Book picks similar to
The Defiant Governess by Andrea Pickens


historical-romance
romance
historical
regency

The Rancher Takes A Bride


Sylvia McDaniel - 2000
    This cunning widow is determined to find wives for her brood of handsome sons.Rose Severin speaks to the dead or at least she pretends to until she can earn enough money to make her way to New York and become a famous actress like her mother. Travis Burnett is resolved to rid the frontier town of imposters like Rose. But Eugenia thinks the fiery Rose is just the woman for her obstinate son. She schemes to keep Rose at the family ranch where Travis soon realizes that the supposed spiritualist is more than just a pretty swindler.

Across a Moonlit Sea


Marsha Canham - 1996
    Rescuing a man whose ship had been floundering at sea, Isabeau Spense takes aboard ruthless privateer Simon Dante, who promptly seizes command of Beau's ship and sets out to win the lovely maiden's heart and mind.

Once Upon A Duke


Eva Devon - 2014
    She's got an annuity of a hundred thousand a year, her lecherous-heart breaking husband has had the good graces to pop off, and best of all, she has her freedom-- Something she has every intention of reveling in to the fullest. And who better to revel with than Ryder Blake, the infamous Duke of Darkwell? A Duke's Desire: Ryder Blake, Duke of Darkwell, known as the Duke of Debauchery, is certain he will never love again. His heart lies buried with his wife and he has vowed to never give more than his body to a woman. But when Kathryn shows up on his doorstep, quite literally, demanding he show her the ways of London, he finds that his heart longs to love once again.

Nearly a Lady


Alissa Johnson - 2011
    So when he promises young Winnefred Blythe the money that his stepmother had cheated her out of over the years, he expects to be greeted as a hero. But the situation is much more complicated than Gideon had expected-and the task of taming the untrusting Winnefred much more alluring.

Something About Her


Jeannie Ruesch - 2009
    The first involves a woman (don't they always), and the second...well, it also involves a woman and a large sum of stolen money. To clear his family name, Michael must track down his charlatan cousin... the same cousin believed to be dead. She is the one woman he knows he can't have. Blythe Willoughby Ashton has been married for a year, but hasn't been a wife for even a day. When she learns of her husband's death, she just wants to be left alone. Then her husband's cousin shows up uninvited on her doorstep, looking more handsome than any man should.  Falling in love is the last thing she should do, especially when it becomes obvious that the secrets he's keeping could threaten not only her happiness, but her life.

Hint of Desire


Lavinia Kent - 2012
    . .Arthur Alexander DeWolf, the eighth Duke of Westlake, lacks for nothing in life . . . except a woman who will stir his blood for longer than one night. Until fate steps in on his morning ride and he stumbles across Lily St. Aubin, Countess of Worthington.A Desperate Young Woman . . .It is on the worst day of her life that Lily meets the imperious duke. Helpless and unable to resist, she has no choice but to trust that this dangerously handsome man will protect her and newborn son. But, as trust begins to grow between them, danger lurks ever closer . . . danger that could destroy Lily. And their newfound love.

Only For You


E.L. Todd - 2013
    Penelope was the love of his life, the woman of his dreams. Scarlet knew how far her best friend was going to fall and she had to catch him. Scarlet became Sean’s rock and helped him through a very painful breakup, but her own hidden desires bubbled to the surface in the process. When they finally gave in and slept together, she thought it was the start of their new relationship. Unfortunately, Sean didn’t feel the same.Humiliated and heartbroken, Scarlet moved across the country and found what she least expected. She rekindled her damaged relationship with her brother, who she hadn’t spoken to in a year, and her brother’s best friend was attractive and interesting. Their relationship was natural and unforced, and she was immediately drawn to him. Would she be able to get over Sean, forget about him, by sleeping with Cortland, or would that just be another repeated mistake?THIS IS NOT A CLIFFHANGER*Recommended for mature audiences 17+ due to strong language and sexual content.*

Never Too Late


Amara Royce - 2013
    . ."Honoria Duchamp is well aware that men often consider widows easy prey for the role of mistress. What else could explain the attentions of handsome Lord Devin, and his visits to her bookshop? The much younger Viscount has even shown interest in the printing press with which she creates pamphlets on London's basest injustices. Yet his chief interest appears to be in her. . .Coerced to investigate Nora's controversial pamphlets, Devin expected to find a bookish matron. Instead, he is taken with Nora's womanly beauty, sharp intellect, and quick wit. Soon, what begins as an unwelcome task becomes a pleasure, and Devin's job becomes more dangerous-for them both. For Nora has no idea of the vicious element she's crossed. Now Devin will risk his reputation to protect her-and much more to win her love. . .

