Or it would be if the local villagers weren’t on edge because of the vampire in their midst, at least they think he’s a vampire. The fascination with the reclusive viscount disrupts the girls’ studies and Tess fights an unending battle to convince her students that monsters do not exist.Vincent Latimer, Viscount Atwood, is not a vampire, no matter what the villagers believe. He wishes the book, Wake Not the Dead, had never been written. There is a very good reason he visits his wife’s grave at night, and it has nothing to do with trying to raise her from the dead.When a storm thrusts Tess into Vincent’s path and destroys the school, both of their pasts collide.

    That peace is threatened when Fiona McPherson is made chief after the death of her husband.Known more for her fighting skills than her beauty, Fiona refuses the multiple proposals of marriage that begin to seemingly arise from nowhere. She may be the chief of her clan, but she’s still a woman. It isn’t Fiona they want, but her land and she’s willing to fight to the death to keep it.Rumor has it Caelen McDunnah has lost his mind…Called McDunnah, the chief of Clan McDunnah, has no desire to remarry. He’s perfectly content to still mourn the loss of his first wife and babe, even if it has been sixteen years. Until he meets the beautiful and feisty Fiona McPherson.Known to start a fight out of sheer boredom or madness — no one is ever truly sure which — Caelen suddenly finds himself in the middle of battles he has no desire to fight, but fight them he will if it means he can have Fiona McPherson as his own.There is always a wee bit of truth in every rumor.

    She wants nothing more than to see her clan the way it was when her father was still laird. But her uncle has other ideas. Ceana soon discovers that the only refuge to be found is in the last place she expects—the arms of her enemy. Luthais MacKay wants to be left alone. His only interest is training his prized hawks. He certainly doesn’t have time to listen to the petty squabbling of his clan when his father travels to Edinburgh and leaves him in charge. But when Luthais discovers a mysterious woman on his lands, he’s determined to unravel her secrets…one layer at a time. **This novella was previously published in the Kissing the Highlander anthology.**

    Now, five years later, Lord Drayton has returned to London with hideous battle scars that have made him a social pariah. Adelaide doesn't see Roan's wounds, but rather the man she has always secretly loved. Although she has been courted by a handsome lord with marriage on his mind, it is Roan she secretly desires. Roan is stunned when he is reacquainted with Addy Bruce. In the years that have passed, Addy has grown into a true beauty and the toast of the ton. He is not sure which surprises him more—her transformation, or the fact she is the only woman who treats him as though his scars do not exist. When Roan learns of Addy’s engagement to a rival, he must move fast…or lose her forever.Please note: LITTLE MISS INDEPENDENT is a short novella (9,700 words) that was originally published in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE. The story is a sweet romance (no sex).

    What's a dutiful sister to do to save her loved ones from ruination? Why, steal a few items from an aristocrat's house--items he'll surely never miss--and sell them to pay her family's debts. Luckily for her, she meets Simon Montgomery, the new Earl of Cartwright, a recluse familiar with antiquities. He can help her keep her family from debtor's prison, and he might just claim her heart too. Except instead of stealing from Simon's neighbor, she breaks into the wrong house...Simon is determined to change the way the world sees his family, even if it means he can no longer pursue his dreams of being a scholar to take on his new title. When a thief breaks into his home and steals a precious family heirloom, he vows to get the item back. The last thing he expects is that the girl he met at a garden party is a thief! When Jude is discovered with his possessions, how will she ever convince him that despite her deception, her love for him is the truth?

    Blessed by an ancient Deity with Berserker rage, he has the strength of ten men. Cursed by a malicious enemy, he's incapable of speech. A desperate clan war rages around him and a malevolent adversary lurks in the darkness, calling for blood.Evelyn Woodhouse is an English refugee with a dangerous secret. She has the ability to see the outcome of tomorrow's battle and knows they're on the wrong side of it. When a doomed and silent mercenary rescues her from a fate worse than death, it seems he has his own plans for her. This is his last night alive and she's never been able to defy destiny.

    It wasn’t until years later when Nick introduced her to fencing that they finally had a proper outlet for their frequent arguments.Having just emerged from mourning following her mother’s death, Eleanor is exactly where she wishes to be at the age of four-and-twenty: an on-the-shelf spinster and unofficial companion to her aunt. Unfortunately, her ambitious uncle has other plans for her future. On the eve of his house party, he lays down his ultimatum: either Eleanor marries the man of his choosing, or he'll force her seventeen-year-old sister to do so instead.When Nick unexpectedly arrives on their doorstep after a two year absence, Eleanor is in no mood for their normal banter. Seeming to know exactly what she needs, Nick challenges her to pick up the foil once more. During their pre-dawn matches, he shows her just how strong she can be . . . and exactly how much he’s changed since leaving. But when her old adversary becomes her only ally, she may very well find herself . . . Ruined by a Rake.

