Book picks similar to
Cressida by Clare Darcy


regency
romance
historical-romance
historical

Lady Ann's Excellent Adventure


Candice Hern - 2012
    Fans of the traditional Regency romances of Georgette Heyer, Barbara Metzger, and Carla Kelly will enjoy this story of a highborn bride about to embark on an important arranged marriage. Before sacrificing herself on the altar of duty, Lady Ann decides to experience one last day of unchaperoned fun. Her attempted escape, however, appears to be foiled when she gets stuck in a tree. She is fortunate to be rescued by a gallant gentleman, who then accompanies her on a most excellent adventure. When she finds herself falling in love with her handsome rescuer, Lady Ann must now face an arranged marriage that not only tests her sense of duty. It might also break her heart.

The Black Widow


Charlotte Louise Dolan - 1992
    That was before the gentlemen who won her heart died from mysterious accidents one by one. Now she was shunned by all who valued life above love. Shunned by everyone, that is, except Demetrius Lord Thorverton, as daring as he was dashing, and quite possibly as foolhardy as he was handsome. How could Meribe deny this man who was every girl's dream? Yet how could she yield to his pleas when the first kiss she gave him might be his last?

The Unexpected Duchess


Valerie Bowman - 2014
    Lucy will hide behind the hedgerow and tell Cass just what to say to discourage the duke…but it turns out that he’s made of sterner stuff than either of them anticipated. And Lucy is shocked to discover that tangling with the tenacious man is the most fun she’s had in ages.Kisses Are the Best WeaponLord Derek Hunt made a promise to his dying friend to marry the demure Cassandra, and for a man who wants nothing more than peace and quiet after the horrors of war, she’ll make the perfect bride. If only the impudent Miss Upton will let him court the girl! Doing battle is the last thing on his mind, but bantering with Lucy behind the bushes is too tempting to resist. And the spoils of this war just may be true love…

Moonlight and Mischief


Rhonda Woodward - 2004
    Ensconced at his estate against her wishes, Mariah finds herself drawn to the handsome devil, but wonders if she can truly trust him with her heart.

A Season to Be Sinful


Jo Goodman - 2005
    When he discovers his wily pickpocket is a woman, now gravely injured, he takes his flame-haired attacker under his wing. Clearly, Sheridan's new "guest" is a lady of quality. So how did she become a common street thief? He finds himself irresistibly drawn to the clever, cheeky Lily, and determined to unlock her mysteries.The five years since she left the care of the French convent have been a nightmare for Lily. Her secrets are dangerous—as is the powerful man determined to find her. The handsome Viscount is clearly a gentleman with secrets of his own, but staying with him could mean the difference between life and death for Lily. With each passing day, her handsome host turns Lily's convalescence into an increasingly sensual escape. Now her greatest challenge may be imagining anything less than a future in his arms.

The Rules of Gentility


Janet Mullany - 2007
    As to the former, so far two lords, a viscount, and a mad poet have fallen far short of her expectations. But she is about to meet Inigo Linsley, an unshaven, wickedly handsome man with a scandalous secret. He's nothing she ever dreamed she'd want—why then can she not stop thinking about how he looks in his breeches?A delightful marriage of Pride and Prejudice with Bridget Jones's Diary, Janet Mullany's The Rules of Gentility transports us to the days before designer shoes, apple martinis, and speed dating—when great bonnets, punch at Almack's, and the marriage mart were in fashion—and captivates us with a winsome heroine who learns that some rules in society are made to be broken.

Clarissa and the Poor Relations


Alicia Cameron - 2016
    But Clarissa has just inherited Ashcroft , a large crumbling estate, and she offers her companions an escape - run away with her to a life of independence and adventure. They must put the estate to rights with little money and less experience. Can sensible Miss Micklethwaite, aging romantic Miss Appleby and the beautiful Miss Oriana Petersham escape their fate? To keep the vivacious, impulsive Clarissa in check they must at least try. However, their relatives may have other plans. Meeting the Earl of Grandiston and his companion (a devotee of the divine Oriana) on the road sets hilarious events in motion. Perhaps to adventure the ladies must add romance...

