Book picks similar to
The Soft Touch by Betina Krahn


historical-romance
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Touched by Fire


Kathleen O'Reilly - 2001
    I have fought the shame of being a highwayman's son. But my strongest challenge ever is a maiden named Sarah Banks...Ah, those lips, those eyes! Any normal man would gladly surrender heart and soul to her charms. But I am not a normal man. My father's wild outlaw blood surges through me, nearly boiling over with a single glimpse of Sarah's curving body. I am drawn to the girl, yet I cannot trust my own dark nature. Oh, the sweet torment of my double bind!Now all I can do is swear to protect her from my other side—even if it means giving up my one chance at bliss...Steadfastly yours,Colin, Earl of Haverwood

The Ideal Wife


Mary Balogh - 1991
    Desperate, she had come to this charismatic stranger’s home to plead for her future. Instead, she shocks them both by saying yes. Her impulsive decision will have consequences neither she nor her new husband can foresee. For Miles has his own reasons for marrying her. And Abigail is harboring a secret of her own. As distrust gives way to desire . . . as, together, they give in to the pleasures of the marriage bed, a devastating scandal threatens their future. Now these two wary hearts will risk ruin and disgrace for a love that has changed them both forever—the kind all seek, but few ever find.

Until Tomorrow


Jill Marie Landis - 1994
    She’s nothing but a backwoods girl with sky-blue eyes living on a Kansas homestead, making rag dolls . . . and dreaming of a better life. Desperate to find someone to share his burden, Dake uses his sweet-as-molasses drawl to coax Cara into leaving everything behind and joining him on his journey. As Dake and Cara travel to a place they both hope to call home, Cara dares to dream it’s not just the child who needs her tender touch . . . but the man.Jill Marie Landis is the New York Times bestselling author and seven-time Romance Writers of American Finalist for the RITA Award. Long known for her historical romances, Jill Marie Landis also now writes The Tiki Goddess Mysteries (set on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where she lives with her husband, actor Steve Landis).

The Disgraceful Duke


Barbara Cartland - 1976
    She had imagined an older man with slanting eyes, arched eyebrows, a long thin nose and pointed ears.But as she looked across the room she saw not the devil she had anticipated, but a surprisingly young, extremely good-looking man.He looked at her with an expression that made her body tremble and her heart pound wildly.Appalled by her own ecstasy, she blushed and turned from the Duke's penetrating gaze.

Priceless


Christina Dodd - 1992
    Bronwyn Edana stunned titled society with her courageous exploits and daring adventures. Yet in nobeleman Adam Keane, she met her match. From the moment they first clashed, the headstrong Bronwyn was swept away by a breathless desire.Betrothed to Adam, a man branded by his haunting past, Bronwyn soon found herself at the center of a shocking conspiracy that could rock the British realm. From the dangerous streets of London to sweeping Boudasea Manor, she followed her most passionate dreams—and risked everything for the only man she would ever love.

For the Earl's Pleasure


Anne Mallory - 2009
    . .They were once cherished childhood companions, until a scandalous secret tore them apart. Now Valerian Rainewood and Abigail Smart are the fiercest of enemies. To Abigail, Rainewood is a notorious rake, hell-bent on mischief and not fit for polite society. So what if it seems as if he can seduce her with nothing but his eyes? She will not succumb. But when the earl is viciously attacked, Abigail's distress tells her that something still binds her to the wild Rainewood.Lies an unquenchable desire . . .Though the ton believes there is nothing between them, Rainewood knows the truth. Abigail tempts him the way no other woman has. Wanton lust overwhelms him whenever she is near. But keeping her too close may put her precious life in danger. He must destroy his enemies—so that with every touch he may prove to Abigail that though their past was filled with trouble, their future will be nothing but pleasure.

