Book picks similar to
Rose of Hope by Mairi Norris


historical-romance
medieval
romance
historical

Her Rebel Heart


Alison Stuart - 2014
    She can shoot and wield a sword as well as any man and anything she needs to know about siege warfare she has learned from a book...but no book can prepare her for what is to come.Everything Captain Luke Collyer knows about siege warfare - and women - he has learned from experience. When he is sent by Sir John Felton to defend Kinton Lacy Castle against the Royalists, he will be up against a formidable force.He had not reckoned on that force being Sir John’s daughter, Deliverance.Deliverance will not give up her command lightly and Luke will have to face a challenge to his authority as fierce as the cavalier foe outside the walls.As betrayal surfaces, they must learn to trust each other and uncover the traitor within the castle walls before it is too late for the castle... or their hearts.

Love Covers: Elias


Julia David - 2018
    Pretending to be married can’t be that hard. Leaving Lennhurst Asylum 1: Elias Browne The town of Greenlock shuns the daughter of the mortician. How deplorable, that Lauren has to take over the duties that are her father’s. Day after day the work creates loneliness in her tender heart that spurs despondence. Then a voice speaks from the morgue basement. A rough and tumble outlaw who's supposed to be dead is still alive! For some unfathomable reason, Lauren agrees to help him stay dead. Elias had escaped from Lennhurst Asylum, where he was born and raised. Since he had no family or future, he was taken from his prison sentence, enlisted in the recent Civil War and trained to wield explosives to further the cause. From running and surviving all his life, all Elias could ever promise anyone was loyalty. Love was out of the question. When Lauren mentions her longing to see her mother and sister in Colorado, for loyalty’s sake, he offers to take her on the arduous wagon train journey. Of course, it wouldn't be proper not to be married while traveling together. Therefore, Lauren and Elias, so vastly opposite, agree to pretend to be married during the months of difficult travel. Loyalty versus love. Can these two find truth and acceptance in their hearts? Can love cover a multitude of sin? Love Covers is a gratifying love story of lives changed, and of healing and restoration while on a dusty trail west.

What the Heart Keeps


Rosalind Laker - 1984
    Lisa Shaw is an English orphan from Leeds who is sent to Canada as a "home girl". They were children and young people that were "exported" from Great Britain to her colonies in Australia, Canada, and South Africa to be adopted and employed as domestic help. After a rough time in Canada, Lisa believes life is about to change for the better when she returns to England. At the crowded docks in Liverpool her path crosses with that of the handsome Norwegian Peter Hagan. Love blossoms but fate seems determined to keep them apart, and they are separated by a vast continent. When they do meet again Lisa’s life is linked to another man, a pioneer in the film industry. Lisa is forced to make a terrible choice. Can she drop everything to be with Peter? Or will their love become the secret that her heart keeps? ‘What the Heart Keeps’ is a poignant and moving story of one woman’s search for love. "A moving, heart-warming read." - Holly Kinsella, best-selling author of 'Uptown Girl'. Rosalind Laker was lucky enough to be born into a family that took a great interest in its forebears, and tales of them were handed down to her, providing characters and incidents for many of her historical novels. Her books include ‘The Fragile Hour’ and ‘The Marlows’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.

Unlaced


Kristina Cook - 2004
    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?

Highland Archer


Hildie McQueen - 2016
     When a rival clan attacks and Ariana McLeod's world is turned upside down. That she's fallen in love with the handsome archer, Valent, is a complication and a blessing at once.

Highlander's Wicked Game


Fiona Faris - 2019
    By pretending to be an obedient daughter, she was gathering in secret all the knowledge she could, to make her clan proud. All the knowledge her father didn't share. One fateful night, Marra throws away her caution and attends the Spring Gathering in disguise. Little did she know that her life was about to change... The devilishly handsome Duncan MacGregor didn't want to be Laird. His carefree demeanor aroused worries and doubts in his clan. While searching for fun at the Spring Gathering,he meets the lass that steals his heart. Unbeknownst to Duncan however, she is the last woman he should be meddling with. When Marra is violently abducted and the heartbreaking secret of their true identities comes to light, he has to step up and become the leader he was destined to be... Can these two save their clans and their love before all is consumed by chaos? "Highlander's Wicked Game" is a Historical Scottish romance novel of more than 80,000 words (around 440 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

