Book picks similar to
A June Bride by Teresa DesJardien
regency
romance
historical-romance
marriage-of-convenience
Amy
Mary Kingswood - 2016
When he dies suddenly, his will leaves large dowries for his six daughters, but only if they marry in the proper order, the eldest first. Amy must now find herself a husband, and soon, so her younger sisters can marry in their turn. There are several possible suitors, but will any of them come up to scratch? And how will Amy choose without her father to guide her?Mr Ambleside has been waiting for Amy for years, his suit rejected by her father. Now he has his opportunity, and he’s determined to win her. But first he has to see off his rivals, and if he manages that, he has to overcome her reluctance to defy her father’s wishes. But he’s a very tenacious man…
Poetic Justice
Alicia Rasley - 1994
She must wed, with her pompous uncle's approval, before her next birthday or lose her legacy--the most valuable book collection in all England! Worse, she will forfeit the secret contents of the trunk locked in the family vault. So Jessica concocts an audacious plan. It may be scandalous. It may be ruinous. Or it might work.There isn't a more eligible suitor in all the land than John Dryden. Passing himself off as an importer of rare books, the ex-privateer and dashing rogue is all too happy to accept Jessica's unconventional proposal. It's a plot worthy of Will Shakespeare himself.. and just as likely to go awry. For Dryden hasn't been called a bastard simply because of his birth. The wickedly seductive Jessica has something he wants, and it isn't merely a dusty old chest. It's the key to her heart!
A Debt to Delia
Barbara Metzger - 2002
A fellow redcoat comes to Ty’s aid and insists the peer ride his horse to safety. Later, horrified to learn of his rescuer's death, Ty vows to live up to the brash young soldier’s parting challenge to save someone else’s life.To repay the debt of honor, Ty offers his hand in marriage to the dead man's sister. And Delia Croft is certainly in need of help. For the retainer her cousin provides is barely enough to keep her and her dependents clothed and fed. But Delia longs for a union of love, not obligation—a union that the handsome officer may not even believe in…
Unlaced
Kristina Cook - 2004
Instead, she’s caught up in a whirlwind of balls, marriage proposals, and ton intrigues. Worse, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to her sponsors’ maddening neighbor, Henry Ashton, the Marquess of Mandeville. The handsome, arrogant, sometimes infuriating Mandeville stokes a passionate fire within her that won’t be denied, no matter the consequence.Deep, emotional scars secretly plague Henry, Lord Mandeville. As a result, he’s avoided romantic entanglements at all costs. Only, now he needs a wife—someone from a wealthy, powerful family to further his political aspirations. Instead, he finds himself all but obsessed with the beautiful but unconventional Lucy Abbington—a woman whose passions and wit stir desires he’d rather ignore. And yet…she might just be the one woman who can heal his wounded heart.Lucy and Henry’s heads say no, but their hearts say yes. Will they find themselves undone by love?
Duke of Deception
Stephie Smith - 2012
Lady Louisa Barrick will do anything to save her estate and the village that depends on it, but when she tries to use a rakish privateer in her scheme, things don't turn out as planned. A duke masquerading as a privateer ... Jonathan Derek Wentworth has a scheme of his own: to track down the ton-based smuggling gang responsible for his father's death. When he's caught in a compromising situation with Lady Louisa, he decides it's better to marry her than to risk being ostracized by the London society whose invitations are vital to his plan. But Louisa refuses to marry him, unless he meets her terms, one of which is a month-long reprieve from consummation. Intent on seduction, Derek doesn't count on his unexpected jealousy wreaking havoc with his emotions, his marriage, and his masquerade. Lucy, still grieving the death of her father, wants desperately to avoid another heartbreak, but fears she may have schemed herself into a marriage with the one man destined to break her heart: a man who isn't what he seems, who obviously can't be trusted, and who will surely leave her the first chance he gets.
Seducing the Bride
Michelle McMaster - 2000
They come across a beautiful young woman—clad only in a nightdress—laying unconscious in a rubbish heap. Worried for her safety and famous for his habit of taking in strays, Beckett takes the mysterious girl home and puts her to bed, intent on calling a doctor the next day. But his good intentions go awry when his mother and solicitor make an unplanned visit the next morning, and all hell breaks loose.When the impoverished viscount learns he is now heir to a wealthy earldom, Beckett must quickly take a bride. Having been jilted by his former fiancée, he no longer believes in love… but Beckett does believe in the heated desire this “mysterious angel” stirs within him. He vows to make the voluptuous beauty his wife.Isobel Hampton is on the run from a villainous nobleman who will stop at nothing until he possesses both her and her family estate. The strong-minded miss makes a break for freedom and disappears into the night, but Sir Harry Lennox vows to find her. When she awakens in the bed of a handsome viscount, Isobel demands to know how she got there. But something in Lord Thornby’s eyes makes her want to trust the handsome lord. When he proposes a marriage of convenience, it could be the solution to all of Isobel’s problems… or just the beginning of them.For though Beckett and Isobel have sworn to a marriage in name only, the flame of passion burns hot between them. As they engage in a dangerous dance of seduction, the last place they expect to find true love is in each other’s arms.Originally published as The Marriage Bargain in 2000 - Seducing The Bride is a newly revised and updated edition.
The Female Correspondent
E.A. Deverell - 2015
When, impressed and intrigued by her knowledge and reticence, he seeks out his correspondent, Beatrice is forced to invent a series of lies for the fictional Mr. Allenham’s whereabouts. A clean regency romance in the vein of Georgette Heyer. This is a 15,000-word short story.
