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 first involves a woman (don't they always), and the second...well, it also involves a woman and a large sum of stolen money. To clear his family name, Michael must track down his charlatan cousin... the same cousin believed to be dead. She is the one woman he knows he can't have. Blythe Willoughby Ashton has been married for a year, but hasn't been a wife for even a day. When she learns of her husband's death, she just wants to be left alone. Then her husband's cousin shows up uninvited on her doorstep, looking more handsome than any man should.  Falling in love is the last thing she should do, especially when it becomes obvious that the secrets he's keeping could threaten not only her happiness, but her life.

    Ashton has hit proverbial rock bottom. Seeking to escape his melancholy, he takes refuge at one of Victorian society’s most notorious house parties. As the Christmas season approaches, he prepares to settle in for a month of heavy drinking…until an unexpected encounter changes his plans—and threatens his heart.A PRIM VICAR'S DAUGHTERValentine March is not the drab little spinster she appears to be. When her new job as a lady’s companion lands her smack in the middle of Yorkshire with England’s most infamous rake, she resolves to keep her head down and her eyes fixed firmly on her future—a future which most definitely does not include a sinfully handsome viscount.A MATCH MADE IN SCANDALA friendship is impossible. An affair out of the question. But when one reckless act binds them together, will two star-crossed souls discover there’s more to each other than meets the eye? Or will revelations from the past end their fragile romance before it begins?

    Schooled in the ways of kings and surrounded by splendor, Afton falls in love with the earl’s son, brave, Calhoun, her childhood protector.But Calhoun’s mother, the Lady Endeline, has much different plans for him than marriage to a villein’s daughter. Suddenly Afton’s world is torn viciously apart. She is cast out of the castle, given to a man she fears and despises as a reward for his loyalty—an all too clear reminder that, for all her dreams, she is nothing but a villein.Now all she has left is a burning desire for vengeance . . .

    Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain. UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept. WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

    Birds aren’t the only pleasing thing she finds, though. A certain Sanctuary worker, Oliver Barrow, has stolen her heart. But Lucy’s father will have none of it. No daughter of his will marry a common laborer.Oliver Barrow loves everything about his work at the Sanctuary. The birds, the trees, the ponds… a certain young miss who mesmerizes him. Miss Ashbrook is beautiful and sweet and shares his love of birds. But Oliver has a secret that just might get in the way of anything more than friendship developing between them. And he can’t share that secret with her. Not yet.How can Lucy convince her father of Oliver’s worth? That love isn't just for the birds?

    And then, because he refuses to tear himself away from the stables where he trains Arabian racehorses, she invites all those ladies to a house party, along with some other bachelors, of course. So who will Hugh choose? The Botticelli-esque, enchanting Gwendolyn? The outspoken, delightful Katherine? If he doesn't work fast, he'll lose those ladies to his closest friends, and then where will he look for a wife? Perhaps, just perhaps, toward a lady who's not on a market at all, and would require a great deal of persuading...

    Men fight, gamble to earn money, and treat women as if they were property. But this sort of treatment is all Zelda has ever known.What happens when Zelda discovers that the man she has been sold to is a gambler, a sweet-talker, and that he is no better than the men she knew from the brothel?Zelda has a past that almost broke her.Growing up as an orphan on the streets, all she knows are two things: POVERTY and STRUGGLE!Forced to work in a brothel under the New Orleans gambling den manager Gus, Zelda has almost lost all hope of freedom.When all things seemed so hopeless, one day something good happened- she was set FREE. Well... things are not quite as simple as they seem.Charles seems kind, romantic, and gentle. But Zelda is not used to being treated well. She doesn't trust Charles, and vows to escape...Can Zelda learn to accept love? To believe that Charles could really find her beautiful?What will happen when Charles discovers the truth about Zelda's past? "Take the journey with Zelda and Charles as they begin to scratch surface, and with God's help, find love together..."

    Join three bestselling regency romance authors, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes, for three new regency romance novellas in A MIDWINTER BALL. MUCH ADO ABOUT DANCING by Heidi Ashworth. Two years have passed since Lord Northrup declared his intentions for Miss Analisa Lloyd-Jones and forbade any other man to court her. Angry at the neglect, Analisa stopped reading his letters, never even breaking the seals. Tired of waiting, Analisa joins the house party at Mrs. Smith’s famous country home, determined to find a beau. When Lord Northrup unexpectedly joins the party, Analisa discovers she is no longer repulsed by the man who first laid claim to her hand. SWEETER THAN ANY DREAM by Annette Lyon. Olivia Wallington is firmly established as a spinster, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming about the perfect man. Ever since her father’s death, Olivia has been forced into seclusion by her mother. When her brother and his wife come for a visit, they discover the extent to which she lives under their mother’s thumb. With their help, Olivia sneaks out to attend a local ball, where she meets Edward Blakemoore. For a few divine moments, all of her dreams seem possible. But even someone like Mr. Blakemoore would be hard pressed to get past Mrs. Wallington’s fortress of protection—or past Olivia’s pride.AN INVITATION TO DANCE by Michele Paige Holmes. Lady Ella has been isolated on her father’s estate since her mother’s death as her father travels the world. When Alex Darling arrives with a letter from her long-dead fiancé, and a demand that she travel to London for a series of engagements, Ella thinks her father instigated the strange demands and agrees. In London, she discovers the truth behind her fiancé’s death, and that new love might be possible in the arms of the most unexpected man.

