Sets Appeal. Virginia Taylor

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      In the cosmopolitan coastal city of Adelaide in South Australia, two theater lovers create a little drama of their own . . .

      Twenty-seven-year-old divorcée Vix Tremain finally has her first job—as a theater-set painter—and is ready to leave the past behind. What better way to get her confidence back than a fling with a handsome stranger? She isn’t looking for anything emotional, she’s had enough heartbreak. Rugged Jay Dee, the set construction manager, fits the bill for no strings fun perfectly. What Vix doesn’t realize is that Jay is not exactly a stranger . . .

      Jay would recognize wealthy, spoiled Vix anywhere. After all, she’s the ex-wife of the man who destroyed his career. Naturally, Jay wants a little sweet revenge—at first. To his surprise, Vix is far from the ice princess he expected, and spending time with her changes everything. Soon he realizes he’s actually falling for the vulnerable beauty. But becoming entangled with her will mean revealing who he is—and opening them both up to more pain. With their dreams at stake, is their connection strong enough to weather the truth—and take center stage?

      Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Books by Virginia Taylor

      South Landers

      Starling

      Ella

      Charlotte

      Wenna

      Romance By Design

      Sets Appeal

      Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

      Sets Appeal

      A Romance By Design Novel

      Virginia Taylor

      LYRICAL PRESS

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Copyright

      Lyrical Press books are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2017 by Virginia Taylor

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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      To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

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      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      119 West 40th Street

      New York, NY 10018

      Attn. Special Sales Department. Phone: 1-800-221-2647.

      Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

      First Electronic Edition: April 2017

      eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0007-1

      eISBN-10: 1-5161-0007-7

      First Print Edition: April 2017

      ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0011-86

      ISBN-10: 11-5161-0011-5

      Printed in the United States of America

      Acknowledgements

      To my editor, Marci Clark, whose excellent judgment in picking Starling, my first published historical romance, gave me the chance to showcase my hometown in a series set in Adelaide, South Australia. Marci, you are the best editor in the whole world, bar none.

      Chapter 1

      Her shoulders almost creaking with tension, Victoria Tremain turned off her car engine. Tonight, as one of the crew, she had attended the first party she had been to in a year, a pre-production getting-to-know-you function held for the cast and crew of the stage version of High Society. Experiencing a deadly case of stage fright, she aimed the huge smile she had plastered on her face in the direction of her wildly attractive passenger. He had told her he would make her a cup of coffee if she drove him home.

      Behind him, the blaring streetlight reflected on the outside of a suburban redbrick bungalow with no fence and a front garden that had been dug over but not planted—a work in progress, but not out of place in this narrow street of tidy post-war houses. Shadowy stacks of planks lay in his concrete driveway.

      “So, this is where you build your theater sets?” Her voice sounded suitably low and husky, not because she was at all sophisticated, but because she was terrified.

      Picking up men wasn’t as easy as… Actually, she hadn’t imagined picking up men would be easy, not for someone as naturally awkward as she. She had almost fallen over her feet in her hurry to get the hunky set-builder into her car. Or maybe she almost fell over her big yellow heels, which took some getting used to—for she was now flashy, single, champagne-drinking Vix Tremain, trying to find the life she had missed during the past seven years. Married at the age of twenty, she had divorced eleven months ago.

      He shook his head. “The wood belongs in the garage, but I haven’t had time yet to shift it.” Muffled doof-doof music rocked the air as he opened the car door on his side.

      She opened her side, stepped out, and caught her bag on the handbrake. Muttering under her breath, she untangled the strap and closed the door, hoping he hadn’t noticed. His coordination was as notable as his big, honed body.

      She cleared her throat. “When did you finish your last set?” Scooping her hair back, she followed him along an overgrown path to the low front porch.

      “A couple of weeks ago. My team does four a year.” He fumbled for his keys.

      A sudden gust of wind blew a sheet of newspaper across the road and an orphaned takeaway coffee cup rattled against the fence. As she took a step back to give him space, her spiked heel caught between two slats and she stumbled.

      He grabbed her, steadying her against his chest, his shaggy brown hair idly teasing across her cheek. “My woman trap.” He set her back on her own feet. Suppressed СКАЧАТЬ