Book picks similar to
The Missing Grooms by Cindy Holbrook


regency
historical-romance
romance
historical-fiction

A Fine Caprice


Kate Harper - 2012
    Dressed as a stableboy, she is determined not to return until her parents see reason and abandon their ridiculous plans. But things go sadly awry when, upon arriving at what she thinks is her destination, she finds herself in the wrong house entirely. What initally seems like a disaster actually works out far better than she'd anticipated for she is discovered by the delightfully eligible Lord Merridew, a man beset by a multitude of problems. In her guise as stableboy, Caprice finds her help enlisted as his lordship battles dubious relatives, French spies and the unexpected appearance of a body. It's challenging, but it all fades into nothing next to her growing attraction to the man. It hardly seems fair that, the one time she meets somebody who might be able to steal her heart, she is stuck in a pair of breeches and looking like a street urchin!But the situation changes when his lordship discovers her secret and realizes the boy he has come to trust is actually female and has been lying to him all along. And worse still, he cannot keep his hands off the lady. Caprice can tolerate being Lord Merridew's servant but she cannot abide his displeasure and is desperate to explain her circumstances. Can Caprice come about? Or will she find that this time, bold deeds and a headstrong manner cannot save the day...

The Mad Heiress Meets the Duke


Isabella Thorne - 2016
    Nearly a decade ago, when her fiance jilted her, she threw herself down the stairs in a fit of passion, or maybe it was a parapet or perhaps a cliff. The Ton isn’t too sure, but they certainly won’t forgive nor let her forget. Georgette is sure she will never love again, and she hasn’t. Now she is companion to her young cousin and chaperoning her coming out. She has no prospects herself. She only needs a moment to catch her breath, to push away the unhappy thoughts of her own coming out. Georgette walks alone into the garden. She smells cigar smoke and realizes there is a man out here. He is unfamiliar and since she is not introduced, she turns to leave. Not wanting to disturb him, because she knows he will put out his smoke in deference to her, she hurries away, but it is too late. He has seen her and knows her.Meet Charles, Duke of Eversley, Miss Quinby’s long ago fiancé’s dear friend and erstwhile British spy in the continuing war with France. It was the Duke’s waspish younger sister who caught Miss Quinby’s fiancé and married him. Georgette certainly didn’t want to open that wound. Neither did the duke, but a cipher in a potted plant, an English traitor, a young gambler and star-crossed lovers pull the jaded couple together. From the ballrooms of the English Aristocracy to ices at Vauxhall to gambling hells, and secret meetings at the British Museum, they will dare much for king and country. They find a common friendship, but both swear they will never love again…but will they?

Cecily


Clare Darcy - 1972
    Who was this adorable creature? Could she be as innnocent as she seemed? Or was she just another adventuress, using her ravishing looks and dimpled smile to rise in the world? No one asked these questions with more concern than the Honorable Robert Ranleigh, the handsome aristocratic leader of London male society. For Cecily actually claimed to be his distant relative, and begged him to come to her aid.

One Dance with a Duke


Tessa Dare - 2010
    A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members--yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing "Duke of Midnight." Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke--until Lady Amelia d'Orsay tries her luck. In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke's dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother's debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club's founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?

Surrendering to Her Enigmatic Eyes


Abigail Agar - 2019
    However, she is about to find out that this is not her only problem... She will soon discover that her father has left behind startling news: Honeyfield Manor, the grand country estate where she lived all her life, has been left to a stranger, the son of an old friend of the Earls'. While she's waiting for the heir's arrival, an unknown man appears uninvited in her home, claiming that the heir is gone. Can she really trust the courageous, charming stranger? Or will her attraction to him end up being her weakness?Matthew Grove has recently lost his mother. He has no other choice than starting anew in London, penniless and bitter. Although his initial intention is to attend to a new business, a meeting with a gentleman, and a coach accident leads him to an entirely different direction. Matthew will be bound to deliver terrible news to a lady he has never met. And even though he knows that he should never dare to dream that a fine lady like her could ever consider him a suitor, his feelings for his new mistress will grow day by day. Can these two heal their wounded hearts, together, in spite of the divide in class and wealth?A terrible accident has brought Caroline and Matthew together, but when fate brings another shocking twist, it seems that they are destined to be apart. Can Matthew protect Caroline from the new threat in her life, solve the mystery, and expose the truth? Or will he be forced to leave the lady of Honeyfield Manor to her fate... forever?

An Undeniable Rogue


Annette Blair - 2002
    What she needs is a husband, and she knows well enough that romance and matrimony aren't always compatible. While providing for her twins and the child she now carries is paramount, wedding a virtual stranger—even a wealthy one, like Gideon St. Goddard, Duke of Stanthorpe—is no light matter.Sabrina knows the friend who arranged the union would not promise her to a true scoundrel, but one look at her future husband convinces her that he is a shameless rogue. A shockingly handsome and desirable one, at that. Why has he agreed to marry her? When Gideon flashes that wicked, seductive smile, the reason hardly matters, but the chance that he'll steal her heart becomes all too real...

