Book picks similar to
Deceived by Mary Balogh
historical-romance
romance
historical
mary-balogh
The Highwayman
Kerrigan Byrne - 2015
But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster…STEALING BEAUTYDorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of London’s wealthiest, most influential men who will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who’ve wronged him…and will fight to the death to seize what he wants. The lovely, still innocent widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception—and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands…COURTING DESIREBut Farah is no one’s puppet. She possesses a powerful secret—one that threatens her very life. When being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he’d long thought dead?
Amanda Rose
Karen Robards - 1984
But his hard-muscled hand stopped her even before she saw the pain and longing in his eyes. And she trembled, not with fear, but with a desire to believe in his story, his innocence, his passion. New World privateer Matt Grayson, unjustly accused of murder by the British Crown, has narrowly escaped hanging. Now his freedom depends on winning this beautiful girl's co-operation so he can sail back to New Orleans. He never meant to hold her captive on his ship. He never meant to fall in love....
It Happened One Night
Stephanie Laurens - 2008
. . and nothing was ever the same again!Once upon a time, four superstar storytellers—New York Times bestselling authors Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh, along with Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern—came up with a delicious idea. What if they each wrote a story about a proper young lady stranded at a remote inn away from society's constraints? What would happen? And how long would it take for her to give in to desire?In these four amazing tales, four heroines will come face-to-face with the men who got away . . . only to discover that, instead of anger, there is still a passionate connection that cannot be denied. And while each of their lives is quite different, and their pasts utterly unique, they will all make a common discovery—that one night can change everything . . . forever.
Temporary Mistress
Susan Johnson - 2000
What may surprise you is her name. For she is none other than Isabella Leslie! The same beauty of the sizable inheritance who prefers not the ton but books, maps, and the family shipping business. You may wonder how a picture of innocence ended up in the arms of a libertine. Truth to tell, Isabella had to flee from her scheming relatives in the rain-soaked night and seek refuge in London's most infamous brothel. There, with the help of the madam, she devised an unorthodox plan to escape a dreaded marriage bed. She would simply have to become unmarriageable--even if it meant public ruin. And who better to utterly ruin her in a mere week than a handsome rake famous for seductive skills? But gossip has it that Dermott may be developing a tendre for his temporary mistress. It makes for the most delicious speculation, does it not? For if it indeed is the case, what will happen when their week of pleasure is over? We urge you, dear readers, to do as we do--follow the affair closely, and with every hope that it will turn into this Season's most delicious scandal.
Winning the Heart of the Mischievous Duke
Ella Edon - 2019
An unlikely friendship that leads to desire and a plan that will go completely wrong...
Lady Esther Bowen experienced one of the worst kinds of heartbreaks when her betrothed broke off their engagement. By keeping the real reason for their break up a well-guarded secret, she is faced with all kinds of speculations from her family and gossip from the ton. Regardless of her pain, Esther cannot let go of the man she loved, and just when all hope of being with him again is lost, a Duke with a tarnished reputation and questionable motives enters her life. Stefan Hamilton, the infamous Duke of York, has been living a life of sin. Handsome, fun-loving and devious, he will stop at nothing to satisfy his desires, without caring over scandals that followed him everywhere. But when he saves a dignified and heartbroken lady from the waters of a river, he will decide to impose on her affairs and help her win back the love she lost. Can she trust someone with so many secrets of his own? And what is the plan of this sinister Duke? She was meant to steal the heart of another, instead, she stole his…
The Duke
Gaelen Foley - 2000
Even if it means jeopardizing his reputation by engaging in a scandalous affair with London's most provocative courtesan—the desirable but aloof Belinda Hamilton.Bel has used her intelligence and wit to charm the city's titled gentlemen, while struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. She needs a protector, so she accepts Hawk's invitation to become his mistress in name only. He asks nothing of her body, but seeks her help in snaring the same man who shattered her virtue. Together they tempt the unforgiving wrath of society—until their risky charade turns into a dangerous attraction, and Bel must make a devastating decision that could ruin her last chance at love. . . .
The Lady Always Wins
Courtney Milan - 2012
As a child, Ginny was his best friend and comrade-in-arms. As a young lady, she became his sweetheart. But when his parents discovered their growing affection, they threatened to cut Simon off without a penny if he married her. And when Simon planned an elopement, Ginny refused: She wasn’t going to marry a poor man. Ever.Until someone loses a fortune.In the seven years since they last saw one another, Ginny has been married and then widowed. Simon has built an empire as a railway financier. When they meet again, there’s still that same delicious, playful attraction between them. But only Simon knows how tenuous his second chance really is. Everyone believes that Simon is wealthy. In truth, his company has been taken over by a hostile competitor and he is ruined. He knows from bitter experience that Ginny won’t marry a poor man. And so he has three days until the news becomes public—three days to seduce, woo, and marry the woman he cannot forget, or risk losing her…and this time, for good.
Conduct Unbecoming of a Gentleman
Wareeze Woodson - 2013
With her young son in her arms, the task of climbing out of the crippled vehicle appeared overwhelmingly difficult. At that moment, a stranger offered his help and reached down for the child, but before she could struggle out after him, he immediately rode off with her son. She followed only to discover the fellow was Jamie’s new guardian. If she wanted any part in her son’s future, she must fight her sister-in-law plus her own deep attraction to Jamie’s new guardian.Furious that the widow would abscond with his ward, Lord Adron Gladrey rescued Jamie, determined to protect him from a selfish mother able to persuade men to do her bidding and uncaring enough to expose her son to untold danger. After seeing her beauty for himself, he believed every word against her. He vowed she would soon learn he was not so easy to manipulate.Complicating her life still further, a villainous jewel thief committed murder for a rare blue diamond she had no idea was in her possession and he would kill again. After many twist and turns, she must fight for her life. Will her son’s guardian put aside his prejudices against beautiful women in time to help her or will she follow her husband to an early grave?
