Book picks similar to
His Wicked Lady by Ruth Ann Nordin


historical-romance
historical
free
romance

The Bookseller and the Earl


Callie Hutton - 2019
    After six London Seasons as a wallflower, she convinces her parents that she should be allowed to use her dowry to buy a bookstore in Bath where she can live her life the way she wants.Lord Grayson, Earl of Berkshire, has never gotten over his deceased wife’s betrayal with his own brother. He plans to make his life all about his son, Michael, who is deaf. When Grayson’s sister-in-law serves him with court papers declaring Michael incompetent with the intention of having her own son named as Grayson’s rightful heir, he turns to Addie, a dyslexic bookstore owner, for help.Addie takes a personal interest in helping the boy. However, as time passes, Grayson and Addie’s joint venture to keep Michael from being declared incompetent leads to feelings and desires neither one of them expected.Or necessarily wanted.

Chills


Heather Boyd - 2011
    Bestselling regency romance author, Heather Boyd, brings readers a lively tale of reckless spending, fraudulent correspondence, and the humorous twists and turns of falling for the right rogue…London, 1813Jack, Marquess of Ettington, is at his wits’ end dealing with his twin sister’s distress. Under her name, he’s summoned Constance Grange, his vexing former ward, to London to act as his sister’s companion for the season. Although Pixie’s debt-ridden state comes as a complete surprise, what disturbs him more is his sister’s plan to find her a wealthy husband to pay off her overwhelming debts. And—despite his availability, wealth and title—he’s shocked to be overlooked for the position of Pixie’s husband.With a nickname like Pixie, Constance Grange should be used to disasters, but debt collectors pounding on the Marquess of Ettington’s door demanding payment is beyond mortifying. Given the precarious state of her finances and the previously unknown loss of her family estate, her choices are either incarceration in debtors’ prison or turning fortune hunter to secure a wealthy husband. Yet the man who comes to her rescue more times than she cares to think about is unavailable, betrothed, and her former guardian Jack—the cold-hearted marquess.

Stone Devil Duke


K.J. Jackson - 2014
    To protect her family, to protect herself, she is determined to find the men before they find her. The last thing she wanted was an entanglement with a duke that threatens her very survival... Hardened long ago, the last thing the Duke of Dunway wanted was an entanglement with a chit of the ton. But in the flash of a pistol, his fate is altered as he finds himself honor-bound to protect Lady Augustine from, of all things, herself.

Bargaining With a Rake


Julie Johnstone - 2012
    Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she’s desperate to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian’s scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake, Alexander Trevelle, Lord Lionhurst. He agrees to help her win the hand of his American friend, if she’ll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact may just be their hearts.

A Fearless Lady Craving Freedom


Bridget Barton - 2019
    She was raised in a wealthy Regency family, she is engaged to a man of good social standing, and her life seems to be more than settled. However, deep inside she knew that she would gladly give up the wealth and comfort of her position to live an adventure. When she discovers the news that her dearest cousin goes missing, Charlotte's only option is to take action, and set out on an expedition in order to find her. But will she dare to lay aside what society expects of her to embrace the yearning for adventure she's always harboured in her heart?Ewan Sinclair is old enough to be experienced but young enough to retain youthful vigour. Having fled his home for years now, he is tracing his own path in life, making a name for his ability to find lost people. When two desperate sisters ask for his help in order to find their missing cousin, his financial situation gives him no choice but to accept the offer. Little had he known, before asking the older sister to join him in his investigation, how his life was about to change at that moment. Will he eventually let his prejudice aside and leave a space for love in his heart?A lifetime adventure soon brings Charlotte and Ewan closer than they ever thought they would be and creates unprecedented emotions between them. But when the situation is about to get harder and harder, will they be ready to conquer their fears? Will they choose to risk everything in the name of freedom and love?

