Book picks similar to
The Chef's Mail Order Bride by Cindy Caldwell
romance
historical-romance
historical
western
Unconquerable Callie
Deann Smallwood - 2013
She is also a dreamer. Her greatest hope is to reach a new life in South Pass City, Wyoming, where she can open a bakery and live an independent life. To be successful, she will need her greatest deception to date, a mythical fiancé who waits at the end of the line. As a woman alone, she has to prove to Seth McCallister, the wagon master, that she has the wherewithal and the stamina to survive months of drought, dust, hardships, and even the risk of death.Seth McCallister is mystified by the audacity and determination of Callie Collins. His initial distrust and concern for Callie, a woman traveling alone, opens first to admiration, then friendship, then love, a love that he is forced to hold at bay. What he doesn’t realize is that there is no fiancé. To make matters worse, Callie develops feelings for Seth McCallister, too. Yet she feels certain that once he realizes her deception, he’ll turn away, ashamed of his love and trust in her.
Lucien's Fall
Barbara Samuel - 1995
Against her better judgment, however, she is powerfully drawn to the elusive and dangerous Lucien, whose hard-hearted façade hides a tragedy that is slowly devouring him from within.As Lucien and Madeline circle each other in a magnetic play of desire and denial, their passion will rise to a crescendo of longing and sacrifice that will change their fates forever.
Enchant: Beauty and the Beast Retold
Demelza Carlton - 2017
An enchanting beauty. Only love can break the spell.Once upon a time...The wicked King Thorn forced the enchantress Zuleika to cast a terrible curse. She fled his court to travel the world, helping those who need her magic most. Until a search for her merchant father's lost ships leads her to an enchanted island, where Prince Vardan, the island's ruler, is afflicted by the most powerful curse Zuleika has ever encountered. She's not sure she can reverse the spell, but she's determined to try. After all, a prince who fights pirates can't be all bad...no matter how beastly his appearance.Together, can the enchanting beauty and the beastly prince break the spell?Romance a Medieval Fairytale series:Each book is a standalone, so they can be read in any order:(#1) Enchant: Beauty and the Beast Retold (#2) Dance: Cinderella Retold (#3) Fly: Goose Girl Retold (#4) Revel: Twelve Dancing Princesses Retold (#5) Silence: Little Mermaid Retold (#6) Awaken: Sleeping Beauty Retold (#7) Embellish: Brave Little Tailor Retold (#8) Appease: Princess and the Pea Retold (#9) Blow: Three Little Pigs Retold (#10) Return: Hansel and Gretel Retold (#11) Wish: Aladdin Retold (#12) Melt: Snow Queen Retold (#13) Spin: Rumpelstiltskin Retold (#14) Kiss: Frog Prince Retold (#15) Hunt: Red Riding Hood Retold(#16) Reflect: Snow White Retold (#17) Roar: Goldilocks Retold
Runaway Heart
Amity Lassiter - 2014
With her teenage sister in tow, Ren picks Three Rivers, Colorado and hopes that it will provide them with the quiet, simple life she's been looking for. She doesn't expect responding to a job ad will have her suddenly wanting to break her only hard and fast rule: never lay down roots. Dane Baylor already has his hands full running the family cattle operation when a tragic accident leaves him as his young nephew's legal guardian. Before long, he finds himself over his head and desperate not to betray the trust his brother put in him. He doesn't know how badly he needs Ren until she shows up and balances out not only his life but his heart. For the first time in years, Ren feels safe, and despite her best efforts, believing in the happy life she could have with the man who offers her the love she's never known. But when her past comes knocking, threatening her new family and her new life, she may have no choice but to fight for everything she holds dear. RUNAWAY HEART (Dane Baylor & Ren Maddock) HOMECOMING HEART (Noah Baylor & Emma Pierce) SECONDHAND HEART (Finn Baylor & Lily Jacobs) Hearts of Three Rivers is a series with recurring characters throughout, however, each book may be read as a standalone or out of order with ease. Runaway Heart is a contemporary 'sweet Western heat' novel -- including cursing and open door bedroom scenes, but little frank language.
The Honeymoon Prize
Melissa McClone - 2014
Winning an unexpected dream honeymoon turns into a nightmare when they find a reality TV crew waiting for them on the island paradise. With cameras rolling, filming their every move, the lines blur between fantasy and reality. Acting like passionate newlyweds wreaks havoc on their platonic agreement. Will Nick and Addie succumb to their feelings off camera, turning their make-believe marriage into a real fairytale?
The Secret Heart
Erin Satie - 2014
He’s nobody’s prey.Adam, Earl of Bexley, lives to work. His only relief is the sordid savagery of bare-knuckle boxing. Not women, and definitely not a disreputable, scheming woman who dances in secret with such passion…Caro Small is desperate to escape her selfish family. Her only chance is a good marriage, and she intends to marry Adam—whether he likes it or not. But the more she schemes to entrap him, the more she risks trapping her own heart.Adam won’t be caught by a fortune-hunter’s ambitious schemes. But the vulnerable, passionate woman underneath the plots might just bring him to his knees.
A Run for Love
Callie Hutton - 2011
When she finds herself the legal guardian of her two nieces, two nephews, and facing eviction from her Kansas home, she enters the 1889 Oklahoma Land Run and confronts a new set of challenges. The biggest obstacle being her new neighbor, cocky lawyer Jesse Cochran, the son of a whore-a man determined to put his past behind him and start a new life and family of his own. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Tori is determined to keep him at arm's length, but a family emergency brings them together and they declare a truce. Can Jesse win Tori's heart after a series of unplanned events, or will tragedy tear them apart forever?
