Book picks similar to
The Mask by Elizabeth A. Lance


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Mask of Duplicity


Julia Brannan - 2015
    However, Beth's hopes of a quiet life are dashed when Richard, dissatisfied with his meagre inheritance and desperate for promotion, decides to force her into a marriage for his military gain. And he will stop at nothing to get his way.Beth is coerced into a reconciliation with her noble cousins in order to marry well and escape her brutal brother. She is then thrown into the glittering social whirl of Georgian high society and struggles to conform. The effeminate but witty socialite Sir Anthony Peters offers to ease her passage into society and she is soon besieged by suitors eager to get their hands on her considerable dowry. Beth, however, wants love and passion for herself, and to break free from the artificial life she is growing to hate. She finds herself plunged into a world where nothing is as it seems and everyone hides behind a mask. Can she trust the people professing to care for her?The first in the series about the fascinating lives of beautiful Beth Cunningham, her family and friends during the tempestuous days leading up to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which attempted to overthrow the Hanoverian King George II and restore the Stuarts to the British throne. Join the rebellion of one woman and her fight for survival in... The Jacobite Chronicles.

The Grateful Bride's Passion


Rowan Gracemill - 2020
    She has a pretty face and a sweet, grateful heart, and she's a wonder with small children. But when she nearly loses her nanny position at Pendleton Hall over a false accusation, she is sentenced to the laundry, where the endless, backbreaking work promises her no future. What were these false accusations? Can she prove her innocence?A fellow servant introduces Cassie to The Matrimonial Times. Cassie jumps at the idea of finding a husband and home of her own as a mail-order bride. Soon she is writing to Jake Everly, a Nebraska rancher, intrigued by his large extended family and small town lifestyle. Did she overreact, or did she make the right decision?When Jake proposes marriage, Cassie gratefully accepts. But while she waits for him to send the funds for her trip West, a tragic accident leaves her forever physically and emotionally scarred. What was the accident? Will Jake still want her as his wife after what happened to her?While Cassie is traveling to Nebraska, she meets a man named Zach Wright. He is going to Nebraska too, with his little nephew Samuel. When Cassie offers to help him with the toddler, Zach gratefully accepts, and watches in awe as the child instantly takes to her. Is this enough to make Zach fall in love with Cassie?Zach is prepared for life as a minister and carpenter in Nebraska, but he needs someone to help him care for his adopted little boy. Cassie longs for a family and a home, but wonders if anyone can love her now. What will happen with the arrangement between Jake and Cassie? Are love and happiness meant for Cassie, Zach, Jake, and Samuel?

The Ragamuffins


Anna King - 2002
    Agnes Handly cannot hide her hatred for Arthur’s young wife Ellen – a loathing fuelled by the feelings she has long held for the baker.Ellen meanwhile, is starting to have doubts about her relationship with Arthur. When her parents died in a house fire, it was Arthur, her father’s best friend, who took her in. Afraid of facing the world alone, she decided to marry him: a decision with consequences she is only just beginning to understand. And when her attraction to a man her own age intensifies, will she follow her heart, or be faithful in her duty?The Ragamuffins is packed with unforgettable characters and will delight readers of Annie Murray, Catherine Cookson and Rosie Goodwin.

Boone's Bride


Christy Chapel - 2014
    Life was going Boone’s way almost perfectly lately: he had plenty of healthy cattle, loyal and hardworking ranch hands, and he was able to work day in and day out with his younger brother, Bryce, by his side. His cowboy dream had come true and he wanted nothing, not even a woman, to alter the state of things. So when a terrified and enchantingly beautiful woman stumbles onto his ranch and begs him to bring her to safety, Boone does what is right and bravely defends her from a posse of brutes. Boone assumes he can help the poor woman and be done with the whole inconvenience in the same night, but try as he might, he can’t deny that Ally Winters has already found a way into his heart. Will Boone’s stubbornness and painful past demand that he stick to his simple life and avoid change? Or will Ally Winters spin his world upside down and show Boone what life and love are really about? Please enjoy Boone’s Bride, a sweet, clean, historical western romance.