A London Season


Patricia Bray - 1997
    Here is a chance to find a wealthy husband and get the entire family out of debt. But the upper crust of London bristles at Jane's blunt country ways—everyone but Lord Glendale. The handsome Lord, not in the market for a wife, finds himself amused by Jane's frank manner and wagers that—within the month—even provincial Jane can be brought into fashion.His plan succeeds only too well, as Jane blossoms into the most popular young lady of the season. Now will Lord Glendale relinquish Jane to her newfound admirers? Or will he take the biggest gamble of all– and risk his heart in a challenging game of love?

An Improper Suitor


Monica Fairview - 2008
    Miss Julia Swifton, secure in that belief, has made no attempt to search for one, even after three seasons in London. That is until her grandmother, an advocate of women's rights, rises from her deathbed and threatens, of all things, to marry her to a notorious rake, Lord Thorwynn. Shocked into action, Julia launches into a search for an intelligent, scholarly husband who will suit her. On her way she has to rescue a fallen "angel," save a rake from being forced into marriage, defeat an unscrupulous gamesmaster who needs to seduce her for money, and avert a friend's disastrous runaway marriage. Fortunately, she does not have to do it alone. Even if her companion, Lord Thorwynn, is the last person she would ever want to marry.

A Regency Invitation to the House Party of the Season


Nicola Cornick - 2004
    Rumor and speculation still surround the mysterious disappearance of his young bride.As family, friends and servants gather, further scandal comes close on their heels. Passion and intrigue, secrets and desire, make for surprising bedfellows--both above and below stairs. It promises to be the most memorable house party of the Season!The Fortune Hunter--Nicola CornickAn Uncommon Abigail--Joanna MaitlandThe Prodigal Bride--Elizabeth RollsThree dramatic stories. One whirl of a Country House Party.

Nowhere Man: Another John Pickett Novella


Sheri Cobb South - 2020
    As weeks go by with no responses to his newspaper advertisement, he has taken to spending his days wandering idly about London rather than admit his failure to his beloved wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst.One day, while loitering amidst the crowds thronging the Covent Garden market, he wonders morosely if it might have been better had he not been born at all. Then he sees one of his former colleagues and, in an attempt to make a discreet exit, contrives instead to knock himself unconscious.He awakens to discover that his Bow Street colleague doesn’t seem to remember him, and after staggering back home to Curzon Street, he finds someone else living in the house where he lived with Julia. But still greater surprises are in store for Pickett as he attempts to navigate his way through a world in which he never existed…With a wink and a nod to Frank Capra’s classic film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, NOWHERE MAN offers an alternate version of many of the earlier entries in the John Pickett mystery series.

The Fleeing Heiress


Gayle Buck - 2003
    But saving her from an uncertain fate is not enough, especially when they happen to fall in love.

A June Bride


Teresa DesJardien - 1991
    Her groom comes to her with the puzzling proposal that, despite the terrible scandal it would be, she may ask that they go their separate ways if she finds that they simply do not suit. What is a bride-even one forced to wed-to think of such an offer? Particularly when her new husband had been meant to marry another woman, a beauty who seems to be constantly in the company of Alessandra’s bridegroom... IF GEOFFREY NEEDED an example of a poor marriage, he had only to look to his estranged parents. So he listened to his mama when she pleaded with him not to forever trap Alessandra in marriage if theirs proves to be loveless. But now that his word is given, how to carry on with his new wife? It will take a scrupulous consideration of Alessandra’s sensibilities, a modicum of self control, and pillows dividing the bed her father insists they share. But the sight of his bride, adorably attired in modest night clothes, is distinctly unsettling. And he’s increasingly hoping he sees not rejection but warmth in his unintended bride’s eyes...

Ravishing in Red


Madeline Hunter - 2010
    She does not realize that the handsome man of commanding sensuality who shows up is not the person she expected, but instead Lord Sebastian Summerhays, one of her father’s persecutors, lured to the inn by the same advertisement that brought her there.When the pistol accidentally fires, the situation becomes mortifyingly public, and thoroughly misunderstood. Audrianna is prepared to live with the scandal. Lord Sebastian has other ideas...

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.

The Countess


Lynsay Sands - 2011
    He had been horrible enough to Christiana during their short marriage, and she was not going to allow the traditional period of mourning to ruin her sisters' debuts as well. So she decides to put him on ice and go on as if nothing's happened ...Until the real earl appears. Richard Fairgrave had every intention of confronting his villainous twin who had robbed him of his name and title ... only to discover that he had died. Quietly assuming his identity, Richard must now deal with a maddening desire for his ravishing inherited wife --- certainly a gold digger and possibly a murderess. And Christiana must deal with an unwanted new husband ... and they both must figure out what to do before the ice melts.