California Caress
Rebecca Sinclair - 1989
And if that meant paying notorious gunslinger Drake Frazier to take his place in a fight, she'd barter her last gold nugget. But Hope soon discovered she'd have to give the handsome rattlesnake more than riches if she wanted his help. His improper demands infuriated her; even as she luxuriated in the tantalizing heat of his embrace, she refused to yield to her desires. She'd accept his terms, then find a way to escape him... somehow...
The Reluctant Duke
Christine Donovan - 2012
Society is pulling them apart. She can't become his wife and won't become his mistress.The last thing wounded veteran Major Thomas Marshal wanted was a title. It wasn’t supposed to happen. But duty has a way of pulling a man into things he doesn’t want and away from the things he needs.The only thing Miss Guinevere Harding needs is a safe place to hide. A job as the downstairs maid at Brookshire is the perfect refuge from a frightening past. Or at least it was until the arrival of the new Duke.
Short-Straw Bride
Karen Witemeyer - 2012
Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a lethal plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a twelve-year-old debt compels her to take the risk.Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt send him riding to her rescue once again.Four brothers. Four straws. One bride. Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she determines to stand by his side against the enemy that threatens them both. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her merely as a short-straw bride?
Don't Tie the Knot
Bianca Blythe - 2018
Never mind that his brother is already engaged, and they’ll lose their family’s estate if he marries someone else. Hamish will just have to find a way to stop the wedding. Georgiana Butterworth is startled when a handsome Scotsman breaks into her bedroom and brandishes money. Evidently he’s mistaken her for her newly engaged sister and is trying to bribe her into not marrying his brother. Georgiana knows one thing: she won’t permit this man to ruin her sister’s chance for everlasting happiness. Hamish may be determined to stop the wedding, but Georgiana is intent to make certain the wedding happens, no matter what she has to do to distract him.
His Stolen Bride
Shelly Thacker - 1991
Stealing the delicate beauty on her wedding day, he vows to keep her safe—and untouched—for she is a hostage to be bartered for the freedom of his beloved Scotland. But soon he discovers that his lovely captive has unexpected strength, fire—and plans of her own. From a besieged French castle to the untamed Scottish Highlands, Darach and Laurien are swept up in wild adventure, dangerous secrets…and forbidden love that puts their honor and their lives at risk.An RWA Golden Heart Award Finalist: Best Historical Romance of the Year“A compelling, memorable romance. HIS STOLEN BRIDE joins the ranks of the finest medieval captive/captor stories along with those by Elizabeth Stuart and Johanna Lindsey. 4 1/2 stars (highest rating)." -RT Book ReviewsAn earlier edition of this novel was originally published by Avon Books under the title Falcon on the Wind. This extensively revised Author's Preferred Edition includes new scenes never before published.The Stolen Brides SeriesThese regal brides are about to discover that falling in love with a warrior is the most dangerous adventure of all. Each book is a stand-alone, steamy historical romance:Book 1: HIS STOLEN BRIDE (Darach and Laurien)Book 2: FOREVER HIS (Gaston and Celine)Book 3: HIS FORBIDDEN TOUCH (Royce and Princess Ciara)Book 4: HIS CAPTIVE BRIDE (Hauk and Avril)Book 5: HIS SCOTTISH BRIDE (Henri and Aileen)
How to Catch a Wild Viscount
Tessa Dare - 2009
Battle stripped away his civility and brought out his inner beast. There is no charm or tenderness in him now; only dark passions and a hardened soul. He has nothing to offer the starry-eyed, innocent girl who pledged her heart to him four years ago.But Cecily Hale isn't a girl any longer. She's grown into a woman--one who won't be pushed away. She and Luke are guests at a house party when a local legend captures their friends' imaginations. While the others plunge into the forest on a wild goose...er, stag chase, Cecily's on the hunt for a man. She has only a few moonlit nights to reach the real Luke...the wounded heart she knows still beats inside the war-ravaged body...or she could lose him to the darkness forever.This is a novella of approximately 20,000 words, or 80 pages. It was originally published under the title The Legend of the Werestag.
Montana Reunion
Soraya M. Lane - 2012
When Maddison returns home after years away, Jack is all grown up and ready to make up for lost time. And so is Maddison… the only trouble is, Jack needs more than a friend. So when she suggests that a marriage of convenience could help Jack save his ranch, it seems like everything is falling into place. Until Jack finds out that Maddison wants a baby.Their friendship is too important to ruin, but after a night of unexpected passion, everything changes. Because Maddison is pregnant and Jack’s made it clear that their marriage will be one of convenience only. And he never wants to be a dad.
A Rake's Redemption
Cynthia Breeding - 2018
His game is seduction and nothing more. His feelings regarding aristocratic ladies leads to an outlandish idea—prove a servant can be taught to be as ladylike as those born to it. And the beautiful Inis Fitzgerald might be just the woman for his plan.Inis Fitzgerald escaped her home in Dublin to avoid an arranged marriage and is now working for a rakishly handsome lord who seems to enjoy bucking convention as much as she does. She plays along with his little game, pretending she knows nothing about being a lady. It doesn’t take long before Alex discovers Inis is every bit as much of an aristocrat as the women he’s sworn only to seduce and not love…