Earl of Excess — Anna St. Claire

A British officer's life is saved when a young woman and her dog risk their lives and rescue him from beneath dead bodies, while trying to escape the New Orleans battlefield before shooting begins.Welcome to book 1 in the new Rakes of Mayhem series from bestselling author Anna St. Claire!Colonel Matthew Romney, a favored son with the British military, is gravely wounded during the Battle of New Orleans. With most available British forces dead and his weak pleas for help muffled beneath the dead soldier he lies below, the British report him missing in the aftermath.Bethany Phillips and her dog visit the Villeré Plantation's gardens searching for herbs and food and unexpectedly become caught in the crossfire of grapeshot and cannon fire and forced to take cover until the battle ends. When the smoke clears, Bethany follows the sound of a man's moans and pulls him from beneath a pile of dead soldiers being readied for a mass grave. Bethany saves Matthew's life but in doing so, threatens her heart and her own life.Against all odds, sparks fly between Matthew and Bethany. A hired investigator for his father finds Matthew and encourages him to journey home. Matthew and Bethany leave the safety of her home and travel a dangerous path through the wilderness of America and across a ravaged, war-torn ocean to reach his family.Can their romance survive the dangers and uncertainty that follow them?The Rakes of MayhemThe Earl of ExcessThe Marquess of MischiefThe Duke of Disorder