Wife by Contract, Mistress by Demand


Carole Mortimer - 2007
    On theirwedding day, Gabriella is shocked whenRufus kisses her passionately! Will Rufus usetheir marriage as an excuse to have her in hisbed--whenever he wants?

Sleeping With The Boss


Maureen Child - 2003
    She vowed to stay professional--but she could tell that he wanted her. She saw the longing in his eyes, heard the desire in every word. And before long, one kiss led to a shocking night of passion...and an unexpected pregnancy.Past experience had left Rick wary of commitment, but he was determined to do the right thing by his child. He proposed, offering Eileen his name, his home, everything...except his heart. That was off-limits, but nevertheless there was no quelling his desire to have Eileen back in his bed--where she belonged!

The First Wife


Tara Taylor Quinn - 2010
    Magazine editor Jane Hamilton is not having a good month. But with the support of her best friend, Brad Manchester, she's coping–until they become lovers and Brad complicates things even more by proposing marriage.Brad understands Jane's fears, but he's ready for a wife and family, ready to move forward. Especially when he finds out she's pregnant with his child.

The Admiral's Penniless Bride


Carla Kelly - 2010
    As she spends it on a cup of tea - to stave off being at the mercy of the workhouse - the last thing she expects is an offer of marriage... from a complete stranger!Admiral Sir Charles Bright's seafaring days are over - and according to society, that must mean he's in need of a wife! Discovering Sally is in need of a home, he offers a solution... They marry in haste - but will they enjoy their wedding night at leisure?

The Duke and I


Julia Quinn - 2000
    From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable.Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

Falling for Her Convenient Husband


Jessica Steele - 2009
    When they meet at an international business conference eight years on, Nathan is intrigued when he sees that Phelix is still wearing her wedding ring....Now a successful lawyer with the independence she's always craved, Phelix is not the same shy, mousy teenager Nathan knew, but a confident and stylish woman. And her transformation certainly hasn't escaped the English tycoon's notice....

Not Just the Nanny


Christie Ridgway - 2010
    But Kayla James had always managed to keep her relationship with Mick Hanson strictly professional. And now that his kids were older, she had a choice—stay, and fess up…or get out of the line of fire.Firefighter Mick Hanson had enough responsibility. A working single dad, he didn't need another complication—but then he saw Kayla in a different light. Until now, he'd managed to look at her as nothing more than "the nanny." Now he wasn't sure he could resist the attraction that was too hot to extinguish….

To Have and to Hoax


Martha Waters - 2020
    Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?

Remember When


Judith McNaught - 1996
    ripe plot twists... a fine supporting cast" – Ocala Star-Banner.Now, with more than fourteen million books in print and seven New York Times bestsellers, Judith McNaught brings us her latest, most enthralling novel... Remember When When multinational tycoon Cole Harrison approached her on a moonlit balcony at the White Orchid Charity Ball, Diana Foster had no idea how extraordinary the night ahead would be. The most lavish social event of the Houston season had brought out American aristocracy, Texas-style, in glittering array. So, after losing her fiancé to a blond Italian heiress and reading about it in a sleazy gossip paper, the lovely Diana felt obliged to make an appearance — if only to save face and to bolster her company's image.Foster's Beautiful Living magazine was her family's success story, and Diana knew that, single, childless, and suddenly "unengaged", she was not living up to its lucrative image of upscale domestic tranquility.A woman of gentle grace and kindness, Diana deeply valued her privacy and her dignity, both of which were at risk that night among certain rumor-driven socialites. And now the pride of Dallas billionaires, Cole Harrison, was closing in on her with two crystal flutes and a bottle of champagne...The tall, lithe former stableboy couldn't negotiate his way out of a contract with his crusty uncle, Cal — he had to bring home a wife, and soon, or see Cal's share of the business Cole had created go to an undeserving relative. A man as coolly analytical as he was arrestingly attractive, Cole decided that his bride-to-be should be rich in her own right, meltingly beautiful, and a woman of impeccable character... Diana Foster!It was the perfect to their respective dilemmas, and, after a lot of champagne for Diana and some skilled persuasion from Cole, their lips met in a long, slow, bargain-sealing kiss. Neither one dared imagine that a match made in logic's heaven might be headed straight for an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime love...

