Book picks similar to
The Persistent Suitor by Rachel McNeely
romance
historical-romance
historical
regency
The Story of a Baron
Linda Rae Sande - 2014
As a peer of the realm, he’s not allowed to work, but if he’s able to earn money from a book he’s written – anonymously, of course - no one will be the wiser. A dowry would be easier, but then he would have to find a woman willing to marry a baron. While her brother, the Earl of Everly, is away on one of his lengthy expeditions, Lady Evangeline is left behind in London to spend her days creating exquisite embroideries and reading books. She's about to buy 'The Story of a Baron' at The Temple of Muses when Lord Sommers suddenly appears. He’s intent on buying the very same book, but there's only the one copy. Desperate to discover what changes his publisher might have made to his story – without letting on he’s the author – Jeffrey suggests they read it together. Evangeline's sterling reputation could use a bit of scandal, she decides, and so she agrees to Lord Sommer's proposal. As the two read 'The Story a Baron', Evangeline realizes some of the characters and settings are just a bit too familiar. And a bit too close to home. Was she the inspiration for the baron’s secret love, a bold, brash woman whose reputation is in tatters? With her own reputation suddenly in question, Evangeline finds her life imitating art. How can the book have a happy ending when she wishes she’d never purchased 'The Story of a Baron'?
Forbidden
Tracy Cooper-Posey - 2012
Elisa wants her son back. Neither expected to want each other.…
Elisa’s determined to have her son back at any cost, even if it means marry a vicious stoat of a man like Rufus Wardell, but her plans and her life are turned upside down by the sudden reappearance of Rufus’ grown and estranged son, Vaughn.Lured by the contrast of Elisa’s sweet beauty with the wicked rumors of her wanton past, Vaughn embarks on a seduction as scorching as it is daring. What he finds is not at all what he sought: Elisa is an innocent, but with a sensuality so raw he cannot resist her......even though their passion is forbidden.
WARNING: This book contains frequent sex scenes and sexual language.
The Lady’s Masquerade
Deborah Wilson - 2018
Good girls don't go snooping where they don't belong.But Lady Delia Scarborough never claimed to be a good girl.
Lady Delia Scarborough wants her sister back from the grave.Since that can't happen, she'll settle for the next best thing...Making sure her sister's murderer does not go free. Lady Delia's happy to play the part of maid as long as it gets her inside the home of Kieran Dearborne, Duke of Cowanfield.He may be able to fool his young daughter into thinking he's innocent, but he can't fool Delia.She knows a murderer when she sees one.
But the attraction that blossoms between them throws her plans into chaos.
The more Delia gets to know the Duke, the more she thinks his innocence is no act.But every clue she uncovers points to him, and he acts strangely whenever she's around.Delia will do anything to avenge her sister's death, but that means putting her own life in peril.Can the duke's love pull Delia back from the brink of danger? Or was her fate sealed the moment she stepped into the Duke's home?
Lucien's Fall
Barbara Samuel - 1995
Against her better judgment, however, she is powerfully drawn to the elusive and dangerous Lucien, whose hard-hearted façade hides a tragedy that is slowly devouring him from within.As Lucien and Madeline circle each other in a magnetic play of desire and denial, their passion will rise to a crescendo of longing and sacrifice that will change their fates forever.
Forbidden Angel
Sandra Lea Rice - 2012
He can follow the dictates of his heart and pursue Angeline and the sensual promise implicit in her eyes, or adhere to the strict moral code he was born to uphold and deny them both. Made to flee England after the murder of his fiancée, Adrian builds an empire in America. When his past and present combine in the form of Angeline Ashley, it’s time to prove his innocence and reclaim what is rightfully his. To do this, he must return to England and prove the guilt of his long-time nemesis, Charles Malcolm.At the death of her father and step-mother, Angeline is given a letter telling her to ‘seek the truth’ and hints at a mystery surrounding her mother and Angeline’s own birth. But when Charles Malcolm, one of England’s most notorious rakes, produces a note against a large gambling debt, Angeline is given two choices; marriage to Charles, or see her father’s name besmirched and her young brother’s future ruined. But Angeline will have neither of those choices. Instead, she chooses to accompany her brother to America and seeks shelter with his guardian, a man she has adored since childhood.When Charles appears in Texas, it becomes obvious that there is more behind his obsession with Angeline than just lust for a beautiful woman.
