Spotlight & Giveaway: Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Liana De la Rosa’s new release: Gabriela and His Grace

A scandalous arrangement between a hellion heiress and destitute duke reveals truths that neither can outrun….

As the youngest and most rebellious daughter of the overly protective Luna family, Gabriela Luna Valdés claws after her freedom in any way she can. This time, her hunger for adventure has led her aboard a windswept ship bearing for her homeland, away from a mob of fumbling British suitors. But Gabby can’t escape her father’s expectation that she settle down to find a proper husband—a compromise she’s unwilling to make.

For Sebastian Brooks, Duke of Whitfield, the trip to Mexico is his last chance. His last chance to rectify his family’s estate and refill their dwindling coffers. And his last chance to match wits with the sharp-tongued but deliciously tempting Gabriela.

When Gabby finds herself in need of a hasty escape, Sebastian agrees to assist her…but their close proximity sparks a red-hot passion that could ruin all their plans. With scandal looming, can Sebastian convince Gabby his regard is sincere or will she sail away with his heart?

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Gabriela and His Grace 

Sebastian Brooks, the eleventh duke of Whitfield, knew better than to expect an effusive . . . or even a cordial greeting from the likes of Miss Gabriela Luna. But he certainly hadn’t expected her to exclaim so loudly he she’d frightened several of the sailors working on the gangplank.
Sighing, Sebastian plucked his spectacles from his face and massaged the bridge of his nose. The voyage to Altamira was scheduled for twelve to fourteen days, and then the carriage ride to Dawson’s home would take five to six days. Surely he could survive three weeks in Miss Luna’s company.
Even across the sixty or so feet between them, Sebastian could see the disbelief and frustration sparking in her greenish-brown eyes.
“And here I thought you were a rake about town, Your Grace.” Brodie, his valet, stopped next to him, his head cocked to the side. “But that lass appears angry enough to bite through steel.”
Sebastian snorted as he slid on his spectacles. Brodie had worked for him for nigh on a decade, and he was used to his easy manners and glib tongue. He continued to employ the man despite his propensity for bringing Sebastian down a peg because, frankly, no one dressed Sebastian quite like the burly Scotsman. He should have foreseen Brodie’s delight at Miss Luna’s fiery disdain for him.
Three weeks, he reminded himself. Just three weeks, and he would be in Mexico with his old friend, Sirius Dawson, touring the silver mine that had single-handedly brought the Whitfield dukedom out of arrears.
Brodie whistled through his teeth. “She truly dislikes you, doesn’t she?”
“I assure you the feeling is mutual,” Sebastian said, tugging on his cufflinks.
“Sure it is.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” he growled, glowering down at his valet.
Unmoved by Sebastian’s annoyance, Brodie lifted a shoulder. “It means that I don’t believe you, Your Grace.”
Sebastian leaned on his onyx-and-gold-tipped cane as he lifted a brow. “My opinion of Miss Luna does not require your approval, Brodie.”
“Of course not,” the valet replied, unimpressed. “But I do so look forward to watching that lovely lass tie you up in knots these next few weeks, especially as you’ll have nowhere to go to escape her.”
Clenching his eyes closed, Sebastian exhaled a long breath. Between the sharp-tongued Miss Luna and his shrewd valet, he was bound for purgatory.
Pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, Sebastian pulled his gaze from Miss Luna’s scowling face to where Fox stood with his infant daughter in his arms. Looking amused. The damn man was almost smiling. Something about the scene made him think of James and David.
“Do you think they’ll be okay while I’m gone?”
His valet didn’t need Sebastian to explain whom he was speaking of, for the older man nodded. “They know you’re coming back. That you wouldn’t have left in the first place if the trip hadn’t already been planned. Old Mrs. Evers and the staff will take good care of them.”
Sebastian knew that, of course, but unease still turned his stomach. “I’m going to tell Mrs. Evers you call her old.”
“Now you’re stalling, Your Grace. You’re gonna have to speak with Miss Luna eventually,” Brodie offered, most unhelpfully.
“Yes, I am aware. But after this moment, it will be almost impossible to be away from her, so I am reveling in my freedom while I can.”
With a long exhale, Sebastian set off toward the group waiting at the edge of the gangplank, their expressions ranging from polite regard to open hostility. Doing his best to avoid Miss Luna, Sebastian exchanged greetings with Lady Yardley, then Mrs. Fox, and then Mr. Valdés. When he finally stretched out a hand to his friend, Sebastian couldn’t keep himself from squeezing Fox’s hand tightly.
“It would seem she did not take the news well,” he murmured quietly, careful not to be overheard.
Fox shook his head, amusement still evident in his expression. “I’d say her reaction was very much in character.”
Sebastian couldn’t argue with that. He’d known Miss Luna would be upset when she learned he would also be on the voyage to Mexico, and he also knew she was not a young woman who hid her emotions behind a veneer of placidity. Sebastian had never doubted where he stood with Gabriela Luna, and try as he might, he couldn’t help but respect her for it. The majority of people he met acquiesced to him and his desires simply because he was a duke, and Sebastian had come to value those friends who were not swayed by his title. Gideon Fox was one such friend; Sirius Dawson another. And while Sebastian would never call Miss Luna a friend, her fierce resistance to treating him as anything other than a bug beneath her fashionable shoe was a trait he found both vexing and charming.
Fox took a step closer to him then, his voice dropping an octave. “I’m sure the voyage will have its trying moments, but I am much relieved that you will be there should Gabby require your assistance.”
“But who will protect me from her?” Sebastian volleyed, affecting an affronted look.

Excerpt. ©Liana De la Rosa. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: Finished print copy of GABRIELA AND HIS GRACE! US residents only.

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Meet the Author:

Liana De la Rosa is a USA Today Bestselling historical romance author who writes diverse characters in the Regency and Victorian periods. Liana is a graduate of the University of Arizona, and when she’s not writing, Liana is listening to true crime podcasts while she wrangles her spirited brood of children with her patient husband in Arizona.

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