The only one thing he doesn't have? Charm.As the second son, Alexander Gordon was never supposed to inherit the earldom. But then again, his elder brother wasn't supposed to die in a tragic hunting accident, either. Alex's gruff manners and quiet nature are far better suited to his solitary life as as a scholar, but Alex is honor-bound to do right by the title and by his family. Which means...he must find a wife. More importantly, he must learn how to woo a wife. Luckily for Alex, his great aunt has brought her companion along to celebrate Christmastide. The lovely Miss Lovelace might be plagued by scandal and notoriety, thanks to her family's downfall, but she knows more than anyone about the art of charm and flirtation. His new instructor makes the ideal practice partner for conversation, and dancing, and...kissing? But no, that was a mistake. He has a duty to his family to uphold, and as delectable as his new teacher might be, she's not a proper choice to be his wife. When it comes to love versus duty, it would be wicked to choose with his heart...wouldn't it?

    Aaron Thompson...

    She oohed and aahed over gowns from Courtauld’s, never wore black unless in mourning, always minded her social graces, and never,  ever  indulged her inner bluestocking. Now her world has come crashing down like a thousands shards of glass. Her father is a dastard, her mother blames her for taking his side. (Rightly so, considering what Lexie has learned.) She’s home alone for the holidays, all alone, no siblings, no friends, and not a shred of pride remaining. But that’s all well and good, so far as Alexandra is concerned, because everything she thought she knew was wrong. Her best friend, Claire Wentworth had it right all along, and the Universe had seen fit to reward Claire with, of all things, a crown (quite literally). However, while Lexie once aspired to the same, she has changed. When she’s unexpectedly invited to celebrate one last holiday with her best friend, she can’t accept quickly enough… only how did one comport oneself after everything that was said and done?Benjamin W. Wentworth III, the seventh Earl of Highbury, has been through his own travails. He nearly drove his family to ruin, and now, after spending weeks in debtor’s prison because of Alexandra's father, and coming shockingly close to losing his life and endangering his sweet sister, he realizes that all that glitters is simply not gold. The last thing he desires is to saddle himself with a woman like Alexandra Huntington, with whom he once shared a passion for the Season. Now, he’d rather choke himself with a silk cravat than endure an instant with someone so vain, so self-indulgent, so giddy and witless. He only wishes his sister would leave off with the holiday matchmaking—must’t she realize how much he has changed?  When Lexie arrives to celebrate one final Christmas before his sister leaves for Meridian, it is all he can do to avoid the empty-headed chit. Unfortunately, his sister and her friends have festooned the entire house with mistletoe, and to make matters worse, Lexie is proving to be someone else entirely, and he’s about to remember the art of kissing beneath the mistletoe.

    His destination gets delayed when he finds an abandoned donkey, and his efforts to save the animal bring him into contact with a lovely widow and a menagerie of both animals and children who need his help with their Christmas pageant.Widowed Lady Elizabeth Newton enjoys her life and her home in the country. She cares for three children from her late husband’s mistress, as well as helpless animals of every description that would, otherwise, have no home. Life changes when the handsome Lord Bergen brings an abandoned, cross-eyed donkey, believed cursed, to her doorstep.Against all odds, sparks fly between Bergen and the widow. But can a romance survive the danger that follows the donkey?

    Thank you!The day Andrew Whitton, Earl of Hardwick chooses his fortune over the woman he loves, Drew discovers that money makes for a cold bed partner. Now, no matter how far he runs, the memory of his betrayal haunts him, and there’s not enough liquor to dull the past or diminish his disgust. * Charlotte Milne trusted in happily ever after until her knight turned out to be wearing rusty armor. Drew, the scoundrel, seduced her, though she very much enjoyed the seduction by the man she’s loved since childhood. Left scandalously ruined, Char flees her home intent upon forgetting Drew and proving her worth. * Separated by disloyalty and pain, each struggle to bury the memories of the other until a mandatory summons from the Duke of Danby sets them on a path of collision to Danby Castle. With the tides of irrevocable change rising, Drew must find a way to show Char that even the most selfish of rakes can be redeemed by love before the woman of his heart becomes the wife of another.Show more Show less

    Between caring for her elderly father and managing a household barely out of mourning, she has no time for the softer things in life.Liam Barrett, the Earl of Tarrick, is certain he will not accept Marcus Fairfax's invitation to spend Christmas at the Fairfax family's estate - and the man's tales of a family ghost have nothing to do with his decision.Of all the blessings of the season, sometimes the most unexpected is love...Heat level: SWEETOriginally published in the anthology Christmas Ghosts, A Countess for Christmas is a Regency-set short story of 13,000 words (approximately 50 pages).