    She's been disowned by her London family and finds herself desperately in need of a job. Lord Ashbourne is equally at ends, his fiance having jilted him for a commoner and run off to the Continent. Her powerful society family is determined to delay the breaking scandal in order to save the younger sister's prospects. When a servant leads Lily to his parlor, James is astonished to discover how closely she resembles the missing lady of the manor.He hatches a plan, convincing Lily to play his absent wife; to keep the gossips at bay. He reassures her it will be in name only, but soon enough, playacting turns to real attraction, and friendship to aching, mounting desire. The strictures of society and unforeseen tragedy combine to test the pair's forbidden love, even as they are driven ever closer into one another's arms;This novel contains spanking, light bondage, and light BDSM elements.

    Her only desire in life is to remain independent, free from men and the shackles of marriage. But when Maybelle lays eyes on Edmund Worthington, the Duke of Rutherford, at a soir e, and hears of his scandalous reputation, she decides he's the perfect person for her to have a tryst with no strings attached.IT MUST BE GIVEN.Unbridled passion has again muddied Edmund Worthington's family name. After his very public dalliance with the strikingly beautiful and sensual Maybelle, his mother insists he marry her. But much to the Duke's surprise, Maybelle scoffs at his proposal. Never has he encountered such a brazen—and maddeningly irresistible—woman. But when Maybelle's grandmother falls ill, forcing Maybelle to take over the operation of her school, Edmund devises a plan to make her his. He enrolls in the school, where no one other than Maybelle must give him expert lessons in carnal pleasure.

    So when he hears of her tales of bravery, he's just a little surprised. But his main concern is whether she is still alive or has been captured. Upon discovering her intention to run to her father's and to leave their affectionless marriage for good, Rory realises just how much sweet Isla means to him. Can the warrior get past his fears of being too rough for her? Though fear of capture drove Isla out, it's the fear of returning to her marriage that keeps her travelling across the unforgiving Highlands. Not that she doesn't care for her husband, but she can no longer bear desiring a man who clearly doesn't want her. Believing that he must be sharing his bed with another lass, Isla plans to beg her father for refuge from the English...and her husband. But the journey is dangerous and Rory is a determined man. Will he even let her go?

    While amassing his fortune in India, not a day passed he did not recall Felicity's fair loveliness, did not recall the silken tones of her sweet voice, did not desire to possess her. Now a widow, Felicity Harrison does not recognize the handsome nabob as the young man left for dead by highwayman years earlier. Though she wants nothing more than to snub the arrogant man who promises to rescue her family from financial ruin in exchange for presenting his sister to Society, she cannot snub him. She must force herself to bear his company. But the longer she is with him, the more she has to force herself to remain true to her dead husband's memory. Why is it the humbly born Thomas Moreland possesses more nobility that any man of her class? And why is it she finds it harder and harder to mourn a dead man when Thomas's virility awakens her deepest desires?

    As she sneaks away for illicit meetings with a mysterious stranger, Althea is determined to unveil his identity—and his intentions.Desperate to escape from beneath the shadow of his older brother, John Ridley takes part in a daring game of espionage against the French. Posing as a smuggler, he engages with the charming Celeste Markham. But despite her winsome allure, it is her daughter, Althea, who seizes John's attention.As affairs of the state give way to affairs of heart, John must convince Althea that she can trust him with her future, and her love.

    Never does he imagine hope will come in the form of a quirky, quick-witted lady determined to win the heart of another gentleman.Thanks to a painfully awkward past, Lady Amelia De Vere long ago relinquished the notion she was a flower that had yet to blossom. But when her family faces financial ruin and the man she has always loved is on the verge of marrying another, she’ll try anything to transform herself to capture her childhood love and save her family―including agreeing to participate in a bet between her brother and the notorious, dangerously handsome Duke Of Aversley.Bound by the bet, Amelia and Aversley discover unexpected understanding and passion beyond their wildest dreams, if only they can let go of their pride, put trust in each other and chance losing their hearts.

    Five years ago, a masked man bearing that same tattoo saved her and the six children of the Marquess and Marchioness of Brady from a band of thieves. Now, Ellie’s “hero”—better known as the notorious Earl of Tumbridge— appears to be no more than a common cad. When this master of seduction and corrupter of virtue dares to sabotage her marital opportunities, it’s more than Ellie can bear. What Ellie does not yet understand is that the inked scoundrel has a reason for ruining her chances for love: He wants her all to himself…

    Highland warrior, Malcolm Montgomery has been ordered by King Robert the Bruce to steal Rose and her son from the suspected traitor she is about to marry—gifting him with an ancient and much sought after dagger as payment. Rose shouldn’t trust her captor. Shouldn’t feel her body heat at his simple touch, or allow him to press his fervent lips to hers… Malcolm shouldn’t be seducing the woman he is sworn to protect. Shouldn’t desire her, for she’s not meant to be his… Succumbing to passion threatens them both, and falling in love is absolutely not an option. **This novella was previously published in the CAPTURED BY A CELTIC WARRIOR anthology.**