Best of
Historical-Romance

2002

A Chance at Love


Beverly Jenkins - 2002
    He can't stop wondering what it would be like to hold the fiery enchantress close and kiss her deeply. Surely he could never compete with the sophisticated gents she has known, yet he intends to try. But will his honest passion be enough to take a chance on a long-shot called love?

High Country Bride


Linda Lael Miller - 2002
    Three sons. Only one will inherit...and on one condition. Tired of waiting for his sons to settle down, Arizona-territory rancher Angus McKettrick announces a competition: the first son to marry and produce a grandchild will inherit Triple M ranch. Now, three distinctly different, equally determined cowboys are searching high and low for brides. If Emmeline Harding knows one thing, it's that she can't hold her liquor. And though she's not sure how she came to wake up next to a stack of gold coins in a brothel, she fears the worst. Fleeing town as a mail-order bride, she wonders: how will she ever confess her past to her handsome new husband? Freedom-loving Rafe McKettrick is a man of strong beliefs and stronger passions and he'll do anything to win the Triple M—even marry a stranger. To his surprise, Emmeline's charms beguile him even as the secrets he senses she's hiding ignite jealousy and suspicion. But when a visitor from the past enters the high country, the newlyweds have no choice but to give up on a marriage in name only and seek a union that satisfies them body and soul.

Ruby McBride


Freda Lightfoot - 2002
    The grand opening of the Manchester Ship Canal is set to be a day of unfettered festivity for Ruby and her younger sister and brother. Even Queen Victoria will be in attendance.But the glories of the ceremony fade into insignificance when their dying mother delivers them to the imposing oak doors of Ignatius House. Abandoned in the not-so-tender care of the nuns, the siblings are soon separated.So when the Board of Guardians force Ruby into a marriage that sends her to a new home upon the Salford waterways, she makes only one vow: to reunite her family whatever the cost. This is an enthralling story of romance and rebellion perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court. Praise for Ruby McBride ‘An inspiring novel about accepting change and bravely facing the future’ Bangor Chronicle‘Compelling and heart-wrenching’ Hull Daily Mail‘The kind of character-driven saga that delights the Catherine Cookson and Josephine Cox audience’ Peterborough Evening Telegraph‘This book deals with gritty, real-life situations and shows how the heroine’s strength of character triumphs through adversity’ 5* Reader review

To Kiss in the Shadows


Lynn Kurland - 2002
    She dreams of a fearless knight to rescue her from the king's stern wardship...Jason of Artane is determined to leave his past behind and pursue a noble quest, but his plans take a different turn when he crosses paths with a mysterious young woman. His life changes when he see her true self and pulls her out of the shadows and into his heart...originally published in the anthology Tapestry

A Summer to Remember


Mary Balogh - 2002
    But Kit’s family has other plans. Desperate to thwart his father’s matchmaking, Kit needs a bride...fast. Enter Miss Lauren Edgeworth.A year after being abandoned at the altar, Lauren has determined that marriage is not for her. When these two fiercely independent souls meet, sparks fly—and a deal is hatched. Lauren will masquerade as Kit’s intended if he agrees to provide a passionate, adventurous, unforgettable summer. When summer ends, she will break off the engagement, rendering herself unmarriageable and leaving them both free. Everything is going perfectly—until Kit does the unthinkable: He begins to fall in love. A summer to remember is not enough for him. But how can he convince Lauren to be his...for better, for worse, for the rest of their lives?

Troubled Waters


Rosie Harris - 2002
    But who would look after her? When fourteen-year-old Sara Jenkins rescues her baby sister, Myfanwy, from the fire which kills their mother, little does she realise the burden of responsibility she is taking on. Her father, Ifor, is perceived as strict and moral by everyone in the village. But as Sara struggles to look after Myfanwy and their home she discovers the depths of cruelty he is capable of. Then Ifor remarries, and Sara's new stepmother is a hard taskmaster who considers everything Sara does inadequate or wicked. When Sara meets Rhys Edwards, nephew of the owner of the bakery where she works, she falls in love for the first time. Finally, she believes, she has a way to escape her father. Rhys and Sara plan to make a life together in Cardiff - but when tragedy strikes Sara finds herself alone there, pregnant and destitute ...

