Young, widowed Clare Byrne, is escaping the famine in Ireland. On the coffin ship from Dublin, in the final hours of the journey to England, Clare goes into labour. Weakened and alone, the young, beleaguered mother gives birth near the quayside. Unable to look after the newborn, the child is bought for a single shilling by a curious gentleman, the industrialist Samuel Hudson. What will happen to the young girl? What plans does Mr Hudson have for her? Will the child thrive, or merely survive? Also by Emma Hardwick ----------------------------------- The Urchin of Walton Hall

    While working at the house of Norman Pembroke, the Duke of Bancroft, she has always dreamt of advancing her life from a humble maid to that of a governess. Despite knowing that this opportunity may never appear, her love for reading is enough to keep the dream alive. But little did she know that fate would bring an unforeseen twist that would make this dream a tangible reality... When Edward, the endearingly attractive brother of the Duke, comes to visit, the last thing she expected was to end up under his roof and away from the only place she's ever known. Laura will inevitably find herself seduced by his ravishing beauty, but will she allow herself to finally surrender to her burning desire for him?Edward Pembroke has always been the opposite of his brother. Being warm and dutiful himself, he was against his brother's love for gambling that was dwindling the Pembroke fortune every day. When he finally decides to confront him about his wayward habit, they both end up engaging in a fateful night of gambling, and Edward wins the prize of taking anything he wants with him. Without a second thought, he chooses Laura, as her fiery nature lightens a spark inside him. Once they move to his house, he can't help but be mesmerised by her every move, willing to do whatever it takes to possess her. Will he manage to turn this promising desire into an everlasting love?Laura and Edward's attraction is impossible to deny, but their evident class differences are threatening their undeniable lust. The more time they spend together, the more they lose their hearts and bodies to one another. Will their passionate connection prove strong enough to shatter the insurmountable obstacles? Or will their heated affair go down in flames before it even sets them on fire?"A Lord's Bet of Desire" is a historical romance novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

    Since then, guilt and regret have made him impervious to love. But when he rescues a family of would-be homesteaders attacked by the notorious Deckom gang, one of the sisters shines a light on his cold, locked-down heart.The last thing Brady deserves is happiness, and he fights his unwelcome feelings for Belle. Which is fine with her, since she'll never let herself care for another lawman—even one as wonderful as Brady.Heat level 3/5: contains some violence, minor cursing, and not-so-minor kissing.

    She longed to be free. Pressured by forces beyond their control, will they give in to forbidden desire?England, 1823. After establishing a successful practice in America, Dr. Harry Radcliffe swore he wouldn’t set foot on British soil again. But when he’s named the Duke of Ashton after his callous brother’s sudden death, he begrudgingly returns to the pretentious world he detests. And his pledge to his dying mother to find a wife is thrown into chaos when he meets his stunning sister-in-law.Margaret Radcliffe finally escaped her abusive marriage. Yet her late husband’s final cruel act left her penniless, with her only option to remarry... the one thing she vowed she’d never do again. But the new duke’s startlingly familiar features awaken yearnings she thought long-forgotten, dangling the heartbreaking whisper of a passion impossible to fulfill.Although convinced the accusations that she murdered her husband are only salacious gossip, Harry's real torment comes when he wishes for a union that would make them outcasts. But even when they finally submit to their simmering attraction, Margaret’s dream of happily-ever-after may be derailed by society’s schemes.Can a scandalous affair turn into a lifetime of love?The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma is the suspenseful first book in The Hope Clinic Regency romance series. If you like swoon-worthy heroes, uplifting humor, and heroines beating the odds, then you’ll adore Trisha Messmer’s tale of tortured hearts.

     When a stranger crashes into her life and lifts the concealment that has marred her face since childhood, Rosie Avalon leaves everything she knows behind. Pulled into a realm teeming with magical creatures, Rosie must navigate this new, broken world while avoiding capture by the evil queen, who knows there’s more to Rosie than meets the eye. Bastien is an Untouchable, feared and shunned by all but a handful of elite warriors. His realm has been ravaged by the evil queen’s reign, but he will stop at nothing to save the land he loves, even if it means pushing Rosie past her breaking point. Thrust into a quest that threatens to destroy her, Rosie’s path is clear: she must sacrifice all she holds dear to save a world on the brink of collapse. This is books 1-3 in a 14-part fantasy romance series written by USA Today Bestselling Author Mary E. Twomey. Download now to start this heart-pounding adventure!

