Book picks similar to
Meant to Be Mine by Cara Maxwell


historical-romance
historical
dnf
romance

A Merchant's Extraordinary Lady


Aria Norton - 2020
    When her father, a well-known baron, arranges an unlikely match for her, she immediately devises a plan to dissuade the suitor. Her efforts are in vain though, as the man, a tenacious and handsome merchant, perseveres and marries her anyway. Dismayed, Aurora resolves to make her husband's life miserable, but to her shock, she finds her heart softening towards him. As her bewildering new feelings intensify, will they challenge her determination to fight against her husband and her desire to be a free woman?Carlos's life has been driven by his need to avenge his mother's death and claim his rightful place as the son of a Spanish count. An opportunity falls into his lap when he overhears an irate baron offer his troublesome daughter as a wife to anyone who will have her. Marrying this stubborn young woman gives him a clear path towards meeting his father for the very first time, but also makes him her enemy. He might not have minded this, if he wasn't also unexpectedly and uncontrollably drawn to his mesmerising wife... With his birthright finally within his grasp, will his heart instead force him to explore powerful feelings he hadn't bargained for?As Aurora clings to her independence amid her developing emotions, Carlos is troubled by his guilt over marrying an unwilling woman to advance his plans. Thrown together by fate, neither can deny their life-changing connection for much longer. With Aurora's safety suddenly being threatened, will justice matter more to Carlos than the woman he has come to care so deeply about? Will Aurora ever be able to set aside her fears and hurt and give them both a chance to discover the true depth of their shared feelings?"A Merchant's Extraordinary Lady" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

The Fairweather Sisters Series: Books 1-3


Anya Wylde - 2019
    Penelope: Leaving behind the rural charms of Finnshire, Miss Penelope Fairweather arrives in London with hope in her heart and a dream in her eye. The dowager, no less, has invited her for a season in London, where she will attempt to catch a husband. Seeking Philbert Woodbead: Celine hurtles off to London to help the duchess run the Blackthorne Mansion and to discover the whereabouts of her lost love Philbert Woodbead. Dorothy: Circumstances force Dorothy May Fairweather to marry Lord William Edmund Huxley, the man her best friend is in love with and the Duke’s arch enemy. With her one foolish mistake, Dorothy manages to vex all those that mean the most to her.

Cast in Shadows


Laura Landon - 2015
    Until his body turned him into a monster. He had no choice but to separate himself from the world, to hide his monstrous self from society, to cast away his future. But the brilliant and beautiful Eve Cornwell refused to believe he could not be saved, even as she refused to guard her heart. And all the while she knew she couldn’t keep him once she’d loved him back into the light. .... Book One: CAST IN SHADOWS Book Two: CAST IN RUIN Book Three: CAST IN ICE

An Enchanted Christmas Collection : Regency Romance


Wendy Vella - 2020
    However she was desperate for money to support her children this Christmas, so it is to him she must go. Perhaps it had been wrong of her to point out his many faults so boldly, but the man drove her to distraction and all thoughts of lady-like behavior disappeared in his infuriating presence.Max didn't remember much of his first meeting with the annoying Miss Appleby, thanks to the after effects of one drink too many. But he vaguely recalled he'd promised her something, just to get her out of his house so he could suffer in peace. Unfortunately peaceful was the last word to describe her as he found out the next day. She was unlike any woman he knew - opinionated and rude certainly, but she worked selflessly to provide for children that were not even of her blood. Max had believed himself incapable of strong emotion yet Hero was changing that belief. Could his long forgotten Christmas wish really come true?THE EARL FROM CHRISTMAS PASTA feisty regency Miss and a cold arrogant Lord. Can a sweet kiss under the mistletoe, and a dangerous secret be enough to rekindle what they once shared?Gabriel Lord Lockhart wants nothing to do with the woman his childhood friend has become. Calculating, and aloof, Maddie’s beauty is now just a façade, and she is nothing like the mouthy hellion he remembers. That was until the day he found her on a dirty street in one of the seediest areas in London, championing children. He soon realizes how wrong he’s been about her, and that the feelings he’d once had for her had grown into something powerful. Now all he has to do is keep her safe!Miss Madeline Spencer loathes society but has promised her parents she will behave so she can keep her freedom. Everything is going to plan until Gabe stomps back into her life. He uncovers her secret, and demands she stop taking risks. She soon realizes that the gentle boy she once loved is now a man with an iron will, but she can’t allow him to deter her from what must be done. Even if it means she can’t be with the man she loves.MISTLETOE AND THE MARQUESSMarriage was something Miss Partridge had hoped to delay indefinitely, but due to her father's reckless behavior she is now expected to save the family from ruin. Determined to have one last night of freedom before marrying a man she detests; Jemma attends a Christmas Masquerade Ball. When a handsome highwayman awakens something inside her, with stolen kisses and whispered promises, she flees, vowing to forget about the man who touched her soul.From the moment the Marquess of Harrington sees the Grecian Goddess enter the ball, he wants her. Harry is not usually one for irrational impulses - indeed his life does not allow for that - but this woman makes him lose all reason. Her touch ignites a fire inside him, and her kisses sear his soul. When she runs from him he is determined to find her and finally unmask the woman who has captured his heart.

Lords of London: Books 4-6


Tamara Gill - 2019
    One impromptu kiss leaves her wanting more. If he's willing... To Dare a Duchess An indiscretion tore Nina and Byron apart. Now back in London, free from restraint a love affair ensues. But for how long when secrets still remain. To Marry a Marchioness Newly appointed Marquess, Marcus Duncan is thrown into the path of his cousin’s widow. Henrietta instantly charms him, and now he wants her for himself.

Pride of Honor


Andrea K. Stein - 2020
    She must ensure her marriage to a “suitable gentleman of the ton” before her twenty-first birthday or she’ll be destitute, per the terms of her ducal grandmother’s will. Close to having her own poems published, Sophia has her hopes dashed each time by someone revealing her secrets. That same someone so desperately wants her to fail the terms of the will, they’re willing to commit violent acts to ruin her reputation. Captain Arnaud Bellingham has ascended the ranks of the Royal Navy in spite of his half-French heritage by proving himself at the Battle of Algiers and with the West African Squadron. He seeks a simple marriage of convenience to a mature woman, a widow who has been his sometime mistress the last several years. The very thing he does not want, an exotic Italian innocent, literally falls into his life when he rescues her from kidnappers, although she disputes she needed saving. And now, honor and duty dictate he has to waste the rest of his leave guarding her through the mad whirl of the Season.

Miss Gabriel's Gambit


Rita Boucher - 1993
    Chess has been the ruination of her life ending her engagement, filching her fortune and reducing her to poor relation. But when she finds herself falling in love with chessmaster David Rutherford, the new Lord Donhill, Sylvia stakes her heart, her future and her reputation on the riskiest gambit of all.

Stolen Kisses from the Viscount


Alanna Lucas - 2019
    Fearful of fortune hunters, she makes a list of acceptable gentlemen to marry. However, one dance with Lord Leybourne, a notorious rake, and she’s throwing the list out the carriage window. His compassionate eyes combined with a seductive smile and enticing kisses awaken a passion that threatens her common sense. Can she open her heart to a rake she thought she couldn’t trust?No stranger to scandal, Patrick, Viscount Leybourne, is determined to save his family from ruin whatever the cost, even marrying an heiress he doesn’t love. But Miss Redgrave proves to be no ordinary heiress, tempting his every thought as an unexpected desire and need to protect threatens his plans. Will past heartaches and a devastating wager destroy their future or will true love’s kiss triumph? Previously released in the Once Upon a True Love's Kiss limited edition box set.

Tristan


Elizabeth Rose - 2020
    unless she is the key to finding a lost treasure. Tristan Fisher and his brothers leave their father's fishing boat and return to a life of piracy, longing for the adventure and riches they once knew. With dwindling supplies and a restless crew, fate finally smiles on them when a storm at sea leaves behind flotsam. However, it is more than just boxes and barrels of supplies they find. Tristan and his brothers fish an old woman out of the water who claims to not only know the whereabouts of a treasure map, but who also says she is their long lost grandmother!Scottish lass, Gavina Drummond's life is turned upside down with one tragedy after another. Now, disguised as a boy and with a treasure map secretly and unwillingly inked on to her back, she finds herself as cabin boy and musician to a dark and dangerous pirate named Tristan. He's not really what she expects and is surprised when he protects her from his cutthroat crew. The handsome man wins her trust and gains her interest.Gavina needs nothing short of a king's treasure to pay back her father's steep gambling debts and to buy back her brother's freedom. Desperate to find the English king's stolen treasure, her only problem is that she can't see the map to read it. With time running out, it is crucial she finds someone to help her soon.Tristan seems the likely choice, since searching for treasure is a trait of his kind. But if Gavina confides in him, she'll have to show him the map. And in order to do that, she'll have to disrobe.Will a dark-hearted pirate discover he's unknowingly brought a woman on board who is also the key to finding his coveted treasure? Or is it not a treasure of silver and gold that he truly desires the most after all?

