He’s tired of being overlooked. It’s going to be a long two years.Eleanor Barrington has one rule: don’t draw attention to yourself. Her father does that far too often. She has one goal: marry a Peer with enough social status to protect her family from embarrassment. When her father decides on a last-minute Grand Tour, Eleanor finds herself spending time with the one man who cannot help her: a younger son who draws attention to himself everywhere they go. Her brother’s best friend.As the younger son of an earl, Percy Hauxton has to fight for everything. A Grand Tour is the perfect opportunity to pursue his ambition to work for the Foreign Office. But traveling with Eleanor and her parents wasn’t part of the plan.When circumstances draw them apart and a secret from the past threatens to unravel everything, Eleanor has to rethink her goals and decide one thing. Can she marry for love, or does she need a marriage of convenience?

    Living a quiet life with her children and grandchildren, she believes she has put her past behind her. That is, until one peaceful summer afternoon when a stranger arrives at her door with news of the death of an old friend. The stranger knows her secrets and threatens to turn her world to chaos by revealing them, if she refuses to give him what he wants. It is not money he seeks but something far more valuable: the truth about his own past. Many, many years before, Fate and desperate circumstances lead a young girl into the life of a courtesan and the arms of a man she could never have—or even name. Just as he could never have her. But their love was pure and formidable. Powerful enough to endure all efforts to destroy it? Powerful enough to defeat a queen? It is time for Francesca Ginori to tell her story—her own passionate, enthralling truth.

    But he’s in danger of throwing away this opportunity to be loved…George Nightingale is a hoarder with a house full of junk. For years he’s kept it a secret, rarely leaving his house and keeping social interactions to a minimum, but his carefully balanced system is now under threat…Nessa Millbrook can’t wait to get settled into her new home in quaint, rural Applewell. Everyone in the village is so friendly – except her neighbour, George, who wants nothing to do with her. But Nessa isn’t one to back down from a challenge and she’s determined to win George over.The years have taught George to shield his heart and trust no one. Yet Nessa keeps reaching out to him – does he have the courage to take a chance, and reach back?A gorgeously heartwarming romance with characters readers will fall in love with, perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Portia MacIntosh.

    Hannah Kincaid is a Royalist spy who spirits away Scotland's crown jewels from under Cromwell's nose. Is it love that blossoms between them, or a deadly game of cat-and-mouse?

    He wants to regain his reputation. Will working together bring redemption—or ruin?Welcome to Book 1 in the fabulous new series from Abigail Bridges. Spinster Lady Rose Timmons has one purpose in life: protecting the vulnerable young women in London's Society from the scores of scoundrels who would prey on their innocence. She has an extensive network of informants who keep her up to date on all their misdeeds and schemes, and she will take any action needed—even public humiliation.Thomas Ashton, Lord Newbury and heir to the Duke of Kennet, is one of those Lady Rose has in her sights. Despite being a childhood friend—and a man she has long been fascinated with—Lady Rose is determined not to let his rakish behavior spoil the debut season of her beloved sister or any other woman.Lord Newbury, however, has his own ulterior motives about rejoining Society after years as a rogue. He desperately needs an heir—and an heiress. Society, however, is not so eager to welcome home a prodigal son. When he crosses paths—and wits—with Lady Rose, he proposes an unexpected bargain: if she will help him regain his reputation, he will help her destroy the one scoundrel she has never been able to touch, a man who has hurt dozens of people, including Rose herself. Lady Rose, intrigued and as fascinated by Newbury as ever, accepts the challenge. But even as they are drawn ever closer to each other, they remain unaware that their efforts to bring down a ruthless man could endanger more than their reputations—it could cost them their lives.

