Jacki loves superhero movies—a hero’s battle against insurmountable odds. Fortunately, her heroines don’t have to wear a unitard to fight injustice and battle for the underdog. Jacki’s extraordinary heroines love and heal. Visit http://jackidelecki.com/ for more information.

Connect with Jacki

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Code of the Heart (Code Breakers #3) by Jacki Delecki to read and review for this tour.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting me on Wicked Reads.
    All my best.
    Jacki

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for hosting A CODE OF THE HEART!

    ReplyDelete

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