Book picks similar to
Face of the Maiden by Emma Wildes
historical-romance
romance
historical
regency
Temptation of a Proper Governess
Cathy Maxwell - 2004
and whose efforts at hiding her sparkling intelligence are betrayed by her wit.Years before, Michael had left Regency England, falsely accused of a crime. Now he is back, dedicated to seeking retribution—but not to take a bride. But when his scandalous actions compromise Isabel's reputation, he does the unthinkable and offers her his hand—a marriage in name only.But although his bride's passions are untried, Isabel's sensuality clearly matches his own. And with each day, and night, that passes, Michael becomes determined that every kiss, every caress, will be made with one goal: to seduce his proper wife into tender submission.
Carnally Ever After
Jackie Barbosa - 2011
Alistair knows bedding his best friend’s betrothed is well beyond the pale, but Louisa has haunted his dreams for months. Soon, Louisa and Alistair are caught up in a consuming love affair that threatens their families’ plans and their own hearts. Can they find a way to live happily, and carnally, ever after?CARNALLY EVER AFTER was previously released under the same title by Cobblestone Press. The bonus epilogue, EPIPHANY, is available for free in the anthology TWELFTH NIGHT.
To Tempt a Scotsman
Victoria Dahl - 2007
But the arrival of darkly handsome Collin Blackburn awakens her curiosity and her desire - and the advantage of being a fallen woman is that she can be ruined only once...After a promise sworn to his father, Collin Blackburn is compelled to seek the aid of the woman who brought about his brother's death in a senseless duel. Yet Lady Alexandra is not the shameless femme fatale he expected. In fact, Collin suspects she is guilty of nothing more than a hunger to experience passion, and the brawny Scot is certainly equipped to oblige. But the quick-witted, keenly sensual Alexandra has a few lessons of her own to impart - on life, love, and the delicious joys of succumbing to temptation...
The Tycoon's Virgin Mistress
Clare Connelly - 2014
From the first moment he sees Missy, he knows he wants her. Only he hadn't counted on the beautiful woman being a twenty four year old virgin! After the blistering invective Nate levels at Missy following their amazing night of passion, she swears she never wants to see him again. But then, her life takes a dramatic turn of events, and all of a sudden, the one man she has sworn to hate is the one person she can turn to. A simple plea for help turns into a dangerous game of seduction. Desperate to find a way to keep Missy in his life until he is ready to let her go, on his terms, he offers her a job. One she can't turn down. And one that will change both of their lives, forever.
Lady Knight
Marisa Chenery - 2008
Her goal is to find the Norman knight who left her with child the year before. The only clue she has to his identity is the ring he gave her. During the battle of Hastings, Broc St. Ceneri takes a young Saxon boy as his hostage. The boy so resembles the Saxon girl he can't forget, Broc offers to train him as a knight after he is granted Elmstead as his own. With Broc unable to see through her disguise, Ariel must decide whether to risk all by revealing her secret, or say nothing and let the man she loves wed another.
Disciplining the Duchess
Annabel Joseph - 2013
If shes not in the library reading about Mongol hordes, shes embarrassing her family or getting involved in impulsive scrapes. Enter the Duke of Courtland, a man known for his love of duty and decorum. Through a vexing series of events, he finds himself shackled to Miss Barrett in matrimony. But all is not lost. The duke harbors a not-so-secret affinity for spanking and discipline and his new wife is ever in need of it. Will the mismatched couple find their way to marital happiness? Or will the duke be forever Disciplining the Duchess?
The Reluctant Suitor
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - 2003
As a young girl, she was wounded by Colton's stubborn refusal to comply with his father's wishes and by his angry departure. He was too proud and too stubborn to accept a future not of his own choosing. Rather than submit, he fled from his ancestral home for a life of adventure and danger as an officer in the British army.The years have been immensely kind to Lady Adriana. No longer the plain, thin tomboy Colton had spurned, she has blossomed into an uncommon beauty desired by nearly every eligible bachelor in the land. Yet the only man she desires is the decorated hero who has finally come home to claim his rightful title. Arrogant, unmoved, and seductive as ever, he remains averse to the idea of their betrothal in spite of his growing desire for her.To demonstrate his belief that love cannot be forced, Colton agrees to court Lady Adriana for ninety days, after which time he will be allowed to keep his precious freedom if he so wishes. But much has changed since he balked at his father's plans. Forced into a courtship with this stunning, spirited woman, who is as different today from the young chit he left behind as spring is to winter, the heroic heart that was once closed to Adriana is moved by her charm, her grace, and her sensuality ... and begins to yield. But a secret from Colton's past may doom their burgeoning love ... even as the treacherous schemes of a sinister rival threaten to steal the remarkable lady from his arms forever.A lush and spellbinding story of passion and betrayal that grandly sweeps the reader into the magnificent ballrooms and intimate boudoirs of Regency England, The Reluctant Suitor is romance as only the incomparable Kathleen Woodiwiss can deliver it -- a love story that will dwell in the reader's heart and memory forever and stand proudly as one of the author's very best.
