Frustrated with being passed over, there's nothing that a well-born lady can do about it. But at four and twenty, she's starting to worry that this is her lot in life - until a fiery encounter with the Duke of Axwick. Richard St Maur, sixteenth in his line, has sworn an oath never to marry. He's seen the damage of the male Axwick line, and he won't bring another gambler or drunkard into the world. Of course, that doesn't mean he can't have a little fun and there's no one he'd like to play with more than Miss Tabitha Chesworth. He's determined to have her. She's determined to hold out until a ring is on her finger. Sparks fly as this repeat bridesmaid takes on one of the most determined men of the ton. Whose offer will eventually be accepted? Will the Duke of Axwick find his way into Tabitha's bed - or her heart? This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order. Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited! Never the Bride Series Always the Bridesmaid Always the Chaperone Always the Courtesan Always the Best Friend Always the Wallflower Always the Bluestocking

    Now an encoretante whose family has lost a fortune, Lydia discovers that the beau monde is hard on a nouveau riche social climber, particularly one who is no longer riche and only wants to climb trees. Lydia must stave off the effrontery of rakes and conniving competitors long enough to make a good match, or else incur society's scorn by earning her own money. Falling for the unattainable Lord Aldley is a distraction she cannot afford. But they share such an enchanted history, how can her heart resist?The tragically virtuous Earl of Aldley is tired of ambitious families hurling debutantes at his head, but cannot hide in France forever. He returns to London to seek out the mysterious tree-climbing girl who once saved him from a scheming chit, and finds more than he bargained for. Abductions, seductions, trickery and injury all endanger Lydia, but Lord Aldley's heart is imperiled beyond rescue. He has only just found her; will he lose her forever to his enemy, his best friend, or his own dangerous mistake?Three Abductions and an Earl is a full length novel and the first book in Tessa Candle's Parvenues and Paramours series.

    A stolen kiss and a Yuletide wedding. Sparks fly, but will hearts melt this Christmas? When confirmed bluestocking, Tessa Penrose, is thoroughly compromised at a Yuletide ball by Jasper, the Earl of Arlington, she is none too pleased to have to marry him. But not only her reputation is at stake. Can Tessa trust this disreputable rogue with a secret she will do anything to hide? One thing is certain: she dare not trust her husband with her heart. Author's note: This novella originally appeared in the Bluestocking Belles' Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem box set.

    Penniless and stranded, she found only one way to get home: charge four hapless American Colonials to find them titled husbands in London. At the ship, she realized their mothers expected each to wed the Marquess of Andover, but how hard could it be to seek an introduction? Meanwhile, Captain Grant St. Benedict was anything but friendly. Why? Because her girls set fire to the rigging? Grant had never met a woman more irritating, or more desirable, than the Lady Patience Kendall. But however dangerous his interest, he couldn't resist teaching the delicious distraction that independence was nothing to passion.

    She has been sold to the highest bidder so that she may produce an heir for the devilishly handsome and arrogant Earl and she is outraged. How can she have any respect or feelings for a man whose reputation is that of a complete wastrel and philanderer? She resolves to resist him at all costs yet Sophia is totally unprepared for the exquisite pleasure she experiences from her husband’s wicked hands as he introduces her to a world of sexual delight she had no idea existed. For Ralph, when his cousin had suggested he take a wife to heal the rift in his family, it had seemed the perfect solution to his problems. However, he hadn’t counted on choosing someone as spiritedly passionate as Sophia and something inside of him reacts to her in a way that disconcerts him. What started out as a necessary chore soon becomes an exciting challenge as he determines to do what he does best - seduce his young wife and put an end to the estrangement that exists between them. But why is Sophia’s good opinion becoming increasingly important to him? And why does he feel the compulsive need to convince her that he is not the unsavoury character she believes him to be?