Pregnant Mail Order Bride And Her Troubled Rancher (A Western Historical Romance Book) (Evergreen Frontier)


Florence Linnington - 2020
    

The Christmas Bargain


Sarita Leone - 2010
    Lord James Whitman is well aware of what others say about him. He has heard his name whispered behind closed doors and learned of his character being maligned without cause. But after his unearned reputation causes Iris to decline his marriage proposal, he is determined to show her the truth and win her love! Without her grandfather's guidance, Iris must decide whether to trust the London gossips or the tune of her own heart. Could she possibly love a man who is as horrid as some say he is? Or should she trust her instincts and what the duke tells her to be true? All Iris knows for sure is that Christmas day grows closer with each passing minute!

Act One


D. Camille - 2017
    As a Hollywood director, she’s looking to direct her career-making film, and now that she has the story, she needs a studio. Her journey leads to love, danger, and making fairytales come true… Love comes from a place that she never expects, in the form of a sworn enemy, who becomes everything she ever needed.

Lord Cavendish Returns (The Cavendish Mysteries Book 5)


Rebecca King - 2015
    However, doubts soon begin to surface and he is forced to return to the place of his childhood, Hambley Wood, in his quest for the truth.To find the register that proves his birth, he has to enlist the help of the astonishingly beautiful vicar’s daughter, Arrabella. Unfortunately, they are soon drawn into series of frightening adventures which brings them together and ignites a passion that neither of them can ignore. However, while the mishaps draw them closer, the truth about Harper’s ancestry tears them apart. Can a future ever be theirs, or will a cruel twist of fate, and affairs of the past, prevent them ever having a future together?

The Stolen Street Girl


Nell Harte - 2021
    Now, she must learn to survive.Forced to be both mother and father to her siblings after Ada’s mother turns to gin, and no longer able to scour the banks of the Thames as mudlarks, Ada turns to picking up cigarette butts from the filthy streets and repurposing the tobacco into a saleable item.Assisted by Elijah the son of a stonemason the Blair family manages to keep a roof over their heads, until their mother’s addiction spirals out of control and they find themselves out on the street.Desperate for safety, Ada takes a risk and is befriended by the well to do Mr Beauregard. But not all things are as they seem and soon Ada is torn from her family and thrown into a world of corruption she could not have imagined.When a chance meeting with Elijah reveals the truth, Ada’s life is at a crossroadsCan Ada leave behind the new life she now finds herself in? Will Elijah ever forgive her for what she has become? Or should Ada let the past remain behind and leave her family in peace.Nell Harte writes sweet and clean Historical Romance.

How to Win a Duke's Heart (Seductive Scoundrels #14)


Collette Cameron - 2022
    This is not one of those tales… Sophronie Slater had no interest in getting married. Even if she did, the Duke of Waycross would not be her choice. She would, however, do anything for her father. So, in honor of his dying wish to see her legally bound to the contrary, annoyingly handsome Scot who drives her mad, she agrees to a very temporary marriage. She’ll never love him, though. At least, that was the plan…Evan Gordonstone has no interest in romance. Caring for his relatives and restoring his duchy to profitability is about all he can manage. But if he has any hope of one day realizing his dream of breeding and racing horses, he needs Sophronie. Their arranged marriage will fix all his problems. Assuming he doesn’t fall for his lovely new wife and ruin everything…Sophronie and Evan are about to find out that opposites can attract in the most unexpected—and sensual—ways. But when all is said and done, can they win each other’s hearts and turn their fake marriage into a real happily ever after?~ * ~Scandals, Secrets, and Sweet RomanceThis Historical Regency Romance by a USA Today bestselling author proves that enemies can become lovers and opposites do attract. Sparks fly as Evan and Sophronie match wits until they admit their love for each other.If you enjoy reading lovable rogue or duke romances with a pinch of intrigue, a dash of humor, and soul-searing emotion, then you’ll adore Collette Cameron’s enthralling SEDUCTIVE SCOUNDRELS series. Settle into your favorite reading nook with a beverage and your copy of HOW TO WIN A DUKE’S HEART for a page-turning, enemies to lovers, entertaining Regency world adventure you can’t put downThough this book can easily be read as a stand-alone, most readers prefer to read the series in order.SEDUCTIVE SCOUNDRELS SERIES:A Diamond for a DukeOnly a Duke Would DareA December with a DukeWhat Would a Duke Do?Wooed by a Wicked DukeDuchess of His HeartNever Dance with a DukeThe Debutante and the DukeWedding her Christmas DukeLoved by a Dangerous DukeHow to Win A Duke’s HeartWhen a Duke Desires a Lass - Coming soon!

