Book picks similar to
Adam's Promise by Julianne MacLean


historical
historical-romance
romance
western

What a Gentleman Wants


Caroline Linden - 2006
    An occasional thank you would suffice; instead, his resentful sibling forges his name to a marriage license and presents him with an unwanted wife. She's a vicar's widow with a mind of her own who may be the first person in Marcus's well-ordered life to make him feel...completely out of control.Hannah can't help but curse her own idiocy. Dire straits have led her to the altar with a gentleman she hardly knows. Played for a fool, she's embarrassed, furious, and worse, married to an equally outraged stranger—an exasperating man who unleashes all manner of emotions in Hannah, not to mention unwanted desire. Reluctantly, she agrees to play the wife until he can sort out the mess. But the nearness of the undeniably attractive Duke and the passion in his black eyes unsettles her well-guarded heart—making her want to do so much more than "act" the role of blissful bride.

A Rose in Winter


Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - 1982
    She was now Lady Saxton, mistress of a great manor all but ruined by fire, wife to a man whose mysteriously shrouded form aroused fear and pity. Yet even as she fell in love with her adoring husband, Erienne despaired of freeing her heart from the dashingly handsome Yankee who couldn't forget her. The beautiful Erienne, once filled with young dreams of romance, was now a wife and woman ... torn between the two men she loved.

The Lawman


Lily Graison - 2011
    That is until a single slap to a man’s face starts a barroom brawl that lands her in the last place she expected to be.Town Marshal Morgan Avery wants nothing more than to wash away the trail-dust and sleep for a week, preferably with a soft, willing woman by his side. Instead, he gets Abigail Thornton – all one hundred pounds of her thrust at him seconds before a fist connects with his face. Breaking up the fight takes more effort than he wants to admit and when the last man falls he finds Abigail still standing and not looking the least bit contrite.Throwing her into the town jail for the night would salve his wounded pride and then he will let her go. Or that was the plan. When morning comes he finds himself oddly reluctant to do so. Miss Thornton is hiding something and he aims to find out what, even if he has to bed her to do so. But will one night in her bed be enough?

Pieces of Sky


Kaki Warner - 2009
    An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to the West on a desperate search for the only family she can trust: her brother.Fall in love with the first book in the Blood Rose trilogy-a romance of the Old West by a phenomenal new talent.

Ruby


Juliet James - 2014
    The good news is she's traveled to Pittsburgh and found a good job as a schoolmistress. The bad news is, the school's owner, the portly, whiskey-breathed Mister Murphy, has developed wandering hands, and Mrs Murphy's preparing to leave to visit her sister for a month in New York.Ruby sees an advertisement in the Matrimonial News and takes a desperate chance, writing away to the handsome Six-feet-four James Drinkwater.Will James be the answer to Ruby's plight? Is the handsome Montana man all that he seems? Or will someone else come to Ruby's rescue, so together they can find true love?The Come-By-Chance series consists of:Book 1 - RubyBook 2 - EmilyBook 3 - VioletBook 4 - KateBook 5 - Rose ~ Due out December 2014 ~Book 6 - Emmy-Lou ~ Due out January 2015 ~

Dreaming of You


Jennifer McNare - 2013
    However, the innocent young beauty has no idea what her new husband will demand of her, once they are legally wed. It isn’t long however, before Melody discovers that the widowed earl had a purpose in choosing her for his bride, the daughter of an impoverished country baron. Impotent and childless, Charles is in desperate need of an heir, in addition to someone he can force into going along with the heinous scheme he has concocted.Gavin Montrose, son of the wealthy Duke of Rutherford, is as charming as he is handsome. However, unbeknownst to him, he is also the man Charles Cavendish has selected to father his heir. Abducted from the grounds of his family’s country estate, he awakens to find himself in the midst of a nightmare. Assuming that he has been abducted for ransom, Gavin is stunned to learn of his mysterious abductor’s true purpose. To gain his freedom and protect his family from harm, he must father a child he will never meet, with a woman whose name he will never know and whose face he will never see. Desperate to safeguard the people they love, both Melody and Gavin have no choice but to go along with the insanity that has been forced upon them or suffer the unbearable consequences. Compelled to meet in absolute darkness in the bedchamber of an isolated cottage, their identities a fiercely guarded secret, they will develop a bond neither of them had anticipated and discover a passion more powerful than either of them could have possibly imagined. But dare they call it love?Years later, when fate intervenes and Gavin and Melody’s paths inadvertently cross…

A Most Inconvenient Marriage


Regina Jennings - 2014
    Fearing he won't survive, the Confederate soldier's last wish is that Abigail look after his sickly sister at home. Marry him, return to his horse farm, and it'll be hers. Left with few choices, Abigail takes him up on his offer and moves to Missouri after his death, but just as the family learns to accept her, the real Jeremiah Calhoun appears--puzzled to find a confounding woman posing as his wife. Jeremiah is determined to have his life back to how it was before the war, but his own wounds limit what he can do on his own. Still not fully convinced Abigail isn't duping him, he's left with no choice but to let the woman stay and help--not admitting to himself she may provide the healing his entire family needs.