    Two dukes. One Christmas. And scandal galore. A Christmas anthology by two hot names in historical romance fiction...Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson by Delilah MarvelleLady Jane left her father, the Earl of Chadwick, and the ton behind to experience life on the stage. After a disastrous marriage, the widow is living on the edge of poverty, determined to guard her heart, when a secret admirer from her past demands a second chance.Shy and retiring Martin Nicholas Pierce, the Sixth Duke of Somerset, has carried a torch for Lady Jane since her youth, but he is five years her junior. When she married another man, he left for Europe, determined to put her out of his mind. After returning to find Lady Jane free, he vows to replace the memories of her cursed Twelfth Night with a new beginning. The Twelve Days of Seduction By Màire ClaremontAlexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford, is aware his ward's governess isn’t quite what she seems. Although Miss Flint is beautiful and intelligent, she misrepresented herself to gain employment, and he threatens to give her the sack mere days before Christmas.Desperate to convince the sexy duke not to tear her from the little girl she's grown to adore, Adriana challenges him to seduce her before the Twelve Days of Christmas have come to an end, although she fears it may cost her heart. Alexander accepts the challenge, unconcerned that he has as much to lose, if not more, than the delectable Miss Flint.

    It is only one week after her husband’s death and Miranda cannot ignore the temptation to have a taste of what she threw away all those years ago when she followed her parents’ wishes. But to entice the man she never stopped loving, she will have to act quickly.Now the Earl of Sanderson, Andrew is no longer the same man who once believed in love. When Miranda asks him to help her conceive a child—one whom she means to pass off as the next Hathaway heir—he sees her deceit as proof that she is not the same woman he once knew. However, he cannot ignore the temptation to finally have her in his bed.Miranda knows she is infertile, but her deception gives her three weeks with Andrew. He plans to use that time to finally consign Miranda Hathaway to the past, while she hopes to build memories that will last her a lifetime.

    Until his body turned him into a monster. He had no choice but to separate himself from the world, to hide his monstrous self from society, to cast away his future. But the brilliant and beautiful Eve Cornwell refused to believe he could not be saved, even as she refused to guard her heart. And all the while she knew she couldn’t keep him once she’d loved him back into the light. .... Book One: CAST IN SHADOWS Book Two: CAST IN RUIN Book Three: CAST IN ICE

    But when her father catches her kissing the handsome Sir Roland (how else is she to determine if he is the one who will make her feel thunder and lightning, hear bells and music?), he declares that her days of headstrong independence are over. She will, he commands, announce her engagement to Sir Roland—immediately. But in an age where marriages are about alliances rather than affection, practicality not passion, Myriah wants more—she wants to fall in love. And she does not love Sir Roland. So she runs away to her grandfather with her faithful manservant, Tabson, at her side.A wrong turn in the fog, however, leads to the discovery of an injured young man, and before she knows it Myriah is caught up in world of intrigue and secrets. And when she meets the young man’s older brother, the mysterious Lord Kit Wimborne, the sparks fly. Their first encounter—in his bed, both of them naked, no less!—is an explosion of wills, and it is what finally set Myriah on fire.She has, it seems, finally found her thunder and lightning…**note: this is an updated version of an earlier novel written as Claudette Williams. The updated versions of Claudy's Claudette Williams titles are more sexually explicit than the original versions.

    Clare must look after her siblings and run the household. Now she must add to her worries the fate of Dominic, a poor orphan who has inspired the wrath of the king himself. Clearly Linnet has no time to consider her own desires—much less notice the attentions of a certain handsome, powerful magistrate…Sir Anthony Tait is at a loss for how to capture Linnet’s interest. If only she would be still long enough for courting. Outright seduction seems the only answer. But will his kisses be enough to persuade her—or might Anthony have something to learn from young Dominic about matters of the heart? And in saving the boy’s future, might Anthony and Linnet at last create their own?

    Her prospects are promising by the standards of London society, yet, not one of them causes her heart to flutter, or her head to fill with scintillating, forbidden fantasies. Those feelings are reserved for Camden Rycroft, Duke of Avonleah—a man who isn’t even aware of her existence.While attending a scandalous Vauxhall Gardens masquerade, Margaret finds herself in the duke’s arms. His promise of a night of pleasure is tempting, but is it worth it when Avonleah is a known rake notorious for his short attention span and avoidance of marriage?Camden Rycroft is intrigued by the masked vixen he encounters in the Gardens. After one night with her leaves him hungry for more, his desire for her turns into a fiery obsession. Despite the scandal that could ensue from their affair, he finds himself unable to extract himself from a situation destined to end in pain. When faced with losing Margaret to a potential husband, will he rise to the occasion, or risk living without her?

    Four years ago, his fiancée betrayed him and he has no desire to experience that again so when he meets the beautiful Rebecca Kingsley, it’s passion at first sight. And only passion.Rebecca has led a very quiet life working for her father at a small country inn. When she meets Geoffrey she falls in love with him right away. But she’s only the daughter of a baronet and men like Geoffrey never marry country girls like her. Do they?When Rebecca’s father tries to marry her off to a wealthy old man, Geoffrey intervenes and marries her himself. He wants her very much but he couldn’t possibly love her. Love is for fools. At least that’s what he tells himself. But a sinister enemy soon threatens to destroy all that Geoffrey holds dear, forcing him to face the truth. His marriage depends on it... And maybe even Rebecca’s very life.

    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?

    With a reputation that makes nice young ladies swoon, he is just not the marrying kind.A friend to the rescue...Unwitting wallflower Felicity Bunting is only trying to protect a friend when she finds herself in a compromising situation with this lusty lord.An unlikely pairing...She might not have meant to do it, but Bunty just accidentally trapped Lord Courtney into marriage.Neither of them is what the other ever expected to have, but perhaps they might be all they ever wanted. The Winter Bride Widowed farmer Ned Hardy is facing a bleak winter and a lonely Christmas alone, when a beautiful young woman turns up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, frozen and terrified. Stunned by the arrival of a fine lady who looks like a Christmas angel, all of Ned’s protective instincts flare to life.Grace Honeyfield is on the run from her abusive brother and the terrifying man he’s forcing her to marry. Escaping into the darkness on a snowy night, she stumbles onto an isolated farm, and into the arms of a handsome farmer. Although not a gentleman by birth, Grace comes to realise Ned deserves the title more than any well-bred man of her acquaintance.When Ned offers to marry Grace to keep her safe, he dares hope that the future might hold more happiness than the past. To his astonishment Grace agrees to his proposal, and Ned can’t help but wonder if all his Christmases have come at once…

    His mother was right. He still had deep feelings for her and wanted to make things right between them.Two Tempted Loves - Ebony McKenna writing as Ebony OatenA newly-minted marquis meets an heiress on a missionThree French Men - Ava JanuaryThree ladies need to rid themselves of the men they find living in their house. Or will they find a way to keep them in instead?Four Calling Cards - Susanne BellamyHer fiancé is missing and his best friend takes his place. What can possibly go wrong?Five Gold Flings - Beverley OakleyWicked and lively Fanny and Antoinette Brightwell have made spectacular marriages. Now, it’s their children’s turn to play matchmaker...Six Belles Need Saving - Janis LinfordA reluctant debutante and a viscount on the brink of ruin, tangle at a Christmas school of manners.Seven Lords Proposing - Erin GraceAmateur botanist Charlotte Grey has long declared she should never wed. When six eligible gentlemen offer for Miss Grey’s hand at a party, she sets them impossible tasks.Eight Spinsters Singing - Catherine BilsonAn heiress fleeing an unwanted marriage must place her trust in an American ship captain.Nine Years A'Yearning - Alison StuartA wounded soldier and a lonely girl find love at Christmas time, but the fortunes of war will tear them apart.Ten Shipwrecked Books - Renée DahliaLord Rupert Stanmore was banished to the continent for a grand tour after being caught kissing his best friend, Lord Benburgh. Two years later and life back in England has caught up to him.Eleven Christmas Pipers - Pamela HartA Widow who'll never love a soldier again. Especially one who plays the bagpipes!Twelve Drummers Coming - Heidi Wessman KnealeMaude regarded her teacup. So that was Uncle Nate's eldest son? She'd heard much about him, of his grand career as a soldier. Funny that nobody mentioned he was only a drummer.