Best of
Regency

2005

Georgette Heyer's Regency World


Jennifer Kloester - 2005
    A fun read for any Heyer fan.

To Wed a Scandalous Spy


Celeste Bradley - 2005
    So when she drags the unconscious man she accidentally hit with a slingshot home, they arrange a hasty marriage and pack the couple off with best wishes. Armed with a groggy husband and a new future, Willa's pie-eyed optimism has no limits...until she discovers the secret, dangerous world of Nathaniel Stonewell, Earl of Reardon, a.k.a. "Lord Treason."Though Nathaniel is reviled by most of England for his devious plot against the Crown, he is, in reality, a member of an elite cadre of secret royal defenders on a daring undercover mission. He must keep his secrets at all cost, especially from Willa. And yet, he is enchanted...though he stubbornly refuses to surrender to his passion. Far better, he tells himself, to turn his back on love than risk everything for it. Luckily, his bride has other plans...

Lady Hartley's Inheritance


Wendy Soliman - 2005
     Her godmother's son, Luc Deverill, the Earl of Newbury, suspects fraud. Thrown together during the social whirl of a Regency season in full swing, Luc is increasingly drawn towards Clarissa but she thinks him an idle dissipate and finds little to admire in the ways of high society. Racing against time to foil those seeking to deceive Clarissa, Luc is horrified when she places herself in the path of danger. At last a woman has dented his impenetrable heart and he rides to her rescue. But has he left it too late to tell her how he feels?

The Perfect Rake


Anne Gracie - 2005
    One of them must marry—and fast. To act as her sisters' chaperone, Prudence invents a secret engagement to a reclusive duke...But when the duke arrives unexpectedly in London, she needs his help to avert disaster....into the arms of a rakeAristocratic Gideon, handsome, rakish and with a strong frivolous streak, casually hijacks Prudence's game, awarding himself a stolen kiss or three along the way. Used to managing sisters and elderly men, Prudence is completely out of her depth with a charming, devious and utterly irresistible rake. And her plot goes terribly—if deliciously—awry...

Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style


Ian Kelly - 2005
    His name has become synonymous with wit, profligacy, fine tailoring, and fashion. A style pundit, Brummell was singly responsible for changing forever the way men dress -- inventing, in effect, the suit.Brummell cut a dramatic swath through British society, from his early years as a favorite of the Prince of Wales and an arbiter of taste in the Age of Elegance, to his precipitous fall into poverty, incarceration, and madness. Brummell created the blueprint for celebrity crash and burn, falling dramatically out of favor and spending his last years in a hellish asylum. For nearly two decades, Brummell ruled over the tastes and pursuits of the well heeled and influential, and for almost as long, lived in penury and exile.With vivid prose, critically acclaimed biographer Ian Kelly unlocks the glittering, turbulent world of late-eighteenth/early-nineteenth-century London -- the first truly modern metropolis: venal, fashion-and-celebrity obsessed, self-centered and self-doubting -- through the life of one of its greatest heroes and most tragic victims. Brummell personified London's West End, where a new style of masculinity and modern men's fashion were first defined.Brummell was the leading Casanova and elusive bachelor of his time, appealing to both men and women of his society. The man Lord Byron once claimed was more important thanNapoleon, Brummell was the ultimate cosmopolitan man. "Toyboy" to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and leader of playboys including the eventual king of England, Brummell inspired Pushkin to write "Eugene Onegin," and Byron to write "Don Juan," and he influenced others from Oscar Wilde to Coco Chanel.Through love letters, historical records, and poems, Kelly reveals the man inside the suit, unlocking the scandalous behavior of London's high society while illuminating Brummell's enigmatic life in the colorful, tumultuous West End. A rare rendering of an era filled with excess, scandal, promiscuity, opulence, and luxury, "Beau Brummell" is the first comprehensive view of an elegant and ultimately tragic figure whose influence continues to this day.

