But all her hard effort to improve herself comes to nothing when it looks as if Giles is about to propose--to someone else!Deciding that bad behaviour is infinitely more attractive than perfection, Joanna flees her shocked family. Giles is hot on her trail, determined to catch her and bring her safely home. But will he be as determined to make her his bride?

    Undoubtedly it would be a man who was used to spy out the secrets of rivals. Certainly he would be a brave and patriotic companion. The door opened. Stanton almost betrayed himself by uttering an exclamation. For, it was not a man who had entered the room, but undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life!

    She needs a husband and a good father for her son, who can preserve the wealth she has inherited. Plenty of ambitious men seek to marry her only for her fortune, but Elizabeth has to make the right choice and find a tender person who will take care of her small family. Everything changes the night she is intrigued by a charming man, who despite the absence of title or fortune, helps her make the biggest decision of her life. Will her decision to marry Arthur be the right one, or will she fall prey to another fortune hunter? Arthur Whitaker is trying to care for his parents, who have just been left penniless. Feeling the shame of his father dragging him down, he will follow his will and look for a wife to marry. The idea of marrying Elizabeth Morrow, just for the sake of her wealth, feels terrible, but it might be his only choice. Before he knows it, he finds himself thrust into a marriage with a woman he hardly knows. The moment Arthur's feelings for his wife grow warmer, and he decides to confess his love, a mysterious illness hits him, and puts his life in grave danger. Will Arthur be able to escape death and win Elizabeth's heart?When Elizabeth and Arthur start falling in love with each other, they will think for a moment that happy endings might exist. To their ignorance, though, someone does not want this love to flourish and is determined to take Arthur out of the picture. The two of them must find a way to ensure that Arthur stays alive and Elizabeth will not be left alone and fragile for a second time. In the end, will they break all the barriers that wish to keep them apart, or will internal battles and outside forces overpower them?

    A stolen inheritance. Can love conquer mistrust? Athena Hawthorne never imagined that she would lose everything she'd ever had. But after the death of her father, his prosperous jewelry store is sold off to pay his supposed debts. Athena, now destitute, embarks on a mission to discover the truth, but circumstances force her to accept an offer from a handsome stranger to work as a governess. She's determined to clear her father's name, but a certain earl is making matters far more difficult than necessary. And she can't be in danger of losing her heart to a member of the aristocracy... Orion Ashcroft, the Earl of Rockford, is convinced that Athena is a grasping thief who stole a priceless family heirloom, the rare sapphire known as the Couleur Magnifique. When he offers her the position of governess to his sister's children, he only intends to catch her in some nefarious scheme and get back the sapphire—his grandmother's dying wish. But he soon discovers that keeping his distance—and his sanity—around the beautiful Athena isn't as easy as he'd planned. It certainly doesn't help that his sister and his best friend plead her innocence at every frustrating turn. Soon he's struggling between honoring his promise and his growing attraction to Athena. But there's danger closer than either expect. Even a masquerade can't hide Athena from the curiosity of the ton forever...and there's a threat hiding among the highest members of society...

    A Gentleman by Any Other Name by Kasey Michaels released on Feb 28, 2006 is available now for purchase.

    Until she meets the uncouth rake she is to serve.Dominique Brooks, the Earl of Wettington, is sick and tired of being called a hero. Especially when his scars are a painful reminder of his failure to rescue his mother and sister from the flames. His life, however, changes when he hires a new valet. A valet with something decisively strange about him.When their forbidden desire takes its toll, Dominique finds himself thrown in a different kind of fire. Only this time, failure is not an option. For, the past has flesh and bone, and it finds its way back on the scars mapped on Dominique’s body.

    Isobel's story is set in a time of social change, after Mary Wollstonecraft published her famous "A Vindication on the Rights of Woman," positing (correctly, of course!) that women were not inferior to men. Even so, Society hadn't yet changed to the degree that a free-thinking woman of means could be open about her "unseemly" interests. Isobel happily pursues her intellectual passions without a care for marriage. She's perfectly capable of tending to her own life as a trendsetter in fashion during the Season and an archaeologist in Scotland during the summer. Marriage, she believes, is only the surrender of her legal identity, independence and fortune to the whims of a man. Then an accident outside her country estate brings Major Lord Francis Wheaton into her life and her home. Lord Francis, recently back from the Peninsular Wars, must convalesce at Isobel's manor, being too injured to travel. What follows is the tale of two strong-willed individuals, both harboring secrets of their own, and their undeniable attraction to one another. Will Isobel succeed in keeping her secret? Will Lord Francis find what he needs? And just who is the mysterious Marcus Paley? Written as an homage to Georgette Heyer, this is the first novel written by Alicia Quigley. After years of being filed away, we're happy to present it for your enjoyment. Please note, this is a Traditional Regency Romance; the "spice" (sex) level is very low, a G-rated movie, if you will.

    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?