    A Spindle Cove NovellaViolet Winterbottom is a quiet girl. She speaks six languages, but seldom raises her voice. She endured bitter heartbreak in perfect silence. The gentlemen aren't beating down her door. Until the night of the Spindle Cove Christmas ball, when a mysterious stranger crashes into the ballroom and collapses at Violet's feet. His coarse attire and near-criminal good looks would put any sensible young lady on her guard. He's wet, chilled, bleeding, and speaking in an unfamiliar tongue. Only Violet understands him. And she knows he's not what he seems. She has one night to draw forth the secrets of this dangerously handsome rogue. Is he a smuggler? A fugitive? An enemy spy? She needs answers by sunrise, but her captive would rather seduce than confess. To learn his secrets, Violet must reveal hers—and open herself to adventure, passion, and the unthinkable... Love. Warning: The heroine packs a pistol, the hero curses in multiple languages, and together they steam up a cold winter’s night.

    By day, he practices law at the Four Courts and gives reading lessons to the local children. By night he’s the man in the mask, prowling the streets of The Liberties defending the people—his people—from those who would prey upon them. But when his estranged wife appears on his doorstep with a summons from Sir Arthur Wellesley, both of Michael’s worlds are turned upside down. What will happen to The Liberties if he obeys Sir Arthur’s command to meet in Cork? Can he even trust the woman who married then left him five years ago?As a spy for Sir Arthur Wellesley, Joanna Pearson Devlin has executed this same mission flawlessly many times before: locate the subject, transport him safely, and present him to her employer. When Sir Arthur sends her out one more time to bring in her estranged husband, Joanna knows this mission will be anything except flawless. But Napoleon’s agents are everywhere, and Michael is an important part of the team Sir Arthur is assembling to stop them. For the sake of her country, Joanna heads to Dublin even as her discomfort grows. Will she be able to put aside her uncertainties and convince her husband to join the fight? Can they learn to work together again if he agrees?

    But it is nothing to the upheaval caused by Lara Le Brecque, his best friend's sister, when she climbs over his townhouse wall shortly before Christmas and attempts to sneak into his London home. Lara ought to be on the marriage mart, enjoying her London season and the holiday festivities, but when she confides the Le Brecque family problems to him, he knows he must do all he can to help...even if it means marrying Lara. Lara Le Brecque is facing another difficult Christmas with her family in disgrace and under threat of losing all their holdings. Lara has no one else to turn to but Marcus Brayden, who has just returned home from the Napoleonic War and been awarded the Scottish earldom of Kinross for his heroism in battle. With her father under house arrest and suspected of treason, and her brother condemned as a pirate and a murderer, she must expose the villain behind this plot to destroy her family and needs Marcus to help her bring this culprit to justice. Marcus has told her to hide in his rooms at the Wicked Earls' Club if ever she is in danger, but as she finds herself falling in love with Marcus, she realizes the greatest danger of all is to her heart.

    Three members of London's Bibliomania Club have promised a beloved professor they'll find the manuscripts before the professor retires. They are determined to vindicate his faith in the Duke's existence while rescuing a great literary work from obscurity. The problem? The book must be found in ten days. Matters of the heart intrude as each book hunter realizes that locating an ancient manuscript might just lead to happiness ever after.

    After witnessing the love of his parents devolve into pain and anger, Anthony Basingstoke has vowed never to be swept away by passion, even if he finds himself taken by this wallflower in a way he’s never been before. Only a Christmas miracle will make true love a gift that will last forever.“Up on the Rooftops” by Elizabeth EssexMischievous widow Caledonia Bowmont longs for London’s Christmas cheer, but a string of jewel thefts has brought the festive season to a standstill—and Society accuses the Scottish Wraith, Tobias McTavish. Toby is determined to clear his name and reclaim the life he’s built, so with Cally’s help, he heads up on the rooftops to trap the thief. Will they stop the high-carat crime, or find the hidden gem of lasting love instead?“The Very Debonair Lady Claire” by Heather SnowWhen Claire Barton’s twin is murdered, she takes his place in the War Department to flush out his killer. Her ruse works perfectly—until the man who once broke her heart becomes her new spymaster. The worst mistake of Andrew Sedgewick’s life was walking away from Claire that Christmas six years ago. Now that he’s found her again, he doesn’t intend to let her go—if they both survive this holiday season.“A Liar Under the Mistletoe” by Celeste BradleyFearless Amie Jackham doesn't attend balls to dance, she's there for the thrill of robbing the lockboxes of the unscrupulous. With the notorious Vixen still at large, Liar's Club spy Lord Elliot Hughes is taking the opportunity to clean out a few lockboxes for the good of Crown and Country—and leaving the Vixen's trademark lacy handkerchief behind. Thief and spy can’t resist each other in this sexy, catch-me-if-you-can Liar’s Club holiday novella.