House of Catesby #1-3


Sunny Brooks - 2017
    Lady Emily Thurston desperately needs her brother’s help to escape from her vicious husband, Victor. After mustering all her strength to entrust Francis with the truth of her life, she must now confront the reality that she will live in her own private misery forever as her brother is caught in a daze between his grief and his newfound responsibility as Lord of the family estate. Just as all hope seems lost, an unexpected man considers taking on the challenge of rescuing Lady Emily. With the unexpected arrival of her brother’s friend to her home, Emily is unsure of his intentions. However, she quickly realizes that not only is she fiercely drawn to him, but he may be her only hope of getting out. Will Lady Emily and Lord Markham be able to find a way to hatch a secret plan? Or will Victor's obsessive rule prove to be too much to overcome? ****** Book 2: ”Charles and the Intruder” Looking forward to a new life filled with literary discussions and hours playing on his beloved piano forte, Charles moves to his newly inherited London townhouse with his eyes vigorously set on figuring out what this next chapter will bring. What he never expects is to wake to a sword tip pointing directly at his throat! When the captivating Abigail appears in Charles’ life, he is not quite sure what to do with her. Her rebellious disregard for societal standards has her fleeing the arranged marriage that her gambling-addicted father has supposedly wagered her into. Charles is compelled to help her…but as gossip spreads around town, Charles soon comes to find out that Abigail may not be the damsel in distress that he once thought. With his roguish sidekick, the affable Lord Richard, at his side, Charles must navigate his new city life and figure out what is truth and what is fiction. Will Lord Charles Catesby help the beguiling Miss Abigail Sidmore? Or is he in for the swindle of his life? ***** Book 3: ”The Mysterious Lord Livingstone” Sometimes the person you love isn't quite who you thought they were... Lord Richard Livingstone and Lady Helena Catesby have loved one another from afar for years, without either being sure how the other truly felt. When Helena goes to visit her brother and sister-in-law in London, she is excited for the opportunity to finally spend time with Lord Livingstone, as he is her brother’s closest friend. Richard is thrilled when he hears that Helena is coming to town, and plans to formally court her and ultimately confess his love for her. There is only one problem with his plan…and it is a problem that has haunted him for years, causing him to lie to all who know and love him. Helena’s stay in London starts well, except that every time she and Richard are together, he leaves at a moment’s notice. His affable charm has served him well for many years, causing his close friends to laugh off his flighty habit as a whimsical eccentricity, but Helena has had enough.

Heart of Stone


Willa Blair - 2015
    Little does he know that the garland of bluebells she weaves and the spell she sings will change the course of his life.Marsali Murray doesn’t really believe the old wives’ tale that making a chain of bluebells by the standing stones under a waxing moon will bring true love, but she’s desperate to try anything to escape the boring, everlasting sameness of her life. Anything except marrying a man her father chooses for her. When her deerhound, Corrie, insists on following Gavan, Marsali decides that’s the excuse she needs to have the adventure she craves. She’ll go where he goes, whether he is the man promised by her spell—or not.Gavan has already seen much of the world denied to Marsali. He’s ready to settle down. She is eager to spread her wings. Can they find what they need with each other?

The Calling


Cheryl Shireman - 2012
    Cooper is the last person one might expect to experience such a conversion, and no one is more skeptical of this sudden turn of events than Cooper’s wife, Sally.Cooper has not only found God, he has also decided to build a church. He faces a few obstacles. He has never read the Bible, he has no money, and he has a well-deserved reputation as a slacker. Throw in a couple of scheming women who aren’t ready to give up sleeping with Cooper, a jealous husband with a grudge, and things begin to get complicated.Filled with a cast of characters you are sure to love (and hate!), Cooper Moon: The Calling is a story of love, faith, determination, dreams, sin, lust, hope, revenge, and despair – just like real life. The novel is the first of the four-book Cooper Moon series.Read the book that Kirkus Review describes as "At its core, this is a story about class, karma and ordinary people trying to accomplish difficult goals that require extraordinary strength of body, mind and spirit...a strong, engaging voice ...A satisfying, feel-good novel about human shortcomings, perseverance and serendipity."

