Book picks similar to
A Scandalous Portrait by Callie Hutton


historical-romance
romance
historical
historical-fiction

The Viscount’s Mistress


Claire DuLac - 2016
    To save his family from financial ruin, he needs the help of his closest childhood friend, Violette. They must work together so he can gain the hand of her wealthy but spoiled heiress cousin and make a mutually beneficial marriage—a sound business arrangement for them both. In return for her help, Lawrence offers Violette the one thing she covets most—freedom. With his help, she can leave England and her cruel family behind. But there is a vital flaw in this near-perfect plan. Violette Pélet de Castelmarou is secretly in love with Lawrence and has hidden it for years. Yet now she finds herself feeding him lines and coaching him through sticky social situations in order to win over her cousin. But when emotions get involved, hearts become inextricably entangled. When the time comes, will Lawrence be able to say goodbye to Violette or will he compromise her virtue and make her his forever? If he cannot have her for his wife, then he’ll make her his mistress…

Secrets of Midnight


Miriam Minger - 1995
    Instead, he finds himself banished to the English countryside of Cornwall, forced by the decrees of his father's will to run his family's tin mines and find a country bride. The very last thing the handsome lord needs is a local lass sticking her nose into his affairs, but that seems to be exactly what the parson's daughter, Corisande Easton, had in mind.

Bargaining With a Rake


Julie Johnstone - 2012
    Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she’s desperate to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian’s scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake, Alexander Trevelle, Lord Lionhurst. He agrees to help her win the hand of his American friend, if she’ll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact may just be their hearts.

The Lion


Hildie McQueen - 2021
    However, as one who treasures loyalty above all, she is mortified to learn his lover lives at the family keep. After being publicly humiliated by her husband, Isobel must ensure two things: to keep her heart protected and remain a wife in name only.After his late father’s ruling by fear, young laird Darach Ross inherits a clan of people who do not trust his leadership. With the threat of an insurrection and possible attack by another clan, every move he makes must be measured. When he is captured by an enemy clan, Darach wants to know if he will leave a legacy. He then makes a mistake that can rob him of happiness forever.

What the Hart Wants


Emily Royal - 2020
    One lesson in love. Fraser MacGregor, thirteenth Duke Molineux, seizes the opportunity to use the title he unexpectedly inherited, to further his whisky business. He leaves his Highland home and heads for London where he’s accosted by a feisty lass, who smashes a vase over his head.Delilah Hart should be relishing her first London season. But she’d rather be a writer than a bland society wife. Her secret occupation of writing anonymous, inflammatory articles about the notorious Molineux family, is the first step to realizing her dream.But when the new duke makes her an offer she can’t refuse—to learn about her cause for social justice in exchange for five lessons in the art of pleasure—she begins to question her beliefs and desires. Before long, Delilah realizes that her heart, as well as her career, is at stake.

An Enchanted Christmas Collection : Regency Romance


Wendy Vella - 2020
    However she was desperate for money to support her children this Christmas, so it is to him she must go. Perhaps it had been wrong of her to point out his many faults so boldly, but the man drove her to distraction and all thoughts of lady-like behavior disappeared in his infuriating presence.Max didn't remember much of his first meeting with the annoying Miss Appleby, thanks to the after effects of one drink too many. But he vaguely recalled he'd promised her something, just to get her out of his house so he could suffer in peace. Unfortunately peaceful was the last word to describe her as he found out the next day. She was unlike any woman he knew - opinionated and rude certainly, but she worked selflessly to provide for children that were not even of her blood. Max had believed himself incapable of strong emotion yet Hero was changing that belief. Could his long forgotten Christmas wish really come true?THE EARL FROM CHRISTMAS PASTA feisty regency Miss and a cold arrogant Lord. Can a sweet kiss under the mistletoe, and a dangerous secret be enough to rekindle what they once shared?Gabriel Lord Lockhart wants nothing to do with the woman his childhood friend has become. Calculating, and aloof, Maddie’s beauty is now just a façade, and she is nothing like the mouthy hellion he remembers. That was until the day he found her on a dirty street in one of the seediest areas in London, championing children. He soon realizes how wrong he’s been about her, and that the feelings he’d once had for her had grown into something powerful. Now all he has to do is keep her safe!Miss Madeline Spencer loathes society but has promised her parents she will behave so she can keep her freedom. Everything is going to plan until Gabe stomps back into her life. He uncovers her secret, and demands she stop taking risks. She soon realizes that the gentle boy she once loved is now a man with an iron will, but she can’t allow him to deter her from what must be done. Even if it means she can’t be with the man she loves.MISTLETOE AND THE MARQUESSMarriage was something Miss Partridge had hoped to delay indefinitely, but due to her father's reckless behavior she is now expected to save the family from ruin. Determined to have one last night of freedom before marrying a man she detests; Jemma attends a Christmas Masquerade Ball. When a handsome highwayman awakens something inside her, with stolen kisses and whispered promises, she flees, vowing to forget about the man who touched her soul.From the moment the Marquess of Harrington sees the Grecian Goddess enter the ball, he wants her. Harry is not usually one for irrational impulses - indeed his life does not allow for that - but this woman makes him lose all reason. Her touch ignites a fire inside him, and her kisses sear his soul. When she runs from him he is determined to find her and finally unmask the woman who has captured his heart.

