Book picks similar to
Little Miss Independent by Julia Templeton


historical-romance
romance
historical
novella

Escapade


Kasey Michaels - 1999
    It may not be the best plan, but it seems workable, at least until she realizes she has hidden herself inside entirely the wrong coach.Worse, the man now being held at pistol-point is maddening, unflappable, condescending, and quite unimpressed that his would-be assailant holds his life in her hands. In fact, he seems to find her amusing.Callie escapes the encounter, but not the man, as it falls out that Simon Roxbury also has a bone to pick with Noel Kinsey, and it would seem Miss Johnston and her bloodthirsty plans could serve him very well. An unholy alliance is struck, the two conspirators battle each other, a matchmaking mama, two interested and not above interfering friends, and a poor soul (who doesn't look his best in pink), in this delicious tale of revenge gone wrong and romance definitely gone right!

The Duke's Blackmailed Bride: Northbridge Bride Series


Leigh D'Ansey - 2011
    Her father’s death a year before has left her with a crumbling manor and a handful of old retainers relying on her for support. Her scandalous reputation has put her beyond the pale for most members of the Ton. When the Most Noble Hugo Ashton Duke of Northbridge sweeps into her life and proposes she should enter into a marriage of convenience, Vanessa is tempted – but the arrogant duke believes her to be something she’s not!

Something Wild


Lexi Ryan - 2014
    A long-term guy. One who does dates and romance and emotional strings…I’m just an asshole who wants to tie you up, make you come, and walk away.” Samuel Bradshaw is a man with a reputation—the kind of reputation that should have me running the other way. Instead, it has me searching for the shortest distance to his bed. I won’t be the starry-eyed girl who thinks she can change a man like Sam, and despite what he thinks, forever is not what I need. I need the things he makes me feel, the way he turns me on, and the promise of pleasure in his eyes. I need SOMETHING WILD.The Reckless and Real Series includes:SOMETHING WILD (Liz and Sam’s story begins - novella)SOMETHING RECKLESS (Liz and Sam’s story continues)SOMETHING REAL (Liz and Sam’s story concludes)

The Lost Letter


Mimi Matthews - 2017
    When the tragic death of her gamester father leaves her destitute and alone, she finds work as a governess in a merchant's household in Cheapside. Isolated from the fashionable acquaintance of her youth, she resigns herself to lonely spinsterhood until a mysterious visitor convinces her to temporarily return to her former life--and her former love.A SCARRED BEASTColonel Sebastian Conrad is no longer the dashing cavalry officer Sylvia once fell in love with. Badly scarred during the Sepoy Rebellion, he has withdrawn to his estate in rural Hertfordshire where he lives in near complete seclusion. Brooding and tormented, he cares nothing for the earldom he has inherited--and even less for the faithless beauty who rejected him three years before.A SECOND CHANCEA week together in the remote Victorian countryside is the last thing either of them ever wanted. But when fate intervenes to reunite them, will a beastly earl and an impoverished beauty finally find their happily-ever-after? Or are some fairy-tale endings simply not meant to be?

Highland Song


Tanya Anne Crosby - 2013
    Driven into solitude by visions of what he would not be and could not have, he vows never to wed. But this last of the available Brodie men is about to encounter a wee bit of Highland magic...Catrìona is no stranger to solitude. Driven deep into the Highland mountains, her kinsmen have become little more than legend. But no one knows better than Cat that you cannot hide from fate. Naked and painted in the woad of her ancestors, she appears to Gavin Mac Brodie ...But is she flesh and blood--a chance for a future--or just a faerie creature who will vanish if Gavin dares to open his heart?

Say Yes


Elle Kennedy - 2019
    And what’s more fun than a no-strings hook-up? Good thing there’s an app for that, and she’s in luck—the sexy stud she swipes right on is more than happy to fulfill all her sexual needs. Her hot night with “Dirk” is everything she knew it would be.But this morning?He looks a hell of a lot like the groom.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Originally offered as a short story in the Mixtape Anthology alongside 11 other short stories, Say Yes is now available for your own reading pleasure FOR FREE simply for being a newsletter subscriber!

Scandal


Carolyn Jewel - 2009
    But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction. This unconventional and intelligent woman proves to be far more than an amusing distraction - she threatens to drive him to distraction. Unlike the women who usually fall at Banallt's feet, and into his bed, Sophie refuses to be seduced. And soon Banallt desires her more than ever - and for more than an illicit affair.Years later, the widowed Sophie is free, and Banallt is determined to win the woman he still loves. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe his declaration of love and chivalrous offer of marriage - her heart has already been broken by her scoundrel of a husband. And yet, Sophie is tempted to indulge in the torrid affair she's always fantasized about. Caught between her logical mind and her long-denied desire, Sophie must thwart Banallt's seduction - or risk being consumed by the one man she should avoid at all costs...* Booklist

Mischief in Miami


Nicole Williams - 2013
    Infidelity. Blackmail. Scandal. It can all be bought for the right price and for Sienna Stevens, business is good. Because she’s in the business of Great Exploitations. She’s an Eve, a member of a secret society of women contracted by the wives of wealthy, powerful men for one reason and one reason only: to seduce their husbands. To ensure their pre-nuptial agreement will be null and void thanks to a little loophole known as the Infidelity Clause. To ensure that those wives don’t find themselves on the other side of a divorce without a penny to their name. When it comes to the Eves, Sienna’s one of the best because she follows the number one rule of the Eves to the letter: don’t let it get personal. When the job file of her wealthiest client yet falls into her lap, Sienna realizes that this case could be the one that’s impossible to detach herself from. The payout would lead to her independence, but will the cost be too high in the end?

