Best of
Regency

1997

Captain Jack's Woman


Stephanie Laurens - 1997
    He is her dream lover come vividly alive, and his command of the smuggling gang is absolute. His all-knowing gaze penetrates her disguise as the “lad” leader of a rival gang with frightening ease and his “punishment” with kisses leaves her maidenly modesty in tatters.Suddenly Kit finds she’s only too delighted to explore with Jack the pleasures conventionally reserved for married ladies . . . little knowing what dangerous forces she’s unleashing. For even as Kit revels in midnight gallops and cottage rendezvous, Captain Jack is laying a gentle trap that will curtail her freedom . . . and bind her to him with a ring, a promise . . . and ties of devotion and desire.

With This Ring


Carla Kelly - 1997
    This outrageously impudent officer kept deplorable company in dismal surroundings beyond the boundaries of polite society. Even worse, he was shamelessly, sinfully penniless.To keep him company would ruin Lydia's already slim chances in the marriage mart. To listen to the shocking proposal he made to her would spell ruin to her good name. To run away with him in a mockery of marriage on a honeymoon journey through the wilds of England was the ultimate folly for a young lady whose family demanded she wed both wisely and well. Could Lydia say "I do" and accept the Major for better or for worse, or would she risk losing the only man who had ever captured her heart?

Indiscreet


Mary Balogh - 1997
    In the country visiting his twin brother, Rex longed for a little diversion. But Catherine Winters was a lady of virtue, and she roundly rejected his improper proposal to become his mistress. Since the handsome lord would not be daunted, Catherine fought the feelings he aroused—feelings that brought to life a past she had sought to escape. One kiss could bring her to ruin. But temptation proved a worthy foe—and Catherine could not ignore the beating of her treacherous heart...

The Temporary Wife


Mary Balogh - 1997
    The arrogant aristocrat makes it painfully clear what he wants from her. Will Charity agree to be the wife he needs to enrage the father he hates? Of course. Will Charity then depart from his life in return for the money she and her family desperately need? Of course. Is Earheart as heartless as he is handsome and as remorseless as he is rich? Of course.It is only when Charity enters into this mockery of a marriage that she discovers that things are not as simple as they seemed at first. For when the libertine lord takes her in his arms, it is not only their contract that threatens to be broken, but her heart as well....

The Marquess


Patricia Rice - 1997
    But lurking in the secret passages of his crumbling manor house is a courageous and exceedingly annoying young woman in terrible danger.The self-sufficient daughter of a soldier, Dillian Whitnell guards her injured cousin in isolated Arinmede manor after an attempt on both their lives. Dillian hadn’t expected the new marquess to notice her, but his stubborn refusal to believe she’s a ghost turns into a hide-and-seek game that leads to increasingly close encounters. A game where irritation turns to intrigue, and intrigue to a forbidden passion as the real villain emerges from the past.

Lady Rogue


Suzanne Enoch - 1997
    I've always wanted to be a writer. One day, during a slow afternoon at my day job, I thought: What would I write? Inspiration struck . . . an earl who fell in love with a spy!And thus Lady Rogue was born.Christine "Kit" Brantley is masquerading as a boy because her mission is to spy on Alexander Cale, the Earl of Everton. It doesn't take long for Alex to see through her disguise. Who would mistake this enchanting, albeit cheeky, chit for a lad? Alex is determined to discover the real reason Kit is in London, but as he's dragged into one escapade after another, he finds himself succumbing to her charm and spirit. I love this book, and I love the new package. In my mind it's a depiction of the first time Kit puts on a ball gown, and the way Alex Cale feels when he first sees her as a lady . . . Ah, me, now I'm getting sentimental.Enjoy!Suzanne EnochP.S. Oh, and Lady Rogue also marks the debut of Mr. Francis Henning, who's made an appearance in every historical I've written since.

Camilla's Fate


Judith A. Lansdowne - 1997
    So she could scarce explain her sudden sweet tendre for...a highwaymen! The handsome blackguard robbed her coach, left her with a kiss, and absconded with her very heart! As for Jason Fate, thief by trade, he could not forget the lady who looked like an angel. When they finally met again at a London soiree, Jason was impersonating the newly discovered heir to a dukedom in an absolutely dastardly scheme that would make the most seasoned gentleman quake in his boots. Camilla's duty was to denounce him. But she simply could not. Alas, she loved him! And soon Camilla's mission to transform an unregenerate scoundrel into a fine gentleman would take her where ladies feared to tread -- from the dazzling heights of the aristocracy to the darkest depths of a city...where saving Jason could be her ruin -- or most improper, impossible, and irresistible Fate.

Miss Armstead Wears Black Gloves/Miss Romney Flies Too High


Marian Devon - 1997
    After all, Lord Greville was a naval hero who--rumor had it--was consigned to a watery grave at sea.But suddenly her faux fiancé returned--very much alive! Would he tar and feather young Frankie's reputation all the way to fashionable London--or would Lord Greville exact an altogether more titillating vengeance?MISS ROMNEY FLIES TOO HIGHLord Petherbridge had taken it into his head to leave his considerable fortune to his illegitimate daughter, Sarah Romney, with pious Lady Petherbridge none the wiser. So he laid down the law: whichever of his three nephews married the young lady would inherit a fortune with her.Marry an actress? Two of the hopefuls had no choice: They would be penniless without the Petherbridge portion. Only Lord Graymarsh was wealthy in his own right. So how was it that the man with the least at stake should win the lovely lady's heart?

Once Upon A Christmas


Nancy Lawrence - 1997
    Matrimony is not for her--until she meets a handsome devil who becomes the real-life model for the hero of her book.

Lord Melbourne, 1779-1848


L.G. Mitchell - 1997
    As mentor and father-figure to the young Queen Victoria, he exerted considerable influence over the first few years of her reign. In this, the first biography in twenty years, Leslie Mitchell uses the Melbourne family papers to explore the man behind the politician at the heart of early Victorian politics.

Brazen Angel


Elizabeth Boyle - 1997
    One bewitching look, the whispered promise of unspeakable ecstasy, and London's richest and most notorious rakes followed the Brazen Angel like sheep–ready to be fleeced. All London was in her thrall as she waltzed from masquerade to masquerade, seducing and stealing with impunity–until she met her match in the dark and dangerous lord who vowed to unmask her.A Single Passion...London's most audacious thief. Giles Corliss, Marquess of Trahern, had come home to honor his father's last request and marry a woman he'd never met, Lady Sophia D'Artiers. It was to be a marriage of convenience to beget an heir. But Giles had yet to discover that behind the fragile, ailing facade of his intended, Lady Sophia, lay the mistress of disguise–an irresistible brazen angel who was about to lure him into a reckless passion that threatened to destroy them both...

The Misguided Matchmaker


Nadine Miller - 1997
    He had the riches to buy her a title, and he had carefully chosen and cold-bloodedly purchased the perfect mate for her, the eminently suitable, thoroughly decent, and unfortunately impoverished Lord Garth Rand. But when Garth's criminally handsome, dangerously charming, illegitimate half-brother Tristan came to fetch Madelaine back to England from France, her father's flawlessly laid plans began to go astray. Tristan did not try to deceive her. He made it clear he had known many women and was no stranger to scandal, and that he lived by his wits without wealth. It was easy for Madelaine to see how wrong it would be to give her heart to him -- and yet so hard not to do what felt so right.....