Book excerpt: Bridgerton goes Gothic in this sweeping Regency romance by celebrated author KJ Charles. Major Rufus d'Aumesty has unexpectedly become the Earl of Oxney, master of a remote Norman manor on the edge of the infamous Romney Marsh. There he's beset on all sides, his position contested both by his greedy uncle and by Luke Doomsday, son of a notorious smuggling clan. The earl and the smuggler should be natural enemies, but cocksure, enragingly competent Luke is a trained secretary and expert schemer—exactly the sort of man Rufus needs by his side. Before long, Luke becomes an unexpected ally...and the lover Rufus had never hoped to find. But Luke came to Stone Manor with an ulterior motive, one he's desperate to keep hidden even from the lord he can't resist. As the lies accumulate and family secrets threaten to destroy everything they hold dear, master and man find themselves forced to decide whose side they're really on...and what they're willing to do for love. Readers Rave about KJ Charles: "KJ Charles is one of the best romance novelists writing today. Historical romance at its finest." —Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author "Once again KJ Charles has produced an absolute masterpiece!" —Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author "A romantic, swashbuckling tale from start to finish." —Manda Collins, bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem