What she needs is a husband, and she knows well enough that romance and matrimony aren't always compatible. While providing for her twins and the child she now carries is paramount, wedding a virtual stranger—even a wealthy one, like Gideon St. Goddard, Duke of Stanthorpe—is no light matter.Sabrina knows the friend who arranged the union would not promise her to a true scoundrel, but one look at her future husband convinces her that he is a shameless rogue. A shockingly handsome and desirable one, at that. Why has he agreed to marry her? When Gideon flashes that wicked, seductive smile, the reason hardly matters, but the chance that he'll steal her heart becomes all too real...

    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 THRILL OF DESIRE.What is the invigorating appeal of the younger man? Is it his boyish charm, his enthusiasm for life? His appreciation of a woman's experience, and his eagerness to learn more? Or perhaps it's his vigor, his unending appetite, and his willingness to please. In this scintillating quartet of stories by four of today's most popular romance writers, the answers are discovered in a younger man's embrace ... in tender promises of pleasure whispered behind closed doors ... in the hunger of his deep, soft, candlelight kisses ... and in his ability to reawaken in his lover the joyous simplicity of a past innocence....Let yourself go..."The Demon's Mistress" / Jo BeverleyA wealthy widow's proposition to a young officer could prove to be his redemption or his downfall...."A Man Who Can Dance" / Cathy MaxwellA governess offers lessons in the art of wooing to a studious bachelor--only to fall in love herself with his newfound charm...."Written in the Stars" / Jaclyn RedingIn order to fulfill an ancient family prophecy, a young woman is destined to marry a younger man--or else court disaster...."Forevermore" / Lauren RoyalA sensible woman throws caution to the wind when her fantasy man becomes a flesh-and-blood reality with an offer she can't refuse....

    Aster Tanner is alone in the world and keeps a roof over her head by working the one asset she has - her mind. She needs her job; she does not need a Scotsman underfoot, making her heart flutter with heated glances and impertinent questions.Iain McIntyre, Captain in the Second Dragoons, has a confidential assignment: find a list rumoured to name traitors working against England. He is looking for anything unusual -- like a woman working as a secretary. He tells himself his fascination with the lass is because she holds a man's position, and nothing to do with his rising desire to know the sharp mind hidden behind her darkened glasses.When Aster is targeted by those intent on recovering the list, she must decide who to trust. She has seven encrypted names. But whose? Meanwhile, Iain is on the trail of a double agent. Time is running out, and secrets must be decoded before lives and hearts are sacrificed.

    Aware of the dangers in nursing a potential scoundrel back to health, she nevertheless takes a chance on the handsome stranger—especially when he awakens with no memory.When Jackson Montgomery comes to, he is greeted by a vision of beauty that instantly sparks the fire of passion within him. But as his memory returns, the shattering secrets hidden in his past threaten to destroy any chance he has of winning Amanda’s love. Only through feigned amnesia can Jackson capture Amanda’s heart, but can he do so before she learns the truth of his brazen charade and his dark past?

    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.

    Nothing can tempt him to remain, not even Lily, the beautiful bluestocking determined not only to restore relations between him and his grandfather, but to turn Ewan into a proper gentleman. Ewan, proud of his Scottish heritage, refuses to admit that Lily, a blue-eyed, English girl, has claimed his heart. It doesn’t matter that his big lump of a sheepdog is madly in love with her. Nor is it significant that Ewan can always tell Lily apart from her identical twin sister. Always. Lily Farthingale, the scholarly twin, dreams of becoming the first female member of the Royal Society. She grabs at the chance when the elderly Duke of Lotheil approaches her with a proposition - he’ll admit her into the Royal Society, if she helps him to establish a relation with his estranged grandson, Ewan Cameron, a very rough-around-the-edges Scotsman who hates everything English. Between shootings, explosions, and Lily’s abduction, Ewan ends up falling in love with Lily in this Pygmalion-inspired story.

     Ashamed of his behaviour he hides away in his country seat, determined to become a sensible gentleman, no longer caught up by whichever eligible young lady catches his eye. The only problem? A beautiful tenant named Julia who is living in his gatehouse. William knows that he should have very little to do with his tenants but he simply cannot get her out of his mind. The more time he spends, the more he wants to know her despite their difference in status. A sudden accident leads to a whole new life for Julia, who is loathe to tell him much about herself, despite their intimate connection. When the truth finally comes out and Julia confesses all, William must decide what to do with the lady who has stolen his heart. Authors Note: This is a clean, stand-alone romance with an HEA. If you love clean Regency-era romances you will love The Viscount in Hiding!

    Suspecting the culprit traveled in society circles, she diverts attention from eavesdropping and prying with constant and tiresome complaints of illness.But nothing is as it seems...Sir James Branstoke sees straight through Cecilia's feigned fragility. Intrigued by her odd behavior, he believes she has secrets—secrets that could lead to her demise. So, the hunter follows the huntress through society, never imagining that what has started as a chance inquiry could lead to a surprising love greater than either had ever known.But will the cost of uncovering a murderer be too high? Can Cecilia and James reveal the culprit so love can blossom in the end?