Westward Winds


Linda Bridey - 2014
    Her doting parents want her to make a good match with a worthy gentleman and live a respectable life. She is beautiful and intelligent and she comes with a hefty dowry. There is no reason that she shouldn’t be able to find an eligible man and settle down.Tessa herself is the reason. The men who are attempting to court her are, in her opinion, boring and conceited. Not only that, Tessa craves excitement and adventure, of which there is little in her social circles. By chance, she comes across an advertisement for a bride brokerage company seeking eligible women of good breeding to go west and find husbands.One man on the list catches her eye and she begins corresponding with him, eventually agreeing to go to Montana to meet him. She can’t resist the possibility of finding someone different and even if she doesn’t, the adventure itself would be worth her time. Tessa makes a successful escape and sets out to make a new life in Montana.Dean Samuels is a Montana rancher who is in over his head. His ranch is struggling and his two children are unruly and in need of a caretaker. It’s clear to his younger brother, Marcus, that he needs help. He tells Dean about a mail order bride service and convinces him that he should utilize it to find a wife.After his wife, Sarah, had passed away, Dean never intended to marry again. His ranch and his children became his life. However, it becomes apparent that Sadie, his daughter, and his son, Jack, need stability and love. The demands of raising his children and keeping his head above water financially have taken a toll and Dean grudgingly gives in to Marcus’ idea.Sarah had been the love of his life and Dean doesn’t intend to let any other woman into his heart. He’s locked those kinds of emotions deep inside, not wanting to take the chance of getting hurt like that again. Because Dean has trouble expressing his feelings in writing, his younger brother Marcus agrees to help write the letters to Tessa. Dean is happy to leave that part up to him.When Dean and Tessa meet, sparks fly between the two strong willed people. Tessa is disappointed that Dean isn’t the romantic, sophisticated man she was lead to believe he was in the letters she received. Dean is aggravated that she isn’t a meek woman who is easily managed. Never mind the fact that she has no idea of how to take care of children and keep a home.Dean and Tessa struggle to find common ground and make their marriage work. Will they each take the risk and open their hearts to one another? Can their marriage survive and will they find love and contentment in each other? Their future happiness hangs in the balance under the Montana skies.

Wed By Proxy


Alice Coldbreath - 2019
    Until one day she decides to become mistress of her own destiny and leave the royal court to find her own path. Married by proxy, Lord Martindale has never even met his bride of three years. Wed as part of a peace treaty, he bitterly resents the mercenary wife who cares only for wealth and prestige. And then he meets her... Wed By Proxy is a stand-alone novel of over 111,000 words and is set in a medieval style landscape in the fictional kingdom of Karadok. Please do not purchase if you are offended by strong language and or sex scenes.

The Other Duke


Jess Michaels - 2015
    When he suddenly dies, she does not mourn but thrills at the idea that she will be free. Unfortunately, best laid plans go awry when the next in line for the title, her intended’s cousin, Raphael “Rafe” Flynn is forced to take over the engagement. But Serafina knows Rafe’s reputation as a libertine and wants nothing to do with him, either, even if he is devastatingly handsome. She proposes an arrangement: She will agree to the marriage and provide Rafe with his heir and spare. Once she has done her duty, he will let her go. Rafe is intrigued both by her beauty and by her utter disgust with the idea of being his bride. Women normally fall at his feet, not cringe away from him. Since, however, their arranged marriage is not something he can escape, he agrees to her terms. But when he finds out on their wedding night the truth about her torture at the hands of his predecessor, he finds himself driven not just to fulfill his bargain with his new bride, but to introduce her to desire. While they move closer together, surrendering to wicked pleasures, dangerous emotions may violate every agreement they’ve made.

Hidden Fires


Laura Jordan - 1982
    Instead, the matriarch makes Lauren a scandalous offer to marry her son in name only. Lauren has strong feelings for him but are they strong enough?

Miss Winthorpe's Elopement


Christine Merrill - 2007
    She never meant to wed a noble lord over a blacksmith's anvil!Adam Felkirk, Duke of Bellston, had no intention of taking a wife. But then Penelope's plight moved him. Now the notorious rake has a new aim—to shock and seduce his prim and proper bride.But the gorgeous duke will be taught a lesson of his own as scholarly Miss Winthorpe becomes his seductive duchess!

The Way of the Heart


Cheryl Holt - 1999
    And yet, to claim this dream, she must first marry. Five suitable candidates are vying for her large dowry, but only one challenges her wits and stirs her blood: Phillip Wessington, a devilishly handsome widower and renowned scoundrel who agrees to a marriage in name only. But soon, awakening desires turn this union of convenience into a passionate battle between hearts too proud to admit their ardor. HE VOWED TO WIN HER LOVEPhillip, the eighth earl of Rosewood, had one pressing need: a wife's fortune without the bother of a wife. But Jane was a bother--for she was getting under his skin with her fiery spirit and the sensual fire that glowed in her eyes. Confounded by a tenderness he cannot yet admit, he soon realizes that his own selfishness and intractable will have created a rift between them that may be too deep to heal. Can Phillip reclaim the heart of the woman he has come to cherish...so they both may surrender to a love neither can deny?

For Love of the Duke


Christi Caldwell - 2014
    When he’s coaxed out of his self-imposed exile to attend the amusements of the Frost Fair, his life is irrevocably changed by his fateful meeting with Lady Katherine Adamson.With her tight brown ringlets and silly white-ruffled gowns, Lady Katherine Adamson has found her dance card empty for two Seasons. After her father’s passing, Katherine learned the unreliability of men, and is determined to depend on no one, except herself. Until she meets Jasper…In a desperate bid to avoid a match arranged by her family, Katherine makes the Duke of Bainbridge a shocking proposition—one that he accepts.Only, as Katherine begins to love Jasper, she finds the arrangement agreed upon is not enough. And Jasper is left to decide if protecting his heart is more important than fighting for Katherine’s love.

Margarita


Joan Wolf - 1982
    Margarita is a shocked refugee from the battlefields of Venezuela, and Nicholas, Earl of Winslow, is a high-handed young man with a distrust of love and a very satisfactory mistress. What happens when the two of them marry is explosive--to say the least. Regency Romance by Joan Wolf; originally published by Signet.