The Kiss of a Viscount


Linda Rae Sande - 2013
    or is it?Having just inherited his uncle’s viscountcy, George Bennett-Jones is informed by his mistress that he must find a bride, preferably the daughter of an aristocrat. Through a series of lessons, she instructs George on the finer points of meeting and courting a woman of the ton–and she has one in mind for him.It’s love at first sight when George spies Lady Elizabeth Carlington dancing with the Earl of Trenton. But the auburn-haired beauty is quite sure the earl will offer for her hand, and she has every intention of accepting–even if his kiss has her feeling as if she were being kissed by her best friend’s dog!When Elizabeth mentions the unfortunate kiss during the ball’s supper, George implies there is an art to kissing, innocently offering to replace her poor first impression with a proper kiss. Intrigued, and unaware that George is a viscount and a secret patron of her charity, Elizabeth accepts his offer at the next ball. George is more than happy to accommodate her. His kiss has the daughter of a marquess so stunned, so amazed and so aroused, she requests that he demonstrate the pleasures that can be had in a marriage bed. Knowing he has only one night to court the woman who has captured his heart, George sets out to prove himself while promising he will leave her virtue intact.Will the evening of pleasure he has planned for Elizabeth convince her to accept his hand in marriage? Or simply leave her with a vivid memory of what she will be missing should she accept the earl’s marriage proposal? The lessons of a mistress prove invaluable in "The Kiss of a Viscount".

Along Came a Duke


Elizabeth Boyle - 2012
    That is, until she is left a vast fortune payable only upon her marriage to the very respectable Mr. Barkworth—a match that offers little chance of discovering exactly what her aunt means by "untoward attentions."But the same can't be said when the Duke of Preston happens along Tabitha's path. He spies a rebellious streak in her that matches his own and he makes it his mission to save her from such a passionless match, interfering in her life at every turn. All too soon, Preston—whose very name spells ruin—has Tabitha caught between the good fortune that guarantees her security, and his kiss, which promises an entirely different kind of happily-ever-after.

Seducing Charlotte


Diana Quincy - 2013
    He’s an industrialist who thinks nothing of replacing workers with machines, depriving them of an honest living. Camryn is everything a social reformer like Charlotte detests. Besides, her loyalty belongs to another man.Worlds Collide...Yet, as a violent machine-breakers rebellion rages across England, an undeniable attraction flares between the passionate adversaries. Camryn vows to destroy the rebel movement, unaware that the spinster who has captured his heart, harbors a secret - a shocking connection to one of its leaders that could shatter them both.

A Lady of Esteem


Kristi Ann Hunter - 2015
    Quite by happenstance, she's introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed marquis of Raeburn. They welcome her into their world, but just as she's beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect she may have caught Anthony's eye, she's blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors. Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who've become like family and the man who's shared his faith and captured her heart?A Lady of Esteem is an e-only novella that gives an exciting introduction to Kristi Ann Hunter's new Regency romance series about the aristocratic Hawthorne family! Includes an extended excerpt of Kristi's debut full-length novel, A Noble Masquerade.

Gather the Stars


Kimberly Cates - 1996
    Kidnapped in the midst of a British officer's ball, Rachel is carried to the Glen Lyon's lair. Determined to defy the Scottish rebel, Rachel is unprepared for what happens when the Glen Lyon is unmasked. Gavin Carstares, Earl of Glenlyon is a strong, but haunted man instead of the villain she believed him to be, he's the hero she's always dreamed of. His mission-- to save the women and children of Scotland from the slaughter waged by Rachel's own fiancé. Gavin never imagined he would lose his heart to the general's daughter, then have to return her to the man he hates most in the world. As the heather hills caught fire with their passion, they forge a love worth defying a king's army.

Gentlemen Prefer Spinsters


Samantha Holt - 2018
    When one of her good friends loses her heart to an utter rogue and is ruined forever, she’s determined that the life of a spinster is for her. Thankfully, she’s not alone. Her three dearest friends have had their share of heartbreak and resolve to join her. No matter what the demanding mamas and papas of the world say, they will not give up their spinsterhood.Particularly not to the handsome Lord Harcourt Easton, the Earl of Langley. Merry has always liked Harcourt—after all he is her brother’s best friend—but she cannot fathom his sudden interest in her. After all, he was well known to be quite the rogue at times and she’s hardly the sort to attract the attention of a rake. But Harcourt has loved Merry for some time now. And he’s determined to make her see that. If only he could get past this stubborn determination that she should never marry and convince her he’s the man for her.The death of her father and some strange incidents that put Merry in danger might not be ideal circumstances to woo a woman, but Harcourt is willing to make the best of a dire situation—especially while Merry needs a shoulder to cry on. Harcourt could well be the most amazing man she knows, and Merry cannot help but be grateful for his support, but she cannot very well turn her back on the Spinsters Club so soon…can she?

Dark Desires


Eve Silver - 2005
    Damien Cole. Ignoring the whispered warnings and rumours that he's a man to fear, she takes her position at his eerie estate, where she quickly discovers that nothing is at it seems, least of all her handsome and brooding employer. As Darcie struggles with her fierce attraction to Damien, she must also deal with the blood, the disappearances ... and the murders.With her options dwindling and time running out, Darcie must rely on her instincts as she confronts the man she falling in love with. Is he an innocent and misunderstood man ... or a remorseless killer who prowls the East End streets?Note: All books in the Dark Gothic series can be read as stand-alone novels.