    A future viscount. A second chance at love. Olivia Kingsley didn’t expect to be swept off her feet and receive a marriage proposal two weeks into her first Season. However, one delicious dance with Allen Wimpleton, and her future is sealed. Or so she thinks until her eccentric father suddenly announces he’s moving the family to the Caribbean for a year.Terrified of losing Olivia, Allen begs her to elope, but she refuses. Distraught at her leaving, and unaware of her father’s ill-health, Allen doubts her love and foolishly demands she choose—him or her father. Heartbroken at his callousness, Olivia turns her back on their love. The year becomes three, enough time for her broken heart to heal, and after her father dies, she returns to England. Coming face to face with Allen at a ball, she realizes she never purged him from her heart. But can they overcome their pasts and old wounds to trust love again? Or has Allen found another in her absence?This second chance Regency historical by a USA Today bestselling author will make you want to box Allen’s ears and promise Olivia that she will find true love.If you enjoy reading reunited lovers stories sprinkled with a dab of humor, suspense, and heart-warming emotion, then you’ll adore Collette Cameron’s tantalizing THE HONORABLE ROGUES SERIES®. Buy A KISS FOR A ROGUE and settle into your favorite reading nook for a rousing romantic adventure you can’t put down. Though this book can easily be read as a stand-alone, most readers prefer to read the series in order.

    Years ago, the man who stole her heart rejected her--and she's never recovered. Now tragedy has brought him back into her life. This time it isn't her heart he's taking, it's her home and her family's good name--and she has no one to share her grief.Jonathan Carlew's life may look enviable from the outside--wealthy, handsome, landed--but the mystery surrounding his birth has shadowed his entire life. Now as he ascends to the barony, fresh challenges await, including a scheming mama who wants him to embrace power, even at the cost of losing love. How can he remain the kind, honorable man he strives to be and still meet the demands of his new society responsibilities?These two broken hearts must decide whether their painful past and bitter present will be all they can share, or if forgiveness can provide a path to freedom for the future.Set in the sumptuous salons of Bath, Regency England's royal breeding ground for gossip, Winning Miss Winthrop is the first volume in Carolyn Miller's new series. Fans of the wholesome and richly drawn first series won’t want to miss this new set of characters.

    After the day-long journey, the only place for the weary travelers to sleep is the barn of an over-booked inn with only a single vacancy. Larissa, who has no intention of sleeping on a pile of straw, steps forward, claiming to be newly wed to Sir Randall Trent, baronet and unwitting accomplice in Larissa's scheme for adventure, in order to claim the last empty room. Convinced they will never see one another again and that no one will be the wiser about their little white lie, Larissa and Sir Randall part ways, though not before Sir Randall can bestow upon Larissa a passionate kiss that sends her reeling. Both are surprised to be thrown together again so soon in London for the Season. When their secret is discovered, Larissa and Sir Randall are forced to band together in the face of a crime spree in which Sir Randall is implicated. Life is about to offer Larissa an adventure unlike any she had ever imagined.

    While swimming one morning, he helps a young lady rescue her reticule from the pond. A promised dance in exchange for his service gives him hope there will be more to the summer than melting heat and his mother’s icy glares.Avice King is horrified to discover that the bumpkin who helped her retrieve her reticule is no laborer at all, but the charming Lieutenant Addison she bore her soul to five years ago aboard her father’s ship. Her anger at him pushing her away has festered, but she is determined not to let it distract her from her duty. Ever since losing her father at sea, she has thrown herself into caring for her mother’s fragile health without a care for her own wants or needs. But money is growing ever tighter, and the courts won’t declare her father’s death official without more evidence, keeping his fortune wrapped up out of their reach.As Spencer and Avice are thrown together in town, she comes to see his true humility, and he finds she is no longer the young girl he discouraged. Her feelings for him begin to bloom afresh, but Avice knows she cannot have what she wants. She needs her father’s death proved or his approval before she can marry. Spencer and Avice must find a way around the obstacles placed by their parents or let go of the only joy either has found in years.

     Determined to save her cousin from certain ruin at the hands a notorious rake, Miss Heloise Merrill impersonates her cousin and takes her place at the 'Chateau of Debauchery.' She intends to convince the rake – Sebastian Cadwell, Earl of Blythe -- to turn his attentions elsewhere. Deprived of his intended guest, Sebastian decides to provide the meddling Miss Merrill a much deserved set-down. But when things take a decidedly hot turn, he finds he wants to go beyond a simple set-down. Can Heloise stand her ground or will she surrender to the rake? For a more wicked version of this story, see Em Brown's SUBMITTING TO THE RAKE.

    Four years ago, his fiancée betrayed him and he has no desire to experience that again so when he meets the beautiful Rebecca Kingsley, it’s passion at first sight. And only passion.Rebecca has led a very quiet life working for her father at a small country inn. When she meets Geoffrey she falls in love with him right away. But she’s only the daughter of a baronet and men like Geoffrey never marry country girls like her. Do they?When Rebecca’s father tries to marry her off to a wealthy old man, Geoffrey intervenes and marries her himself. He wants her very much but he couldn’t possibly love her. Love is for fools. At least that’s what he tells himself. But a sinister enemy soon threatens to destroy all that Geoffrey holds dear, forcing him to face the truth. His marriage depends on it... And maybe even Rebecca’s very life.