The Jilted Earl
Kelly Anne Bruce - 2016
It wasn't that she didn't want a husband, she just hated the crowds and false joy of the parties. And then when she finally met a man she knew she could love, he was quickly taken by another. She knew she was unremarkable compared to the other young women in society, but she still managed some hope that she would marry for love. Nicholas of Meadcaster was only an earl. This was the second strike against him at the moment. The first was that he had been quite ill - to the point of near death - and he was still recovering. His brother encouraged him to go to London to find a suitable wife. A wife who would care for him should his illness return. Nicholas makes some poor choices and Isabella is forgotten. When his choices haunt him, will Nicholas look for a new path or wallow in misery? Will Isabella find the courage to be bold and claim the man she is falling in love with?
Secrets to a Gentleman's Heart
Samantha Grace - 2015
It seems every scoundrel in London is trying to seduce her right under the nose of her nearly blind and beloved great aunt. Fortunately, her eccentric uncle taught her an ancient warrior art for just these circumstances, and she is adequately equipped to defend her virtue. Protecting her heart is another matter. When a down-and-out thief accidentally knocks himself unconscious at Wedmore House, Regina takes pity on him and becomes his nursemaid. But her patient is no ordinary thief, and Regina is woefully unprepared to defend herself against the charms of the handsome stranger. New Orleans gadabout Xavier Vistoire made a powerful enemy during his stay in London two years ago, and he has been paying for it ever since. Imprisoned at a remote farmhouse with nothing but a burly guard with a childlike innocence and a love for pickled beets for companionship, Xavier jumps at the chance to earn his freedom. All he must do is break into an earl’s house and steal a map, which should be easy when the only male servant has resigned and the ladies of the house are attending a ball. But complications arise when he surprises a goddess during her bath and her little dog causes him to fall down the stairs. He wakes to find he has a beautiful new gaoler, and nothing about his situation is easy except falling head over heels for Miss Darlington.
Dance with Deception
Tracy Goodwin - 2007
Sebastian wants her, and as he learned from his father, what a duke wants, a duke takes. Gwen's father has arranged for her to marry a man she despises, the very man who shattered her fragile family. As she struggles with a desperate choice - honor her dying father's final request or alienate him by choosing her true love - Sebastian is forced to make his own desperate decision: trick Gwen Into marriage or lose her forever. Sebastian and Gwen must confront the consequences of their actions and secrets so scandalous that they threaten to destroy all they hold dear. In this dangerous dance with deception, who will die for love? Awards for Dance with Deception: -2nd place winner of the Anne Bonney Readers Choice Award for Favorite Hero -3rd Place Winner for the Anne Bonney Readers Choice Award for the Most Emotional category-2nd place winner of the Judge a Book By Its Cover Contest -Finalist in the LASR Best Long Print Romance
The Price of Innocence
Vicki Hopkins - 2009
The book is historical fiction, with romantic elements, set in 1878 Paris and London. The book is the first in a series of three entitled the Legacy Series.It is the tender story of Suzette Camille Rousseau, a young woman in late 19th century Paris, who makes a difficult journey from innocence to maturity. After losing a sheltered life with her father, Suzette is thrown into the harsh reality of poverty, struggling as a homeless woman on the streets of Paris. In order to survive, she faces difficult choices that offer little hope of redemption. Her journey takes her from the charities of St. Vincent de Paul, to a local laundry house where she toils endlessly in filth and squalor. To her surprise, one of her customers is the Chabanais, the most famous brothel in France that only caters to aristocrats. Like a fly drawn to a spider's web, the mistress of the brothel entices Suzette into a world of opulence, comfort, and beauty, but there is a price to pay -- her innocence. Succumbing to a life of prostitution, she meets a handsome English Lord who saves her from the unthinkable.
The Promise
Kate Worth - 2012
Secrets unravel, lies are exposed, and the Duke of Rutledge demands custody of his niece. Charming and handsome, the duke's brother Finn spends his leisure time between the sheets of London's most beautiful, wanton women. The seasoned rake is perplexed by his attraction to demure, virtuous Jane... definitely not his usual type. Finn soon learns there is more to Jane than meets the eye and he longs to possess the passionate woman hidden beneath her modest facade.When publicity draws the attention of a madman from Jane's past, Finn enters London's dangerous underworld in a heart-stopping race to save her.
Wicked Designs
Lauren Smith - 2013
Her plan to be done with dominating men forever is simple—find herself a kind husband who will leave her to her books. It seems an easy enough plan, until she is unexpectedly abducted by an incorrigible duke who hides a wounded spirit behind flashing green eyes.Godric St. Laurent, Duke of Essex, spends countless nights at the club with his four best friends, and relishes the rakish reputation society has branded him with. He has no plans to marry anytime soon—if ever. But when he kidnaps an embezzler’s niece, the difficult debutante’s blend of sweetness and sharp tongue make him desperate for the one thing he swears he never wanted: love. Yet as they surrender to passion, danger lurks in Godric’s shadowed past, waiting for him to drop his guard—and rob him of the woman he can’t live without. Product Warnings:This novel includes a lady who refuses to stay kidnapped, a devilish duke with a dark past, and an assortment of charming rogues who have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Married in Haste
Cathy Maxwell - 2006
A sexy war hero, he has his pick of the season’s debutantes, and once he spies beautiful Tess Hamilton no other will do. But Tess has a dark secret she’s desperate to hide—she has no choice but to marry quickly before her family’s ruin becomes grist for the gossip mill. She accepts Brenn’s sudden proposal without telling him the truth, but can she really marry him without feeling she’s betrayed him—especially when he offers ecstasy beyond her wildest dreams? And will he see her subterfuge as a lie? Cathy Maxwell’s Married in Haste is a historical romance to fall in love with.
The Work of Art
Mimi Matthews - 2019
But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it's caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland — a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the duke's clutches, she's going to need a little help.An Unlikely Hero...Captain Arthur Heywood's days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her — and her heart — in more danger than ever?