    In her dazzling first Season, Lady Meredith Hargreaves gave her heart to Alistair Wakefield, the Marquess of Chetwyn, only to have it shattered when he proposed to another. And now that he's free to pursue her? It matters little, because she's on her way to the altar, heartbreak be damned.Chetwyn once set aside his dreams in favor of duty and honor. But as Christmas approaches, he is determined to put his own desires first and lure Lady Meredith back into his arms, where she's always belonged.First he steals a dance; then he steals a kiss. But when they find themselves alone in an abandoned castle during a snowstorm, reignited passion consumes them both. And Chetwyn will have one last chance to steal back Meredith's heart, once and for all.

    When he gets into a tussle with her—and she can hold her own—Crispin knows he has finally met his match.Miss Gwen Prim is mortified that she attacked a duke, but even more concerning is the way her resolve melts when she's near him. She's never felt this way about a London gentleman in her life. And with the magic of Christmas in the air, she may end up with a proposal she didn't expect...in this delightful Regency gem, The Duke and Miss Christmas by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.

    Martin Phippen, a highly successful London builder, is forced by a business partner’s foolish decision, to take on a project in the wretchedly scenic wilds of Yorkshire. Three little scamps have made his work site their private playground, and Martin is determined that their mischief be curtailed before somebody gets badly hurt. Widowhood means Mrs. Christina Thacker has her hands full with her children, while her exchequer is distressingly empty. To remedy her lack of funds, she focuses on making a match at her sister’s upcoming house party. When Christina's energies should be fixed on finding security for her family, she is, instead, powerfully drawn to the blunt, irascible Londoner with callused hands, sharp wit... and also, an intrinsic honor. As passions flare between Christina and Martin, she must choose between a future defined by predictable security, or one built—with Martin—on a foundation of love.

    Familiar tropes fill the pages of these historical page-turners, including second chances, friends to lovers, tortured military heroes, ugly ducklings, and unrequited love. Misunderstandings, self-doubts, secrets, shadowed pasts, and antagonists you'll long to clobber, have the flawed, but charming characters, trotting headlong into romantic mayhem. Will the heroes' and heroines' fledgling love survive the tumult? Oh, such chaos and conflict reign for these lords and ladies, which means scrumptious, satisfying historical romance stories you must read in one sitting! Caution: This five-book set contains unconventional, frequently head-strong Regency misses, lords you'll want to hug and smack upside their handsome heads, a cast of secondary characters from utterly charming to dastardly, and more than one spoiled feline with superior airs. Buy this charming Regency Romances collection of heartwarming happily ever afters for delightful, romantic escapes into Regency England's historical past. A Kiss for a Rogue: Can a beautiful spinster trust love again? Especially if the same man asks? A sweet story of love relinquished and redeemed as once betrothed Allen Wimpleton and Olivia Kingsley meet again after a three year separation only to discover their love is stronger than ever. A Bride for a Rogue: When is love not enough? A clumsy noblewoman resigned to spinsterhood determines to win the heart of the man she's loved since girlhood-a penniless soldier who returns from India, a disfigured and disillusioned. A Rogue's Scandalous Wish: A marriage offer obligated by duty; an acceptance compelled by desperation. A stolen moonlight kiss, the threat of a duel, and the subsequent scandal result in a compulsory marriage offer and an equally unenthusiastic acceptance. To Capture a Rogue's Heart: Could you give up what you're most passionate about forever? When a privateer-turned-duke enlists help finding a bride from a woman intended for another, neither is prepared for the resulting havoc. The Rogue and the Wallflower: He loved her beyond anything and everything-precisely why he couldn't ever marry her. Since an explosion ravaged Captain Morgan Le Draco's face, he's fortified himself behind an impenetrable rampart of cynicism and distrust. Scorned and ridiculed most of her adult life, Shona, Lady Atterberry is reconciled to spinsterhood, until Morgan saves her life, and neither can deny the immediate, powerful, and sensual attraction that sparks between them.