Page 18 of The Elusive Earl (The Bad Heir Day Tales #3)

TO MY DEAR READERS

Can you tell I’m missing Scotland? Just a little? More than a little? Don’t be surprised if St. Didier’s next Bad Heir assignment has him north of the border again. He does look so dashing in his kilt, and in one of these Bad Heir tales, we’re going to get that guy out of his…

But probably not for a few more stories. I’m having too much fun with reluctant lords and the ladies who bring their own misgivings to romance with same. I expect another Bad Heir will grace the shelves this fall (oh, maybe a holiday happily ever after?!), but before we get there, Lord Julian has been up to his old sleuthing tricks again.

A Gentleman of Questionable Judgment , Lord Julian’s ninth mystery, will be available May 16 from the web store and May 23 from the usual retail suspects . Readers ask me if buying from the web store has any advantages for me. You betcha! I keep 90% of the proceeds from a web store sale as opposed to sometimes as little as 35% with the big guys—you pay the same price either way. If you buy from my store, you also get the actual file. That’s a piracy risk for me, but it’s a purchase for you, not a license to visit a file in the cloud as long as your account doesn’t go wonky. You own that file, and you will not be data mined when you read it. (I get a little twitchy about privacy rights. Maybe you’ve noticed that about me.)

Anyhoo, in Gent Questionable , Lord Julian is asked to ensure that a private race meeting is conducted without any funny business, except that his lordship doesn’t really know much about how to rig horse races. He does know that he misses Hyperia West terribly, and she’s on the guest list. What’s a lonesome sleuth to do?

Unfortunately for His Lonesome-ship, somebody is fixing the races, and Julian cannot figure out how. Before the tale is complete, he’s threatened with violence, insulted, and on the outs with dear Perry (you know it’s serious when…), and not even Atlas is talking to him (Atticus is mostly grumbling). Pretty dire doin’s for our friend! I had enormous fun with this one—this one too. Read an excerpt below.

I hope to have the tenth Lord Julian mystery published in August, working title A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets . We have us a missing heiress, her curiously tight-lipped family, hidden treasure, and a jilted suitor or two ready to complicate Julian’s life. Good thing Hyperia is ready to help him un-complicate it! Watch the web site for details, and wish his lordship best of luck getting all that mischief safely sorted.

I do occasionally send out advanced reader copies for books on pre-order. I announce availability on my blog (posts go up on Sundays, usually), so keep an eye peeled there. You can also get word of discounts, early releases, web store exclusives, and new projects (Lord Julian’s audio books into the libraries!) by signing up for my newsletter . Unsubscribing is easy, and I will never sell, swap, or disclose your personal data.

However you like to keep in touch, I wish you, as always…

Happy reading!

Grace Burrowes

Read on for an excerpt from A Gentleman of Questionable Judgment!