Book picks similar to
Taming the Rake by Monica McCarty


historical-romance
historical
romance
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Seven Secrets of Seduction


Anne Mallory - 2010
    Secret #1: Every good seduction begins with a baited hook . . . Well-educated, but not part of society, Miranda Chase is just as captivated by the erotic pages as everyone else in London. Intrigued by the layers she sees beneath the book's surface, she writes an editorial about it, never realizing that her passionate words will draw an actual viscount to her uncle's bookshop. Maximilian, Viscount Downing, has very particular ideas about passion and sees truth only in desire. He freely flaunts his sensual power and seeks nothing more than another conquest; the one that could justify his entire debauched existence. But Miranda's blend of innocence, trust, and love cause a strange thing to happen on the way to this seduction. Something that just might threaten the very fabric of his jaded heart . . .

Lord Grenville's Choice


G.G. Vandagriff - 2014
    Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s father brokered her marriage to another. Fancying himself broken-hearted, Alex consented to a loveless union with Lady Felicity, daughter of wealthy Lord Morecombe.Five years into his marriage, his first love is widowed, and Alex’s wife seems to believe he will waste no time making Lady Elizabeth his mistress. As Felicity chooses to live apart from him, a surprisingly difficult choice is thrust upon Alex. Whom does he truly desire—the ethereal Elizabeth or the maddening Felicity?

Unforgivable


Joanna Chambers - 2013
    But when the masks come off, Rose finds herself in a quandary.Gil does not recognise her.And for the first time since their wedding day, he desires her...***This revised (2022) edition establishes Unforgivable as the first in the Unmasked series. No significant alterations have been made to the original story, however the book has been lightly revised throughout.

Intimate Deception


Laura Landon - 2012
    In Victorian England, a woman possesses only one item of value: her virtue. Without it, Fentington will not want her—nor will any other man. But at least she will be free. Now she must find a man with whom to pass the fateful night, a man who will ask no questions, make no other demands. Because for a woman preparing to risk everything, no ordinary man will do…After losing two wives in childbirth, Vincent Germaine, Duke of Raeburn, vows never to marry again. Racked with guilt over the lives lost in his quest for an heir, he is careful now to take his pleasure only with London’s most discreet courtesans. Yet when he learns that a passionate encounter with a bewitching stranger may have put yet another life at risk, Vincent sets out to find the unsuspecting girl—and discovers a woman of incomparable courage, beauty, and strength. But can two strangers brought together by desperation find true love against all odds?

Scars of My Past


D.C. Renee - 2017
    Except there was no cute guy helping me along, no series of makeover shots with fun background music, no scene where I walked into the room and all heads turned to look at me while wind blew through my hair. I was the ugly high school student, and I did transform, but it wasn’t all peaches and cream.Bullied so badly in high school that it ruined my life, I spent my senior year in therapy. It was there that I transformed – not just physically, but mentally as well. I wanted a fresh start and going to college across the country was my ticket to that. It was a whole new world, and things were great …… and then came the blast from my past.And he didn’t recognize me. What was a girl to do? Revenge, of course! My plan was to make him fall for me and then break his heart.Sounds simple, right? Wrong. If only revenge was black and white … too bad a lot of gray was in the mix. But one thing was for sure – I needed a way to heal the scars from my past. I just hoped I could.

His Reluctant Lady


Aydra Richards - 2020
    Lacking for inspiration for some particularly salacious scenes, she seizes upon the idea to spy upon a gentleman engaged in an illicit liaison at a ball for research purposes. Unbeknownst to her, she’s chosen exactly the wrong gentleman from which to draw inspiration. David Kittridge, the Earl of Westwood, is deep in the throes of heartbreak, as the woman he loves has recently become engaged to someone else. Engaging in meaningless trysts seems as good a way as any to cure himself of lovesickness, but after mistaking Poppy for a woman in search of a touch of scandal, and a kiss that leaves him reeling, he finds that he can’t quite get her out of his head. David is incensed when he discovers that he has been used as material for a Gothic novel, and is determined to ferret out the culprit. But when he comes into possession of Poppy’s writing notebook and learns of her secret career as a Gothic novelist, he realizes the notebook comes with an unexpected boon—the leverage he needs to lure in the reluctant Poppy. If anyone should discover her secret, it would destroy her reputation and ruin her sisters’ chances of making decent matches. But David’s blackmail leads them down a path that neither would ever have expected.

Seducing the Duchess


Ashley March - 2010
    Carousing. Flirting. Charlotte, Duchess of Rutherford, will do anything to create a scandal large enough to force her husband to finally petition for a divorce. Once madly in love with Philip, she is now determined to escape from their less than civil marriage and the reminders of his betrayal.Until he stole her away...Philip Burgess, Duke of Rutherford, is not a man to tolerate regrets. He wed Charlotte for revenge, not for love or convenience, knowing she would come to hate him. But he never expected he would one day find himself craving her attention or desiring her company.And gave her something more...Philip is no longer the cold, deceitful man she married years ago. And when he promises Charlotte a divorce if she will help him become a better husband for another woman, she wonders if she truly wants to lose him— and if Philip may still possess her heart after all.