When the Marquess Falls
Lorraine Heath - 2017
Expected from birth to adhere to decades of tradition, he plans to marry a proper young woman from a good family. But when a beautiful, and completely unsuitable, woman snags his heart, he begins to realize that to get what you want, sometimes you have to break the rules.Linnie Connor dreams of the independence of running her very own bakery. And while she may be allowed to be a marquess’ childhood companion, the baker's daughter never ends up with the handsome nobleman. Determined to achieve at least one of her dreams, Linnie makes plans to leave her sleepy village for London, intent on purging him from her heart. And yet, when an invitation to the Marsden annual ball arrives, she can't refuse her one chance to waltz in his arms.It will be a night that stirs the flames of forbidden desires and changes their lives forever.
A Carnal Agreement
Silvia Violet - 2006
When he is murdered, she cannot mourn him, especially when he continues to plague her from beyond the grave. His will stipulates that she cannot claim her inheritance unless she has a child. The clause is a cruel joke. Reddington never consummated the marriage.Refusing to be defeated, Cassandra conspires to keep Reddington's death a secret. She goes to the home of Mark Foxwood, a handsome rake she’s admired from afar, and makes an outrageous proposition.After being mocked by the woman he loved, Mark Foxwood retires to the country to spend the winter months alone. When Cassandra breezes into his study, he is aroused and provoked by her determination. As the two grow closer, Mark realizes Cassandra’s open, honest passion may be the only thing that can save him from despair.
Penelope and Prince Charming
Jennifer Ashley - 2006
England 1819 Wallflower Penelope Trask believes nothing will ever happen in her village of Little Marching, Oxfordshire. Handsome princes only sweep in and carry off innocent maidens in the fairy tales she collects, never in real life. Prince Damien of Nvengaria is tired of living inside a fairy tale. His entire life has been ruled by prophecy, magic, and avoiding being assassinated by his mad father and the head of the Council of Dukes. When his father dies, he inherits a kingdom divided, his opposition led by Grand Duke Alexander, who will do anything to keep the monster's son from ruling Nvengaria. To make good his claim to the throne, Damien must fulfill a prophecy that reunites the lines of the original two princes of Nvengaria, best friends who'd carved a kingdom out of wild lands near the Transylvanian mountains. Damien's task—to bring back the Princess of Nvengaria, her line lost centuries ago. The price of disappointing the people, Alexander promises, will be Damien's execution. Damien tracks down the long-lost princess to the village of Little Marching in England, where nothing remotely interesting ever happens. He will have to convince the lovely Penelope that he is no charlatan, and that Damien's life and his kingdom depends on her facing danger with him. Along the way, the prophecy says, they will fall in love. And the prophecy is never wrong ... Note: The Nvengaria series is paranormal historical, the books loosely based on well-known fairy tales: Penelope and Prince Charming—Cinderella The Mad, Bad Duke—Beauty and the Beast Highlander Ever After—Snow White and the Seven … Highlanders The Longest Night—Little Red Riding Hood (and the Big, Bad Wolf)
Kathryn, The Kitten: The Real Duchesses of London
Lavinia Kent - 2011
The only thing she doesn’t have is herhusband in her bed. But she’s about to change that.Enlisting the aid of her best friend, Linnette,who knows about these things even though she’s aduchess herself, Kathryn begins her seduction plan.But Linnette knows a secret and it involvesKathryn’s husband. And, when that comes out,Kathryn’s marriage isn’t the only thing at stake.Can you say Afternoon Tea Catfight?
The Hazards of Hunting a Duke
Julia London - 2006
Much to her shock and delight, the marquis sweeps her into a whirlwind romance and proposes marriage. But after their passionate wedding night, Ava discovers Jared has ulterior motives of his own. Not only does he expect her to deliver an heir while he continues to enjoy a rogue's life, but Ava also suspects she is a pawn in her husband's quest for revenge. Marriages of convenience work for some, but for Ava a loveless bond won't do. So she devises a bold plan to confront her husband's demons so that he might be free to choose to give her his heart for the right reason: because she is the only woman he will ever truly desire.
Reforming Lord Ragsdale
Carla Kelly - 1995
The infamous Lord Ragsdale was as rich as sin, as sinful as he was rich, and as heartless as he was handsome. But he had saved Emma from a fate worse than death when he stopped a lecherous brute from buying her as an indentured servant. It was Emma's turn now to save Lord Ragsdale from his wicked ways. She had to find a way to stop his drinking, his gaming, his wild revelry. She had to make him break with his mistress, the superbly sensual Fae Moulle. She had to make him a suitable suitor for the ideal wife that the prim and proper Lady Clarissa Partridge would be. And above all, she had to keep his lustful eye from lingering too long on herself--even as she struggled to keep her own growing desire from undoing all her hard work in the unmaking of this irresistible rake...
My Darling Caroline
Adele Ashworth - 1998
Caroline was determined to see her dream become a reality—even if it meant masquerading as a man to be accepted at a university. But when her father arranged for her to marry, she agreed—knowing she could not become a conventional wife.A Flourishing LoveYet marriage wasn't what she thought it would be. Her attractive, new husband gave her the freedom she never expected—and the respect she had always deserved. At first she tried to resist his admiration, his love... and especially his touch. But soon she was surprised and overcome by her husband's—and her own—passion. Now Caroline might have to make the most difficult choice of all—between her lifelong dream and the depth of her love for an extraordinary man.
With this Kiss
Victoria Lynne - 1999
But Julia's bold gaze lit other fires he had long suppressed. And now this glorious stranger was his bride. But when he tried to claim his husbandly rights, she demanded three months grace--three months to know a stranger's mind, to touch a stranger's soul, to go where no woman had ever gone before. Into his lonely heart . . . With This Kiss.