Book picks similar to
Shades of Brilliance by Eleanor Chance


historical
historical-fiction
historical-fiction-romance
romance

The Whitlock Trilogy


Allen Kent - 2019
    Set in the tumultuous 1860s and 70s of the American frontier, "River of Light and Shadow," "Wild Whistling Blackbirds," and "Suzanna's Song" reflect the energy, tension, romance, and adventure that defined the nation's westward expansion. Kent's talents as a successful writer of best-selling thrillers combines with his intense passion for historical accuracy as he propels the Whitlock family and his readers through Missouri's bloody Mormon Wars, the fracturing years of the war between the states, and the period of greed, prejudice, and courage that shaped the opening of the West.

Last Dance in London


Sydney Jane Baily - 2021
    Too bad for him, clever and impossibly desirable Julia Sudbury shows up in his bedroom.Like a shadow, Julia slips from Mayfair's ballrooms into the nobility's private chambers where nothing is more appealing than a spare piece of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, and cravat pins, oh my!With Julia's bad behavior tarnishing his reputation in ways he'd never imagined, Jasper goes on the run to escape the brutal gossips shredding his family name.It's enough to make a cocky rake wish he were safely married! Who will tame whom?

Grace


Beverley Watts - 2021
    A tall order, given the fact that in the Reverend’s opinion they didn’t possess a single ladylike bone in the eight bodies they had between them. Quite where he would find a wealthy titled gentleman bottle headed enough to take any of them on remained a mystery and indeed was likely to test even his legendary resourcefulness.....Grievously wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nicholas Sinclair was only recently returned to Blackmore after receiving news of his estranged father’s unexpected death. After an absence of twenty years, the new Duke was well aware it was his duty to marry and produce an heir as quickly as possible. However, tormented by recurring nightmares after his horrific experiences during the battle, Nicholas had no taste to brave the ton’s marriage mart in search of a docile obedient wife.…..Never in his wildest dreams did Reverend Shackleford envisage receiving an offer for his eldest daughter from the newly appointed Duke of Blackmore. Of course, the Reverend was well aware he was fudging it a bit in describing Grace as respectful, meek or dutiful, nevertheless, he could never have imagined that his eldest daughter’s unruliness might end up ruining them all….

A Wallflower's Wish Boxed Set: Three Regency Romances


Maggie Dallen - 2021
    Or at least, she was. But this season her prospects are brighter and, much to her mother's delight, she may just make a match. When the duke she once adored from a distance arrives at the house party she's attending with her friends, she knows for certain her luck has changed.Until she meets him.A Lord for Miss LilyLily’s lord is her long lost friend. He’s also her worst enemy.Lord Merrick is perfectly handsome and charming…but this lord is a complete traitor. Lily knows this for a fact as she is the very person he turned his back on. Now she’s determined to avoid him at the house party she’s been trapped at with her former friend.The only problem? Lord Merrick is like the plague… he just keeps cropping up.A Marquess for Miss MarigoldAll this wounded marquess wants is solitude. Instead, he stumbles across a wallflower…literally.It wasn’t as though Marigold was hiding, she was just…lying low. In an abandon shed. Admidst a houseparty where both her best friends had managed to become engaged.In a few days she can escape to her quiet life a solitude and books. Alone. Forever. But then the prodigal son returns to the manor and charges into her life with the military precision one might expect from a war hero. Even more terrifying, he refuses to ignore her like the rest of society. Of course, he doesn’t.

Belle of the Ball


Pam McCutcheon - 2003
    But a wish at a magical rock formation is about to change all that, in a most a-MUSE-ing way. . . . The three Sullivan sisters, named for the Three Graces of Greek legend who embody beauty, charm and grace, don’t live up to their names. Belle is no beauty. Charisma lacks charm. And Grace is somewhat less than graceful. But this doesn't deter their ambitious mother from bribing three bachelors to escort them to Colorado Springs’ beautiful Garden of the Gods. When the girls overhear their escorts mocking how little they resemble their names, each girl makes a wish at the magical Three Graces rock formation. Belle wishes aloud for beauty, but only so she can use it as a weapon to punish the cads who hurt her sisters. Her true wish is for revenge. Handsome viscount Kit Stanhope regrets his rude remarks and apologizes to Belle. He’s surprised when she tells him that's not enough. If he truly regrets his behavior, he has to make her beautiful in time for the Founders’ Day Ball. Kit isn’t sure he’s up to the task. But, intrigued by the spirited Belle, he agrees to assist her transformation from an ugly duckling into a swan with the help of a mysterious Greek dressmaker with muse-like qualities. Unfortunately, Belle makes a rather awkward swan. Still, after a few embarrassing escapades, she masters the flirtatious language of the fan and takes the town known as Little London by storm. Belle soon finds herself falling for the viscount and his sinful mouth. It seems he returns her regard, but she can’t renege on her promise to humiliate him . . . can she? Will her secret muse grant the wish she voiced . . . or the one she holds in her heart? Note to readers: This title was originally published in 2003 by Zebra Ballad.