The Queen of Aessarion


Astrid Jane Ray - 2021
    The wise king would do anything to protect his daughter, but he is no match for a powerful ruler from a faraway empire who suddenly comes to claim Isydoris as his future bride. This frightening man offers no explanation, and he is not afraid to spill blood to get what he wants. When he vows her small kingdom would be spared from his wrath if she does as he says, the young princess has no choice but to strike a bargain with him, even though she knows she is agreeing to a fate worse than death. The mysterious tyrant's name is Reigh Azhrael, and he is famous for only one thing—his cruelty. Ever since he ascended the throne of the vast Aessarion empire, the world has known nothing but war and misery. All seven kingdoms of Ardea fear him and his invincible army. The Aessarion emperor has no mercy for the weak. He is a monster. There is nothing kind about him. For that very reason, his shocking decision to spare an entire kingdom in exchange for the beautiful princess' hand in marriage, leaves people guessing. Can this one woman be enough to tame the beast inside him, or is she to become his next victim?

Lemonade


Nina Pennacchi - 2011
    But when she stands up to the boorishness of dashing Christopher Davenport at a summertime ball, Anna unwittingly attracts his wrath—and becomes entangled in his malicious scheming.After a lifetime of harboring shame and resentment, Christopher, a ruthless con artist, wants revenge, and unfortunately for Anna, he’s decided that she will be the perfect pawn in his terrible plot. With a fierceness of spirit uncommon in well-bred young ladies in the nineteenth century, Anna will have to use her intelligence and courage to protect her loved ones. But can she also save herself?

Desire


Amanda Quick - 1993
    bound by the tempests of fate and the dawning of Desire. Upon her father's death, beautiful, headstrong Lady Clare knew that she must wed, for the protection of the Isle of Desire now fell to her. Yet when her guardian's choice of prospective husbands rode through the castle gates, she felt utterly betrayed. All sinewy muscle and savage steel, Sir Gareth of Wyckmere was not the poet she'd requested but a fearsome knight whose only interest was in war.Legions of robbers had fallen beneath the Hellhound of Wyckmere's sword, and now this bold warrior was certain that he could tame one willful wife. Yet even Gareth could not deter Lady Clare from trying to mold him into her ideal--until their clash of wills ignited a passion that set them both aflame... and a treacherous plot put their lives in deadly peril.

The Care and Taming of a Rogue


Suzanne Enoch - 2009
    Rugged adventurer Bennett Wolfe, once presumed dead, has returned to London. He only has eyes for the exceedingly proper Philippa . . . and so she must teach him some manners before temptation sweeps her away . . .

The Lover


Nicole Jordan - 1997
    Even in the stately ballrooms of Edinburgh where Sabrina Duncan first laid eyes on the powerful laird who would one day be her husband, he exuded an intoxicating sensuality. It was rumored that the touch of his lips could draw the very soul from a woman’s body—and when he pulled Sabrina into his arms, she had no doubts: The kiss he stole from her that moonlit night was like a brand on her soul, leaving her longing for more.A promise made long ago binds Niall McLaren to wed the eldest daughter of a neighboring laird to unite the two clans. But when Niall recognizes Sabrina as the enticing lass whose kisses enflamed his passion, the married life he once dreaded becomes a world of unexplored pleasures. Yet for all their beauty, the wild hills of Scotland are a place where ancient feuds and hidden secrets create unimagined peril for the lovers. For in the untamed Highlands, two hearts must clash before they learn to beat as one.Turn to the back of the book for an interview with Nicole Jordan and a sneak peek at her new romance, Master of TemptationFrom the Paperback edition.

Once and Always


Judith McNaught - 1987
    Bewildered by his arrogance yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she senses the painful memories that smolder in his eyes. When he gathers her at last into his arms, arousing a sweet, insistent hunger, they wed and are embraced by fierce, consuming joy -- free from the past's cruel grasp. Then, in a moment of anguish, Victoria discovers the treachery at the heart of their love . . . a love she had dreamed would triumph not just once, but always.

Forbidden Love


Karen Robards - 1983
    Forbidden Desires...He was her guardian, absentee landlord of her neglected life--until Megan Kinkead returned to Maam's Cross Court, determined to make Justin Brant notice her.  She finally commanded the attention of the sixth Earl of Weston when she burst into his room and caught him stark naked in the tub.  Suddenly she knew a woman's hunger--and a woman's needs....Forbidden Kisses...When had the scrawny brat from hell become a fiery, raven-haired, violet-eyed temptress?  Justin told himself she was still a child as she offered him a seductive yet innocent kiss.  He tried to remind himself that he was her guardian, her protector.  But the flashfire desire that blazed between them ignited a love neither had ever known before.  Then he told her he was married....Forbidden Secrets...Bestselling, award-winning author Karen Robards sweeps us into Ireland's lush landscape in this spellbinding novel of a headstrong young beauty and her aristocratic guardian, torn between passion, propriety, and...Forbidden Love.

Revealed


Kate Noble - 2005
    But when another lady challenges her for a marquis's attentions, Phillippa entices him to a secret rendezvous-only to stumble upon The Blue Raven, England's most famous spy, lurking at the site of her planned tryst.The Blue Raven has uncovered an enemy plot directed at upcoming society functions, but he's unable to infiltrate London society. Phillippa makes an offer: in exchange for entré among the ton, he agrees to have his true identity revealed at the Benning Ball-guaranteeing her unrivaled notoriety. As the danger draws closer, the mysterious spy and Phillippa give in to mutual desire. But when the game turns deadly, betrayal waits around the corner, and Phillippa must decide once and for all-is it the myth that captured her heart, or the man?