Book picks similar to
The Gamester by Elizabeth Chater


historical-romance
regency
romance
traditional-regency

The Husband Trap


Tracy Anne Warren - 2006
    . . . Violet Brantford has always longed for the passionate embrace of Adrian Winter, the wealthy Duke of Raeburn. Problem is, he's set to marry Violet's vivacious, more socially polished look-alike twin sister, Jeannette. But when Jeannette refuses to go through with the ceremony mere minutes before it is to begin, soft-spoken Violet finds herself walking down the aisle and taking vows in her sister's place. Soon shy Violet is a high-society wife, trying to keep her real identity a secret while living out the fantasies of her wildest dreams. Adrian thinks he knows exactly what he's gotten himself into: Jeannette may be flighty and, well, a bit self-involved, but she's the picture-perfect wife to carry on the Winter name. Yet this marriage of convenience brings the groom more than he bargained for when he finds his sweet, innocent wife surprising him at every turn. And though he never planned on true love, Adrian is definitely in danger of losing his heart.

Dearest Millie


May McGoldrick - 2018
     Dearest Millie A Pennington Family Novella Lady Millie, youngest of the Pennington family, has always lived in the shadow of her talented and powerful siblings. She’s been the rock of stability and order for her sisters and brothers. Her future looks bright until fate deals her a tragic hand. Dermot McKendry is a former surgeon in the Royal Navy who has returned to his home in the Highlands to open a hospital. As disorganized as he is passionate, he is a man with wounds and a secret past he has worked a lifetime to hide. Providence brings them together, but their future may lie beyond redemption. Dearest Millie is a poignant tale of two lovers, life’s calamities, and the healing power of the human heart.

The Christmas Ball


Sherrill Bodine - 1994
    Beloved only by her youngest sister Persephone, Athena has accepted her destiny as a spinster. But Persephone has a different scheme in mind, and conspires to send Athena out for one night of fun at Lord Finchley’s masquerade Christmas Ball. The masked beauty catches the Lord’s eye but, determined to avoid the wrath of her stepsister, Athena leads Lord Finchley on a wild chase to discover her true identity.**originally published as part of the anthology A Regency Christmas in 1994 under the pseud Leslie Lynn

The Reluctant Bride


Claire Firth - 2013
    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?

Duelling for a Wife: Companion Novella


Gemma Blackwood - 2019
    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..

The Governess Affair


Courtney Milan - 2012
    Unable to find new work, she’s demanding compensation from the man who got her sacked: a petty, selfish, swinish duke. But it’s not the duke she fears. It’s his merciless man of business—the man known as the Wolf of Clermont. The formidable former pugilist has a black reputation for handling all the duke’s dirty business, and when the duke turns her case over to him, she doesn’t stand a chance. But she can’t stop trying—not with her entire future at stake.He cannot give in…Hugo Marshall is a man of ruthless ambition—a characteristic that has served him well, elevating the coal miner’s son to the right hand man of a duke. When his employer orders him to get rid of the pestering governess by fair means or foul, it’s just another day at the office. Unfortunately, fair means don’t work on Serena, and as he comes to know her, he discovers that he can’t bear to use foul ones. But everything he has worked for depends upon seeing her gone. He’ll have to choose between the life that he needs, and the woman he is coming to love…

Secrets of Midnight


Miriam Minger - 1995
    Instead, he finds himself banished to the English countryside of Cornwall, forced by the decrees of his father's will to run his family's tin mines and find a country bride. The very last thing the handsome lord needs is a local lass sticking her nose into his affairs, but that seems to be exactly what the parson's daughter, Corisande Easton, had in mind.

Rogue's Honor


Brenda Hiatt - 2001
    When she is rescued from the near-disaster of recognition by a charming serving-man, Pearl pretends to be simple-minded to safeguard herself from any unwanted advances. But soon she begins to suspect that her rescuer is far more than the common servant he seemed at first.Luke St. Clair lives a double life, pretending to be a gentleman while in reality sustaining himself and the needy as the notorious Robin Hood-type thief, the Saint of Seven Dials. The last thing he needs in his life is a beautiful simpleton in need of protection. But "Purdy" proves to be anything but simple-or common! Once he learns the truth, does he dare continue, in the ballrooms of the elite, the flirtation that began in the slums of London? The risk is enormous, but Lady Pearl's sweet kisses may just be worth it.

The Diamond Key


Barbara Metzger - 2003
    But after three Seasons she is still unwed. Then a trip to a London modiste ends with Torrie trapped in a deadly blaze, and she vows that if she lives she'll marry the next man who asks, be he a fop, a tool, or a fortune hunter.Exiled from Society, Wynn, Viscount Ingall, has braved barren wildernesses and sailed the seven seas. Yet he faces trepidation such as he has never known after lie saves a damsel in distress from a burning building and she insists on becoming his bride. Even though Wynn believes he's the worst man Torrie could ever love, he soon finds that once the flame sparks. there's no putting out the fire.

