Book picks similar to
The Lily and the Leopard by Susan Wiggs


romance
historical-romance
historical
historical-fiction

Stormswept


Deborah Martin - 1995
    Albans spent with the dark and daring Rhys Vaughan was intoxicating, the heady culmination of her new husband’s driving hunger and her own awakened sensuality. When he mysteriously disappeared the next morning, she waited for him in hope and desperation. And when he was finally proclaimed dead in a shipwreck, she bitterly mourned the loss of her love.The second wedding night that Juliana spent with Rhys Vaughan was six years later, after he returned to claim her just as she was about to wed another. This Rhys was different—bolder, harder, and convinced that she’d betrayed him. Only their blazing passion remains from their years apart. But is it enough to light their way through the maze of mystery, menace, and mistrust—to the love they once shared and would have to find again?

Wonderful


Jill Barnett - 1997
    But when he finally fetches his bride-to-be from a secluded English convent, he finds he needs more than his knight's spurs to bring order to his life.When she was betrothed at fifteen to the legendary English knight she had never met, Lady Clio of Camrose believed that love was something magical. But her youthful hopes faded as she languished in a convent for six long years, never hearing a word from Merrick.Weary of war, Lord Merrick finds little peace guarding the wild Welsh borders, and even less with the wife whose trust he destroyed. But as Lady Clio comes to understand the dark knight she so blindly wed, she sees a chance to make her dreams come true. Amid the enchanted mists that envelop Camrose Castle, they will battle together to discover a place where all things are possible, even a love that is rare and wonderful.

Pride and Pleasure


Sylvia Day - 2011
    . .There are disadvantages to being an heiress, as Eliza Martin knows well. Fortune hunters corner her, friends become opportunistic, and lately, someone is engineering "accidents" to propel her into marriage. Not one to be bullied, Eliza needs the right man to infiltrate the nest of suitors. . . . . .So Do Certain MenBy all measures, Jasper Bond is the wrong man for the job. He can't dance, isn't known for his restraint, and his blood heats whenever he's near his latest employer. Eliza Martin insists no one will believe an intellectual like her could be seduced by a man of action like Jasper, but the combination of his desire and her mystery makes the case one he can't resist. Client satisfaction is a point of pride and it's his pleasure to prove he's just the man she needs after all. . . "Everything romance readers expect and more." --RT Book Reviews

Swan Road


Rebecca Brandewyne - 1994
    Her gift of the Welsh "second sight" had brought a vivid vision of her future: one of a man far more passionate than the callous English prince who was her betrothed. Her true fate must be with the raiding Norseman on the red-sailed ship she saw coming across the sea ... the blond-haired giant who stepped out of her dreams and into her arms ... the Viking Wulfgar Bloodaxe who was her enemy and wanted her to be his mate. For here, at last, was a man able to ignite a desire no king could extinguish, and no force on earth could end. This historical romance is from the author of "Desire in Disguise" and "Upon a Moon Dark Moor".

One Wish


Linda Lael Miller - 2000
    Now, once again capturing the spirit of early America, she delivers a marvelous tale of love, family loyalty, and passionate desire on the Western frontier -- where fairy tales sometimes do come true. She was the only child of a rich and powerful rancher. He was the son of a drunken ne'er-do-well. But when eleven-year-old Luke Shardlow rescued eight-year-old Charity Barnham from drowning, she promised him one wish...any wish his heart might desire. Fifteen years later, Charity and Luke meet once more, but the gulf between them seems as wide as ever. Charity is engaged to a neighboring rancher her father has chosen for her. Luke still seems to be a Shardlow to the core -- a drifter, maybe even an outlaw, on a road to nowhere. But things are not always what they appear, for Luke has a few secrets to hide. And as a sweet, sensual passion begins to grow between them, Luke and Charity discover that the only wish either of them long to fulfill is to spend a sweet eternity in each other's arms -- no matter the cost.