Miss Amelia Lands a Duke


Sandy Raven - 2014
    And the man her aunt is stalking is none other than the wealthy widower, the Duke of Caversham. Horrified by her aunt’s behavior, Amelia decides to hide away in their host’s library and gardens for the duration of their visit. On an evening walk through the maze she meets an older gentleman who intrigues and arouses her. She flees without learning his name, only to stumble across that same handsome gentleman in the library days later, where to Amelia's astonishment, he kisses her. And she kisses him back! Amelia and the duke are caught in their passionate embrace by her aunt. Embarrassed at her own wanton behavior, Amelia flees the room believing he’s used her to avoid her aunt. After confronting her aunt, the duke does what he believes is the honorable thing and makes plans to marry Amelia. Only he never asks her.

Mine, All Mine


Ella J. Quince - 2013
    Rose. It has been revised and given a beautiful new cover.A steamy historical romance novel. Fated for Love Series. Lillian St. James is a privileged and beautiful duke’s daughter whose world is turned upside down when her widowed mother marries a seedy merchant.After her mother suddenly dies as well, Lilly has no one to turn to when scandal erupts over her stepfather’s treason. As her world falls apart Lilly is forced to go into hiding with the help of her loyal staff. She finds work as a cook’s assistant in the kitchen of a wealthy but mysterious aristocrat.Dominic Coel, Earl of Redwick, is a spy on the cusp of retirement. He is ordered to complete one last mission. He must track down a young girl who disappeared with stolen royal jewels. Dominic is desperate to complete his task and begin a normal life without murder and lies. While he must focus on his duties he can’t help but be distracted by the mysterious beauty who has just joined his kitchen staff. The girl is innocent to say the least, but her elusive nature and cultured speech drives him to wonder who the real Miss Millie James is.

The Desperate Love of a Lord


Jane Lark - 2014
    She has never let a man toy with her. An idle, attractive rake, Lord Geoffrey Sparks has had little to do other than enjoy life. He has let Violet play her games for months without complaint, because he likes her company—and admittedly her bed. But in recent months he's found himself gravitating towards her more and more. Things have changed between them. He likes her for who she is and not simply the notorious widow. He thought his feelings were returned, but . . . Why then has she suddenly vanished from town without a word? A couple of months ago, she'd complained about his friend being a heartbreaker, but now Violet is breaking his heart...

Of Moths and Butterflies


V.R. Christensen - 2011
    Gina Shaw is a servant in his uncle’s house. Clearly out of place in the position in which she has been discovered, she becomes a source of fascination . . . and curiosity. A girl with a blighted past and a fortune she deems a curse, Gina has lowered herself in order to find escape from her family and their scheming designs. But when she is found, the stakes suddenly become dire. All Gina wants is the freedom to live her life as she would wish. All her aunts want is the money that comes with her. But there is more than one way to trap an insect. An arranged marriage might turn out profitable for more parties than one. Mr. Hamilton is about to make the acquisition of a lifetime. But will the price be worth it? Can a woman captured and acquired learn to love the man who has bought her?

The Reluctant Duke


Christine Donovan - 2012
    Society is pulling them apart. She can't become his wife and won't become his mistress.The last thing wounded veteran Major Thomas Marshal wanted was a title. It wasn’t supposed to happen. But duty has a way of pulling a man into things he doesn’t want and away from the things he needs.The only thing Miss Guinevere Harding needs is a safe place to hide. A job as the downstairs maid at Brookshire is the perfect refuge from a frightening past. Or at least it was until the arrival of the new Duke.

His Lady Smuggler


Tamara Gill - 2015
    But before she can embark on her new life, May must complete her dealings with the local smugglers, men who have kept a roof over her family’s head during frugal times. One last Christmas at home and her life would change forever. So when William Scott, the Earl of Grandison arrives and crumbles her perfectly planned future to rubble, May is less than pleased. William, Lord Grandison works for the Crown, and is determined to catch the nuisance Englishmen who dare smuggle along the Cornwall coast. William has never veered from his pursuit of these men working against the law, that was until he meets May Stanford, the maddening daughter of his host for Christmas. May drives him to distraction and forces him to admit to feelings he has never felt before. But when May and William discover the crippling truth of each other, their secrets will threaten to tear them apart.

Loving a Lost Lord


Mary Jo Putney - 2009
    Each is about to discover the woman who is his perfect match—but perfection doesn't come easily, even for the noble Duke of Ashton...Battered by the sea, Adam remembers nothing of his past, his ducal rank, nor the shipwreck that almost claimed his life. However, he's delighted to hear that the golden-haired vision tending his wounds is his wife. Mariah's name and face may be familiar, but her touch, her warmth, feel deliciously right. When Mariah Clarke prayed for a way to deter a bullying suitor, she didn't imagine she'd find the answer washed ashore on a desolate beach. Convincing Adam that he is her husband is surprisingly easy. Resisting the temptation to act his wife, in every way, will prove anything but. And now a passion begun in fantasy has become dangerously real—and completely irresistible.