Belle of Charleston


Jerri Hines - 2014
    Two cousins, the handsome and debonair, Wade Montgomery and the bold and brooding Cullen Smythe, were born to be brothers. Raised as Southern gentlemen, their character could never be questioned--loyalty, honor, duty to one's country, God and family. It was the tie that binds until...their bond is threatened, not only by the cry for secession but by a woman--Josephine Buchanan Wright.Josephine Buchanan Wright is a dutiful, southern belle. Her future seems fated to the two Montgomerys cousins...until all she has placed her faith in falls apart. As her life spirals out of control, she tries desperately to cling to the honor and duty that has been instilled in her. But how can she do so when all she has known is no more?

Deception and Desire


Aubrey Wynne - 2020
    Her talents lie in numbers and a keen business mind, not in the art of flirtation. When she becomes the object of a cruel wager during her come-out in London, she vows to put off the penniless noblemen vying for her sizeable dowry. But her season is cut short after her mother discovers the subterfuge, and Fenella retreats to Scotland.Lachlan MacNaughton has neither the temperament nor the patience to be the next MacNaughton chief, preferring to knock heads together rather than placate bickering clansmen. He readily accepts a reprieve to help with the family’s textile mill in Glasgow. A sizzling chance encounter in the rain introduces him to the new female bookkeeper. His grandfather may want him back in the Highlands, but his heart has been lost in the Lowlands.The attraction between Fenella and Lachlan sparks a passion not even two rebellious souls can deny. But an innocent deception tests their newfound love and threatens the freedom they both crave. A MacNaughton Castle RomanceBook 1 – Deception and DesireBook 2 - An Allusive LoveBook 3 - A Bonny Pretender

Vestiges of Valor


Kathryn Le Veque - 2017
    - His name is Valor. Sir Valor "Val" de Nerra is one of Henry II's most trusted knights. As the Itinerant Justice in Basingstoke and surrounding villages, Val's word is law. A fair and just man, and a very handsome one, he enjoys a good deal of attention and respect. His life is a prestigious and wealthy one until he faces a decision one day that will change the course of his life. Val must order the execution of his betroth's brother. Val has adored Lady Vesperia for as long as he can recall. As he strives to win her back, the king orders Val to participate in an event that will shock the country for years to come - the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket. Will he obey? Or will he refuse? From a man who had enjoyed the wealth, love, and admiration of all to a man who falls swiftly from grace, be part of Val and Vesperia's journey as Val struggles to regain what he lost and comes to understand what is truly important in life in this novel of astonishing emotion, passion, and pain.

The Irish Flapper


Catherine Stack - 2012
    Once in America she awakens to the stark difference between her dreams and the disillusioning reality of an immigrant’s life. It is her new friends, flamboyant cousin and her new found love that make life in the big city an unforgettable adventure. In America she encounters her wildly flamboyant cousin Isabelle who just happens to be the “IT” actress of the moment and the girlfriend of a notorious dangerous gangster. Isabelle introduces her to the enticing, glamorous but ultimately empty and deceptive world of fame and fortune. Annie falls deeply in love with Jack an extremely successful stockbroker haunted by the ghost of his past which threatens their future. In the end it is the knot that ties family and friends together that helps her through great adversity and devastating loss.

Branches of Love Boxed Set, Books 4-6


Sally Britton - 2020
    Lucas Calvert, an earl wearied by the world and tired of being alone, searches for purpose. They come together in a marriage of convenience. Virginia and her children bring light and color back into Lucas’s life. But will Virginia’s determination to protect her heart destroy their possibility of finding happiness together? Miss Devon's Choice: Rebecca Devon lives under the severe eye of her aunt and the iron will of her father. Freedom will only come through marriage, but her hopes for a happy union are stolen away when her father arranges her marriage to a complete stranger. Christian Hundley, Lord Easton, has learned the hard way that English society will not accept him, and he has hidden himself away from scornful eyes for years. If the whole of society cannot accept him, why would a bride?  Courting the Vicar's Daughter: Harry Devon, son of a wealthy gentleman who cared more for money than his family, has returned to the family estate at last. Harry is prepared to leave it to others to make the difficult decisions. Until he meets the vicar's daughter. In the habit of serving others, Daisy determines to help Harry find his path and place in their community. When he embraces her plan with enthusiasm, their friendship begins to blossom into something more.

Mademoiselle at Arms


Elizabeth Bailey - 2012
    Who is the beautiful intruder? And why does she disguise herself as a nun? What circumstance has thrust her into an enterprise both foolhardy and dangerous? The girl’s French accent places her with the émigrés from across the channel, except that Mademoiselle insists she is English.Set on unravelling the mystery, Gerald begins a relentless pursuit, hunting down every possible clue - much to the indignation of Mademoiselle. When her life proves to be in danger from the villainous émigré Valade, Gerald has his work cut out. For Mademoiselle Melusine, engaged in a desperate battle to prove her true identity, believes she is well able to take care of herself and is determined not to be rescued.