    She must find a husband soon or risk being ruined forever. Just as she is beginning to give up hope, William Marsden asks her to dance. Young, handsome, and kind, he seems to be the perfect answer to her prayers. But before he can claim her as his own, they must deal with the consequences when the Earl of Scarcliffe discovers the true nature of his sister's situation... This is a short novella intended as a companion read to the two series, Scandals of Scarcliffe Hall and Redeeming the Rakes..

    Each is about to discover the woman who is his perfect match—but perfection doesn't come easily, even for the noble Duke of Ashton...Battered by the sea, Adam remembers nothing of his past, his ducal rank, nor the shipwreck that almost claimed his life. However, he's delighted to hear that the golden-haired vision tending his wounds is his wife. Mariah's name and face may be familiar, but her touch, her warmth, feel deliciously right. When Mariah Clarke prayed for a way to deter a bullying suitor, she didn't imagine she'd find the answer washed ashore on a desolate beach. Convincing Adam that he is her husband is surprisingly easy. Resisting the temptation to act his wife, in every way, will prove anything but. And now a passion begun in fantasy has become dangerously real—and completely irresistible.

    The poor man has never actually spoken to her, but he knows what he wants and it’s Laura. One night at a barn dance he resolves to ask her for a dance. A dance, a walk, and soon enough, he’ll might even have the nerve to ask her to be his wife.Laura Kemper has no intention of marrying—her mind is too much occupied with her father’s decline and her family’s woes. So when the handsome farmer she’s never noticed much before asks her to dance, she accepts, thinking it will go no farther.But when the dance turns into a blossoming affection, Laura finds herself the recipient of an unexpected proposal. She must decide which is more dear: her duty to her family or her feelings for Marcus.

    Even this might have proved tolerable. After all, Lydia was an independent sort of a girl, more than capable of holding her own against importunate tradesmen, and more than happy to bring her younger sister up on her own.It would not do, however. The state in which Lydia discovered the family affairs made independent existence quite out of the question. In spite of all her best efforts, within a few months of her mama’s death, and scarcely out of full mourning, it became apparent to her that there was nothing to be done but to acknowledge the inevitable and appeal to her relations for help….It is 1810. Lydia, now penniless, is forced to seek a home with an aunt and uncle who have no interest in her whatsoever. But there are plenty of others with an interest in her – including the handsome but selfish son of the family – her cousin Charles - and two elegant brothers who live nearby.Each, in his own way, poses an intriguing challenge to her. Luckily Lydia is well able to look after herself but she gets into a number of scrapes which almost cost her any chance of happiness before finally managing to sort things out in the end.

    But he has no choice other than to say farewell to the sea and accept the title of Baron Ridlington—which includes the almost-ruined estate, and his five resident siblings. He is going to need some help, and soon. It comes in the unexpected form of a nasty crack on the head, a ministering hand and a woman who has hidden herself away in the countryside. Rosaline Henry finds the unconscious Baron strangely appealing, and when he makes an unexpected but practical suggestion - she agrees, as much for him as for herself. Thus begins a voyage of discovery which takes them to new heights of familial creativity, private passion and risky adventure. The sea is in Edmund’s veins, so of course there are ships, spies, fogs and storms, not to mention flirtatious Hussars, a mustache of unsurpassed magnificence, a chicken with unusual preferences…and a fortuitous attack of mal-de-mer! Can Edmund take the helm of a different kind of ship and steer Ridlington back into the calmer waters of the countryside? Of course, but he needs the right woman’s hand on the wheel…

    or is it?Having just inherited his uncle’s viscountcy, George Bennett-Jones is informed by his mistress that he must find a bride, preferably the daughter of an aristocrat. Through a series of lessons, she instructs George on the finer points of meeting and courting a woman of the ton–and she has one in mind for him.It’s love at first sight when George spies Lady Elizabeth Carlington dancing with the Earl of Trenton. But the auburn-haired beauty is quite sure the earl will offer for her hand, and she has every intention of accepting–even if his kiss has her feeling as if she were being kissed by her best friend’s dog!When Elizabeth mentions the unfortunate kiss during the ball’s supper, George implies there is an art to kissing, innocently offering to replace her poor first impression with a proper kiss. Intrigued, and unaware that George is a viscount and a secret patron of her charity, Elizabeth accepts his offer at the next ball. George is more than happy to accommodate her. His kiss has the daughter of a marquess so stunned, so amazed and so aroused, she requests that he demonstrate the pleasures that can be had in a marriage bed. Knowing he has only one night to court the woman who has captured his heart, George sets out to prove himself while promising he will leave her virtue intact.Will the evening of pleasure he has planned for Elizabeth convince her to accept his hand in marriage? Or simply leave her with a vivid memory of what she will be missing should she accept the earl’s marriage proposal? The lessons of a mistress prove invaluable in "The Kiss of a Viscount".