The Wronged Wife
Margaret Brazear - 2014
Driven by grief and blind rage, he lashes out violently at her and leaves, taking his five year old daughter with him. It is seven years before he learns his mistake, when his brother makes a death bed confession to raping Richard's wife. Lord Morton knows he must return to Cornwall, must reunite his daughter with the mother she has not seen for seven years, but he dreads the encounter. He expects no forgiveness for having torn their lives apart, but he is unprepared for what awaits him. He learns he did far more damage than he thought and when he finds his wife is studying the heretical and dangerous works of the religious reformer, Martin Luther, he fears he is too late to attempt to repair the damage. He cannot risk having the illicit works under the same roof as his daughter, but she is so happy to be with her mother, he cannot bear to separate them again. Years of heartache and resentment stand between them, but he will do anything to win her love and trust once more. It will be the greatest battle of his life. (A 60,000 word novel set in sixteenth century England)
An Arranged Marriage
Jo Beverley - 1991
"An Arranged Marriage" is the first of Beverley's beloved tales that began her popular "Company of Rogues" series. Eleanor Chivenham didn't put much past her vile brother, but even she had not anticipated his greedy scheme to dupe a rich earl into mistaking her for a lightskirt! With her reputation in shreds and her future ruined, a defeated Eleanor was forced to agree to a hasty wedding. But marriage to the mysterious Nicholas Delaney was more than she'd bargained for. He doubtless thought the worst of her, but when society gossip soon told her all about his beautiful French mistress, Eleanor tried to act with the cool dignity required in a marriage of convenience. But how long could she hold out against his undeniable charm -- or the secret desires of her heart? For the sake of family honor, Nicolas Delaney agreed to wed a wronged lady. In truth, such chivalry ran counter to his carefully wrought image of a carousing, dissolute rogue -- the guise so vital to his secret political mission. He hoped to keep his new wife in the background until a spy was trapped, but Eleanor's beauty and fighting wit were impossible to ignore. In fact, she presented quite a challenge to his prowess with women -- and a test of his formidable will!
The Devil's Love
Julia London - 1998
She believes her betrothed is a generous and noble man who has been longing for her. But the handsome man waiting for her at the altar is a dark, brooding stranger who rushes her into marriage, then abandons her at his country estate. Only the passion of Michael's kiss gives her hope that theirs can be more than a marriage of convenience.
A man's need... With scandal shadowing his past, Michael, the Devil of Darfield, had no need for a wife. Remembering only the little hellion who made life miserable for him aboard her father's ship, he resents the agreement he made to marry her so he could save his ancestral home. Though determined to ignore her, he cannot stop thinking about his lovely violet-eyed bride. Her beauty tempts him. Her charm bedevils him. He tries to drive her away until he almost loses her. Then he vows to regain her love—before it is too late....
Seducing the Duchess
Ashley March - 2010
Carousing. Flirting. Charlotte, Duchess of Rutherford, will do anything to create a scandal large enough to force her husband to finally petition for a divorce. Once madly in love with Philip, she is now determined to escape from their less than civil marriage and the reminders of his betrayal.Until he stole her away...Philip Burgess, Duke of Rutherford, is not a man to tolerate regrets. He wed Charlotte for revenge, not for love or convenience, knowing she would come to hate him. But he never expected he would one day find himself craving her attention or desiring her company.And gave her something more...Philip is no longer the cold, deceitful man she married years ago. And when he promises Charlotte a divorce if she will help him become a better husband for another woman, she wonders if she truly wants to lose him— and if Philip may still possess her heart after all.
My Lady Vixen
Connie Mason - 1987
Abducted by his men, held prisoner aboard a notorious privateering ship, she succumbed to Adam's masterful seduction--only to learn she had been nothing but a pawn in his game of revenge.Driven by despair, Alexa made a new name for herself as the boldly seductive mistress of a rival ship, and dared to challenge her lover at his own game...Stroke by stroke, kiss by kiss, she would teach Adam just how sweet revenge could be!
When Angels Fall
Meagan McKinney - 1990
. . five years since her world had collapsed in devastating ruin around her. Now, penniless and desperate, she finds herself at the mercy of a cruel, ruthless stranger—a man who vows to possess her, whose hot searing caresses fan the flames of her darkest desires. Tramore had returned home in triumph—the unwanted bastard was now Lord Ivan, eleventh Marquis of Powerscourt—the most powerful man in London. Yet one woman had sworn to defy him . . . the proud beauty whose touch had branded him forever. But when at last he holds Lissa trembling in his merciless embrace, his lust for vengeance suddenly explodes in a frenzied fever of passion, and now no power on heaven or earth can tear him from the innocent arms that hold him captive, or protect her from the rapturous moment when angels fall.
The Pleasure Seekers
Melanie George - 2002
But when Caine Ballinger, the Earl of Hartland -- famous the length and breadth of England for his sexual prowess -- lays siege to her, she's finally tempted to fall. Not just because of the passion he arouses in her untutored body; it's also the hint of vulnerability she sees beneath the arrogant, dangerous fa?ade he shows to the world.Caine is only wooing Lady Bliss to win a bet, so he can regain his ancestral estate -- with the added attraction that by seducing her, he'll get revenge against her father. All he's interested in is getting her luscious body beneath his, then publicly shaming her. So why does he feel so strange when her gentle fingers stroke his hard body, or her soft words soothe his tortured soul? And when the bet is revealed, Caine has to choose...between his longtime dream and the woman he craves with all his heart.