Book picks similar to
A Scandalous Secret by Ava Stone


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Deceived


Nicola Cornick - 2006
    Perhaps the Earl of S. is the man she seeks...." -- The Gentleman's Mercury, 1816Princess Isabella never imagined it could come to this. Bad enough she faces imprisonment for debts not her own. Even worse that she must make a hasty marriage of convenience with Marcus, the Earl of Stockhaven--the man she'd loved and lost so long ago. But that he now wants revenge by demanding she be his in more than name only...well, that is simply intolerable!As the London gossips eagerly gather to watch the fun, Isabella struggles to maintain a polite distance in her marriage. But the more Isabella challenges Marcus's iron determination, the hotter their passion burns. This time, will it consume them both--or fuel a love greater than they dare dream?

Secrets of a Wedding Night


Valerie Bowman - 2012
    When she spots a certain engagement announcement in The Times, she decides to take action. She will not allow another hapless girl to fall prey to a man—particularly the scoundrel who broke her heart five years ago. Anonymously she writes and distributes a pamphlet entitled “Secrets of a Wedding Night,” knowing it will find its way into his intended’s innocent hands…How to Seduce a WidowDevon Morgan, the Marquis of Colton, desires a good wife and mother to his son—someone completely unlike Lily Andrews, the heartless beauty who led him on a merry chase five years ago only to reject him. When Devon’s new fiancée cries off after reading a certain scandalous pamphlet, he vows to track down the author and make her pay. But when he learns it’s his former fiancée Lily, he issues a challenge: write a retraction or prepare to be seduced—to find out how wonderful a wedding night can be…

This Perfect Kiss


Melody Thomas - 2011
    Giles. He may not have known who she was, but Christel would never forget . . . Nine years have passed since that magical evening. Now Camden, the seventh earl of Carrick, is widowed with a young daughter, a man with a heart in need of healing. And Christel has just stolen onboard his ship bound for Scotland. Neither has forgotten the kiss that had set their hearts ablaze. The longer she remains with him, the hotter his desire burns. But as they grasp their second chance at love, will the secrets from his past threaten to destroy the one love true enough to free his tormented heart?

Claiming the Duchess


Sherry Thomas - 2014
    James Kingston and her faithful correspondent Miss Julia Kirkland, whom Clarissa has never met.Now both Mr. Kingston and Miss Kirkland are due to arrive at Clarissa’s house—and Clarissa is about to find out that nothing of either is as she has been led to believe…A story of longings--and longings fulfilled.

Once Upon a Wedding Night


Sophie Jordan - 2006
    Now that she's suddenly husbandless and penniless, where else would she, her addled father, and spinster aunt reside? Yet who should appear but Nicholas Caulfield, the new Brookshire heir, claiming the estate is rightfully his by law. The brute is as arrogant as he is handsome—besides, he's supposed to be dead. And the only plan resourceful Meredith can devise to save her family from homelessness is a desperate scheme that may lead her to salvation or ruin...and the bed of the man she has vowed to hate.A reluctant aristocrat, Nick does not trust this fiery, infuriating chit whom he suspects of subterfuge—yet who bewitches him with her innocent green eyes. The sooner he can get this tempting beauty married off to some stodgy old blueblood—and off his hands for good—the better. There is one slight problem, however: Nick can't bear the thought of her wedding any man but him.

Have You Any Rogues?


Elizabeth Boyle - 2013
    Every stray glance, every chance encounter threatens to reveal the secret passion that keeps drawing them together.But finally after years of flirting with disaster, Crispin and Henrietta find themselves locked in a wine cellar, and now there is no denying the love and loyalties that have lured them and torn them apart time and time again. Will this one last chance, this tempting night of desire be the one that ignites a fire that will never be extinguished, no matter the price?

The Black Duke's Prize


Suzanne Enoch - 1995
    Not only is she caught up in the mad whirl of ballgowns and galas, she must also make certain that her disreputable uncle doesn’t sell her family estate in herabsence.Katherine Ralston, a country girl at heart, sees the Season in London as something she must endure. Nicholas Varnon, known as the Black Duke for his rakish and irresistible charms, sees the season as a chance to repair his rakish reputation. Yet, he seems to be taking quite an interest in the spirited Katherine. Suspicious of trickery, Katherine is determined to ignore the sinfully sexy charms of…the Black Duke. Little does she know, she may have just met her white knight in shining armor…

A Common Christmas


Sue London - 2013
     Grace Ashman has lost everything: her mother five years ago, and now her father and her home just a week before Christmas. She lives on the streets until one kind man invites her inside for a meal before the holiday. What she couldn’t know is that his kindness will change her life forever. Joshua Dibbs has been the butler at the Earl of Harrington’s London town home since 1809. If there is one thing Dibbs is known for, it is doing things properly. At least until now. Alas, when the earl arrives unexpectedly, the butler is reliant on help from a homeless woman to keep the household running until the staff returns!

