And he most definitely will not appear in Edinburgh to pay homage to a liege who has no respect for Scotland. So he does what any laird would do—he lies to the king. The last thing Ruairi expects is a beautiful English governess to appear on his doorstep.But this lady spy might make him...Lady Ravenna Walsingham is a seasoned spy who is sent to the savage Highlands to uncover a nefarious plot against the Crown. Playing the part of an English governess—a job easier said than done—she infiltrates the home of Laird Sutherland, a suspected conspirator.If she doesn't betray him firstRavenna soon discovers that the only real threat Sutherland poses is to her heart. But will the proud Highland laird ever forgive her when he discovers the woman he loves is an English spy?

    Now, her treasure was about to be threatened...by Velerian Hawkesworth, Duke of Farminster, who came to claim the heiress promised to him in a marriage contract. But the free-spirited beauty had no intention of letting some pompus duke carry her off to a cold and gloomy country. Soon, she and her sister Cally, who had always yearned for the luxurious life of a duchess, had switched places.

    He's witnessed and experienced a lifetime of cruelty and he's lost too much to care about anything ever again. While he was captured, his entire family died, leaving him with the only person he cares about - his cellmate, Griff. As a result, his steely nerves have made Sam one of the most famous and feared hired guns in the west. Then Griff disappears inside the gates of Hamilton's fabulously profitable Silver Spur ranch. Sam figures that posing as a bodyguard of the Baron of Banking's daughter, who's come to visit, will be the simplest solution to finding his way in. Little did he expect that fighting a war would do so little to prepare him for an encounter with the very adventurous and alluring Laura.

    He was as graceful as a panther, as confident as a lion-and as lusty as a tomcat. But no matter how much the golden-haired innocent told herself he was a rich, abhorrent womanizer, she couldn't resist his sensual, practiced advances. And even as her sweet lips protested each caress, her womanly curves eagerly welcomed his arousing embrace! AT LAST THEY LOVEDWith danger his constant companion, hot-blooded Adrien Hunt lived life to the hilt. His days were fraught with plots, pistols and swords, and his nights were filled with warm and willing wenches. But when he first saw the spirited nymph Christina Bower, even the experienced knave had to admit she was more enticing than any of his previous conquests. Ignoring her modest, prim "no," Adrien began his gentle assault on her senses, liberating her passions, setting free her inhibitions... and guaranteeing that in a moment more they'd share the magic of her Starlit Surrender!

    Now, in one incomparable volume, four of Avon Romance's bestselling authors present stirring tales of hearts won and weddings to be, featuring a quartet of unforgettable heroines about to discover the rapture of love in a world as untamed as the men they will one day marry.from back coverDisplaying the bold and breathtaking sensuality that is her hallmark, bestselling author CHRISTINA DODD enthralls us with the tale of a willful Scottish beauty--kidnapped by an arrogant yet irresistible Englishman--who fights to keep from succumbing to her brazen captor's passionate, and persuasive, proposal.Experience the fiercely emotional power of STEPHANIE LAURENS who is at her passionate best with this story of a wealthy gentleman who finds his childhood nemesis has blossomed into a most desirable lass--and he's determined to do everything in his power to claim her as his own, before she is quite unsuitably wed.The delightful wit and warm humor of JULIA QUINN shine brightly in this winning romantic romp, in which a lovely English miss--feigning marriage to a dashing, beguiling Scotsman--discovers she has a very real desire for her make-believe groom.Another strikingly dramatic and deeply compelling tale by KAREN RANNEY. A legend decrees that the sexy Laird of Sinclair must marry a woman he has never met. But only sweet, passion-filled love will him to his true--and forbidden--bride.stories are:Under the Kilt (Fairchild Family #2.5) by Christina DoddRose in Bloom by Stephanie LaurensGretna Greene by Julia QuinnThe Glenlyon Bride by Karen Ranney

    two wounded souls are forced on a journey neither wants, resulting in tragedy and disaster. Battle-hardened, untrusting and son of a Scottish Chieftain. Duncan MacThomas wants only to see his country free from English rule. Honor-bound to ensure his clan's financial future, Duncan reluctantly travels to England to wed a woman he doesn't want. Wealthy and pampered. Catherine Gillingham anticipates a marriage to a Duke's son and is dismayed when her king decrees she must wed a Scotsman, the sort of man all of London despises. Can these two opposites find love amidst war and lower their barriers to find the peace they seek within their countries and themselves?