Dangerous Works


Caroline Warfield - 2014
    Only one man has ever tried to teach Lady Georgiana Hayden both. She learned very young to keep her heart safe. She learned to keep loneliness at bay through work. If it takes a scandalous affair to teach her what she needs to complete her work, she will risk it. If the man in question chooses not to teach her, she will use any means at her disposal to change his mind. She is determined to give voice to the ancient women whose poetry has long been neglected. Some scars cut deeper than others. Major Andrew Holden returns to Cambridge a battle-scarred hero. He dared to love Georgiana once and suffered swift retribution from her powerful family. The encounter cost him eleven years of his life. Determined to avoid her, he seeks work to heal his soul and make his scholarly father proud. The work she offers risks his career, his peace of mind, and (worst of all) his heart. Can he protect himself from a woman who almost destroyed him? Does he want to? Even poetry is dangerous when you partner with the love of your life. In Regency, Cambridge, it can lead a lady quickly past improper to positively scandalous.

Secrets of Midnight


Miriam Minger - 1995
    Instead, he finds himself banished to the English countryside of Cornwall, forced by the decrees of his father's will to run his family's tin mines and find a country bride. The very last thing the handsome lord needs is a local lass sticking her nose into his affairs, but that seems to be exactly what the parson's daughter, Corisande Easton, had in mind.

Mistletoe Magic


Rose Pearson - 2019
    Her brother, the Earl of Allerton, has chosen a suitable gentleman but when Georgiana meets him, she finds him rude, arrogant, and selfish.Knowing it would be unwise to cry off, Georgiana tries to build a regard for Lord Poole, only to find her heart stolen by someone entirely unsuitable - Mr. Oliver Lowell, a wealthy financier from Boston. Whilst Mr. Lowell is treated with respect by society, Georgiana knows she cannot let him steal her heart. Yet Lord Poole is even worse than she expected.Aware that Mr. Lowell will return to America after Christmas, Georgiana cannot bear the thought that she will never see him again. But if she leaves with him, then the scandal will be so great that she can never return to England! And what will her betrothed, Lord Poole, do if he discovers she intends to cry off?Will Georgiana do what is expected or follow her heart?

Winn's Fall: Common Elements Romance Project


Clair Brett - 2020
    A family curse says he will die by the time he turns thirty years old. He will not leave a young wife and a child behind like his father did to him. When childhood friend Miss Zoe Chase returns to stay with his sister and find a husband, Winn’s plans are thrown into chaos. Not only is the once gangly, awkward girl he remembers, is now everything that tempts him, the accidents that once plagued his life are happening to her. He must keep her safe, but how can he do that when ravaging her is all he can consider? Or perhaps the curse isn’t a curse after all. Will Winn die, or will he fall?

Mending the Duke's Pride


C.H. Admirand - 2021
    Unless he meets his saving grace in the form of a bespectacled bluestocking... Jared Malcolm Lippincott, the Sixth Duke of Wyndmere, has restored the family fortune. Will his plans to restore the family name mend his pride? An unknown enemy from the past will stop at nothing to ruin him.Lady Persephone does not wish to marry, cleverly donning the guise of a bespectacled bluestocking to discourage offers of marriage. Fate has other plans the night she falls into the duke’s arms, captivated by the sparkle in his brilliant blue eyes. Society is all agog speculating if the two are more than just strangers.Restoring the family name is not as important as protecting Lady Persephone, who is now in his enemy's crosshairs. A marriage of convenience binds the duke and his lady together, but duty is soon overshadowed by desire. Will love triumph in this sweet tale of love and second chances?

Breaking the Rules


Ruth Ann Nordin - 2020
    She lets the gentleman take the lead. She obeys her chaperone. She is soft spoken and careful in everything she says and does. She doesn’t intrude into a gentleman’s business. And she most certainly doesn’t become the object of scandal. Miss Lilly Lowell has been careful to follow the rules all of her life. But the rules aren’t helping her now when she needs it most. She made the terrible mistake of spurning Mr. Morris' attention, and now he’s looking for someone else to marry. Determined to get him back, she hatches a plan to make him fall in love with her again. And doing so will require her to start breaking some rules. Hurt by Miss Lowell’s rejection, Mr. Roger Morris is seeking out another lady to court. But after endless social engagements, it starts to become clear to him that no one can take her place. Whether he likes it or not, he is doomed to love her. She is the perfect lady for him. But the last thing he wants to do is give in, especially when she creates a scandal that forces him to marry her. This might just be a match made in hell. Or maybe, quite possibly, heaven…as long as Lilly can figure out a way to make things right.