Turn Of The Tide


Rosie Harris - 2002
    Life with the Flanagans in the slums of Liverpool, and Lucy's new job in a factory, are totally different from the world she has known. Mocked by her cousins and the women she works alongside, and terrified by the brutality of her uncle and the unwelcome attentions of her cousin Frank, Lucy is desperately unhappy. And then one day, the worst happens and Lucy finds herself homeless, friendless and destitute. It seems there's only one person in the world willing to help her. But can she break her promise to her mother? Or should she accept that there's only one place a girl in her situation can go...?

Dancing at Midnight, and, To Catch an Heiress


Julia Quinn - 2002
    

Rosamund


Bertrice Small - 2002
    Her name is Rosamund Bolton. She is heiress to the Friarsgate fortune. More than a splendid inheritance, it will chart the fate of the orphaned beauty, widowed at a precious young age. It will take her from the treacherous custody of her devious uncle to the magnificent court of Elizabeth of York, into the confidence of Katherine of Aragon, and past the intimate chamber doors of Henry VIII. It's an adventure that will test the limits of passion and betrayal; it will change the meaning of the word enemy, and turn even the most daring fantasy into true love. With this first novel in an original and exciting new series, the adventures of Rosamund are just beginning...

Patsy Of Paradise Place


Rosie Harris - 2002
     But when her father is killed in an accident and her mother returns to her errant ways, Patsy must keep the business going with the help of her childhood friend, Billy Grant. And when Patsy falls passionately in love with fairground showman Bruno Alvarez, who leaves her, pregnant and heartbroken, only loyal Billy stands by her in her troubles. But when he is badly injured at work Patsy is left friendless and without a home...

Violet


Lauren Royal - 2002
    For one thing, she's not planning to marry. Plain Violet is smart enough to realize any suitors would be after her large inheritance, or else interested in her beautiful younger sisters—and she'd much rather spend her time improving her mind than risking her tender heart...Having wasted six years wooing a lady who eloped with another man, Ford Chase, Viscount Lakefield, has had it with women. Ford would much rather spend his time pursuing the sciences and constructing the first watch with a minute hand. Having his young niece dropped in his lap proves an unwelcome, annoying distraction…until an uncommonly intelligent neighbor named Violet comes to help…

Lone Warrior


Bobbi Smith - 2002
    Once there, they stripped her of her clothes and sent her to a tipi to await her fate. When a virile, broad-shouldered warrior entered, she feared the worst. But his green eyes calmed her fears, and then his searing kiss enflamed a passion that set her shaking all over again. He understood her fright, longed to soothe her trembling. For Wind Ryder, more than anyone, knew what being a captive of the Comanche meant. Since he had been taken many springs ago, he'd strived to forget his past and become the best of the warriors. The chief's gift of the blond beauty proved his prowess, but her silky skin and tender lips also haunted his dreams. Dreams that made Wind Ryder realize Marissa was the fiercest fighter of them all, for she had battled for his heart—and won.

Knight on the Texas Plains


Linda Broday - 2002
    But when a strange twist of fate—and a poker game he'll never forget—leaves an innocent little girl in his care, Duel vows to defend his new family to his very last breath. If only he knew a single thing about taking care of babies.Just as Duel swears his life can't get any more complicated, a beautiful woman stumbles into the light of his campfire, desperate for help. Jessie Foltry is hungry, tired, and running for her life. She agrees to help Duel care for the child in exchange for his protection, even as she fights to guard her broken heart. But Duel will do whatever it takes to make Jessie see that the Texas plains have more than one kind of knight, and perhaps their salvation is closer than either of them could have dreamed.

Her Rightful Inheritance


Benita Brown - 2002
    Now eighteen, Lorna Cunningham is eagerly awaiting the day when she can leave the Newcastle house in which she's known only heartache. The Arabian ancestry of the father she has never known has meant that she has been nothing more than an unwelcome guest in her grandmother's home, forced to take second place to her spoilt cousin, Rose, who has wanted for neither love nor material comforts.Lorna takes comfort from her growing friendship with bookseller Edwin Randall, who shares her love of reading and inspires her with his passion to improve the terrible conditions of the Newcastle slums. But their relationship is overshadowed by Lorna's infatuation with the handsome and charismatic Maurice Haldane - the man Rose is determined she herself will marry and who has the power to change all their lives for ever...