Borrowed Dreams
May McGoldrick - 2003
Her only hope is a marriage—in name only—to the notorious widower the Earl of Aytoun. THE GROOM Devastated by the tragic accident that killed his wife and left him gravely wounded, Lyon Pennington, fourth Earl of Aytoun, is tormented by the accusations that blame him for the catastrophe. Filled with despair, he lets his mother lure him into a marriage of convenience—for the sake of a good-hearted woman on the verge of financial ruin.THE DESIREUnder Millicent’s gentle gaze, Lyon begins to regain his strength and his wounded heart begins to heal. And soon Millicent discovers that beneath his unruly beard and grim demeanor, Lyon just may be the most handsome—and caring—man she’s ever encountered. For the first time in her life, she realizes that she is alive—alive with a smoldering desire for the one man she’ll love forever…
Sinful Confessions
Samantha Holt - 2015
The Cynfell brothers are the very embodiment of a sinful existence. But could the right woman change that? Wrath Locked behind the walls of Lockwood Manor, Julian Cynfell, the Marquess of Lockwood whiles away his days writing angry letters, drinking and sleeping. He never expects his solitude to be interrupted by a brazen American heiress. An American heiress who is expecting a wedding. Viola Thompson can’t believe her luck when the English lord she has been corresponding with for the better part of a year asks her to visit him. This has to mean an offer of marriage surely? Finally, Viola will prove to her family and friends that she is more than a ruined woman with no prospects. Not to mention she knows they will be a love match. No one could write such beautiful letters without being the perfect man. But when she arrives in cold, dreary England to be faced by a foul-tempered, grizzled—albeit in a handsome way—marquess, her dreams of marriage are quickly dashed. Can she draw the lord out of his melancholy ways? And does she even want to remain in England while rumours of three dead wives circulate around Lockwood? One thing is for certain, this American heiress has never been one to back down from a challenge—especially when not even the Atlantic Ocean could dampen the patent desire running between them.
Her Muse, Lord Patrick
Jane Charles - 2014
After Patrick is attacked in the forest and tossed into a river, he is surprised to wake at the country estate where the lovely Miss Laura Chetwey is mourning the loss of her brother. Even more surprising, she seems to be the only person who can see or hear him, which should make his mission easy to complete… if only he could remember the message he is supposed to deliver. Laura’s brother has been missing for four months and she has come to believe he perished at sea. Taking refuge at her uncle’s estate, she tries to escape her grief by immersing herself in the imaginary world of fiction by penning a horrid novel. But the line between reality and make-believe becomes hard to distinguish when a handsome ghost arrives at Torrington Abbey to protect her and steals her heart in the process. Trapped between the span of life and death, Patrick fears he will vanish forever once he remembers the news of Laura's brother. Will they ever have a chance to be together, or is the opportunity for love lost to them forever?
Forever Betrothed, Never the Bride
Christi Caldwell - 2013
When Emmaline reads one too many reports of his scandalous liaisons in the gossip rags, she takes matters into her own hands. War-torn veteran, Lord Drake devotes himself to forgetting his days on the Peninsula through an endless round of meaningless associations. He no longer wants to feel anything, but Lady Emmaline is making it hard to maintain a state of numbness. With her zest for life, she awakens his passion and desire for love. The one woman Drake has spent the better part of his life avoiding is now the only woman he needs, but he is no longer a man worthy of his Emmaline. It is up to her to show him the healing power of love.
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.
A Study in Scandal
Caroline Linden - 2016
But when she angers her strict and demanding father, the Earl of Stratford, he retaliates by arranging a marriage for her to a man she could never admire, much less love. In a panic, Samantha flees to London, only to find herself lost, alone, and nearly kidnapped—until an unlikely hero saves her. Lord George Churchill-Gray is an artist, not a knight in shining armor, but he doesn’t hesitate to rescue Samantha from disaster and offer her temporary sanctuary. He wouldn’t mind if she repaid him by modeling for his latest painting. He’s enchanted by her face… her smile… all of her, really. But with every study he sketches, he falls a little more in love with her, and Samantha begins to suspect her scandalous actions might lead to the sort of love she never thought to find…
Marblestone Mansion Book 1
Marti Talbott - 2011
Later, he sold the mine, became one of the wealthiest men in Colorado and built Marblestone Mansion on a bluff overlooking Colorado Springs. His hopes were high when he sent for his wife, but something was amiss - his wife was not what she pretended to be.Coming soon - Watch for book 10 and see how this series ends.
Wicked and Wonderful
Valerie King - 2005
Why, the infuriating man, Judith Lovington fumes. For the past few years, she has enjoyed life as a songstress with a group of traveling actors. Better still, she's escaped her noble family's dictates--and an unwanted marriage. ...BUT TEMPTATION How could she have known that Lord Kelthorne, a devilishly handsome rake, would fall head-over-heels for her? Or that he would outwit every strategem she and her friends could invent to discourage his pursuit? Even worse, he is revealing an unexpectedly appealing determination that shows he wants more from Judith than mere...pleasure. In fact, the imprudent lord refuses to give up!
Loving the Hawke
Lana Williams - 2016
Mostly. Determined to claim more meaning for her life than seeing her younger sisters married, she seeks a purpose. She finds what she's looking for when she happens upon a book describing seven curses that plague London. Nathaniel Hawke is attempting to adjust to civilian life after retiring from the military, but his injured leg and memories of his time in the service prevent an easy transition. On his long walks during London's darkest hours, Nathaniel is appalled by what he sees taking place on the dirty streets and alleyways. He is determined to take action. Coming upon a proper, if rebellious, lady in the desolate area both intrigues and frustrates him.Nathaniel's disregard for his personal safety infuriates Lettie even as her heart is touched by his determination to aid the city's neglected children.As the two wounded souls stumble upon each other time and again in slums and ballrooms, they realize they fight a common cause--and share an unbridled passion.Will the curse they fight be their downfall? Or will love win the day?
The Lost Duke of Wyndham
Julia Quinn - 2008
A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine... until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she's not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have...