Book picks similar to
An Unlikely Alliance by Patricia Bray


historical-romance
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Jessamine's Folly


S.G. Rogers - 2013
    When her aunt gives her an ultimatum to leave, Jessamine accepts a position as companion to Lord Kirkendale’s sister—even though she’s been warned her predecessors can’t seem to resist the earl’s exceptional good looks. Can Jessamine manage to hold onto her job without losing her heart?To honor a promise made to his dying father, Lord Kirkendale agrees to an arranged marriage to a woman he cannot love. Although he is resigned to a life without sentiment, the arrival of his sister’s new companion awakens a slumbering passion. Can he find a way to secure his own happiness without sacrificing his family’s honor, or will his broken promise result in the ruination of the person he loves most?

The Governess of Penwythe Hall


Sarah E. Ladd - 2019
    Years later her employer’s unexpected death and his last request to watch over his five children force her to reevaluate. She can’t abandon the children now that they’ve lost both parents, but their new guardian lives at the timeworn Penwythe Hall . . . back on the Cornish coast she tries desperately to forget.Jac Trethewey is determined to revive Penwythe Hall’s once-flourishing apple orchards, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his struggling estate profitable again. He hasn’t heard from his brother in years, so when his nieces, nephews, and their governess arrive unannounced at Penwythe Hall, he battles both grief of this brother’s death and bewilderment over this sudden responsibility. Jac’s priorities shift as the children take up residence in the ancient halls, but their secretive governess—and the mystery shrouding her past—proves to be a disruption to his carefully laid plans.Rich with family secrets, lingering danger, and the captivating allure of new love, this first book in the Cornwall Novels series introduces us to the Twethewey family and their search for peace, justice, and love on the Cornish coast.

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.

Gentleman Jim


Mimi Matthews - 2020
    Raised alongside her on her father’s estate, Nicholas is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nicholas escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nicholas never returns. A decade later, he’s long been presumed dead.He wouldn’t forgive…After years spent on the continent, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has finally come home to England. Tall, blond, and dangerous, he’s on a mission to restore his family’s honor. If he can mete out a bit of revenge along the way, so much the better. But he hasn’t reckoned for Maggie Honeywell. She’s bold and beautiful—and entirely convinced he’s someone else. As danger closes in, St. Clare is torn between love and vengeance. Will he sacrifice one to gain the other? Or with a little luck—and a lot of daring—will he find a way to have them both?

The Spice Bride


Karen Aminadra - 2016
    With three ships sunk in one year by Napoléon’s navy, Richard Emberton is desperate to save his spice importation business.While collecting his daughter from boarding school in England, George Hayward is on the lookout for a new exporter for his spice plantation in India.With benefits to be reaped by both sides, Richard agrees to marry the plantation owner’s daughter.Certain that her chance at love is being sold to the highest bidder, Grace Hayward feels little more than a slave and is determined she will never be happy again.With such an inglorious beginning, can love flourish? ***Please note this is a CLEAN Romance***

The Companion of Lady Holmeshire


Debra Brown - 2011
    She is raised and sent to work as a servant girl for The Countess of Holmeshire. The widowed and unconventional Countess chooses Emma Carrington as a companion and sends her off for finishing with the goal of dragging her along into aristocratic, "polite", Victorian society. As a former servant girl and now just a companion, she is sure to have a rude reception. She has eyes for the young Earl of Holmeshire, but it is hopeless he is above her station in life and engaged by arrangement to a lovely London lady. Tribulations and banned romances of the servants downstairs play into the story humorously as we follow Emma from a stone fortress to a Victorian village and grand London mansions. Great surprises unfold at a Midsummer Night's Dream Ball that help to solve mysteries which have gradually developed. But there is yet another great twist in the story at the end. Can you predict what it is?

Crimes Of The Brothers


D.L. Carter - 2013
    caring... supportive... protective. Catherine Walman's brother, however, is not. He has maligned her reputation until no honorable man will seek her company, wasted her dowry and endangered her home with his gambling and now his new wife has made it clear Catherine is no longer welcome. The hand of fortune intervenes when a letter arrives advising Catherine that a stranger has bequeathed to her "a home and money to keep it." Catherine seizes upon this chance, hoping that it might be enough for her to be independent, to be free - only to discover this stranger also had a brother, or two, or three.

The Defiant Governess


Andrea Pickens - 1997
    Sparking arguments between herself and the mysterious Saybrook is delightful fun. But both are putting her heart in danger. Now she's caught between desire and her deception, for the most a titled lord can offer to a mere governess is ruin.