The Earl Behind the Mask


Abby Ayles - 2020
    When her beloved father announces it’s time she found a suitor, she manages to make a deal with him before meeting her intended, Daniel Eaton, the Earl of Elbrook. But there is so much about Daniel that Rose doesn’t understand… Known to the world only as ‘’the Specter’’, Daniel protects his identity behind a mask which allows him to perform in Rose’s theater every night. But as Daniel will soon find out, there are things his mask cannot protect him from, especially when Rose can see right through him so easily. As Rose and Daniel reach the point of no return, secrets and mysterious threats take the theater by storm, and Daniel’s mask will soon have to fall. Can Rose and Daniel compromise their happiness in order to solve the mystery and stop the panic from spreading and destroying everything in their lives? *If you like engaging characters, heart- wrenching twists and turns, and lots of romance, then you’ll love “The Earl Behind the Mask” ! Buy “The Earl Behind the Mask” and unlock the exciting story of Daniel and Rose today! Get This Book FREE With Kindle Unlimited!

Daughters of Sin Box Set: Her Gilded Prison, Dangerous Gentlemen, The Mysterious Governess


Beverley Oakley - 2016
     HER GILDED PRISON ~ She was determined to secure the succession, he was in it for the pleasure. Falling in love was not part of the arrangement. When dashing twenty-five-year-old Stephen Cranbourne arrives at the estate he will one day inherit, it's expected he will make a match with his beautiful second cousin, Araminta. But while proud, fiery Araminta and her shy, plain sister, Hetty, parade their very different charms before him, it's their mother, Sybil, a lonely and discarded wife, who evokes first his sympathy and then stokes his lustful fires.  As Stephen introduces Sybil to every pleasure she's been deprived of, duty turns to a deep and mutual love. But with the unexpected arrival of a contender to the estate, Sybil realises that what she's set in motion to save the family might have tragic consequences. DANGEROUS GENTLEMEN ~ Shy, plain Hetty was the wallflower beneath his notice…until a terrible mistake has one dangerous, delicious rake believing she's the "fair Cyprian" ordered for his pleasure. Shy, self-effacing Henrietta knows her place—in her dazzling older sister's shadow. She's a little brown peahen to Araminta's bird of paradise. But when Hetty mistakenly becomes embroiled in the Regency underworld, the innocent debutante finds herself shockingly compromised by the dashing, dangerous Sir Aubrey, the very gentleman her heart desires. And the man Araminta has in her cold, calculating sights.  Branded an enemy of the Crown, bitter over the loss of his wife, Sir Aubrey wants only to lose himself in the warm, willing body of the young "prostitute" Hetty. As he tutors her in the art of lovemaking, Aubrey is pleased to find Hetty not only an ardent student, but a bright, witty and charming companion.  Despite a spoiled Araminta plotting for a marriage offer and a powerful political enemy damaging his reputation, Aubrey may suffer the greatest betrayal at the hands of the little "concubine" who's managed to breach the stony exterior of his heart. THE MYSTERIOUS GOVERNESS ~  Lissa Hazlett lives life in the shadows. The beautiful, illegitimate daughter of Viscount Partington earns her living as an overworked governess while her vain and spoiled half-sister, Araminta, enjoys London's social whirl as its most feted debutante. When Lissa's rare talent as a portraitist brings her unexpectedly into the bosom of society – and into the midst of a scandal involving Araminta and suspected English traitor Lord Debenham – she finds an unlikely ally: charming and besotted Ralph Tunley, Lord Debenham's underpaid, enterprising secretary. Ralph can't afford to leave the employ of the villainous viscount much less keep a wife but he can help Lissa cleverly navigate a perilous web of lies that will ensure everyone gets what they deserve. Heat rate: medium to sizzling What readers are saying about the series: "These books are the best written time pieces I've ever read. Exquisitely written so well you'll feel transported to that era. Romance, evil dealings, scandals of all proportions, lies to name a few. These books are appropriately titled. The characters are intricately believable." “Lies, misdeeds, treachery, and romance.

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".

Amethyst


Lauren Royal - 2000
    Though custom dictates she wed her father’s apprentice, her heart rebels against the match. In mere days Amy will be condemned to a stifling, loveless marriage, and she sees no way out—until the devastating fire of 1666 sweeps through London, and tragedy lands her in the arms of a dashing nobleman who knows a diamond in the rough when he sees it…Colin Chase, the Earl of Greystone, has his future all figured out. He’s restoring his crumbling castle and estate to its former glory, and the key to its completion is his rich bride-to-be. But the Great Fire lays waste to his plans, saddling him with trouble—in the form of a lowly shopkeeper’s daughter with whom he’s most inconveniently falling in love...