When Dashing Met Danger


Shana Galen - 2005
    Shana Galen is sure to dazzle readers with her undeniable talent and unique brand of wit and charm. This is an author to watch!Alex Scarston, Earl of Selbourne. Rake. Spy. With his efforts for England in the war against the French suspended, family obligations compel him to investigate the disappearance of Viscount Brigham's son. When the viscount's daughter becomes involved as well, Alex finds himself entangled in a venture that risks both heart and soul.It's not that Lucia Dashing, youngest daughter of Lord Brigham, wants Alex to go away. She just wishes he wasn't always so close—perhaps a few rooms, or streets, or continents between them would bank the heat of her attraction. But when her brother disappears, she's no choice but to engage the earl in a battle risking her brother, her country, and her love.

The Abducted Bride


Dorothy Mack - 2005
    The next thing Amy knows, she's at his estate after a drugged sleep--and is falling for the enigmatic stranger. Original.

Ellanor's Exchange


Linda Hayner - 2005
    When Ellanor Fitzhugh and her mentor, Lady Wilthrop, set out for London to accomplish Ellanor's debut into society, it would seem the young woman has the world at her command. But as the two join the music and gaiety of English court life, a dark shadow creeps across their plans. Ellanor becomes a pawn in a game of political intrigue. Never could she have foreseen her role in a dangerous coup nor how difficult it would become to determine who is friend and who is foe in this novel for teens.

Indiscretion


Jude Morgan - 2005
    So when Captain Fortune, a well-meaning but profligate ex-soldier in Regency England, tells his daughter Caroline that they are ruined, she automatically starts seeking employment as a governess. Her father, however, has far grander designs for Miss Fortune.…Caro is to become the companion of Mrs. Catling, the rich, fierce widow of her father's old colonel. As Mrs. Catling amuses herself by tormenting her relatives and servants, Caro resolves to make the best of the situation, and soon her beauty and intelligence attract the attentions of male admirers. Surrounded by people with an alarming readiness to reveal each other's confidences, Caroline is exasperated to find herself implicated in their indiscretions. But will Miss Fortune be able to avoid losing her reputation without losing her head? And will she find at least one good man amongst the genteel set who will take her side, and, indeed, her fancy?

Waltz With A Rogue


Mona K. Gedney - 2005
    Original.

The Regency Lords & Ladies Collection: A Scandalous Lady / The Gentleman's Demand


Francesca Shaw - 2005
    But Lysette, in actual fact, was the highly respectable society lady Miss Camilla Knight, and she would be ruined if anyone discovered her scandalous secret! Courting the beautiful Camilla by day and trying to win his reckless wager by night, when would the earl realize that Camilla and Lysette were one and the same woman?The Gentleman's Demand by Meg AlexanderIf Sophie Firle consented to Nicholas Hatton's outrageous request she would put her life -- and her son's -- in mortal danger. But could she refuse the opportunity to help trap the smugglers who had murdered her husband?Finding herself penniless, and faced with the reality of running a struggling inn, Sophie had no option but to agree to Nicholas's proposal. But the plan also meant that Nicholas would have to be a guest at the inn -- and pose as her admirer! And he proved to be remarkably convincing...

Talavera: Wellington's First Victory in Spain


Andrew W. Field - 2005
    In a bloody contest, the British and Spanish under Wellesley and Cuesta won a tactical victory over the French forces of Victor and Joseph Bonaparte. This graphic analysis reconstructs the action and questions assumptions about the event that have grown up.

Mr. Harding Proposes


Catherine Dove - 2005
    For Georgiana and Cecilia Rowland and their friends, finding and securing the right husband is further complicated by misunderstandings, prejudices, rebellion against social restrictions, uncooperative suitors...and sometimes their own wayward hearts.Eligible bachelor Mr. Richard Harding has his heart set on marrying his lifelong friend and neighbor, Miss Georgiana Rowland. However, the two have been good friends for so long that, when he finally screws up his courage and proposes to her, Georgie thinks he's merely teasing!Georgiana has good reason to be so distracted. Her younger sister is about to be launched into society and most of the work and worry falls on Georgie. Also, despite her mother's furious command, she's befriended the scandalous Lady Shipton, which brings both blessing and chaos to the Rowland family and to their kind uncle, Sir Henry. Worse for Mr. Harding, Lady Shipton's charming stepson takes a strong liking to the beguiling Georgie.Mr. Harding keeps proposing, again and again, while still trying to support Georgie in her trials. Is it possible for such a good friendship to turn into love?