Heart of Ashes


Paula Quinn - 2019
     A Scottish warrior and a Norman maiden clash in this stunning epic! Cainnech (Cain) MacPherson’s hatred for the English was born when he was a lad of seven, the day they raided his village and killed his family. They took everything from him without mercy and tossed him onto the battlefield, where the memory of love faded to dust and left nothing in its wake but violence. Now, as Robert the Bruce’s most formidable, most lethal warrior, he wreaks havoc on his enemy, taking land by force and without mercy. But when he raids a small castle in Northumberland, he faces his greatest opponent yet—a bold, beautiful Norman lass who will see him dead at any cost rather than give up her home…even if it means tearing open his armored heart and stirring the ashes that remain. Aleysia d’Argentan will do anything to keep the hated Scots out of her castle and away from her villagers. She has prepared for this day for the last four years, building traps in the forest, poisoning the grain, and hiding daggers wherever she could use them to kill her enemy. But she isn’t prepared for the brawny, brooding Highland warlord who invades her life—and her heart. He is an infuriating, irresistible opponent with a curious touch, a smoldering kiss, and a reluctant smile that begins to shine on her alone. Can the ashes of his heart be stirred into flame by his enemy?

Marrying the King: an amnesia time travel romance (Royal Secrets)


Lindzee Armstrong - 2019
    He's lost his heart. Can they find their happily ever after in the past? Lexi has wasted her entire college career researching a dead-end. Her thesis on the sixteenth-century Durham queen, Alexandra, is going nowhere. How can she defend her doctoral dissertation if she can't even figure out where the queen was born? When she meets Nancy, Lexi doesn't think much of it—until she wakes up in the past without her memory. King Richard's only goal is to keep Durham from war with Galia, even if it means marrying their princess whom he's never met. When his advisers bring news that the princess's ship was attacked, Richard is devastated—until he finds a beautiful girl washed up on shore and assumes she's the missing royal. Lexi has no memory of her past, but Richard's advisers urge him to press forward with wedding plans. As Lexi grows more and more enamored with the kind-hearted king, memories of her past have her questioning her present—until another Galian princess arrives in Durham to take her deceased sister's place as queen. Will Lexi fight to stay in the past with Richard, or will she be forced to return to the future without him? This bite-sized heartwarming romance is sweet and clean, with no cliffhangers and a guaranteed HEA. This book can be read as a stand-alone. It was previously published as The Pretend Princess as part of the Book Club Series. Read all the books in the Royal Secrets Series! Royal Secrets Series: - Taming the Prince by Lindzee Armstrong - Dating the Prince by Lindzee Armstrong - Winning Back the Princess by Lindzee Armstrong - Marrying the King by Lindzee Armstrong - Dancing with the Prince by Laura D. Bastian - Forgetting the Prince by Laura D. Bastian - Rejecting the Prince by Laura D. Bastian - Serving the Prince by Lucinda Whitney - Rescuing the Prince by Lucinda Whitney - Protecting the Princess by Lucinda Whitney (coming soon!) No Match for Love Series: 1. Miss Match 2. Not Your Match 3. Mix 'N Match 4. Meet Your Match 5. Strike a Match 6. Mistletoe Match 7. Match Me if You Can 8. Match Me by Christmas 9. Never Say Match 10. Match Me Again 11. Mistakenly Matched 12. My Fake Match 12. Matched by Design (coming 2020) Kiss Me Series 1. Kiss Me in the Moonlight 2. Kiss Me in the Rain 3. Kiss Me in a Blizzard (coming 2020) Chasing Tomorrow Series 1. Chasing Someday 2. Tomorrow's Lullaby

Dillon


Linda Ford - 2021
    She found Dillon down on his luck and gave him, and five other young men, a home and trains them. Seven years later she is set on finding brides for all of the young men. Dillon’s not interested. He was robbed of everything by Slick McCall—someone he trusted. A girl he loved has also treated him poorly. He doesn’t intend to open his heart to anyone. His plan is to stay right there on the ranch and take care of Maude and John.Abigail has been duped by a slick-talking charmer and is now expecting a baby with no ring on her finger. Posing as a widow, she flees west, intending to start over and create a new life for herself and her unborn baby. However she arrives at Logan Crossing and discovers her money is missing—stolen. She has nothing. Maude offers her a job on the ranch, thinking this pretty young widow will be suitable for one of the boys.Abigail eagerly helps at the ranch house, determined to make a temporary home for herself and the baby. Dillon is always ready to take her for a walk or otherwise entertain her. The baby’s birth creates a new level of attraction and intimacy between them. He tells her of how a certain Slick McCall has stolen everything and a former girlfriend hurt him, teaching Dillon to guard his heart.Slick McCall was the man who sweet talked her into making Abby’s baby. She was prepared to tell Dillon the truth about being an unwed mother but hearing his words makes her realize she must guard her secret.But how long can she hide the truth when she and Dillon are falling in love? Will Dillon still love her when the truth comes out? Most of all, will her newborn son ever be accepted?