Lakota Love Song


Madeline Baker - 2002
    As she secretly tends to the stranger's injury, Kaylee feels a powerful attraction to this handsome, mysterious man --- one that opens her eyes to an entirely new destiny ...A FORBIDDEN DESIREAlone and weakened in the land of his enemy, Blue Hawk is determined to return to his village. Every moment he stays with Kaylee, the risk of discovery grows --- but so does his desire for his lovely rescuer. She is his only hope of getting back to his people alive, and when she offers to come with him, he can't refuse ...A DIVIDED LANDKaylee and Blue Hawk's shared passion soon sparks into an all-consuming love. But in a land divided by hatred and fear, it will take all of their courage to protect the future they cherish ...

Texas Homecoming


Leigh Greenwood - 2002
    Until one of their number betrayed them all. In the aftermath of tragedy, they swore they would live to hunt down the traitor. But to each, life would bring first a woman and then a revelation: Far sweeter then revenge is love.Cade ... Captain of the Night Riders, he led the survivors home to Texas to make a fresh start. His grandfather still lived, his ranch still stood, and waiting there was a dark-eyed temptress who made him all too glad to be alive. When he took Pilar in his arms, his blood surged hotly and he felt like the wild young man who'd once abducted her for a lark. But the war had changed them all and now he would allow nothing to come between them -- not her family, not his heritage, not even her turncoat of a brother.This is the first in the Night Riders Series

TEMPTATION ON EDEN


Elizabeth Haran - 2002
     Jordan Hale returns to Eden, the sugar cane plantation in Far North Queensland he left as a boy, with two objectives. To rebuild Eden, and destroy the man he blames for his parent’s deaths. However, Max Courtland is powerful and not afraid to fight dirty. The only chink in his armour is his wife and daughters, so Jordan goes out of his way to get close to them. But the bored Courtland women turn the tables. A rich, handsome man in their midst is an attraction too hard to resist and they become a complication in Jordan’s life. Another complication is Eve, who has been squatting on Eden in his absence and refuses to leave. She’s single-minded and writing freelance articles for the local newspaper, criticizing plantation owners for using slave labour. Somehow, she makes herself indispensable to Jordan who falls in love with her. But Eve has been keeping a big secret from Jordan and it ultimately puts her life in jeopardy. ELIZABETH HARAN is the best selling author of eighteen books set in Australia and translated into ten languages. Her books have made the European bestseller lists many times.

風と共に去りぬ 1


津雲むつみ - 2002
    南北戦争直前のアメリカ南部の町・タラ。大地主の娘・スカーレットは誇り高く美しく、どんな男性でも虜にしてしまう社交界の華。しかし、彼女が愛したアシュレはメラニーと結婚する事に――。不朽の名作を津雲むつみが鮮烈に描く。愛憎の交錯する壮大な物語が始まる――!! Note: This is the manga (japanese graphic novel) version of Mitchell's novel Gone With the Wind.

Beyond the Cliffs of Kerry


Amanda Hughes - 2002
    It bewitches her like a spell. It is something mysterious and powerful that Darcy McBride must follow beyond the cliffs of Kerry. Ireland in 1755 is a terrible place ravaged by famine and the brutal occupation by the British. There seems to be no escape. Darcy joins a group of smugglers who trade illegally with the French and when the operation is discovered, she is transported to the English Colonies for servitude. Shattered by war and bloodshed, Darcy finds the colonists on a feeding frenzy of survival. She refuses to be devoured and meets them with determination and fire, stopping them in their tracks. When she confronts the brash and attractive Jean Michel Lupe', a surveyor for the Crown, sparks fly, and Darcy meets her match. His blend of refinement and frontier masculinity unsettles and entices her. Together, they are swept into a whirlwind of violence and intrigue that threatens their love and their survival."As he stepped out into the pouring rain, Jean Michel had to regain his composure. He was not sure he liked the feelings that were churning inside him. This McBride woman had the ability to reach into his soul and open doors he thought were closed forever. She ignited a desire in him that was beyond anything he had ever imagined. Confused and overwhelmed, he blamed it on long months without carnal pleasures, and pushing it from his mind; he started down the path for the McDermott homestead."