    She waited for his return. Can two lost souls find their way to love each other?Ivy Mallory spent the past seven years patiently waiting for Marcus Thornhill to return. He took her heart with him when he rejected her love. Over the years, Ivy played the part of the perfect lady enjoying the London seasons. However, when she overheard a treason plot threatening her brother, Ivy got herself kidnapped. When she awakened on the ship of the man who broke her heart, Marcus tempted Ivy with a passion she cannot deny. With her life in danger and the need to save her brother, Ivy must put her trust in Marcus’s hands. When Ivy fell more deeply for him, she wondered if Marcus would refuse her love. Can Ivy risk her heart to loving Marcus again?On his journey home Captain Marcus Thornhill discovered a lady floating unconscious in a lifeboat out in the middle of the open sea. Not just any lady, but the one who captured his heart. While Marcus nursed her back to health, he tried to uncover her secrets. When he unraveled the treason plot that would bring war to their beloved shores of England, Marcus cannot deny his love for Ivy. Can Marcus protect Ivy from harm and convince her of his love?Rescued By the Captain is the first book in Laura A. Barnes’s historical romantic suspense series. If you like intrigue, sensual, drama filled scenes set in Regency England then you’ll love the reuniting of Ivy and Thorn’s love in the Romancing the Spies Series.Unlock Rescued By the Captain to begin reading the historical romance series today!Romancing the Spies SeriesRescued By the Captain - Book #1Rescued By the Spy - Book #2Rescued By the Scot - Book #3Romancing the Spies Box Set contains all three books in the series

     After escaping the days of terror in France, Cherie Beaumont has spent eight years hiding in China before she arrives in England, looking for a peaceful and quiet life. She does not need a man in her life that can turn her head, as she can fight as well as any man with a rapier. But when she finds herself the house guest of the Duke of Mornington and the strong emotional attraction hard to dismiss, she does not see the danger creeping towards her. Jack Blackenhawke, the Duke of Mornington life is well structured and very organised, spending all his time in parliament believing it is his duty to help the people England obtain better lives. He does not need a wife or heir as he has seven brothers and he most certainly does not need a woman who tempts his mind to be diverted, so he cannot think straight. Especially when she holds dangerous secrets that could not only place his family in danger, but could get them all killed.

    A family curse says he will die by the time he turns thirty years old. He will not leave a young wife and a child behind like his father did to him. When childhood friend Miss Zoe Chase returns to stay with his sister and find a husband, Winn’s plans are thrown into chaos. Not only is the once gangly, awkward girl he remembers, is now everything that tempts him, the accidents that once plagued his life are happening to her. He must keep her safe, but how can he do that when ravaging her is all he can consider? Or perhaps the curse isn’t a curse after all. Will Winn die, or will he fall?

    Winter's Kiss2. Maid for Him3. Love LettersWinter's KissShe's the city girl from Boston. He's the gift shop owner from the bay. Their worlds were never meant to collide.Maid for HimHe's from one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the bay.She's a maid.It was never meant to be.Love LettersHe's a ladies man. A charmer and a flirt.The chaser, not the chased. Until the arrival of anonymous love notes upsets the status quo.All the books in this series are sweet romances with a happy-ever-after, and each book can be read as a standalone.

    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

    The fantastic notions and romantic heroes contained in those books are the only thing that distracts her from the abuse of her adopted family. But then a mysterious stranger, the Earl of Austell, finds they have a mutual malady of boredom, and he endeavors to rescue them both.THE DUKE'S DILEMMAAfter losing their parents in an accident, older sister Leslie Endale, her two younger sisters, and her brother Daryl, the nine-year-old heir to the Endale estate, run away from their wicked cousin, March Wardell, who is trying to do away with the young heir so that he may capture the earldom for himself. Leslie leads the young orphans to the ruined mansion of the Duke of Kenelm, Drogo Trevelyan, who has not entered the much-hated premises since his father died. Drogo discovers the Endale children in his home seeking refuge until they can reach their Great-aunt in London. Much to his chagrin, Drogo becomes entangled with the children's plight and more specifically with one certain Lady Leslie.THE RANDOM GENTLEMANBelinda is arranged to marry the Duke of Romsdale, but rather than acquiesce to tradition, she flees to Devon. She soon discovers that the Duke is in pursuit of her, and, disguised as a gypsy, he's endeavoring to win what he believes is his birthright: her heart.THE MARRIAGE MARTAthena always has her nose in a book, despite her grandmother's insistence she find herself a husband. Her grandmother has a plan, take her to London, transform her from an ugly duckling into a swan, and marry her off to the first bachelor too dumb to recognize her intelligence. Her plan backfires when Athena meets the Duke and a social blunder turns them into instant enemies. As her grandmother had feared, the Duke is thoroughly threatened by her Bluestocking smarts, and his campaign to slander her in polite society may mean she'll never be married.

