Secrets of a Wedding Night

July 23, 2012
Bowman begins her Secret Brides trilogy with an enchanting Regency where passions ignite between a young widow and a roguish nobleman. Lily Andrews, the dowager countess of Merrill, publishes a pamphlet that warns young women to fear the tribulations of one’s wedding night. The fiancée of Devon Morgan, marquis of Colton and Lily’s onetime flame, reads the pamphlet and breaks off the engagement. Devon insists that Lily write a retraction; when she refuses, he decides to seduce her and prove that a wedding night need not be a frightening experience. Intellectual sparring between Devon and Lily sparks romance as they come to terms with the secrets and misunderstandings of their past. Bowman’s cast of intriguing, well-developed characters—particularly smart, sensible Lily—makes this an engaging debut that will have readers seeking future installments. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Starred review from September 15, 2012
That dratted pamphlet is ruining Devon Morgan's life. Immediately after his fiancee, Amelia Templeton, receives a copy of the anonymously written Secrets of a Wedding Night, she cancels their engagement. And she is not the only one reading it. The pamphlet is all the rage in London, and the publisher can hardly keep up with the demand from ladies who wish to know more about what to expect from their husbands. Although the widowed Lily Andrews, Countess of Merrill, claims to know nothing about it, Devon knows that she's the author of the scandalous tract. What's more, Devon intends on convincing Lily, who just so happens to have jilted Devon several years earlier, to issue a retraction. Seducing the lovely widow will not only achieve Devon's goal of ridding society of the infamous booklet but will also provide him with the opportunity to show Lily exactly what she missed out on by not marrying him in the first place. RWA Golden Heart nominee Bowman's engaging sense of characterization, gift for creating sexual chemistry, and graceful writing style give her debut romance a splendidly satisfying emotional depth.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)