Deceived Mail-Order Bride


Margaret Tanner - 2019
    The streets of New Orleans beckon unless she can quickly find another job. Unemployed and desperate, she decides to become a Mail-Order Bride for a wealthy businessman. She arrives at Dry River with six-year-old orphaned Max to a drunk and abusive prospective groom. Connor Grey believes he is not worthy of a woman’s love because of his scarred face. He sees Anna being abused, and after stepping in to help is left with her and the child. Anna’s situation is now dire. She came to marry one man, dare she wed another? How could a marriage between her and Connor work, even if the hand of fate appears to be pushing them together?

A Most Precious Gift


Jacqueline Freeman Wheelock - 2014
    Having never cooked a day in her life, she is terrified of being found out and banished to the cotton fields as was her mother before her. But when she accidentally burns the freedom papers of Jonathan Mayfield, a handsome free man of color to whom she's attracted, her fear of the fields becomes secondary.A gifted cabinetmaker, Jonathan Mayfield's heart is set on finally becoming a respected businessman by outfitting a bedroom at the palatial Riverwood—until a beautiful new slave destroys his proof of freedom and his fragile confidence along with it. When the mistress of Riverwood orders Dinah to work alongside the sullen Mr. Mayfield, sparks fly setting the two on a collision course. Is their mutual love for God strong enough to overcome deep-seated insecurities and set the couple on a path toward self-acceptance and love for each other?

Not Like a Lady


Judith Lynne - 2019
    But he's not his father, he's a salty ex-sailor who lost half a leg in the war and has a far worse temper than his father ever did. Struggling to fill his father's role, he's desperate to get outdoors again - but for that he needs a biddable horse he can ride. He's not prepared for the horse to come with a woman who wants her own life... and who decides that the key to her future is helping him ride again.Letty has never been anything even close to a lady. Sir Michael imagines that the lady of Roseford Manor will be like his mother: calm and elegant. Neither of them can resist the one person they ought to refuse.A sensual, engrossing, enchanting romance between two people who can't keep their hands off one another.Not Like a Lady is a historical regency romance novel with steamy moments and sweet ones, of about 300 pages.It includes a woman with a knack for saying what she thinks and no talent for needlework, a gallant if grumpy baronet, and a Happily Ever After!Not Like a Lady is a standalone book! but if you enjoyed it, stay tuned for The Countess Invention... Or jump straight to Anthony's story in Crown of Hearts!

On A Train Bound For Nowhere


Susan Leigh Carlton - 2017
    Unadopted and nearing the maximum age for the Foundling Home, Mary Catherine is given a choice by the mother superior, and decides to take the orphan train looking for a future. Trace Jennings is a shy young man who lost his father in the Civil War. Raised by his mother, he lives on a ranch in Helena, Montana. Raw from a disastrous mail order marriage, romance is not on his agenda. Faced with the obstacles life has dealt them, can Mary Catherine and Trace find romance and have a life together?

Ellie Dwyer's Big Mistake: Book 2 of the Ellie Dwyer Series


Diane Winger - 2020
    But Ellie’s idyllic world is interrupted when she is contacted by a woman who knows her oldest and best-kept secret. Viewing her past in a different light, Ellie undergoes an uplifting change-of-heart. Will her relationship with her new acquaintance bring them a fairytale ending, or is that too much to hope for?