It has long been whispered that Trevelyan Manor hides dark secrets and sinister deeds -- including the murder of Benedict's wife. But Ann refuses to pay heed to spiteful rumor.As she grows to cherish her young charges, Ann also finds herself powerfully drawn to the handsome Benedict, whose passionate persuasion introduces her to a new world of sensual pleasures. But even while falling in love with the master of Trevelyan, Ann wonders if his attentions are intended to blind her to the secrets of the past -- and if Benedict holds he key to her destiny...or her destruction.

    Three prime suspects. One sinister plot to destroy a fledgling kingdom... Meet the Queen's Angels!When Robert the Bruce's queen formed the Angels, an elite group of spies masquerading as her ladies in waiting, she probably didn't imagine they'd be called on to save her life. But that's what happens when Queen Elizabeth is entertaining the Fraser delegation.Luckily, her lady Courtney is deadly with a bow and recognizes the assassin. Court's history with the band of thieves and murderers who raised her means she has a very different skill set than most women in the queen's retinue, and she's not afraid to employ it. But she is used to working alone, and the idea of being saddled with an unwanted partner—particularly when that man is gorgeous, dangerous, and a suspect—is galling.Ross Fraser, the queen's longtime bodyguard, can't believe one of his kinsmen could be involved in this dastardly plot. He'll do everything in his power to prove his clan is innocent of treason, even if it means partnering with a testy and deadly thief-turned-spy... One who holds his heart in her hands after that single night they spent together years ago.Ross must choose between his loyalty to his laird and his loyalty to his heart, as Court's "family" proves she doesn't even understand what loyalty is. When metal hits meat, can this unlikely duo learn to trust each other, or will the plot to bring down the Scottish monarchy succeed?

    By offering him a kiss in lieu of the jewels she had to leave behind, she commits the very type of act that caused her exile. When her dour guardians extend her punishment to performing charitable work at the local orphanage, she's further tempted by the home's owner, a provincial gentleman who stirs her passion in a most wicked way.HE WAS HER DOWNFALLDesperate to save his orphanage from financial catastrophe, Montgomery "Fox" Foxcroft leads a double life as a highwayman. The arrival of wealthy, well-connected Miranda, whose kiss he can't forget, presents a lawful opportunity to increase his coffers. His problems seem solved-until she rejects his suit. Out of options and falling for the heiress, Fox must risk what principles he has left and take advantage of her wicked ways-even if it ruins them both.

    Caroline Lyncott, great grandaughter of the Duke of Bucklynde, has a secret. Years ago she was attacked and still bears the terrible scars. To escape the scandal and the reminders, she left everything behind to become housekeeper to a Scottish brother and sister. Gregory Murray, the Earl Of Hartfell, has a secret as well – he harbors a deep attraction to his housekeeper, Mrs. Lyncott. He knows she has a past, but doesn’t know how to fix the pain that still haunts her. His investigation leads him to the darkest London gaming hell and a villain too powerful to destroy. Can his love overcome her desperate past? Can she risk her heart despite the evil that still haunts her nightmares?

    Then everything went wrong...Mr. Daniel Hallsworth lost his title and was driven out of England by claims of his illegitimacy. Now he’s returned to reclaim his title and his family’s reputation, which requires marrying a virtuous lady. He has his sights set on the woman he once loved. If only the lady would graciously accept his proposal.Lady Emme Radcliffe made a mistake that could destroy her family. To hide it, she’s withdrawn from society and dedicated herself to spinsterhood. Now the man she’s loved for ages has returned with an offer of marriage, but accepting it could expose her secret, and she can't afford to take that risk. If only the gentleman would kindly stop tempting her.With their own match an impossibility, Daniel needs Emme’s assistance to find a suitable wife, and she requires his help to thwart her father’s matchmaking. But each moment together brings them to the brink of passion, and every stolen kiss leads them one step closer to ruin.

    Jackson

    When his trading empire is threatened by an unknown enemy who not only wants to see him ruined but dead as well, he uses every means to put an end to it. He turns to a beautiful barbarian seer, a slave with hair the color of firelight and eyes that shine like emeralds only to be betrayed into a fate worse than death—slavery.Bryna of Eire lives each day burdened by the yoke of Rome and her own guilt for leading her beloved brother and clansmen into Rome’s clutches. She curses the gift of sight which her master exploits, keeping her under lock and key, telling fortunes and fattening his purse. When an opportunity to be freed of her confinement comes, Bryna takes it, though her instincts warn that lying to the sensual, golden-eyed man that plagues her visions risks her very soul.Betrayed into slavery, Jared labors under the lash envisioning revenge on the seer who sent him into this hell. But when fate throws Bryna into his arms, he finds exacting vengeance a different matter. As they escape, evade bounty hunters and face their pasts, Jared must battle not only his enemy but his heart. Can the differences that separate them draw them together to save their lives and their love?