Loving the Marquess


Suzanna Medeiros - 2013
    Marry the desperate Louisa Evans, saving her and her siblings from ruin, and produce an heir. But when he proposes, Nicholas doesn’t tell her the real reason they must wed so quickly.They are married when Louisa learns the Marquess doesn’t intend to father his future heir himself. Drawn to her new husband in a way she never expected, Louisa has no intention of agreeing to his scandalous proposition. Instead, she shows him that what is developing between them goes far beyond a typical marriage of convenience.Nicholas never imagined he would fall in love with Louisa. Despite the distance he tries to put between them, one thing soon becomes clear—he will never allow another man to touch her. Even if it dooms his family’s future.

A Question of Love


Angeline Fortin - 2011
    Cultured. Perfect. It was a lesson that proper Evelyn Ashley-Cooper had learned flawlessly over six oppressive years of marriage. Even when widowhood freed her from the prison her life had become, Eve still floundered under the veneer of perfection that her domineering husband demanded, unable to unleash the lively girl she once was from the confines of her prim exterior. But when her long-lost first love Francis MacKintosh, earl Glenrothes reappears in her life, Eve is tempted by the desire to escape her proper façade and the longing to truly live once again. Discovering that enticement alone cannot overrule years of tyranny, Eve struggles between her old self and the new, between yearning to be with him and a determination never to put herself under the thumb of another man - even one she discovers she still loves as much as her Glenrothes. Since meeting a vivacious, young Eve many years before, Francis MacKintosh has become a man embittered by life, by a wife who has made him a cuckold to the whole of Scotland and by a humiliating divorce that has rained scandal down upon the heads of himself and his family for years. Never had he thought that he would find Eve, his Eden, once again or that he would dare push aside his disdain of the fairer sex, to trust and love once more. But for Eve, for the love and happiness he is suddenly certain they can find only in each other, he finds himself willing to take a chance. If only he might convince his true love to do the same! Francis' seduction and ability to blend her proper side with the spirited Eve of years past lure the countess back to him but just when happiness seems but a step away, their mutual pasts will come crashing down around them attempting to tear them apart and Eve and Francis will have to risk their lives for a future together. The question remains, will their rediscovered love be enough to conquer all?

The Seduction of Lord Stone


Anna Campbell - 2015
     Caroline, Lady Beaumont, arrives in London seeking excitement after ten dreary years of marriage and an even drearier year of mourning. That means conquering society, dancing like there’s no tomorrow, and taking a lover to provide passion without promises. Promises, in this dashing widow’s dictionary, equal prison. So what is an adventurous lady to do when she loses her heart to a notorious rake who, for the first time in his life, wants forever? Devilish Silas Nash, Viscount Stone is in love at last with a beautiful, headstrong widow bent on playing the field. Worse, she’s enlisted his help to set her up with his disreputable best friend. No red-blooded man takes such a challenge lying down, and Silas schemes to seduce his darling into his arms, warm, willing and besotted. But will his passionate plots come undone against a woman determined to act the mistress, but never the wife?

Dukes of War (Books 1-2): Historical Romance Collection


Erica Ridley - 2020
    Why, the latest on-dit is that rakish Viscount Sheffield is canceling the fête of the year because he hasn't time for silly soirees. He doesn't need time—he needs her!The Earl's Defiant WallflowerOliver York returns from war to find his father dead, his finances in arrears, and himself the new Earl of Carlisle. If he doesn't marry an heiress—and fast!—he and his tenants are going to be pitching tents down by the Thames. He definitely shouldn't be trading kisses with a penniless debutante... no matter how captivating she is!

Fate Plays Dangerous Games (Mornington Park #1)


K.E. Chaloner - 2017
     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.

Duelling for a Wife: Companion Novella


Gemma Blackwood - 2019
    She must find a husband soon or risk being ruined forever. Just as she is beginning to give up hope, William Marsden asks her to dance. Young, handsome, and kind, he seems to be the perfect answer to her prayers. But before he can claim her as his own, they must deal with the consequences when the Earl of Scarcliffe discovers the true nature of his sister's situation... This is a short novella intended as a companion read to the two series, Scandals of Scarcliffe Hall and Redeeming the Rakes..