Splendor

London Jewel Thieves #2

by Shehanne Moore

He hates to lose. Especially to a man who’s not.

One move to win ten thousand guineas in a chess competition. One move to marry her fiancé. Another to face the most merciless man in London across a pair of duelling pistols. For Splendor, former skivvy to the London’s premiere jewel thieves, it’s all in a day’s work. But when one wrong move leads to another, can she win and keep her heart intact against the one man in London with the potential to bring her down? Especially in a chess game where the new wager is ten thousand guineas against one night with her.

The Endgame to end all Endgames

One move to pay back his ex-mistress. One move to show the world he doesn’t give a damn he’s been beaten in every way. The ton’s most ruthless heartbreaker, bitter, divorcee, Kendall Winterborne, Earl of Stillmore’s, pet hates are kitchen maids, marriage and losing. Knowing Splendor has entered a male chess competition under false pretences, he’s in the perfect position to extort her help, regardless of the fact she’s engaged to someone else. He just doesn’t bank on having to face up to his pet hates. Certainly not over the kind of skivvy who ruined his father and set him on this course.

As one move leads to another, one thing's for certain though. His next move better be fast if he wants to keep the Cinderella he’s fallen for. But the clock is ticking. When it strikes twelve, which man will she choose?

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Shehanne Moore is a Scottish author, who writes gritty, witty, as much risky as risqué, historical romance, set wherever takes her fancy. Stories that detail the best and worst of human behaviour, as opposed to pouts and flounces. For years she worked at various things, while pursuing her dream of becoming a published writer, so she was gobsmacked to sell her book, The Unraveling of Lady Fury, written in three months, to U.S. publishers, Etopia Press, six days after subbing it.
Shehanne still lives in Scotland, with her husband Mr Shey. She has two daughters. When not writing intriguing historical romance, where goals and desires of sassy, unconventional heroines and ruthless men, mean worlds do collide, she fantasizes about cleaning the house, plays the odd musical instrument and loves what in any other country, would not be defined, as hill-walking.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Splendor, you do get into a mess don't you?

This book is part of the Jewel Thieves series, but Splendor was formerly one of their servants, and you don't need to read the first book in the series to keep up, as we have moved on several years and the ladies have split up. You may also want to read Loving Lady Lazuli if you like this book however.

Splendor is a complex lady, which is utterly to be expected in a Shehanne Moore novel. Her father was a gentleman who left her with nothing. She adapts, she survives, and well, plays a mean game of chess. Now all she needs is to win a competition, and she can retire to be Gabriel's wife. A nice quiet existence, far away from her Jewel Thieves life. Of course, that's NOT going to happen here.

Enter the Earl of Stillmore, talented chess player, and avoider of marriage since the betrayal of his former wife. He's good enough to win of course, the MEN'S competition. One that Splendor needs to win to claim the larger amount of prize money to pay off her creditors, and well, scarper. Unfortunately for her, she's about the undertake a duel with the Earl and that's not going to end well either...

Two worlds collide, as they must in this novel and neither party will be the same. This is not a case of happy endings, there will be no church at the end, no sign of convention. That is what is so entertaining about this book. Don't think that it does not contain genuine emotion at the same time. Two lost souls are about to find that actually, maybe, they might have a future together.

What an excellent read. Even if I did want to bang their heads together a number of times. Dear Reader, there will be verbal and literal duels, chess, cross-dressing, the darker side of a historical romance. And well, I'll let you decide the rest.

[Sarah Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second novel I have read by the wonderfully entertaining Shehanne Moore. I just love her writing, even though she writes in a genre that I wouldn't normally read. She has a knack of coming up with impossible heroes (sort of Mr Darcy's but far worse!) who need taming, although in this story the heroine, after whom the novel is named, is impossible, too. There are times when you could merrily knock her and Earl Stillmore's heads together, and you seriously doubt they will ever get together in a permanent sense of the word. Yes, they do get together for a bout of wild lust, but... (no spoilers allowed) ... you'll need to read the novel to find out if they can stop arguing and playing games with each other long enough to realise they might have a future together. The story starts with a chess tournament and continues as one huge tournament of the love-hate romance kind.

A great read, that comes highly recommended

[Jane Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Splendor was once the lowest of the low, now she needs to find a way to keep her new lifestyle, and that means a chess competition that only men can enter. There is lots of fun in this story as Splendor risks all to achieve everything she desires. 

Kendall Winterborne is a dissolute rake, who dislikes being challenged or made a fool of. Splendor does both and with their history, their relationship is never going to be easy going. Passion escapes, but they are at war, and anything more than physical attraction seems both unwanted and unobtainable.

A thoroughly  entertaining, romantic tale, which is full of witty dialogue, sizzling scenes and unforgettable characters, perfect holiday reading,

I received an ARC of this book from the author.

[Carolee Croft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Ms. Moore's cheeky heroines, and Splenour is no exception. How can you not like a woman whose name is Dora and she therefore decides to name herself Lady Splendora? She's an honorary member in the London jewel thieves' guild known as the Starkadder Sisterhood, but not a thief herself. In fact, she wants to help the poor, marry her sweetheart Gabriel and buy him a ministry.

Gabriel, as it turns out, is no sweetheart at all. But then neither is the Earl of Stillmore, a man who calls his servant an "overstuffed seal". He reserves even better names for Splendor. Mostly he calls her names in his head, but sometimes he does so to her face... usually when she's being a brat, which is quite often.

While Gabe shows his cowardly and whiny nature, the earl drives Splendor up the wall by "training" her to win a chess tournament even though she is obviously better than him at the game. 

With shades of Shakesperean cross-dressing comedy and scenes that reminded me of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady  and Confessions of a Shopaholic as Splendor by turns participates in a men's chess tournament and then tries to pose as an aristocrat at high society balls, this novel had me laughing out loud throughout. It was also extremely touching when I realized how much these two have suffered for love (and their own stubbornness). 

I would highly recommend Splendor as a fast-paced, funny and romantic read!

[Catherine Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can always rely on Shehanne Moore to create a heroine with grit, wit, determination and an unfailing ability to get herself into more scrapes than it would seem possible for one woman. Splendor Malachi is the epitome of this. Down on her luck, with most of the Starkadder Sisterhood either dead or on the run, she needs to rely on her wits. Use her feminine wiles? No, far more daring than that. Against all the rules, she dresses as a man and enters a men-only chess tournament. Well, the £10000 prize money is worth the risk she is taking and Splendor knows all about risks. This former skivvy is now thrust into the world of the third Earl of Stillmore - Kendall Winterborne - and he is hardly a knight in shining armour. With an ex wife, ex lover and estranged daughter, he is more than a little disturbed at being strangely drawn to the young man he knows as Nathan, with whom he fights a duel. Of course, when he realises 'he' is a 'she', the reason becomes clear. BUT, don't go thinking this story works out in classic romance style. This is a Shehanne Moore historical romance. Splendor simply cannot help getting into all sorts of trouble - with all manner of consequences - mostly at cost to herself. At times hilarious, Splendor's adventures and misadventures make for addictive reading. This is a gutsy, authentic, rollicking Georgian romp and I loved it.