Book picks similar to
The Crusader's Bride by Claire Delacroix


historical-romance
romance
medieval
historical

An Indecent Invitation


Laura Trentham - 2015
    Her father, a preeminent master spy, has been missing for months, and her brother barely survived his final mission for the Crown. Lily is still determined to help find her father, no matter how hard her brother and his best friend try to keep her in the dark.Busy trying to untangle the web of deceit surrounding the Earl of Windor’s disappearance, Crown spy Gray Masterson also has to ensure Lily Drummond, the gangly, awkward child who was his constant shadow growing up, doesn’t get herself ruined at her London debut. But the girl with scraped knees and elbows has evolved into a lush, sensual beauty surrounded by a bevy of suitors.Realizing Lily is going to investigate on her own if he doesn’t let her join the hunt for her missing father, Gray assumes he can give Lily a few minor tasks to pacify her, but he quickly learns she is a valuable asset. Moreover, she fairly crackles with life and warmth—things he craves after his dark years in service.Warning: This book contains spies, scandals, naughty liaisons in houses of ill repute, men who think they know everything and women who know they do not.

Secrets to a Gentleman's Heart


Samantha Grace - 2015
    It seems every scoundrel in London is trying to seduce her right under the nose of her nearly blind and beloved great aunt. Fortunately, her eccentric uncle taught her an ancient warrior art for just these circumstances, and she is adequately equipped to defend her virtue. Protecting her heart is another matter. When a down-and-out thief accidentally knocks himself unconscious at Wedmore House, Regina takes pity on him and becomes his nursemaid. But her patient is no ordinary thief, and Regina is woefully unprepared to defend herself against the charms of the handsome stranger. New Orleans gadabout Xavier Vistoire made a powerful enemy during his stay in London two years ago, and he has been paying for it ever since. Imprisoned at a remote farmhouse with nothing but a burly guard with a childlike innocence and a love for pickled beets for companionship, Xavier jumps at the chance to earn his freedom. All he must do is break into an earl’s house and steal a map, which should be easy when the only male servant has resigned and the ladies of the house are attending a ball. But complications arise when he surprises a goddess during her bath and her little dog causes him to fall down the stairs. He wakes to find he has a beautiful new gaoler, and nothing about his situation is easy except falling head over heels for Miss Darlington.

Fire Dance


Delle Jacobs - 2001
    But that means marriage to the king's handsome knight, Alain de Crency, and certain death for her. For if he doesn't kill her, his priests will. Written by multiple time RITA Award winner Dell Jacobs

Banished Love


Ramona Flightner - 2014
    She defies her family’s wishes, continuing to teach poor immigrant children in Boston’s West End, finding a much-needed purpose to her life. Radical… As a suffragette, Clarissa is considered a firebrand radical no man would desire. For why should women want the vote when men have sheltered women from the distasteful aspects of politics and law? Determined… When love blossoms between Clarissa and Gabriel McLeod, a struggling cabinetmaker, her family objects. Clarissa’s love and determination will be tested as she faces class prejudices, manipulative family members and social convention in order to live the life she desires with the man she loves. Will she yield to expectations, or follow her heart on a journey of self-discovery as she learns what she cannot live without?

The Lion's Daughter


Loretta Chase - 1992
    She's determined to avenge the murder of her beloved father, an enigmatic English aristocrat who lived in self-imposed exile. Honor demands that Esme let nothing and nobody stand in her way. That includes the handsome wastrel who's become entangled in her life, whose charm does not make up for his lazy and irresponsible character.Having gambled away his entire family fortune, Varian St. George, Lord Edenmont, now lives by his wits and winning ways. A man who has always taken the path of least resistance — preferably in soft beds with willing women — he does not want to become embroiled in a mad quest with a hot-tempered and heavily armed redhead.But forced to travel together through an exotic land, the mismatched pair soon discovers that friction can produce some very dangerous sparks ...