The Duke's Mistress


Carole Mortimer - 2015
    Most especially so with her role as mistress of her brother’s household, and the endless round of society engagements this forces her to endure. What Thea so badly needs is a secret and passionate lover, to become mistress of another kind entirely, and so add excitement and spice into her humdrum life. But where is she to find this handsome and inexhaustible gentleman? Julian Remington, the arrogant and haughty 17th Duke of Blackmoor has no interest in finding a mistress for his bedroom or his home. He’s jaded, cynical, and distrustful when it comes to women. One woman, a woman from his past, has caused too much grief in his life for him to ever trust another. Thea and Julian are about to be caught up in a passion for each other that blazes so fiercely, and so out of control, it is beyond the power of either of them to resist. The Duke’s Mistress is the story of an arrogant duke and an adventurous young widow, caught up in their insatiable desire for each other, the vengeful woman who would like nothing better than to see Blackmoor suffer as she has suffered, and believes Thea Fitzroy to be the means by which she will achieve it.Author's Note: Please be aware that the stories in the Regency Unlaced Series are more explicit in language and sexual content than my other books.

The Look of Love


Meara Platt - 2019
    A dingy old book tucked away in an old Regency London bookshop holds magic and love for those who use the 'recipes'! When Lady Olivia Gosling finds The Book of Love in a musty bookshop, she is most eager to try out its love “recipes” on someone safe. Did she say safe? Well, Beast isn’t really safe, but with her odious guardian about to marry her off to one of his unsavory friends, Olivia needs her childhood friend to fall in love with her... fast. If Beast can love her, then any man she chooses will surely do the same. Alexander Beastling, Duke of Hartford, is known as Beast among the ton. He is big and muscled, and there is a dark aura of mystery about him that he makes no effort to dispel. Now that he’s returned from battle, he’s appalled to learn of the marriage plans Lady Olivia’s loathsome guardian has for her. Beast has decided that he will help her find a proper husband, even if it means putting up with her ridiculous experiments taken out of a book she refers to as The Book of Love. Olivia calls them magical recipes for love. Is it possible they actually work? Because suddenly, Beast can’t seem to get Olivia out of his mind... or his heart. Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

The Reluctant Duke


Christine Donovan - 2012
    Society is pulling them apart. She can't become his wife and won't become his mistress.The last thing wounded veteran Major Thomas Marshal wanted was a title. It wasn’t supposed to happen. But duty has a way of pulling a man into things he doesn’t want and away from the things he needs.The only thing Miss Guinevere Harding needs is a safe place to hide. A job as the downstairs maid at Brookshire is the perfect refuge from a frightening past. Or at least it was until the arrival of the new Duke.

The Dashing Widow


Elizabeth Bramwell - 2016
    Where it not for the gentle guidance of her best friend, Abby doubts she would have survived the Beau Monde's disapproval for even a week - and especially not the critical gaze of the Earl of Gloucester. The man is insufferable, arrogant, and everything that Abby hates about the Ton - except those rare moments when he laughs, and Abby's heart starts to beat in a most uncomfortable rhythm. George, Earl of Gloucester, is horrified at the scrapes his sister's best friend keeps falling into. True not all of them are her fault, but that doesn't change the fact that her actions reflect poorly on his family. Since Mrs Merriweather doesn't have any intentions of leaving London before the Season's end, there's nothing for it but for George to step in and help her navigate the treacherous waters of the Ton. She's impulsive, tempestuous, headstrong and willful; in short, everything that he claims to dislike in a woman... except after spending time with Abigail Merriweather, he's starting to wonder whether her faults are what make her so endearing. Abby and George may be developing a strange sort of friendship, but they come from different worlds that are not entirely compatible. The real question is whether they can get past their own prejudices - and the interference of their friends and family - to find out whether an arrogant Earl and a dashing young widow can fall in love without creating a scandal.

