It was formerly published in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance.

    Welcome to the Sinners Club... Secret Desires Faith Pelly is tired of being the responsible daughter. She longs for adventure with a man who will introduce her to the secrets of carnal desire. But she never dreams she will meet the Savage Rake who flirts with her, seduces her and takes her as his own… Dark Secrets Asked to investigate charges of treason, the Earl of Westbrook attends a house party determined to discover the truth. That includes using all his sensual wiles on the lovely Miss Pelly, a beguiling young woman eager for erotic excitement with a man who will fulfill all her secret fantasies. And he plans on being that man...

    She’s ramshackle, always says what she thinks and prefers riding and fishing over sewing and social graces. Grayson Lyall, Marquis of Carraway, is Society’s ideal of a perfect gentleman. He’s handsome, wealthy and considered a war hero by everyone but himself. A gentleman, that is, until he sets eyes on the intriguingly different Lady Juliana, emotionally jilted and humiliated and under pressure to change everything about herself. For her, he is quite willing to play the hero to a reluctant damsel in distress. But nothing is ever easy with Lady Juliana. It will take persistence.

    But when he finally catches up to her on an airship flying above Europe's zombie-infested cities, Elizabeth discovers that Caius isn't the only danger she has to fear—and now that he's found her, Caius doesn't intend to let her go...Originally published in the anthology Fire & Frost.

    So when he sees the alluring Miss Pippa Welby from across a crowded ballroom, he vows to make her his. But the bold and spirited Pippa has sworn never to marry into the haute ton. Now Lucas must win her the only way he knows how—one wicked kiss at a time.The daughter of a wealthy tradesman, Pippa has been sneered at by the upper echelons her entire life. So when the duke arrives on her doorstep with an invitation to her own engagement ball—to him—in ten days, Pippa hatches a daring plan. She must lose the duke before the ball, or risk losing her own heart.

    Ten years later, Dominick returns determined to claim the woman he has never stopped loving, and he'll do anything, no matter how outrageous, to get close to Roxanne again. But is she still the passionate, loving girl who claimed his heart? (Originally released under the title The Devil's Spawn.) The Wedding of the Century (Gilded Age, 1885) Beautiful Sunny Vangelder is the richest and most admired of the American heiresses who crossed the Atlantic to find a glamorous future in England. Thwarted of her hope to marry for love, Sunny is pressured into marrying a deeply reserved duke. To the world, the Gilded Girl and the Duke of Thornborough are dazzling celebrities, but inside the marriage are two lonely people yearning for love. Can Sunny and Justin find each other amidst the glitter and the gold? Praise for the stories: The Wedding of the Century "The simple premise is one of my favorites: The First Year of Marriage between Two Very Different People. We see how Sunny Vangelder, an American heiress, and Justin Aubrey, second son turned duke, turn a marriage of convenience into a love match, despite misunderstandings and personality differences. —All About Romance "The writing is vivid, the stories are unique and well developed and the characters have you cheering for their HEA. I enjoyed every moment!" —Long and Short Reviews Claiming His Bride "Fun! A writer at play, and the reader enjoys her game." —Amazon reviewer About the Author A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USAToday bestselling author, Mary Jo Putney's novels are known for psychological depth and intensity and include historical and contemporary romance, fantasy, and young adult fantasy. Winner of numerous writing awards, including two RITAs, three Romantic Times Career Achievement awards, and the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America, she has had numerous books listed among Library Journal’s and Booklist's top romances of the year.

    Her attempt to steal the book from him fails, but the tall and powerful scholar unexpectedly offers to help her quest! But when they finally find the book--and the arousing poems and artwork inside--Jia's longing for freedom is replaced with a new kind of desire for Cheng....