Prize of My Heart


Lisa Norato - 2012
    Will His Love Endure Once He Learns Her Secret?Three years ago, Captain Brogan Talvis's late wife abandoned their son, leaving no clue as to the boy's whereabouts. After searching relentlessly, Brogan discovers his son was adopted by a New England shipbuilder. And the man's daughter, Lorena Huntley, acts as loving guardian to the child.Lorena, who hides a dark truth, finds herself falling for the handsome captain and ex-privateer who's come to secure ownership of one of her father's ships. She's unaware of Brogan's own secret when another's deceit has her sailing toward Europe against her will.Haunted by thoughts of Lorena in peril, Brogan is compelled to choose between the boy he longs for and the woman who has captured his heart.

In the Viscount’s Arms


Allyson Jeleyne - 2019
    She defies their grandfather’s high-handed meddling—and his desire to see the Staunton girls married. She forges her own path to independence, which leads to the gates of Caswell Hall. There, the governess has just quit her post, leaving a vacant spot in the local lord’s household.Simon, Viscount Althorne, is impressed by the sensible, dark-haired beauty, and hires her to teach his wayward young niece. He resents the loss of his carefree bachelor days, and longs to see the child settled so that he may return to London. But one perfect English summer turns their plans upside down, and he becomes inexplicably drawn to the one woman he cannot have—the family governess.Can Simon convince her that he is a gentleman worth loving? Will Octavia allow herself to fall for a man beyond her reach? Or will class and duty separate them forever?

Lord of the Abbey


K.R. Richards - 2012
    Harry is not only interested in the treasure hidden by the last Abbot of Glastonbury before the dissolution of the Abbey, but he is also interested in Rowena. When Harry and his fellow Avalon Society members step in to assist Rowena and her aunt on their quest, dangerous and mysterious men in brown coats and hats appear in Glastonbury. They are also searching for the lost Abbey treasure. It’s a race against time as the mysterious ‘Brown Coats’ seem to always be one step ahead of them. The Society finds more clues, treasures, letters, and holy secrets. Will they discover who the ‘Brown Coats’ are and why they are after the treasures? Can Harry convince marriage wary Rowena to trust in love and marry him? The Lords of Avalon series follows the Avalon society members on their quest for ancient secrets hidden in magical Glastonbury. With a rich cast of unforgettable characters, set against the backdrop of late Regency England, The Lords of Avalon series is an adventurous romp full of danger and romance through the South West of England.The entire Lords of Avalon series is available on Amazon Kindle; Lord of the Abbey, Lords of Honor, Lords of Retribution, Lords of Atonement and the Lords of Avalon companion novella, Lord Greyton’s Fall from Grace.

A Taste of Seduction


Mary Campisi - 2011
    He won’t loosen his cravat unless the bedroom door is firmly closed. She believes in love, second chances, and happily ever after. He believes in keeping a safe distance from anything that resembles an emotion. Indeed, they have nothing in common but an undeniable desire for one another they can’t ignore, and an ailing “father” who will employ any means to bring them together.Unfortunately, not everyone wishes to see a union between Francie and Alexander, and they will stop at nothing to keep this couple apart.

A Cast of Stones


Patrick W. Carr - 2013
    Eager for coin, Errol agrees to what he thinks will be an easy task, but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom. Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty nears its end and the selection of the new king begins--but in secret and shadow. As danger mounts, Errol must leave behind the stains and griefs of the past, learn to fight, and discover who is hunting him and his companions and how far they will go to stop the reading of the stones. 2014 Carol Award Winner for Speculative

Her Gilded Prison


Beverley Oakley - 2013
    Falling in love was not part of the arrangement. ***When dashing twenty-five year old Stephen Cranbourne arrives at the estate he will one day inherit, it’s expected he will make a match with his beautiful second cousin, Araminta. But while proud, fiery Araminta and her shy, plain sister, Hetty, parade their very different charms before him, it’s their mother, Sybil, a lonely and discarded wife, who evokes first his sympathy and then stokes his lustful fires. As Stephen introduces Sybil to every pleasure she’s been deprived of, duty and passion become a deep and mutual love. But with the unexpected arrival of a contender to the estate, Sybil realises that what she's set in motion to save the family might have tragic consequences.