The Secret Heart


Erin Satie - 2014
    He’s nobody’s prey.Adam, Earl of Bexley, lives to work. His only relief is the sordid savagery of bare-knuckle boxing. Not women, and definitely not a disreputable, scheming woman who dances in secret with such passion…Caro Small is desperate to escape her selfish family. Her only chance is a good marriage, and she intends to marry Adam—whether he likes it or not. But the more she schemes to entrap him, the more she risks trapping her own heart.Adam won’t be caught by a fortune-hunter’s ambitious schemes. But the vulnerable, passionate woman underneath the plots might just bring him to his knees.

Elizabeth Chater Regency Romance Collection #1


Elizabeth Chater - 2013
    The fantastic notions and romantic heroes contained in those books are the only thing that distracts her from the abuse of her adopted family. But then a mysterious stranger, the Earl of Austell, finds they have a mutual malady of boredom, and he endeavors to rescue them both.THE DUKE'S DILEMMAAfter losing their parents in an accident, older sister Leslie Endale, her two younger sisters, and her brother Daryl, the nine-year-old heir to the Endale estate, run away from their wicked cousin, March Wardell, who is trying to do away with the young heir so that he may capture the earldom for himself. Leslie leads the young orphans to the ruined mansion of the Duke of Kenelm, Drogo Trevelyan, who has not entered the much-hated premises since his father died. Drogo discovers the Endale children in his home seeking refuge until they can reach their Great-aunt in London. Much to his chagrin, Drogo becomes entangled with the children's plight and more specifically with one certain Lady Leslie.THE RANDOM GENTLEMANBelinda is arranged to marry the Duke of Romsdale, but rather than acquiesce to tradition, she flees to Devon. She soon discovers that the Duke is in pursuit of her, and, disguised as a gypsy, he's endeavoring to win what he believes is his birthright: her heart.THE MARRIAGE MARTAthena always has her nose in a book, despite her grandmother's insistence she find herself a husband. Her grandmother has a plan, take her to London, transform her from an ugly duckling into a swan, and marry her off to the first bachelor too dumb to recognize her intelligence. Her plan backfires when Athena meets the Duke and a social blunder turns them into instant enemies. As her grandmother had feared, the Duke is thoroughly threatened by her Bluestocking smarts, and his campaign to slander her in polite society may mean she'll never be married.

An Unexpected Mail Order Bride


Blythe Carver - 2021
    She wants a man. Not some silly boy who plays pranks. She’s not one to wait for life to come to her. She’ll seize it by the horns. And she does just that, ending up in the wild west with nothing but her money and her companion.Nate Winchester and his two boys were abandoned by his wife. She simply up and left them. Who does that? Now, Nate’s had to figure out how to be mother and father to his sons. Lucky for him, he’s got siblings who have helped him. But that’s not enough. Children need a mama.When his sister comes up with a plan for getting him a bride, he’s not interested. Yet, his sister Melissa is persistent.Lo and behold, here comes Theresa Baldwin. A ray of sunshine in his otherwise bleak life.Theresa has no idea that her appearance has been orchestrated by Nate’s sister. She’s thrilled to have found this woodworking, ranching man’s man in the wild west. Until she learns the truth…

The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma


Trisha Messmer - 2020
    She longed to be free. Pressured by forces beyond their control, will they give in to forbidden desire?England, 1823. After establishing a successful practice in America, Dr. Harry Radcliffe swore he wouldn’t set foot on British soil again. But when he’s named the Duke of Ashton after his callous brother’s sudden death, he begrudgingly returns to the pretentious world he detests. And his pledge to his dying mother to find a wife is thrown into chaos when he meets his stunning sister-in-law.Margaret Radcliffe finally escaped her abusive marriage. Yet her late husband’s final cruel act left her penniless, with her only option to remarry... the one thing she vowed she’d never do again. But the new duke’s startlingly familiar features awaken yearnings she thought long-forgotten, dangling the heartbreaking whisper of a passion impossible to fulfill.Although convinced the accusations that she murdered her husband are only salacious gossip, Harry's real torment comes when he wishes for a union that would make them outcasts. But even when they finally submit to their simmering attraction, Margaret’s dream of happily-ever-after may be derailed by society’s schemes.Can a scandalous affair turn into a lifetime of love?The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma is the suspenseful first book in The Hope Clinic Regency romance series. If you like swoon-worthy heroes, uplifting humor, and heroines beating the odds, then you’ll adore Trisha Messmer’s tale of tortured hearts.

Her Gentleman Thief


Robyn DeHart - 2011
    Determined to save her younger sister's reputation Annalise begs the thief to take her with him. It doesn't hurt that the handsome stranger might also be saving her from a marriage without love or passion.Griffin Hartwell, Viscount Benning never imagined that playing the highwayman would bring him face-to-face with his own would-be bride. Once alone Griffin takes the opportunity to show Annalise just how passionate he can be, but will his charade ruin their chance at a forever love? Her Gentleman Thief was originally published in the Mammoth Book of Regency Romance, 2010.