Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Stella Riley’s recently released novel The Shadow Earl as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Blurb

At the end of his Grand Tour, somewhere between Athens and Constantinople, Christian Selwyn, the young Earl of Hazelmere, vanished – seemingly without a trace.

Time passes.  In London, his uncle and cousin move into his home … while his unofficial fiancée, Sophia, is left desolate and in limbo.  Finally, his friends – loyal and close as brothers – set out to search in person. 

Christian’s startling re-appearance at a grand ball takes society by storm and fuels endless speculation. Where has he been during these three missing years? What happened to him? 

And more importantly, how did it happen? 

Only one thing is clear.  The earl who left England five years ago, has returned a changed man.  A man with secrets.

Excerpt

Christian slept for perhaps two hours before the nightmare came.

It began as it always did. He was face down and helpless; from behind him came the maddening, enervating tapping, accompanied by pain.  Struggling achieved nothing. On it went … and on and on, just as it always did.  Frustration had him screaming and –

A hand closed around his wrist; a voice spoke his name. He froze.

Something new.  What?

Like a trapped animal, he lay still, panting for breath and waiting for he knew not what.  Then he wrenched his hand free – something which, even in his sleep-drugged state, he was aware shouldn’t be possible.

Never mind.  Use it.

He swung his clenched fist and forearm, hard and fast at the unseen presence … felt it slam into some rigid, angular surface … heard a strangled grunt … and was finally jerked fully awake.

‘Hell!’ Benedict stepped back, clutching his face. ‘It’s me, you idiot.  Just me.’

Sitting up, Christian stared at him wildly. ‘What the – what are you doing here?’

‘Stopping you yelling the house down.’

‘Was I?’  He pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes. ‘Sorry.  Did I hit you?’

‘Yes.  And I hope I don’t wake up with a black eye tomorrow.’  Benedict hesitated and then said, ‘You were having a nightmare – and not for the first time. Care to tell me about it?’

‘No.’ He shuddered inwardly. ‘No.  It’s just a … an unpleasant memory, that’s all.’

‘Really? When unpleasant clearly doesn’t even come close?’ asked Benedict dryly. Then, ‘All right. But consider talking to me, will you? And meanwhile, try to get some sleep.’

The Shadow Earl is available at
Universal Link • AmazonUK • AmazonUS • AmazonCA • AmazonAU
Barnes&Noble • Kobo • Smashwords

Stella Riley

Winner of four gold medals for historical romance (Readers’ Favourite in 2019, Book Excellence Awards in 2020, Global Book Awards in 2022 and Book Excellence Award in 2023) and fifteen B.R.A.G. Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.
Winner of four gold medals for historical romance (Readers’ Favourite in 2019, Book Excellence Awards in 2020, Global Book Awards in 2022 and Book Excellence Award in 2023) and fifteen B.R.A.G. Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.

She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the seven book Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) and the Brandon Brothers trilogy, are all available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham.

Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord.  She also has a fondness for men with long hair – hence her seventeenth and eighteenth century heroes.

For more information about Stella and her books click on the links below
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest
BookBub • AmazonAuthorPage • Goodreads

More information on the Coffee Pot Book Club and other works of quality historical fiction can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

Book Title: The Shadow Earl
Author: Stella Riley
Audiobook narrator: Alex Wyndham
Publication Date: 15 July 2023
Publisher: Stella Riley
Page Length:  433
Genre: Historical Romance