    Inspired by tales told by a beloved tutor of the bold and brawny men of Scotland, Alexandra visits that misty land, hoping to find true love. But while traveling without the protection of her royal name, she finds herself accused of thievery by an angry innkeeper. Rescued by the dashing and handsome Earl of Kintore, she thinks she’s found the answer to her prayers—a man worth falling in love with. But Kintore has other ideas. An avowed bachelor who long ago swore off marriage, the earl wants nothing more than a passionate interlude with this beautiful, exotic stranger. But soon Alexandra’s intoxicating beauty and seductive touch leave Kintore wondering if a mere interlude will be enough...

    Blue, an elite spy, tracks an assassin to Naples and the theater where his estranged wife performs. As he falls in love with his Helena again, Blue races to apprehend the assassin before he destroys them both.

    The story is available for free on Karen Chance's website.

    even if it requires a most scandalous seduction.Wooing may not be his strong suit...Admittedly, when it comes to courtship, the Marquess of Wallingham's strategy has been a few roses short of a bouquet. Charles Bainbridge has spent two long years wooing the woman he loves, waiting patiently until he is half mad. Now, at a winter hunting party, he has one last chance to persuade her they are meant to be. And this time, he won't let meaningless doubts, his meddling mother, or a few mishaps and mangled bonnets stand in his way.And passion may not be hers...Safe and comfortable inside her tidy, carefully ordered existence, Julia Willoughby has never known longing like this. Others see Charles as the quiet, manageable sort. Julia sees the truth: This dragon's son has a fire of his own. Enough to sear her with a touch, a glance, a kiss. For the sake of his happiness, she refuses to bind him in a childless union. Her heart, however, isn't so easily convinced, for it wants Charles rather madly.But a marquess must do what a marquess must do...Outraged at the thought of losing her to a dusty country squire, Charles makes a final offer: Spend twelve nights in his bed, and if she can still deny they are perfect for each other, he will let her go. But not before thoroughly tempting the lovely, stubborn Julia to trade sensible predictability for the sweet chaos of true love.

    But when her mother dies unexpectedly, forcing Amelia to take employment as companion to a wealthy cit’s daughter, she quickly learns to play down her looks or risk losing her position. When her employers, the Smithsons, decide to throw a country house party, she is determined to fade into the background. But how can she when the Smithson’s guest of honor is Lord Quentin Fortescue, the childhood friend who stole her heart?Younger son, Lord Quentin Fortescue, is far more interested in his host’s cotton mills in the north than he is in courting the man’s dim-witted daughter. But it’s the girl’s companion who makes him look twice. Years ago, Miss Amelia Snowe rejected his proposal without a backward glance. Quentin has molded himself into just the sort of man she’d have wanted back then, but is Amelia still the smug beauty who broke his heart? And can either of them risk their newfound positions to indulge the fiery attraction that burns between them?

    She takes refuge at a centuries-old inn where the only available room is haunted by the ghost of a warrior who fell at Culloden Moor.One who refuses to give up his side of the bed.Johnathan de Lohr awakens to find a siren bathing in the chamber of sorrows that keeps his restless spirit imprisoned. Though he’s the ghost, John knows that the captivating woman will be the one to haunt him.Unless they can figure out a way to set his tormented soul free.Please note: This novella is also connected to The Victorian Rebels SeriesPreviously published in the anthology, A Very Highland Christmas.

    When he finally comes home to celebrate the holidays it’s to introduce his fiancée to his family.Will the Christmas season give them a second chance at happiness? Or will honor demand they separate forever?

    Instead, she accepts the shocking proposition. After all, what’s her other choice? To live with her cousin, caring for six children and a barnyard full of chickens?James Archer has roamed the world, determined never to settle down. He’s faced danger and disaster…he fears nothing and no one—except his mother and her matchmaking ways. So when ordered to attend a Christmastime house party filled with holiday cheer and simpering young misses, he produces—a fiancée!Sophronia and James vow to pretend to be in love for one month. But when they promise to give each other a Christmas kiss, it becomes clear that this pact made out of necessity might just be turning into love.