    Now laird of the powerful MacLerie clan and in need of a wife, Connor buys his way to a bride, one he insists not be beautiful like his first wife. He brings Jocelyn to his lair planning to keep her in his bed and out of his life...and heart.Jocelyn MacCallum saves her family and people with her marriage, but fears for her soul and her life when she becomes bride to the Beast. Against his wishes and orders, Jocelyn begins to make a place in his clan for herself and begins to learn more about the man she wed.When an old threat rises against the clan and laird, will love be powerful enough to save the woman not known for beauty and her Beast?

    But when the man she's loved since her girlhood returns from a long spell abroad, she quite suddenly finds herself hoping the fine lord her brother has picked for her won't propose. She decides that if he does, she'll quite improperly turn him down—that is, until the man of her hopes and dreams informs her he has no intention of marrying her.The last time Tristan Nesbitt saw Alexandra, he was a common man with no hope of ever wedding the daughter of a marquess. Seven years later, he's now Lord Hawkridge, which should make him eminently suitable for the woman who long ago captured his heart. But a dreadful scandal has tarnished his name in England—a scandal so horrid that marrying Alexandra would ruin not only her flawless reputation but her whole family. For Alexandra's own good, he must fight his relentless desires and stay far away…

    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?

    But the beautiful healer’s luck takes an unexpected turn when a hooded stranger appears as her rescuer. After a harrowing escape, Ana settles alone in a quiet village where no one knows her past or her reputation. The last thing she ever expects is to meet her mysterious savior again...Niall MacCurran is no hero, but a warrior on a dangerous mission to expose a threat to the realm. After his decision to free Ana, he now realizes that it is he who needs her help—willing or no—to advance his quest. But his growing feelings for the delicate yet resilient beauty soon jeopardize their safety—and not even Ana’s healing gifts may be enough to protect their love, or their lives.

    Hooded and disguised, she led a series of daring raids against the forces of the Crown--vowing to love no man until the English invaders were driven from her native soil. Hot-blooded Captain Garrett Marshall was entrusted with the capture of the mysterious brigand called "Black Jack." But the sensuous, azure-eyed beauty hidden beneath the bandit's manly garb tested Garrett's loyalty to his King. Inflamed by a desire he could not ignore, the handsome officer would wed his bewitching enemy to save her from the gallows. But first he'd have to quell her hatred...and conquer her heart.

    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.

    But he can't find his way alone.A partner is required.Fantine (Fanny) Delarive is perfect. She knows the slums better than any, has survived its labyrinth alone for years, and knows every criminal lurking in every dark corner.Then, the investigation detours the pair into the bright ballrooms of the ton.And Fantine fits in here, too.Which changes everything.Lord Chadwick knows a woman of Fantine's ilk is entirely unsuitable for him. But she's infinitely more exciting than any well-born lady he's ever met.Now much more than an acquaintance with the independent, self-reliant Fantine is required... and it must end with nothing less than marriage.

    But it is not until she frees Sir Revan Halyard from her guardian's dungeon that she realizes the extent of the plot—and the deadly lengths to which he'll go to silence her and claim her considerable inheritance. When Revan abducts Tess in the course of his escape, she becomes his wary ally as well as his captive. For though Tess is loath to trust him and resistant to the desire he stirs in her soul, she cannot deny the destiny they share. Now, as they race against the traitors who seek to destroy them and betray the throne, Tess and Revan will risk everything for love of king, country—and one another...

    As the new Earl of Balfour, though, he must marry an English heiress to repair the family fortunes.But in his intended's penniless chaperone, Augusta, Ian is finding everything he's ever wanted in a wife.