Falcon's Angel: Historical Romance


Judith E. French - 2002
    French-- Outer Banks, Carolina Coast, 1810 --Captain Will Falcon can't help but admire the mysterious young woman known as Angel, who twice saved his life, but he doesn't consider their forced handfasting a binding marriage. To regain his fortune he must marry an heiress—the daughter of his wealthy employer will do.As passion seeks to pull Will and Angel together, Will's need for vengeance and fortune, and the strictures of Charleston's high-society, pull them apart. But fate plays by its own rules.Publisher's Note: A true swashbuckling tale replete with knife fights, pirate treasure and ghost stories that's sure to satisfy and proves why Judith French is the grand-master of Americana Romance. Fans of Elizabeth Keysian, Erica Ridley, Emilia Ferguson and Elliee Atkinson as well as readers of early American romance will enjoy Falcon's Angel.". . . French has a gift for creating a memorable story . . ." ~ WordweavingDon't Miss These Titles From Judith French:The Irish RogueThe Taming of Shaw McCadeDefiant LoveTender FortuneBold SurrenderBy Love AloneMEET JUDITH E. FRENCH:Judith E French is the author of more than sixty novels translated into a dozen languages and sold around the world. Her publishers include Ballantine, Kensington, Harlequin, Harper-Collins and ePublishing Works. Many of her novels are set in Colonial America, and she is known for her strong characters and adventure-packed tales of the Middle Colonies. Descended from early Maryland Scottish and English settlers and Lenni Lenape and Nanticoke First People, Judith has spent a lifetime researching the history of the multi-cultural and rich heritage of the Chesapeake Bay Region. Oral storytelling is embedded in her blood and bones; every generation in her family has produced at least one spinner of tales. Following that tradition, Judith's oldest daughter, Colleen Faulkner is also bestselling and award winning novelist. Judith lives with her husband and several spoiled dogs in an 18th century farmhouse that has been in her family for 250 years.

Passion's Price


Mary Adair - 2002
    Her mother is New Moon, Sister of Chief Dancing Cloud and known for her own prowess as a warrior and her uncanny gift of dreams. Dawn has grown up in a village where her golden curls and bright blue eyes of her father's ancestry set her apart, yet her growing and impressive skills of hunting and tracking as well as her inherited gift of dreams brings her honor among the villagers of her beloved home. A vision comes to Golden Dawn and she knows she must leave her beloved home and travel to England to protect her childhood friend, Raven Cloud. Can she convince her beloved Raven that their paths are destined to be joined? Will she be strong enough to stand between Raven and the danger threatening him and live herself? Her questions are unanswered, her reaction to her dream is immediate. She will pay any price to save her Raven. Raven is the adopted son of James Fitzgerald. He is strong, brave, and talented in his skills as a warrior and provider. His unknown father, an Englishman, abandoned Raven's pregnant mother to return to his English family. Raven became hard and angry at this father he never knew. His only sense of belonging comes from the little near-sister, Dawn, who idolizes him. He now owns a prosperous shipping business, and not all is well. Warehouses have burned and the lives of those he cares for are in danger. The last thing he needs now is the one person he loves above all others from his Cherokee village to arrive declaring she is there to save him. Passion's Price is the story of woman willing to pay any price to realize her passion and a man who will deny his own passion to keep her safe.

Isle of Lies


Donna Fletcher - 2002
    Now her attempt at living a lie is thwarted by her growing love for Ian.

The Christmas Star


Catherine Lanigan - 2002
    For Tommy and Susie Magli, who fall in love under this magical star on Christmas Eve, 1965, it will have a very special meaning and carry with it a very special hope. Though they march together against her family's disapproval, they make a vow to each other on that special night. When Tommy answers the call of his patriotic upbringing and enlists in the Marines, their love is tested to the ultimate and remains so for the next 30 years. On Christmast Eve, 1995, Susie prepares herself to spend midnight mass with her family just as she has for the past 30 years. Although she is about to give in to despair and face a harsh reality, there is a side of her that never gives up hope and still waits for a miracle to occur. Will The Christmas Star appear this night and will it have any meaning for her this time around?

Christmas Revels


Mary Jo Putney - 2002
    Includes A Holiday Fling, an original, modern-day novella, as well as four classic Regency romances―The Christmas Cuckoo, Sunshine for Christmas, The Christmas Tart, and The Black Beast of Belleterre.