A Bargain Bride


Rebecca De Medeiros - 2013
    There came a challenge in the small town of Liberty, Texas. The objective in mind: Marriage.Bets are placed, and a race to the altar begins.Rough and tough rancher Gabriel O'Malley had never met a challenge he could not handle... until now.Fed up with his grandson's brooding ways, "Pops" O'Malley takes matters into his own hands, and orders a mail order bride for him. Besides wanting the best for Gabriel, there was a little matter of a bet going around that the old man was determined to win. The only problem was, his stubborn grandson was digging his heels "spurs deep" in and holding onto his bachelorhood ruining all of his grandfather's well laid plans.Gabriel, furious at his grandfather's conniving ways, was determined to rid himself of his unwanted "bride". He was going to live his life on his own terms come hell or high water, and settling down was not something he planned todo. Even if he did lust after the woman who shows up on his doorstep.After the death of her parents, Melody Williams was left with nothing but her baby sister to raise and an eviction notice on her door. She thought that finding the advertisment for a mail order bride was her lucky break. That is, until she meets her groom. Statues are friendlier than this hombre.But Melody is also stubborn. No one is going to stop her from making a home for her sister, least of all the sexy, grumbling rancher she has come to marry.Sparks will fly, tempers will flare, kisses will be had and shoes will be thrown...As the battle of the sexes begins. Can love blossom? With the help of a bunch of wily old men, the town of Liberty is counting on it.But not everyone is hoping for a happily- ever -after for the couple. From the shadows, evil lurks waiting to strike the ranch. Will it all be destroyed before their new life together can even begin?

My Fair Duchess


Julie Johnstone - 2014
    Never does he imagine hope will come in the form of a quirky, quick-witted lady determined to win the heart of another gentleman.Thanks to a painfully awkward past, Lady Amelia De Vere long ago relinquished the notion she was a flower that had yet to blossom. But when her family faces financial ruin and the man she has always loved is on the verge of marrying another, she’ll try anything to transform herself to capture her childhood love and save her family―including agreeing to participate in a bet between her brother and the notorious, dangerously handsome Duke Of Aversley.Bound by the bet, Amelia and Aversley discover unexpected understanding and passion beyond their wildest dreams, if only they can let go of their pride, put trust in each other and chance losing their hearts.

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.

Compromised


Kate Noble - 2008
     Miss Gail Alton is not having a good day. Or a good year. First, her new stepmother strong-arms her into attending the Season as a foil to her beautiful sister Evangeline. Then, while riding her mare in the park, she gets toppled by a stuffy, self-important, too-handsome-by-half "gentleman" who has the audacity to blame her for their fall into the chilly lake! Little does she know that the very same man will soon be found in a compromising position with Gail's sister. Forced into asking for Evangeline's hand in marriage, Maximillian, Viscount Fontaine, can't take his mind off the irksome girl who threw him from his horse and who can match wits with him at every turn. He's determined to follow through with his best intentions, yet he can't deny that every encounter with Gail makes him want to cast propriety aside-and whisk away the sister of his soon-to-be bride.

Unladylike Pursuits


Alyssa Goodnight - 2004
    On the eve of spinsterhood, she is offered a month to find a willing gentleman or suffer a marriage to her stepmother's odious cousin. Neither choice seems palatable.He wants to remain a bachelor and is weary of marriage-minded misses...Lord Brandon Davenport has had more than enough of marriage-the infidelity, the gossip, the inconvenience. It has all reaffirmed his conviction to never involve himself in such a predicament.Of course, need and want are very different matters...or are they?When the two find themselves grudgingly paired in the ambush of highwaymen, temper is matched equally with desire, leading Emily to realize that Brand is the perfect prey for her husband hunt. But is Brand too cagey to be caught in her trap?

Brash


Margo Maguire - 2011
    He decides it is time to marry, and he knows just the young woman he wants as his wife. Lady Virginia Barrington is charming and beautiful, and James travels to her family’s manor to ask her the most important question of his life.Lady Stella Barrington was lame and sickly for much of her life. Now she walks with barely a limp, and she is ill no more than anyone else. She has been in love with James Norris for as long as her elder brother’s friend has been coming to visit at Barrington Manor. Stella cannot doubt that James has come to see her lovely but shallow sister. But Virginia is away, and if Stella wants to win the man she loves, she can be nothing but brash…A romantic novella. Approximately 10,000 words.