Book picks similar to
My Cherished Enemy by Samantha James


historical-romance
medieval
historical
romance

Lord of Danger


Anne Stuart - 1997
    Until she is taken from the cloister and brought to a place filled with secrets. Here she is to meet her future husband, a man some call a monster. His name is Simon of Navarre, a powerful and mysterious lord practiced in the black arts. This sensual stranger both terrifies her and fascinates her...and sets her heart burning with an unfamiliar fire.Jaded by war, no longer able to believe in human goodness, Simon has turned toward the realm of darkness. But the master magician finds himself bewitched by the innocent Alys, who fears his very touch could damn her forever. Yet even as Simon begins to work his seductive magic, Alys senses the wounded soul beneath the cooly elegant facade. Now, as the two become pawns in Richard's treacherous scheme to become England's king, only one power can save them: the unstoppable force of love.

The Highlander's Bride


Michele Sinclair - 2007
    But the reality of women who desired him only for his title and lands made him swear off marriage forever. That is until he first set eyes on the Englishwoman his men found hiding in the forest. Beneath the dirt and grime it was clear Laurel Cordell was beautiful. But would she prove to be yet another beguiling seductress or had Conor finally found the one woman who could lay claim to his heart? DRAWN BY DESIRE Laurel trusted that the Scottish chieftain would keep her safe from the cruel laird from whom she had escaped. Looking deep into Conor's silver eyes she saw not only his calculating warrior ways but his quick arousal to passion. But before they can explore the growing desire between them, their newfound love is threatened by secrets from her past. . .

Claiming the Courtesan


Anna Campbell - 2007
    Men fight duels to spend an hour in her company. And only he comes close to taming her. Flying in the face of society, he decides to make her his bride; then, she vanishes, seemingly into thin air.Dire circumstances have forced Verity Ashton to barter her innocence and change her name for the sake of her family. But Kylemore destroys her plans for a respectable life when he discovers her safe haven. He kidnaps her, sweeping her away to his hunting lodge in Scotland, where he vows to bend her to his will.There he seduces her anew. Verity spends night after night with him in his bed ... and though she still dreams of escape and independence, she knows she can never flee the unexpected, unwelcome love for the proud, powerful lover who claims her both body and soul.

The Border Lord


Sophia James - 2008
    Yet, despite everything, he found there was something about her that was ... brave. All his life he had been surrounded by betrayal, and this woman, who believed there was still goodness in him, was special indeed.Grace knew that the safety of her home depended on her betrothal --- signed, sealed and delivered! Lachlan's strength and unexpected care of her were dangerously appealing. She could fall for this man with secrets in his eyes ...

The Vow


Juliana Garnett - 1998
    For what foolish Saxon lord had any hope of triumphing against an army of seasoned Norman knights?But the great warrior was in for a shock...surprised first by the ferocious battle the wily old lord waged--and then by what he discovers when he meets his adversary face-to-face: no crusty, aging nobleman this, but an exquisite princess with a face as fragile as a flower--and a will as steely as the sword she wields.Suddenly Luc finds he's waging a dangerous new war...aimed at the defenses of a fierce Saxon beauty who threatens to conquer his warrior's heart.

The Deed


Lynsay Sands - 1997
    Along with her ample dowry, Emma finds herself promised to Amaury de Aneford, a landless knight whose able sword has preserved the King's crown-and whose rugged good looks make her heart skip a beat. But on the wedding day, as a rival knight gallops toward the bridal chamber, Amaury will find that making love to his naive new bride will take consummate skill. For in the conjugal bed, Emma is astonished to learn there is more to a wedding night than just a sound sleep-and more to true love than she's ever imagined.

Lemonade


Nina Pennacchi - 2011
    But when she stands up to the boorishness of dashing Christopher Davenport at a summertime ball, Anna unwittingly attracts his wrath—and becomes entangled in his malicious scheming.After a lifetime of harboring shame and resentment, Christopher, a ruthless con artist, wants revenge, and unfortunately for Anna, he’s decided that she will be the perfect pawn in his terrible plot. With a fierceness of spirit uncommon in well-bred young ladies in the nineteenth century, Anna will have to use her intelligence and courage to protect her loved ones. But can she also save herself?

Bride of the Lion


Elizabeth Stuart - 1995
    But nothing could defend her from the brooding magnificence of the invader who quickened her wild Welsh blood and stole her tender soul.Robert de LangleyFaull of arrogance and outlaw vigor, the fabled Lion of Normandy would hold his old enemy's daughter hostage for his plundered lands - until he decreed that he must keep them both.Tossed between vengeance and lingering desire, war made them enemies, and passion possessed them.

Lord of My Heart


Jo Beverley - 1992
    A shocking twist of fate impels the convent-bred beauty into the arms of the most dangerous of the three—a magnificent, exciting stranger Madeleine desires…but also fears.Torn between familial loyalties and devotion to his king, handsome Aimery de Gaillard prowls the forest as the Golden Hart, devoted to helping the common English folk. But the beautiful young heiress he is honor bound to marry suspects his secret, threatening his cause and his life. Yet his noble heart, hardened by mistrust, aches with passion for Madeleine’s sensuous innocence—entreating the daring outlaw to surrender to the glory, the rapture…and the peril of love.