Once a Hero


Katherine Sutcliffe - 1994
    For years he dashing captain had been the aristocratic girl's secret passion, but she vowed to ignore her childish infatuation and treat him like a traitor he had become...Until she came face-to-face with the disarmingly handsome man on the sand of Australia. The captain's unwavering pride made her question his guilt - and his shameless flirtations stirred her deepest desires.Praise for Katherine Sutcliffe's My only Love: "IT"S BOOK LIKE THIS THAT THE PHRASE PAGE-TURNER' WAS CREATED TO DESCRIBE."- USA Today

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.

The Viscount Claims His Bride


Bronwyn Scott - 2008
    Just, lived a double life as a secret agent on the war-torn Continent.Returning home, he knows exactly what he wants--Philippa Stratten, the woman he gave up for the sake of her family....But Philippa isn't the naive debutante he left behind. His rejection stung deeply, and now she is suspicious of his intentions. Valerian realizes he must wage a tough battle if he is to finally claim her, once and for all, as his bride!

Lawless


Nora Roberts - 1989
    Sarah Conway was something else again. She was every inch an Eastern lady, yet she was determined to make Lone Bluff her home.Jake was annoyed to find himself playing guardian angel to this tantalizing innocent--even more disgusted to find he liked it. Little did he suspect that beneath Sarah's ladylike demeanor beat the heart of a frontier woman ant that her body yearned for his hard embrace, her heart for his words of love .. . .

What Happened at Midnight


Courtney Milan - 2013
    When his betrothed, Miss Mary Chartley, flees, taking the money and all the evidence with her, he's outraged. He plans to bring the woman he once loved to account--and he’ll shed no tears when he does.But when he finds Mary, she's not living a life of luxury. Instead, she's serving as a companion in exchange for a pittance. The more he attempts to untangle the truth, the more he remembers why he first loved Mary...and how much he wishes he could do so again.What Happened at Midnight was previously published in the anthology Midnight Scandals.

The Courtesan


Julia Justiss - 2005
    Until he encounters Lady Belle, the most beautiful and celebrated courtesan in all of London.After the death of her long-term protector, Belle intends to spurn the entreaties of her London admirers and retreat to her country manor. Then a fencing match gone wrong with the arresting Jack Carrington upsets all her careful plans.Who is the mysterious Belle? A jaded Cyprian seeking a new protector? A kind friend who helps those in need? A mistress of sensual delight who can lead a man into irredeemable folly? Though Belle is a woman Jack can neither afford to keep nor dare to marry, he is willing to risk everything to find out.

Bound by Your Touch


Meredith Duran - 2009
    Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne's golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath...and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within—in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.

The Moon and the Stars


Constance O'Banyon - 2005
    Her malicious brother-in-law had kept his vow to make her a widow, but she knew he wouldn't stop at that, and her solitary life was filled with fear of him always one step behind her. She thought she'd found a shred of peace in Texas, and at least a glimmer of the life she deserved. But when a mysterious bounty hunter came to town, she knew the wrath in his amber eyes was meant only for her. He found a way to be everywhere she was, speaking words with double meaning in his smooth Freanch accent and making her nerves hum in a way she thought she'd conquered.Wade Renault came out of retirement for one reason: to see a deceptive murderess brought to justice. But when he met the woman pictured in the tintype he'd carried for months, he sensed more panic than treachery. She lived too simply, she seemed too honest and scared. Someone had deceived him, but he would wait it out and get her right where he wanted her, beneath...THE MOON AND THE STARS.

The Truelove Bride


Shana Abe - 1999
    To rid them of this evil, the legend says, Marcus must wed a fabled warrior maiden with hair like an angel's halo, eyes the color of the rarest heather, and an extraordinary gift that makes her more formidable than any army. But first he must win the most desperate battle of his life...the one for her mind, her body, and her heart.Lady Avalon d'Farouche can't deny she bears the telltale marks of the Kincardine legend, nor can she disown the strange, mystical intuition that allows her to see things others cannot. Yet Avalon believes she alone holds the key to her destiny—a future in which no man will own her. So when Marcus Kincardine seizes her for his own purposes, she never expects him to ignite a fiery passion within her. Still, she refuses to sacrifice her soul and fulfill the legend by surrendering to desire. But how long can she deny him...and how long will he let her?