    Desperate to outrun her troubles, she accepts a governess position at the crumbling gothic manor of the mysterious Ravensdale family. Caring for three orphaned children gives her a purpose, but her vulgar employer, Bly Ravensdale, holds dangerous secrets that may shatter Clara's newfound safe haven. Yet this stubborn brute compels Clara to abandon her etiquette at every turn, and she can't stay away. Disowned by his family, Bly Ravensdale travels the globe as an explorer and agent of the British Crown until his brother’s passing leaves him saddled with three young wards. Charged with returning them to the family's vacant ancestral seat in the English countryside—the one place he wishes to avoid at all costs—Bly quits the role of spy to play family man. But a man nicknamed Devil rarely gets a clean start in life, even with the aid of the prudish yet lovely governess, Clara. Despite her cold exterior, Bly finds himself drawn to her, even as an enemy from his deadly past resurfaces seeking vengeance. Can he protect all that he has suddenly come to hold dear?

    but falling in love? George, Viscount Hexham, is quite literally thunderstruck when he meets Lady Anne in the park, and he can’t get her off his mind. Her brother, Gabe, is happy to act as a matchmaker, never once mentioning he might already be acting on behalf of the other side. Can two who are so perfectly matched end up married before Anne must endure her first Season in London? Meanwhile, when a neighbor appears to be spying on George’s twin sister through the telescope in his garden observatory, an incensed Lady Angelica is determined to give him a piece of her mind. Sir Benjamin may end up with her heart as well, as mistletoe and moonlight work their magic in The Angel of an Astronomer.An abridged version of this story was previously published in the Once Upon a Christmas Wedding anthology

    At ease making life-and-death decisions between breaths, their exploits in the boudoir are as infamous as those on the dueling field. Bold, seductive and thrilling, the Masters At Arms series is swashbuckling romance at its finest by RWA Hall of Famer—and holder of RWA's Lifetime Achievement Award and Romantic Times' Career Achievement Award—Jennifer Blake. Volume One includes Books 1-3: CHALLENGE TO HONOR When Celina barters herself to Rio de Silva to keep him from dueling her brother, he accepts. But Rio harbors a secret far more perilous than the way he sets her soul aflame. DAWN ENCOUNTER When the husband she never loved is killed in a duel with Caid O’Neill, Lisette is left at the mercy of her rapacious father-in-law. Caid agrees to be the desperate woman’s protector—but how can they fight the forbidden love between an heiress and a master at arms? ROGUE'S SALUTE Juliette, called home from a convent just before taking her vows, is in dire need of a husband. Nicholas, notorious swordmaster and mentor to a houseful of street boys, is in need of a wife. Their practical arrangement soon explodes with heady desire, but someone’s trying to stop the wedding, and Juliette must fight to claim a love worth any price.

    What's a dutiful sister to do to save her loved ones from ruination? Why, steal a few items from an aristocrat's house--items he'll surely never miss--and sell them to pay her family's debts. Luckily for her, she meets Simon Montgomery, the new Earl of Cartwright, a recluse familiar with antiquities. He can help her keep her family from debtor's prison, and he might just claim her heart too. Except instead of stealing from Simon's neighbor, she breaks into the wrong house...Simon is determined to change the way the world sees his family, even if it means he can no longer pursue his dreams of being a scholar to take on his new title. When a thief breaks into his home and steals a precious family heirloom, he vows to get the item back. The last thing he expects is that the girl he met at a garden party is a thief! When Jude is discovered with his possessions, how will she ever convince him that despite her deception, her love for him is the truth?

    Richard is enamoured from the moment he sets eyes on the hard working Annabelle but she is far too bound by duty to admit that she reciprocates his feelings. With a little meddling from Richard's mother, love seems to blossom between the pair, only to be threatened by Annabelle's vengeful brother. Can Richard and Annabelle find lasting happiness, or will her brother's wrath separate them permanently?

    Now, as all of Europe celebrates the end of the long wars, the scheming Lord Marstoke has revived it--and transformed it into a weapon.A List no respectable lady wishes to be on . . .Miss Brynne Wilmott escaped the monstrous Marstoke once, with the inadvertent aide of Nathan Russell, the Duke of Aldmere, and the incredible generosity of Hestia Wright, the former courtesan pledged to help any woman in trouble. But now Marstoke's Love List is threatening her new future--and forging her into a weapon made to destroy her friend.The Request a certain Duke has no wish to hear . . .The Duke of Aldmere doesn't believe in meddling. Fate has proved that interfering in personal matters only leads to bigger trouble. He has no wish to involve himself in Brynne Wilmott's affairs, despite her spirited beauty and damned tempting mouth. But she's discovered that his brother is mixed up in this business as well. Reluctantly, they agree to work together.Their search leads them through some of London's most dangerous haunts and it quickly becomes clear that Marstoke's plans are more twisted and treasonous than anyone has suspected. Yet the danger and intrique are as nothing compared to the effect than Nathan and Brynne have on each other . . .

    However, by night, he is a masked avenger named Prometheus, rescuing unfortunate children from lives of prostitution. Horribly burned as a child, he loves the anonymity of his mask.Vanessa Bourke, the famous actress, is fascinated by both Adrian Strathmore, who throws flowers at her feet but remains in the shadows, and Prometheus, the masked man who shows up in her flat in the middle of the night with a small boy he’s saved. When she discovers they are one and the same, she begs him to unmask himself, to no avail. He is willing to lose her forever rather than trust her to love him despite his scars. Frustrated, she blackmails Adrian into marrying her, ruining his trust.Will he ever believe she’s come to love the man behind the mask?

    When Clan Chief Baile Buchanon finds her a job tending to his youngest daughter, Mazey thinks she is safe. Despite her past and the heartbreak she is healing from, Baile starts to fall for the woman caring for his daughter. As feelings for each other grow, a dark looming past threatens to catch up with Mazey and destroy everything. Will she be able to confront her past and move on, or is she destined to live forever in her fear? Part of the Highlander Bride series, read this and other books by Veronica Touse to learn more about the Murrays and Buchanons.