Lords of London: Books 1-3


Tamara Gill - 2019
    A Lady of independence. Since her cheating husband created a scandal by dying beneath his whore, Darcy de Merle is determined to enjoy widowhood, and refuses to mourn a man she grew to loathe. Setting the ton ablaze, Darcy holds a ball to re-launch herself into Society on the anniversary of his death.Cameron, the Duke of Athelby plays by the rules. Always. He's lived through the terrible consequences of what revelry, carelessness, and lack of respect for one's social position can have on a family. So, when he sees Darcy de Merle skirting the boundaries of respectability, it is only right that he should remind her of the proper etiquette that she should adhere to.Darcy refuses to allow another man to tell her what to do. When the Duke of Athelby chastises her at every turn, reminding her of her social failures, well, there is only one thing to be done about it...seduce the duke and show him there is more to life than the proper conventions set by the ton.A battle of wills ensues where all bets are off, numerous rules are broken and love becomes the ultimate reward.To Madden a Marquess She saved his life, but can she save him from himself? Hunter, Marquess of Aaron, has the ton fooled. Outwardly he's a gentleman of position, with good contacts, wealth and charm. Inwardly, he's a mess. His vice--drinking himself into a stupor most days--almost kills him when he steps in front of a hackney cab. His saviour, a most unlikely person, is an angel to gaze at, but with a tongue sharper than his sword cane.Cecilia Smith dislikes idleness and waste. Had she been born male, she would already be working for her father's law firm. So, on a day when she was late for an important meeting at one of her many charities, she was not impressed by having to step in and save a foxed gentleman rogue from being run over.When their social spheres collide, Hunter is both surprised and awed by the capable, beautiful Miss Smith. Cecilia, on the other hand, is left confused and not a little worried by her assumptions about the Marquess and his demons. It is anyone's guess whether these two people from different worlds can form one of their own.To Tempt an Earl Hamish Doherty, Earl Leighton is having a terrible Season. A portion of his home burned to the ground, he was attacked outside a gaming hell, and a debutante he cannot stomach is determined they'll wed. It's enough to make any lord head for the hills, but his luck turns worse in the country. A large unpaid bill at an inn and a missing purse later, he's ready to concede defeat to the fickle Fates - until rescue unexpectedly comes from an intoxicatingly beautiful stranger.As the daughter of a successful tradesman, Miss Katherine Martin has no time for peers and their problems. However there is something about this handsome and yet unlucky earl, and when their paths cross again, Lord Leighton offers to repay his debt to her in any way she pleases. Katherine decides one night in his arms will be just right, and yet as two kindred souls find passion together, it seems one night won't be enough. But can a woman of no rank and trade in her blood be enough to Tempt an Earl?

Once a Mistress


Rebecca Hagan Lee - 2001
    Determined to honor the outrageous request, Drew returns home to bury his father and is stunned to find living on the grounds of Swanslea Park the one woman whose charms he could never resist. Kathryn Stafford abandoned Drew at the altar six years before and vanished in a cloud of mystery. She had hoped her feelings for him would fade, but when she comes face-to-face with the gorgeous new marquess, she discovers they have only deepened. Drew is determined to keep his distance from the woman he believes to have been one of his father’s mistress. But every yearning glance and sizzling touch draws him closer to Kathryn…and to the scandalous secret that drove them apart. Book 1 of the “Mistresses of the Marquess” Series, which includes ONCE A MISTRESS, ALWAYS A LADY and EVER A PRINCESS. “An emotional, sensual tale!”—Romance Reviews Today “Once a Mistress is filled with passion and tenderness. Will bring a smile and a few tears to its readers.”—Romantic Times “Tender, enthralling romance straight from the heart!”—Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author “Rebecca Hagan Lee warms my heart and touches my soul. She’s a star in the making!”—Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author “Rebecca Hagan Lee taps into every woman’s fantasy!”—Christina Dodd, New York Times bestseller “Rebecca Hagan Lee is a writer on the rise!”—Romantic Times

A Wicked Proposition


Karolyn Cairns - 2012
    Her sister offers her condolences for the tragedy that has killed their parents and sanctuary, but little else in the way of help. The Earl has made plans to set aside his Countess and has petitioned for divorce. Scandalous and as unheard of as it is, Catherine realizes without Lord Iverleigh's help, her and her two young brothers are destitute.Her sister Lilly seems content to sit back and give Lord Iverleigh his way, but Catherine has other ideas. The shockingly wicked solution to end his plans of divorce and remarriage to his illustrious mistress gives Catherine the idea. Steal him away from the widow and spurn him, and give her sister the chance she needs to reconcile with her husband. But Gabriel is not the man Catherine was led to believe, and after enjoying his tender passions, she comes to see the man that he truly is.Honest and noble to a fault, the handsome nobleman Gabriel St. Armand has seen his share of heartache at the hands of his treacherous wife. He rescues the raven-haired beauty from life in a brothel, only to discover a woman who reignites his heart's desire. Determined now to be free of his Countess and to be with Catherine, he has no idea his steps to free himself further imperil them both.Nicholas Van Ryker is a smuggler and adventurer, and unlikely best friend to Gabriel. He obsesses over the green-eyed beauty his friend stole beneath his nose, determined to ignore the feelings she ignites within him. Gabriel asks him to follow his new mistress and divine her many secrets. Nicholas agrees, led by the memory of a stirring kiss shared in a quiet garden. He discovers Catherine is deceiving his friend and offers terms to keep his silence. He thinks one day with her spent in his bed will make him forget the lush beauty he cannot get from his mind.The Countess's game is in play. Lilly is not about to give up her place as Gabriel's wife. Determined and cunning, she has thought of everything to reach her goals, even sacrificing the sister who unknowingly aids her.From the smoke-filled boudoirs of London's most notorious brothel to the drawing rooms of the nobility, comes a tale of murder, blackmail, and unquenchable passions. On a windswept island a new love is born and is tested by the unseen ghosts of the past.Catherine is haunted by a love she cannot forget and a man who owns her soul. Forced to choose, she must follow her heart at last.