    Out of desperation, she seeks the help of the only man with the knowledge to reverse the evil incantation, a man whose cold heart and sinful gaze pose such an enticing contradiction. As a scholar of Egyptology and a man consumed by the pain of the past, the enigmatic Gabriel Stone shuns polite society, choosing to bury himself in his books. When a flame-haired temptress pesters him with tales of a curse, his first instinct is to flee. However, his sense of obligation proves to be a dangerous thing and the potent lure of desire too difficult to resist.

    Five years after breaking Amelia Chilson's heart, he's back. Robert Danbury wants the mistletoe kiss Amelia denied him years ago, but nothing more. Loving a woman again is an unthinkable risk. They just have to make it through Christmas without kissing or killing each other.Over presents and under mistletoe the past is revealed.Their mistakes are sweet, ugly, delicate, and unassailable. Botanist Robert might be able to grow pineapples almost as perfect as the ones Amelia can picture in her embroidery, but they can't change the past. Especially when Robert's daughter is a constant reminder.Then, they're caught innocently in bed together, and Robert has an instant to choose: Amelia's reputation, their lost love, or his conscience.Length: 30,000 wordsTropes: second chance; enemies-to-lovers; scandal; compromisedHeat level: medium-high.Content Notes can be found before the Contents page.Note: this novella was first published in the 2018 charity Regency Christmas anthology, Love Rekindled at Christmas.

    Upon running into the son of Roland de Bowes, the Duke of Easterly, something secret and mysterious stirs within her. She can’t help but sign for the job of governess at Bonhomie,where the Duke’s estate is located. What she didn’t expect though were the intense and inspiring emotions sparked by Lord Garret, the Duke’s handsome brother. Will this sizzling passion cost her position? Or will she find a way to tame her feelings? Family is the most precious thing for Lord Garret, who is a remarkably serious and proud man. After the death of his sister in law, he came to a conclusion that his brother is unable to take care of the estate. Even though Lord Garret regards Katherine with suspicion when she is hired, as time goes by, he can’t hide his tremendous admiration and desire for her. Will this rigid man lay aside his doubts for a chance to love passionately? Although Katherine and Lord Garret find themselves madly in love, it only takes one miscommunication for it to be torn apart. Is Lord Garret strong enough to admit to his weaknesses, and keep Katherine at Bonhomie, not as a governess, but as his bride? For Lord Garret de Bowes, it will take admitting to himself that his heart is captured. For Katherine, it means succumbing to the greatest love she has ever known. Will their love overcome society’s expectations? Or will they accept fate and distance themselves forever?

    Only one person ever treated her kindly -- Nicholas Barre, the orphaned heir to the estate, who suffered equally at the hands of their indifferent guardians. But wild, rebellious Nick left home – and Juliana -- while both were still young, and Juliana never thought to see him again.Forced to seek employment as a lady's companion, Juliana fears she'll never experience for herself what it's like to be young and merry and in love... until she spies Nicholas at a ball, all grown up and more handsome than ever.Much sought after and newly come into his inheritance, Nick blithely risks society's wrath by befriending her, and when his innocent attentions cause her to lose her position, nobly offers her the only recompense he can – a marriage of convenience.It now falls to Juliana to prove to the badly scarred Nick that he is capable of emotion. But how will she protect her beloved new husband when it becomes clear someone wants his title... badly enough to kill for it?

    All she has to do now is survive her murderous uncle’s attempts to steal the throne for himself. But when a mysterious gentleman washes up on the shores of her beach, she’s shocked to realize she needs his help almost as much as he needs hers …When Drew Meyers left his estate, his plan was to escape the arranged marriage, his scheming father brokered for him. The storm that nearly killed him was not part of the plan. Neither was meeting her. Holly is everything he ever wanted, and he will do anything to keep her safe and get her home—even if doing so means he’ll be forced to let her go forever…A union between a princess and a lowly future duke is forbidden. But as intrigue abounds and their enemies circle, will Drew and Holly defy the obligations and expectations that stand between them to take a chance on love? Or is their happily ever after merely a dream?

    Lady Cassiopeia is on the auction block in the marriage mart. And her only escape is into the greedy hands of scandalous Richard Hawke, a handsome rake who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Original Regency Romance.

    She must wed, with her pompous uncle's approval, before her next birthday or lose her legacy--the most valuable book collection in all England! Worse, she will forfeit the secret contents of the trunk locked in the family vault. So Jessica concocts an audacious plan. It may be scandalous. It may be ruinous. Or it might work.There isn't a more eligible suitor in all the land than John Dryden. Passing himself off as an importer of rare books, the ex-privateer and dashing rogue is all too happy to accept Jessica's unconventional proposal. It's a plot worthy of Will Shakespeare himself.. and just as likely to go awry. For Dryden hasn't been called a bastard simply because of his birth. The wickedly seductive Jessica has something he wants, and it isn't merely a dusty old chest. It's the key to her heart!