A Hellion In Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries

A Hellion in Her Bed. Sabrina Jeffries. Pocket Star Books. September 2010. 384 pp. ISBN #: 9781439167540.

Lord Jarret Sharpe carries a literally grievous burden, his parents’ untimely, horrific deaths. He craves security and wants only to run the family brewery business. But his grandmother has sent him away to be educated, to grow up and not be a baby. But this Lord has an uncanny gift in winning at the card tables of school and later elsewhere. For nineteen years, this penchant has served him well, earning him respect up to now.

For it seems Granny has set her mind on marrying him to the “right” girl, and his desperation is now beginning to show at the game tables. Everyone knows that desperate men are losing gamblers! He finally gets her to agree to let him run the family brewery business without interference and rescinds her demand to control who he marries. So it seems he has gotten what he wanted, right? Ah, what was that gleam in Granny’s eyes all about as she assented to his terms for full control of his own life.

Annabelle Lake is not at all what Jarret thinks a woman should be – or could be! Entranced by her presence and totally disarmed by her wit, he begins the role of getting the upper hand – and more – which completely undoes the two of them. Attempting to restore some reason into their relationship, Annabelle poses a bet, after realizing that her own family brewery is in very deep trouble. Mismanagement and a secret have led to her to this daring challenge, one albeit with hotly imagined success, that proves to be initially unpleasant for Jarret.

But Jarret is not only sharp at cards and business but also at knowing when a change of cards and strategy is absolutely necessary. The process might not be that easy and Jarret has some dark family secret of his own to learn and deal with, one that makes him stronger in his new found goal. The ability to remain reasonably objective begins to melt away, leaving the reader with a thrilling, seductive, sexy and successful ending for this second “The Hellions of Hallstead Hall” series!