A Study in Seduction


Nina Lane - 2012
    The one challenge she can’t top? Managing the most infuriating man she’s ever met.Alexander Hall, Viscount Northwood, has purchased a one-of-a-kind locket from a pawnshop, unaware of the priceless sentiment it holds for Lydia. If he were a gentleman, he would simply return it to her. But Alexander is curious to see just how bold this brilliant beauty will be.What began as a playful wager quickly escalates. As their sizzling attraction grows, even Lydia can’t account for the feelings Alexander arouses in her with his smile or the fire he ignites with his touch. But when a dark family secret is suddenly thrown into the equation, it just might divide them forever.*An earlier edition of this book was published under the name Nina Rowan by Grand Central Publishing

A Knight Well Spent


Jackie Ivie - 2008
    A Norman king's attempts to rule the Highland clans is making his favorite knight's job difficult, indeed--and that is before a woman of mystery lays siege to the warrior's heart...SHE LIVES TO HEAL...He's a giant of a man; what's more, he's the enemy. These truths should be enough to send Aislynn running far and fast from the wounded stranger in the woods. But he needs her help--and the reward he bestows changes her forever...HE FIGHTS TO KILL...Formidable knight Rhoenne Guy de Ramhurst has been "gifted" with a fiefdom--and the unenviable task of taming the rebellious Highlanders that populate it. He also has a castle full of dissidents, led by his own half brother. Yet these challenges pale in comparison with attempts to forget the healer who saved his life and captured his heart...AND ONE LOVE RULES THEM BOTH...Rhoenne believes a family curse places any woman he loves in mortal danger. When Aislynn is abducted by his profligate sibling, Rhoenne becomes her protector--even as he tries to resist her. But Aislynn has secrets of her own--and as deception and danger swirl ever closer around them, the truth may be their only salvation...

The Seduction of Miss Amelia Bell


Paula Quinn - 2014
    As the daughter of a duke and the chancellor's betrothed, she's the perfect pawn in this game. But from the moment he first lays eyes on his spirited captive, he can't resist stealing a kiss . . . AN ADVENTUROUS LADYLady Amelia's duty is to marry well, but that hasn't stopped her from fantasizing about true love. So when a sexy Scot appears in her home, she's beguiled. When he kidnaps her, she's furious. Yet as Edmund introduces her to a world of passion beyond her wildest dreams, can she leave her family behind for this handsome Highlander? And will Edmund risk the only true home he's ever known to capture the heart of this lovely lass?

The Fatal Crown


Ellen Jones - 1991
    At 25, the widowed Maud must marry once again, this time to 14-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet. But it is with Stephen of Blois, Maud’s fiercest rival for the British throne, that the headstrong princess discovers the true meaning of desire.Stephen, a descendant of William the Conqueror, believes absolutely in his God-given right to rule. Torn between his illicit passion for Maud and his own towering ambition, he knows he must choose. Stephen’s decision will wrench him from the arms of the woman he loves, ignite civil war, and lead to a shattering act of betrayal that, decades later, will come full circle and change the course of English history.

His Captive


Diana Cosby - 2007
    Though Sir Alexander MacGruder promises not to hurt her, Nichola's only value is as a pawn to be ransomed.Alexander's goal is to avenge his father's murder, not to become entangled with the enemy. But his desire to keep Nichola with him, in his home—in his bed—unwittingly make her a target for those who have no qualms about shedding English blood.Now Nichola is trapped—by her powerful attraction to a man whose touch shakes her to the core. Unwilling and unable to resist each other, can Nichola and Alexander save a love that has enslaved them both?

Mistress of My Fate


Hallie Rubenhold - 2011
    At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city.

The Duke Heist


Erica Ridley - 2021
    (Eloisa James) Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she's ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she's the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she'll also abduct a handsome duke.Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father's mistakes. To repair his estate's ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family's legacy to follow true love?

It Happened One Night


Stephanie Laurens - 2008
    . . and nothing was ever the same again!Once upon a time, four superstar storytellers—New York Times bestselling authors Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh, along with Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern—came up with a delicious idea. What if they each wrote a story about a proper young lady stranded at a remote inn away from society's constraints? What would happen? And how long would it take for her to give in to desire?In these four amazing tales, four heroines will come face-to-face with the men who got away . . . only to discover that, instead of anger, there is still a passionate connection that cannot be denied. And while each of their lives is quite different, and their pasts utterly unique, they will all make a common discovery—that one night can change everything . . . forever.