Lady at Arms


Tamara Leigh - 1994
    When she comes face to face with the one who stole her future, she seizes the opportunity to exact revenge. Soon he is her prisoner, at her mercy. But something is different about him, something that makes her question her purpose. Is it possible a man can be so changed? More, can she right the wrong that could lay ruin to her family? SHE WAS A QUESTION NEVER BEFORE ASKED OF HIM Ranulf Wardieu does not seek a bride, nor a settling of scores when his mission for the king places him in the path of a beguiling, raven-haired maiden. But fascination turns to fury when she imprisons him. Accused of wrongdoing, the nature of which she refuses to reveal, he discovers the lady is as skilled at wielding a sword as she is at verbal sparring. When he bests her at her game and his jailer becomes his captive, he is determined to learn what wrong he has done her. However, as they engage in a battle of wits and wills and he glimpses her woman’s heart, he discovers Lizanne is a question never before asked of him—one his own jaded heart refuses to answer.

Amelia


Diana Palmer - 1993
    The dazzling colors, white heat, and rough sensuality of west Texas stir her very soul. But there’s a serpent in her paradise: King Culhane. A towering sunburned cowboy with silver eyes that miss nothing, he’s a man she’s come to despise—no matter how much she had worshiped him when she was younger.   As her father pushes her to secure a marriage proposal from King’s mild-mannered brother in order to marry into the Culhane dynasty, Amelia assumes the mask of a demure young lady, always correct and obedient. It’s a posture that King holds in contempt. Yet when she reveals the true force of her feelings, she unleashes a smoldering passion that cannot be denied. And everything—propriety, filial duty, even love—will be scorched in the wake of such all-consuming desire.

Taming the Wolf


Deborah Simmons - 1995
    A fierce knight who was determined to win their battle of wills, all the while protesting mightily that he did not believe in love.Dunstan de Burgh, Baron of Wessex, had ofttimes heard himself likened to a wolf on the prowl: fierce, brave and ever-alert to danger. How so, then, could one soft-eyed damsel escape his watchful eye time and time again? And even more dangerous, slip past his guard and find her way into his heart?

Tears of Gold


Laurie McBain - 1979
    She sought her livelihood in the theater, where, as a beautiful actress, she found vengeance in enchanting and discarding suitors, teasing them with subtle promises of ecstasy only to reject them with an air of finely tuned cruelty. It was an amusing sport...until the young Lord Julian—half mad with desire—shot himself. Then Mara, with her brother Brendan and his small son Paddy, departed for America. Brendan hoped to strike it rich in the California hills...Mara wanted only to forget young Julian's desperate act. She had no idea that Julian's uncle, Nicholas Chantale, was in pursuit. Dashing, reckless and rich, Nicholas Chantale had vowed revenge on the temptress who brought his nephew to such an extreme. Nicholas desired one thing--to win the affection of this evil beauty and then spurn her! Unsuspecting, Mara found herself in love, her long-suppressed passions awakened for the first time....by a man whose seductive allure concealed the hate in his heart!

The Warrior


Nicole Jordan - 1992
    . . .For five turbulent years Ariane has dutifully prepared herself for marriage to King Henry’s most trusted vassal, the legendary Norman knight Ranulf de Vernay. But cruel circumstance has branded Ariane’s father a traitor to the crown. And now Ranulf is returning to Claredon, not as a bridegroom . . . but as a conqueror.Survivor of a hellish youth, Ranulf knows well the treacheries of noblewomen–and mistrusts the regal, defiant beauty to whom he was once betrothed. But while he shields his wounded heart with impenetrable armor, she sears his soul with sensuous fire. Ranulf may have vowed to claim her lands and her body as his prize, but ultimately it is the mighty warrior who must surrender to Ariane’s proud, determined passion–and her remarkable healing love.

The Legend


Kathryn Le Veque - 1997
    On the Seventh Crusade, Sir Alec Summerlin makes a horrible mistake that costs him everything. Once the greatest swordsman in the realm, he lays his weapon down and refuses to ever wield a broadsword again. Surrendering his spurs, he retires to his father's castle in self-imposed exile. His father, however, has other ideas for his greatest son and betroths him to a local ale heiress. The Lady Peyton de Fluornoy is as resistant to marriage as Alec is, but she gradually begins to warm to the man who has given up on life. Alec comes to know a lady of spirit, beauty and intelligence. Before their marriage can happen, however, Alec's father is blackmailed by a neighbor who wants Peyton for his own son. Now deeply in love, Alec elopes with Peyton and an entirely new world of danger and passion opens up for them both. As the conflict with the neighbor heats up, deep and horrific secrets are revealed, and Peyton ends up in grave danger. Alec must recant his vow and draw his sword again to save the woman that he loves as The Legend is once again reborn.