Breaking Point


Emma Darcy - 1992
    When he proposed, she'd been deliciously happy - happy to give up her job without a second thought, and devote herself to decorating their beautiful new home in Sydney's most prestigious neighborhood.She hadn't realized then that the only intimacy he wanted with her was in their bed. Rafe put business - including his cool blond personal assistant - first.Tanya was not about to spend the rest of her life waiting for a man who thought another woman was more important than his wife. The honeymoon was over. The marriage was at the breaking point.(Out of Print)

Vision in White


Nora Roberts - 2009
    Her father replaced his first family with a second, and now her mother, moving on to yet another man, begs Mac for attention and money. Mac's foundation is jostled again moments before an important wedding planning meeting when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother...an encounter that has them both seeing stars.Carter Maguire is definitely not her type: he's stable, and he's safe. He's even an English teacher at their high school alma mater. There's something about him that makes Mac think a casual fling is just what she needs to take her mind off dealing with bridezillas and screening her mother's phone calls. But a casual fling can turn into something more when you least expect it. And with the help of her three best friends—and business partners—Mac must learn how to make her own happy memories.

All I Ever Wanted


Kristan Higgins - 2010
    and no sign of any forthcoming babies to rock in ol' Georgebury, Vermont. For Callie Grey, turning thirty means coming to grips with the fact that her boss (and five-week fling) is way overdue in his marriage proposal. And way off track because Mark has suddenly announced his engagement to the company's new Miss Perfect. If that isn't bad enough, her mom decides to throw her a three-oh birthday bash in the family funeral home. Bad goes to worse when she stirs up a crazy relationship with the town's not so warm and fuzzy veterinarian, Ian McFarland, in order to flag Mark's attention. So Ian is more comfortable with animals.... So he's formal, orderly and just a bit tense. The ever-friendly, fun-loving and spontaneous Callie decides it's time for Ian to get a personality makeover. But dang, if he doesn't shock the heck out of her, she might actually fall for Vermont's unlikeliest eligible bachelor....

A Family for the Rugged Rancher


Donna Alward - 2011
    She needs to rebuild her life after her divorce...Emily's not above cleaning and cooking to put a roof over her son's head, but she doesn't expect the rancher who hires her to be so young...or so alluring. Emily’s not interested in romance, though. Her failed marriage has left its scars. She’s determined to support herself and her son, with no personal complications. Love and a family are just not in the cards for Luke. Raising his sisters after mother's death and his father's illness was hard enough, but what if the gene is passed on to him? Better to just go it alone... Except he needs help and places an ad for a housekeeper. When Emily and Sam arrive on his doorstep, he soon discovers that the one thing he wants the most is the one thing he can't have...

Stately Pursuits


Katie Fforde - 1997
    Hetty doesn't mind; at least she can be miserable in private. But 'private' is a relative term in a village which revolves around the big house. Particularly when you are expected to thwart Great Uncle Samuel's awful heir, and his nefarious plans for his inheritance.Pitchforked into the community's fight to save the manor, Hetty has no time to wallow. And once she has shared her troubles with one neighbour (Caroline: a very understanding shoulder, despite her glamorous appearance and impossibly long legs), and cast an appreciative eye over another (Peter: equally long-legged, but offering rather more practical help), she wonders if her heart is irretrievably broken after all...

Mistress of the Groom


Susan Napier - 1997
    She'd had to prevent her best friend from making the biggest mistake of her life... . Marrying Ryan Blair would have been disastrous. He was too rich, too powerful, too hot to handle!There was only one solution: to stand up in church and declare that she, Jane Sherwood, respectable businesswoman, was having a secret torrid affair with Ryan! It had worked. The wedding was finished. But now Ryan was determined to make Jane pay for his wrecked marriage - by making her his mistress for real!