The Warrior Series #1-3


Denise Hampton - 2013
    No one will stop him not her father, his king or the lady herself. The Warrior's Maiden: A baron and his daughters are dead, slaughtered on the king's road, when the sheriff should have kept the peace. Can his ungainly daughter solve the mystery of their deaths before the baron's grieving widow and his bastard son wreak vengeance on her father, the man they hold responsible? The Warrior's Game One knight's widow trapped at court and longing for home, one common-born knight determined to marry her. Add a king who enjoys turning his subjects into pawns and let the game begin.

Heirs & Spares


J.L. Spohr - 2013
    Elizabeth I sits on the English throne, the Reformation inflames the Continent, and whispers of war abound. But in Troixden, just north of France, the Lady Annelore isn't interested in politics. Times are hard, taxes are high, and the people in her duchy need her help just to survive. Her widowed father is a good man easily distracted by horses, and her newly knighted childhood friend...well, he has plans of his own. Then Annelore receives a call she can't ignore. When Troixden's sadistic king died childless, his younger brother William returns from exile to find his beloved country on the brink of civil war. He's in desperate need of the stability that comes with a bride and heirs. But Annelore, his chosen queen, won't come quietly. Now the future of Troixden lies in the hands of two people who never wanted the power they've received and never dreamed that from duty and honor they might find love and a path to peace. Heirs & Spares is one part history, two parts palace plotting, and a whole lot of juicy romantic intrigue. Break out the spiced wine and sink in to this rousing read.

Lairds, Lords & Lovers: 10 Full-Length Novels From the Queens of Medieval Romance


Glynnis CampbellClaire Delacroix - 2014
    Linet, caught in a high seas adventure, soon realizes her only hope is trusting her mysterious champion--with her life and her heart.THE MACKINNON'S BRIDE by Tanya Anne CrosbyScottish chieftain Iain MacKinnon refuses to bow to the English. When his young son is stolen by the English, he captures the daughter of his enemy, planning to bargain with the devil. But even as Page blames her captor for welching on a contract with her father, she suspects the truth... the shadows hold secrets. Now only the love of her reluctant champion can save the MacKinnon's Bride.THE ROGUE by Claire DelacroixMerlyn stole Ysabella's heart with his charm and his mystery and they wed in haste. Ysabella left her rogue of a husband when she discovered that he deceived her. Five years later, he returns, as alluring as ever, asking for her help. Does she dare to trust him anew?HIGHLAND SOLUTION by Ceci GiltenanNiall MacIan, needs Lady Katherine's dowry but he has no intention of giving her his heart in the bargain. He believes all women are self-centered and deceitful. Can the lovely and gentle Katherine mend his heart and build a life with him or will the treachery of others destroy them?DANCE OF DESIRE by Catherine KeanDesperate to save her brother's life, veiled Lady Rexana Villeaux dances for Fane Linford, High Sheriff of Warringham. She entices Fane with the passion in her soul--and he's tempted. Rexana reluctantly marries Fane, but as she learns more about her husband tormented by secrets, she cannot deny his love.THE HIGHLANDER'S TEMPTATION by Eliza KnightLaird Jamie Montgomery is a warrior sent to the Highlands on the orders of William Wallace. Temptation in the form of an alluring lass, could be his undoing. Lady Lorna Sutherland can't resist Jamie's charms. Though she's been forbidden, she breaks every rule for the pleasure of his intoxicating embrace.ARCHANGEL by Kathryn Le VequeSir Gart Forbes, premier knight for the de Lohr dynasty, falls in love with a woman he can never have. Or can he? Divine intervention comes in many forms in this deeply passionate love story.CONQUERING PASSION by Anna MarklandThe year is 1066. The world is about to change forever. Can love survive and flourish amid the carnage, hatred, betrayals and dangers of the Norman Conquest? Juicy historical fiction. An intimate story of passion,ambition, conspiracy, and vengeance.ANGEL'S ASSASSIN by Laurel O'DonnellDamien is an assassin, a man with a tortured past. Sold into slavery, he is trained to kill. Lady Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of purity and goodness. When Damien enters Aurora's life, tempting her with promises of forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart.ROWAN'S LADY by Suzan TisdaleWalls have been built around two lonely souls. Is love enough to help tear them down? Will fate keep Rowan Graham and Lady Arline apart?