    The Queen’s Barque Inn quickly fills with the injured, the devious, and the lonely—lords, ladies, and simple folk; spies, pirates, and smugglers all trapped together. Intrigue crackles through the village, and passion lights up the hotel.One storm, eight authors, eight heartwarming novellas.A Kiss by the Sea by Grace BurrowesHe's not really a blacksmith, and she's not really an heiress... Can they forge a happily-ever-after anyway?Thaddeus Pennrith finds a way to recover from multiple griefs when he accepts the blacksmith's post at Fenwick on Sea. Village life gives him a sense of belonging that Polite Society never could, though he must resume his aristocratic responsibilities soon. Along comes Lady Sarah Weatherby, refugee from an engagement gone badly awry, and Thaddeus is faced with both a compelling reason to reveal his titled antecedents, and a longing to keep them forever hidden...An Improbable Hero by Mary LancasterA runaway heiress, a mysterious stranger.When Letty's ship founders in a violent storm, she forges a rare bond with her rescuer.Simon is a troubled man on a final, deadly mission—until the spirited yet soothing Letty makes him question everything. Hiding in plain sight among the refugees at The Queen's Barque, Simon is more than capable of protecting them both. But when the floods recede, can either of them say goodbye?The Comtesse of Midnight by Alina K. FieldA Scottish Earl on a quest for the elusive Comtesse de Fontenay rescues a French lady smuggler from the surf during a devastating storm, and takes shelter with her. As the stormy night drags on, he suspects his companion knows the woman he's seeking, the one who holds the secret to his identity. When she admits she is, in fact, the Comtesse Fontenay, just not the one he's seeking, she dashes all his hopes—and promises him new ones.Lord Stanton's Shocking Seaside Honeymoon by Cerise DeLandShe is so wrong for him.Miss Josephine Meadows is so young. In love with life. His accountant in his work for Whitehall. Her father's heir to his trading company—and his espionage network.Lord Stanton cannot resist marrying her. But to ensure Wellington defeats Napoleon, they must save one of Josephine's agents.Far from home, amid a horrific storm, Stanton discovers that his new bride loves him dearly.Can he truly be so right for her?And she for him?The Tender Flood by Caroline WarfieldZach Newell knows Patience Abney is far above his touch. But he has been enchanted by her since she raced out of the storm and into The Queen's Barque with a wagon full of small boys, puppies, and a bag of books. When the two of them make their way across the flooded marsh to her badly damaged school in search of a missing boy, attraction deepens. She risks scandal; he risks his heart.A Dream Come True by Jude KnightThe tempest that batters Barnaby Somerville's village is the latest but not the least of his challenges.Vicar to a remote parish, he stretches his tiny stipend to adopt his orphaned niece and nephew and his time to offer medical care as well as spiritual. A wife is a dream he cannot afford.But the storm sweeps into his life a surprising temptation—a charming young woman who lavishes her gentle care upon his wards—and him.God knows, he will forever be richer for having known her, even if he must let her go.Wait for Me by Rue AllynEnemies by nature—Esmeralda Crobbin, aka the pirate Irish Red, and Captain, Lord Brandon Gilroy have met before.Fate trumps nature—When a fierce storm creates a chance encounter and forced proximity, Brandon learns the pirate is a woman of serious honor and responsibility. Esmeralda discovers the captain is more than a uniform stuffed with rules and regulations. Both love the sea with boundless passion, but can they love each other?Before I Found You by Sherry EwingA quest for a title. An encounter with a stranger. Will she choose love?Miss Miranda de Courtenay has only one goal in life: to find a rich husband who can change her status from Miss to My Lady.Captain Jasper Rousseau has no plans to become infatuated during a chance encounter at a ball.Their connection is hard to dismiss, despite Miranda's quest for a title at all cost. What if the cost includes love?

    Now, at age seventy-nine, she feels compelled to leave behind her story for the world and set the record straight about the beginnings of modern history.He has had his arms raised for how many hours now? Shouldn't there be a Joshua to help this Moses? I suppressed a smile at my wittiness, knowing better than to voice the thought aloud. My ladies would be shocked by my allusion to the great Jewish prophet. Well aware of my reputation as an empty-headed nitwit among those who served my husband, such low expectations had served me well. Best to maintain the fiction.In a surprising change of genre and style, Wilder brings her extensive research and wide-ranging imagination  to bear on the seminal story of our time: the passion of the Christ. The result is a compelling and harrowing love story replete with historical figures such as Seneca, Socrates, and Pilate himself. It is sure to captivate both believers and skeptics alike, and remain in readers' minds long after the last page is turned.

    When the beloved Laird Malcolm Mackintosh died, no one expected him to leave his fortune and title to a man that does not have a drop of Scottish blood in his veins. Adam Cameron, the nephew of Laird Mackintosh’s late English wife, is an educated and intelligent man but not even he can believe that his Uncle chose him as an heir.Adam travels to the Highlands to see his new property but feels like a sheep among wolves. The only exception is Emilia, a stunningly beautiful lass that appears to be the only one able to speak common English and communicate with him. Never the less, Adam has no interest in becoming a Laird in a place he is unwanted, and is tricked by an enemy Laird called McElwee to sell the land and give up his title. Emilia can not let her people fall into McElwee’s hands, so she decides to seduce the Englishman and make him fall in love with her and the Highlands. Emilia has get Adam on her side quickly as McElwee is secretly arming his men and will not hesitate to destroy anyone that stands in his way! "Becoming a Highlander" is a standalone story by best selling author Ann Marie Scott, packed with emotion, action and romance, set on the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.

    unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.When it comes to stealing a Lyon's fortune, it takes two to right a wrong.Visitors to the Lyon’s Den, run by the mysterious Mrs. Dove-Lyon, usually wish to find a spouse, but Audrey has quite another goal in mind. She needs help to secure an invitation to Lyon’s masquerade, the annual event hosted by her once-stepfather, Vincent Lyon, so that she may retrieve the statue he stole from her late mother.Mrs. Dove-Lyon knows just the person to take Audrey to the ball, a shrewd matchmaker that she is, also sees an opportunity to help Lord Peter Dermott, who has been recommended to her as being in urgent need of a wife.When Peter meets Audrey, the attraction is instant, but she presents him with a huge dilemma. Her plan to take the statue is daring, and if it fails, his reputation will be ruined. However, if he walks away, he will most likely lose her, and the chance to make her his...

    But on the day of the Clan Council’'s vote, a new lass steals his breath and his heart, making him question the ambition that drives him. When he begins to suspect she has a hidden talent that could help his clan, he must overcome the painful disappointment of the past before it costs him the future he desires.A Lass in ExileBecause of her strange ability, Shona’'s village banished her to live with a distant uncle after her parents died. When she catches the eye of the prospective laird of her new home, she fears the clan'’s scrutiny may cause her to be expelled again, or worse. But Angus seems determined to win her heart, and Shona can’'t help wanting to give it to him, despite the risks.A Love Lifted out of the RuinsBroken promises and broken dreams litter their pasts, and their present. Can they build a future from the ruins?

    Enter Henry Ogden, mild-mannered village vicar. Hardly the stuff of heroes . . . until adversity brings out unexpected talents. A Christmas Equation – A chance meeting between a reluctant viscount and a self-effacing companion revives memories of their shared past—a time when they were very different people. With secrets to keep, Sarah Clendenin wishes Benjamin Radcliff gone . . . but he’s making calculations of his own. Crimson Snow – A trail of blood drops leads Jane Merrywether to a wounded stranger—the only person standing in the way of her wicked guardian becoming an earl. John Rexford, long-thought dead, has returned to claim his inheritance and his promised bride . . . if he can survive a murderous Christmas. A Perfectly Unregimented Christmas – After years at war, Viscount Pennyworth returns to his ancestral home to find some peace and quiet and to avoid the holiday he loathes. But four naughty boys, a bonnet-wearing goat, a one-eyed cat, a family secret, and one Annabelle Winters, governess, make this a Christmas he’ll never forget.

    As a millionaire real-estate developer, I’ve achieved spectacular success and now am about to open my third resort in Hawaii. Women, money, influence, fame. I have it all. There’s no reason I should feel dissatisfied. Except for one little reason: Molly. She’s the younger sister of my best friend. I’ve wanted her for a long time, but I set her in the “off-limits” pile, even after I let my feelings get the better of me and I kissed her. A man can’t just break the Bro Code, you know? But Molly’s in a tough spot. She just got laid off, and she’s not feeling great. I know I hurt her in the past, but a free trip to a Hawaii resort over Christmas should be just the pick-me-up she needs. Yeah, I still want her badly, but I can control myself. This is about paying her back, not going after a woman I know I can’t have. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

    Through decades of quiet dedication and single-minded devotion he has achieved the successes one strives for in life, both with his family and career. Close to retirement and to sitting back and enjoying the fruits of a successful career and marriage, a malicious spurious complaint at work should have no material consequences on his life, but it starts a domino effect, and before long he finds himself shockingly dismissed, divorced, without a home, and with a criminal record. This story explores a convoluted tragic journey of divorce, rich with emotion, loss, betrayal, revenge and confusion. Along the way it explores the dynamics of what makes a relationship weak and vulnerable, or strong and resolute. It’s not a miserable story, but one of resilience, hope, and true love. It is told with an immense depth of feeling, insight, humour and faith, and there are many truly surprising twists and turns as the story unfolds.

    Independent, motivated, and successfully running her own business - she has never settled for anything less. And certainly, never used her family estate to give her a leg up.But as an investigation is launched into her trading company, Nick’s world begins to crumble. Suddenly out of work, her mind wanders to her father - what would he do? She hardly knows anything of her orphaned parent and longs to find answers - some which will hopefully guide her.With her newly gifted dog for company, Nick sets off to Ireland to retrace her family history. However, the high-flying city girl soon learns that every adventure comes with a few surprises - even in the shape of a romance.Will Nick discover more about her father’s hidden past - or will she take home more than she bargained for...?

    So she returns to the small Kent village where she grew up to make a fresh start. Little did she know that would mean saving her beloved childhood dance school or falling for her old school crush Tom too!