The Mistletoe Trap


Eve Pendle - 2018
    Five years after breaking Amelia Chilson's heart, he's back. Robert Danbury wants the mistletoe kiss Amelia denied him years ago, but nothing more. Loving a woman again is an unthinkable risk. They just have to make it through Christmas without kissing or killing each other.Over presents and under mistletoe the past is revealed.Their mistakes are sweet, ugly, delicate, and unassailable. Botanist Robert might be able to grow pineapples almost as perfect as the ones Amelia can picture in her embroidery, but they can't change the past. Especially when Robert's daughter is a constant reminder.Then, they're caught innocently in bed together, and Robert has an instant to choose: Amelia's reputation, their lost love, or his conscience.Length: 30,000 wordsTropes: second chance; enemies-to-lovers; scandal; compromisedHeat level: medium-high.Content Notes can be found before the Contents page.Note: this novella was first published in the 2018 charity Regency Christmas anthology, Love Rekindled at Christmas.

Improper Relations


Juliana Ross - 2012
    An unpaid companion to his aunt, she's used to being ignored.The black sheep of the family, Leo has nothing but his good looks and noble birth to recommend him. Hannah ought to be appalled at what she's witnessed, but there's something about Leo that draws her to him.When Leo claims he can prove that women can feel desire as passionately as men, Hannah is incredulous. Her own experiences have been uninspiring. Yet she can't bring herself to refuse his audacious proposal when he offers to tutor her in the art of lovemaking. As the tantalizing, wicked lessons continue, she begins to fear she's losing not just her inhibitions, but her heart as well. The poorest of relations, she has nothing to offer Leo but herself. Will it be enough when their erotic education ends? 22,000 words

The Fox & the Angel


Danelle Harmon - 2014
    Lucien's best friend, Sir Roger Foxcote, has long since lost the spirit of Christmas following a tragic loss. Lucien's cousin, Angela Seaford Holmes, is widowed and destitute. Is Lucien's gift of a portrait that Fox adores a mere Christmas gift to Angela, or is the manipulative, matchmaking duke back to his old tricks? Once again, Lucien sets in motion events that are all but guaranteed to bring together this unlikely pair.

Bath Scandal (A Regency Romance)


Joan Smith - 1991
    But it was Southam’s straight-laced fiancée who actually inspired the move, and Lord Southam only came when rumors had Gillie involved with a disreputable fellow. Unfortunately, his lordship mistook Bea for a merry widow… Regency Romance by Joan Smith; originally published by Fawcett Crest

In My Wildest Fantasies


Julianne MacLean - 2007
    But his search for a suitable bride will end with a swift seduction that makes her every inch a woman.Four years ago, a mesmerizing stranger pulled Lady Rebecca Newland from her runaway coach, galloping to her rescue in a fog-shrouded forest. Though she was just seventeen, Rebecca felt an irresistible desire for the mysterious man and swore that she would someday be his bride. But now she is betrothed to another man whom she detests - and Devon Sinclair, the future Duke of Pembroke and her hero, lies tantalizingly beyond her reach...Haunted by an unspeakable past, Devon has no intention of taking a wife, not even the enticing Rebecca. But then his father rules that Devon must wed by Christmas or forfeit his rightful inheritance. Now, with his fortune at stake, Devon sets out to lure Rebecca to his bed... where the most unexpected secrets and lies stand in the way of their scandalous, explosive passion.

Moonlight


Carolyn Jewel - 2011
    She's about to remarry and in Dane's opinion, the man is all wrong for her. On a moonlit night Dane makes the case that he's the right man for her.

Pretending You Are Mine


Marie Higgins - 2011
    Mercedes isn’t naïve when it comes to capturing traitors, because her own deceased husband had once been an agent for the King when they lived in England.When she meets William Braxton for the first time, all is not as it seems. Portraying her twin, Mercedes knows this is the only way to get close enough to William to discover his secrets. What she finds along the way are little surprises she hadn’t counted on, especially when she begins to give her heart to a man who may be a spy against the crown.