Seducing the Master


Em Brown - 2015
     Tempting though it would be, succumbing to Miss Terrell would be a disastrous mistake for Charles. He is standing for Parliament, and his chief supporter in the election is the wealthy and influential Sir Arthur, who wants Miss Terrell for his own. Terrell cannot quell her scorching desire for Master Gallant, whose deft hand and command of rope bondage inflame her deepest, darkest cravings. She is intent on seducing Master Gallant. But what price will they both pay if she succeeds…if she devastates his boundaries and unleashes the darker side of his command? If you like epic romances with a lot of wicked heat, get Seducing the Master to scorch up your reading today! Reader Advisory: This erotic historical romance contains dubious consent, BDSM, bondage, and themes of submission and dominance.

An Invitation to Scandal


Kelly Boyce - 2013
     Miss Abigail Laytham is a lady on a mission, determined to see the man responsible for her beloved uncle’s death pay. But revenge has its price, and with scandal courting her every step, can the headstrong beauty find the satisfaction she craves, or will she find something else entirely at the hands of her former beau, Viscount Roxton. The Sins & Scandals Series While there are those who spend their time in modest pursuits, upholding propriety befitting the lords and ladies of the ton, it would seem that for others scandal is just a sin away… THE SINS & SCANDALS SERIES #1 AN INVITATION TO SCANDAL #2 A SCANDALOUS PASSION #3 A SINFUL TEMPTATION #4 THE LADY'S SINFUL SECRET #5 SURRENDER TO SCANDAL #6 A SINNER NO MORE #7 THE SWEETEST SIN (Aug 9, 2016) #8 A MOST SCANDALOUS CHRISTMAS (Dec 2016) #9 A HINT OF SCANDAL (Spring 2017) #10 SINS OF A SOLDIER (TBD)

My Sister's Secret


Bianca Bloom - 2017
    Henrietta is the brave one, the renowned beauty who was engaged at seventeen to a handsome and rich young man. But when Henrietta’s fiancé is suddenly killed in a cholera outbreak, the twins and their cousin Brook are sent back to England. Joanna starts noticing herself blushing around her cousin Brook, who suddenly seems an excessively handsome young man with a new awkwardness around her. But even thinking of marriage would be impossible for the two cousins, as they are both impoverished and quite busy chasing Henrietta. Henri, still grief-stricken over the loss of the man she was to marry, has chosen to throw herself at every married man and rake in sight. When yet more tragic news reaches the three cousins, Brook takes comfort in the arms of a woman who seems to be Henrietta, his experienced and wild cousin. In fact, the woman who spends the night with him is Joanna, and Brook makes her question her desires, her character, and her resolution not to follow a path of passion. When Joanna discovers that she is with child, the twins are faced with a harsh choice – to be penniless and helpless little ladies trying to make their way in society, or to put a dangerous scheme in place and provide for both their futures. And Brook, Joanna’s beloved, is the only person standing in the way.

Desperate and Daring


Ella J. Quince - 2014
    Her family is on the brink of ruin, and only the Duke of Ablehill can save her. When he agrees to meet her, it's the duke's steward who arrives in his place. Heather must convince him that she would be the perfect duchess, but her attraction to him is clouding her mind. Her heart is pulling her away from what she must do, and toward the man she truly wants. Fallon Calder cannot believe that the beautiful and vibrant Miss Everly wishes to marry a malicious old man like the Duke of Ablehill. He is determined to find out all he can about her, but what he doesn't anticipate is his own heart getting involved. The more he learns about her, the more certain he becomes that the only man Heather should belong to, is him.

The Silverton Scandal


Amanda Grange - 2003
    She cannot begin to imagine why a wealthy nobleman would stoop to highway robbery.

Curricle & Chaise


Lizzie Church - 2012
    Even this might have proved tolerable. After all, Lydia was an independent sort of a girl, more than capable of holding her own against importunate tradesmen, and more than happy to bring her younger sister up on her own.It would not do, however. The state in which Lydia discovered the family affairs made independent existence quite out of the question. In spite of all her best efforts, within a few months of her mama’s death, and scarcely out of full mourning, it became apparent to her that there was nothing to be done but to acknowledge the inevitable and appeal to her relations for help….It is 1810. Lydia, now penniless, is forced to seek a home with an aunt and uncle who have no interest in her whatsoever. But there are plenty of others with an interest in her – including the handsome but selfish son of the family – her cousin Charles - and two elegant brothers who live nearby.Each, in his own way, poses an intriguing challenge to her. Luckily Lydia is well able to look after herself but she gets into a number of scrapes which almost cost her any chance of happiness before finally managing to sort things out in the end.

Brentwood's Ward


Michelle Griep - 2015
    She is determined to find a husband this season. He just wants the large fee her father will pay him to help his ailing sister. After a series of dire mishaps, both their desires are thwarted, but each discovers that no matter what, God is in charge.