    With a reputation that makes nice young ladies swoon, he is just not the marrying kind.A friend to the rescue...Unwitting wallflower Felicity Bunting is only trying to protect a friend when she finds herself in a compromising situation with this lusty lord.An unlikely pairing...She might not have meant to do it, but Bunty just accidentally trapped Lord Courtney into marriage.Neither of them is what the other ever expected to have, but perhaps they might be all they ever wanted. The Winter Bride Widowed farmer Ned Hardy is facing a bleak winter and a lonely Christmas alone, when a beautiful young woman turns up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, frozen and terrified. Stunned by the arrival of a fine lady who looks like a Christmas angel, all of Ned’s protective instincts flare to life.Grace Honeyfield is on the run from her abusive brother and the terrifying man he’s forcing her to marry. Escaping into the darkness on a snowy night, she stumbles onto an isolated farm, and into the arms of a handsome farmer. Although not a gentleman by birth, Grace comes to realise Ned deserves the title more than any well-bred man of her acquaintance.When Ned offers to marry Grace to keep her safe, he dares hope that the future might hold more happiness than the past. To his astonishment Grace agrees to his proposal, and Ned can’t help but wonder if all his Christmases have come at once…

    A substantial one. It’s a fair exchange. His expertise in security for their money. Socialites. Diplomats. Famous athletes. He doesn’t ask questions once the check clears. No matter how screwed up the job gets, it’s still less stressful than his days as a homicide detective in Detroit. Roark had blurred the lines between right and wrong too many times to pick up his badge again. But his past won’t stay buried for long.

Demi Kay finds herself choking on a cloud of body spray in a bar crawling with college-aged kids. It was meant as a night of celebration but turns quickly to a nightmare she can’t wait to escape. The only silver lining is the attractive bodyguard who looks equally disappointed with the establishment.

Roark and Demi find they have far more in common than their mutual distain for the party scene. When Roark realizes Demi is a victim from a case he’d consulted on a decade ago, he knows trouble is just around the corner. Mysterious threats turn to violence and Roark is the only thing standing between Demi and danger. But will he be enough?
Book 2: The Way HomeThere are things, once put in motion, that can’t be stopped. Demi has found herself on the wrong side of danger. Everything she once thought to be true is suddenly in question.Roark has never let his feelings get in the way of his job. Protecting people requires the ability to keep his distance. Those rules flew out the window the moment he met Demi.Book 3: The Way BackAlexandria runs. She hides. She evades. The last ten years of her life have been spent trying to survive. The best strategy was to travel alone. People were liabilities and never worth the trouble. When her sister tracks her down and longs for a relationship, Alexandria knows it won’t end well. Especially when danger and death lurk around every corner.Charger won’t let up. The men who shot up his car and almost killed him have to pay for what they’ve done. The more he learns the more he realizes just how despicable they are. He planned for danger. He expected gunfire. But Charger hadn’t accounted for Alexandria and the whirlwind of drama that came with her.When there is no where else to turn and no roads left to run down, Alexandria must decide if she’ll embrace the safety of those who want to protect her, or set off on her own again.

    Her brother, the Earl of Allerton, has chosen a suitable gentleman but when Georgiana meets him, she finds him rude, arrogant, and selfish.Knowing it would be unwise to cry off, Georgiana tries to build a regard for Lord Poole, only to find her heart stolen by someone entirely unsuitable - Mr. Oliver Lowell, a wealthy financier from Boston. Whilst Mr. Lowell is treated with respect by society, Georgiana knows she cannot let him steal her heart. Yet Lord Poole is even worse than she expected.Aware that Mr. Lowell will return to America after Christmas, Georgiana cannot bear the thought that she will never see him again. But if she leaves with him, then the scandal will be so great that she can never return to England! And what will her betrothed, Lord Poole, do if he discovers she intends to cry off?Will Georgiana do what is expected or follow her heart?

    But her days as an obedient daughter come to an end the moment she meets an extraordinary Duke.A business meeting takes a turn when newly appointed Duke of Westmond, Christopher Newmont, casts his eyes upon a lady’s portrait in her father’s study. The only problem? She is already betrothed to someone else.After Rowena’s father rejects Christopher’s marriage offer, they are left with only one choice: escape to Gretna Green. But when Rowena is mysteriously abducted, Christopher sees their future burn in the worst fire London has ever seen...*If you like powerful Dukes, loving Duchesses and a marvelous depiction of the majestic Regency and Victorian era, then A Forbidden Waltz with the Dashing Duke is the novel for you.A Forbidden Waltz with the Dashing Duke is a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after.