The Duke's Undoing


G.G. Vandagriff - 2012
    He is weary, cynical, and very bored. Known as the worst rake in England, he finds he has no interest in upholding that distinction, when his friend, the Marquis of Somerset, proposes a bet: "Five thousand guineas says that seducing Miss Elise Edwards will cure your ennui." Because his friend has just lost a packet to him, he agrees that the bet be posted in White's famous Betting Book.The following day, while walking in Green Park, he spies a mysterious young woman, veiled, and obviously grieving. A disembodied voice, sounding strangely like that of his late adjutant, informs him, "The jig is up. That is the girl you are going to marry!" He scoffs, but is nevertheless intrigued by something about the slight figure. He even sketches her and asks if he can be of assistance to her. She declines his offer kindly.At the opera that evening, he is captivated by a beauty across the Opera Hall. He hears the same voice, saying the same thing. The marquis informs him that the woman in question is Miss Elise Edwards. When he meets her, he recognizes her voice as that of the woman in the park. Now she is surrounded by a surfeit of ex-fiance's, one of them dangerously unbalanced. Ruisdell discovers an actual bond between them which renders him honor bound to protect her.Thus begins a train of unstoppable events--dangerous, humorous, devilish, and amorous--that carry his life along at such a pace that the duke soon knows not whether he is on his head or his heels. And then there is that bet . . .

A Lady of Esteem


Kristi Ann Hunter - 2015
    Quite by happenstance, she's introduced to the Hawthorne family and their close family friend, Anthony, the reformed marquis of Raeburn. They welcome her into their world, but just as she's beginning to gain some confidence and even suspect she may have caught Anthony's eye, she's blindsided by an unexpected twist in her situation accompanied by nasty rumors. Will she lose her reputation when the world that has only just accepted her turns its back on her, or will she rest in the support of the friends who've become like family and the man who's shared his faith and captured her heart?A Lady of Esteem is an e-only novella that gives an exciting introduction to Kristi Ann Hunter's new Regency romance series about the aristocratic Hawthorne family! Includes an extended excerpt of Kristi's debut full-length novel, A Noble Masquerade.

The Byram Succession: A Regency Romance


Mira Stables - 1978
     Albertine 'Tina' Newton knows her worth. The most beautiful girl of the Season, she knew she was born to grace a nobler establishment. And she has her sights set on the perfect husband: Lord Skirlaugh, the heir to the Duke of Byram. Scarred, disillusioned, and cynical, Skirlaugh must nonetheless marry to ensure the succession. He neither expected nor desired love; just a well-bred conformable wife with a reasonable dowry. Tina is certain that there is no one to outshine her. But when her cousin Thea inherits a fortune, she also becomes a contender for Skirlaugh's attention. Then, after meeting on a roadside when both stopped to aid a young man with a badly injured horse, it seems that Thea and Skirlaugh have more potential than Tina thinks... But which aspiring débutante will please his critical taste? Mira Stables is the author of many historical fiction novels, including The Swynden Necklace and Golden Barrier.

Josette


Danielle Thorne - 2010
    Her brother, George, has run off to sea and left the family in her care. Nothing would make her happier than to be settled within the palings of their home, but brooding Captain Carter rides into their lives with news that ruins everything: George has been lost at sea.Learning the park is entailed to their ambitious cousin, Josette must decide between marrying her fickle childhood sweetheart or helping her infatuated sister trap him in her stead. Only Captain Carter and his delightfully spinsterish relatives can stop the Price girls from making what could be another tragic mistake.

The Wild Child


Mary Jo Putney - 1999
    The last thing Dominic expects is to be entranced by a silent sprite whose ethereal beauty is as intoxicating as the flowers and trees that surround her. For much of her life Meriel has lived outside normal society, finding joy and peace in her garden, safe from the nightmare that nearly destroyed her as a child. She is content with solitude until the handsome intruder begins to inspire dreams of life beyond her sanctuary. Despite his longing, Dominic's sense of duty keeps him away from his brother's future bride, but Meriel's untamed spirit proves more powerful than Dominic can resist . . .

Blackmoore


Julianne Donaldson - 2013
    Her plan is to travel to India instead—if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured—and rejected—three marriage proposals.Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart. It is Wuthering Heights meets Little Women with a delicious must-read twist.

Stormcrow Castle


Amanda Grange - 2007
    Helena takes on the role of the new housekeeper and it is not long before strange incidents begin to unnerve her. The castle's owner, Simon, Lord Torkrow, frequents the graveyard at night; the portrait gallery conceals a secret room; identities are hidden at a masked ball; and the key to the attic is missing. As the secrets unravel, Helena finds herself drawn into a world where nothing is as it seems and she must fight for her chance to love—and survive

A Heart Revealed


Josi S. Kilpack - 2015
    Why would she ever marry for something as fickle as love? And why would she ever look twice at Thomas Richards, a third son of a country lord?   But when Amber’s social standing is threatened, the character of her future husband becomes far more important than his position. After a public humiliation, she finds herself exiled to Yorkshire. Alone except for her maid, Amber is faced with a future she never expected in a circumstance far below what she has known all her life. Humbled and lonely, Amber begins to wonder if isolation is for the best. Who could ever love her now?