Shattered Dreams


Laura Landon - 2010
    When he is offered breeding rights to the Marquess of Fellingsdown’s prize Arabian, El Solidar, if for two weeks he acts as companion to Fellingsdown’s sister, he doesn’t care if the reclusive Lady Elyssa has three chins and a dozen hairy moles, the prize at the end is worth anything he has to endure. But when he meets the elusive Lady Elyssa Prescott, all thoughts of gaining a prize Arabian colt disappear. He realizes he’s met the woman of his dreams - if only he can keep her from discovering the deceit that brought them together and convince her that her imperfections don’t matter to him. Lady Elyssa Prescott knows what it’s like to be ridiculed and shunned. But when Brent Montgomery lets her glimpse a world where her limitations aren’t important, she believes it’s possible for her dreams to become a reality. Until she discovers the man with whom she’s fallen in love was ‘hired’ to offer her everything she’s always dreamed of having.The cruel reality of a love built on deceit shatters both their dreams and threatens to destroy their lives forever.

The Lady is Trouble


Tracy Sumner - 2021
    She’s a psychic firebrand. Rebellious, spurned by society and determined to change his mind.What’s a defiant woman to do when the man she’s meant for doesn’t believe in love?After three years of waiting for Julian Alexander to realize they are destined to be together, Lady Piper Scott takes matters into her own hands. Because her gift as a healer has never done anything but distance her from the most principled man in England. A meaningless diversion as a medium, all done to gain a certain wandering viscount’s attention, backfires. As most endeavors have for a woman known in the ton as Scandalous Scott.What’s a reluctant viscount to do when the woman he can’t have becomes the woman he can’t live without?Julian Alexander, Lord Beauchamp, battled his way from the lowliest slum to assume his title. He carries not only a turbulent past, but a mystical psychic gift that separates him from society. Honorable to his core, he is committed to protecting a community of outcasts with abilities like his own. He has no time, no place, for love. Or repeatedly rescuing the most outrageous, beguiling woman he’s ever known. Even if she needs his protection most—and he desires her above all others.Seduction, intrigue and desire lead to an explosive passion…Julian vowed to shield Piper from the deadly foes seeking to possess her powerful gift. Although he needs her help in controlling his own, the mix could be deadly. Soon what was once a simple agreement to work together becomes enchantingly complex as they surrender to a timeless love…

Wild Irish Heart


Tricia O'Malley - 2014
    Determined to unearth the secrets lying hidden in the enchanted waters of the cove, Keelin has little time for a surly Irishman who infuriates her during the day and haunts her fantasies at night. Inexplicably drawn to the woman who has stepped from his dreams and into his world, Flynn fights a stubborn battle against his increasing attraction for Keelin. Forces unknown have better plans for the two. Only the secrets of the cove can show Keelin who she really is, the beauty of her mysterious power, and a love that will break the bounds of what she knows. Wild Irish Heart is a stand-alone novel and can be read on its own. The Mystic Cove Series: Wild Irish Roots: Prequel Novella Wild Irish Heart Wild Irish Eyes Wild Irish Soul Wild Irish Rebel Wild Irish Roots: Margaret & Sean Wild Irish Witch

The Haunting of a Duke


Chasity Bowlin - 2012
    Now it's made her a killer's target. Emme knows why the Dowager Duchess of Briarleigh invited her to a house party--to investigate whether the duke, Rhys Brammel, murdered his wife years ago. But Emme never imagined she would fall in love with the brooding duke. Branded by society as a possible killer, Rhys is suspicious of Emme and her alleged "gift." Then a late night encounter creates awareness of her other, more attractive, aspects. When Emme's life is threatened, Rhys becomes her protector. Emme and Rhys find passion and peril as they join forces to solve the mysteries at Briarleigh. She made him believe in spirits, but can she make him believe in love?