Book picks similar to
The Love of a Libertine by Jess Michaels


historical-romance
romance
historical
jess-michaels

Earl of Basingstoke


Aileen Fish - 2018
    The hero in all of her tales is one Nathan Carruthers, Earl of Basingstoke. The rumors surrounding his wicked assignations are beyond anything she could dream of, and once enhanced by her wild imaginings, she’s created a lover no man could live up to. Basingstoke has ignored the rumors about his romantic scandals for the most part, accepting them as part of being a single gentleman with a title. In one way, it’s kept the marriage-minded mothers from thrusting their daughters into his reach. Although a staunch member of the Wicked Earls’ Club and enjoying his carefree ways, he admits he’s reached an age when he would like to marry. Luckily, those supposed scandals aren’t keeping away the woman he’s grown to love--Lady Phoebe. When Basingstoke discovers Lady Phoebe’s diary, he blames her for creating the rumors. Hurt to the bone, he wants nothing more to do with her. Heartbroken, she goes in search of the real rumormonger. Can she prove her innocence and regain Basingstoke’s love?

An Improper Arrangement


Kasey Michaels - 2015
    As if his new responsibilities weren't enough, Gabriel's aunt enlists him to sponsor a young heiress through London's Little Season. Yet Miss Thea Neville is hardly the tedious obligation he expected. She's exotic and enchanting—and utterly unaware of the secret poised to destroy her family's reputation. After ten years in America, Thea is ready to do her duty and marry well. Deportment lessons, modistes, balls—the ton is a minefield she could scarcely navigate without Gabriel's help. By rights, she should accept the first bachelor who offers for her. Instead, she's succumbing to a dangerous attraction to her wickedly handsome chaperone—one that could unhinge her plans in the most delicious way.

Stormswept


Deborah Martin - 1995
    Albans spent with the dark and daring Rhys Vaughan was intoxicating, the heady culmination of her new husband’s driving hunger and her own awakened sensuality. When he mysteriously disappeared the next morning, she waited for him in hope and desperation. And when he was finally proclaimed dead in a shipwreck, she bitterly mourned the loss of her love.The second wedding night that Juliana spent with Rhys Vaughan was six years later, after he returned to claim her just as she was about to wed another. This Rhys was different—bolder, harder, and convinced that she’d betrayed him. Only their blazing passion remains from their years apart. But is it enough to light their way through the maze of mystery, menace, and mistrust—to the love they once shared and would have to find again?

A Secret Surrender


Darcy Burke - 2020
    Can a dauntless Bow Street Runner, a devastated viscount, and a disillusioned Society miss unravel their secrets?A survivor of the mean streets of London's East End, Selina Blackwell has learned to be a chameleon, and in her current iteration as a fortune-teller, she's able to provide a Season for her sister. Only, Madame Sybila can't be a chaperone, so Selina takes on another identity as the proper Lady Gresham. But when a Bow Street Runner takes too much of an interest in her business, it seems the crimes of her past will finally come to light.Determined to prove that Madame Sybila is a fraud bent on fleecing London's elite, Harry Sheffield enlists the help of the alluring Lady Gresham in exchange for introducing her to Society's best. With his busy career and aspirations for the future, Harry has no time for marriage, but an affair is just right—until he discovers the lady's disarming secret. Whatever his feelings for her, he can't ignore who she is and who she's been. And when she holds the key to the one case he couldn't solve, he must choose justice or love.

A Duke for the Road


Eva Devon - 2018
    Or so he thinks. Inheriting a dukedom bankrupted by his dissolute grandfather, father, and elder brother has made him determined that the male line will end with him. He refuses to allow any one else to suffer at the hands of a Deverall man. When he meets his childhood friend, Lady Harriet Cornwall, he is determined to stay away from her, despite the fact she makes his heart sing and his body ignite. When the two are caught in a compromising position, he has no choice but to marry the wild, independent Harry. But will his determination never to have children, and his fears about his famiy line, destroy their chance at love? A Lady Determined to Unmask the Duke: Lady Harriet Cornwall is determined to marry and quickly. After all, she loathes the uninspiring parties a proper unmarried lady can attend. No, she longs to be just like her mother, a beacon of culture, literature, and fun. And like her mother, she longs for a large family. When she meets Rob again, she can hardly believe the transformation from mischeivous boy to sardonic and mysterious man. In the breath of a single dance, her heart is lost. From their very first kiss, she knows he is the one for her. But he has a dark secret. Will he push her away as he has done to everyone else? Or will she be able to coax her dark duke back into the light to find love?

Someone Wanton His Way Comes


Christi Caldwell - 2021
    Her former husband has retained his reputation as an honorable and loving man in death, but Sylvia has privately mourned his lies and infidelity. Joined by two equally scorned and cast-off friends, Sylvia establishes the Mismatch Society. With each new liberated member, the scandalous circle wreaks havoc on the romantic prospects of London’s frustrated male peerage. But nothing prepares Sylvia for the Viscount St. John, a familiar face and her most formidable challenger.Clayton Kearsley, the Viscount St. John, can’t allow these wantons to dismantle the Marriage Mart. Until he discovers the ringleader is his old friend’s widow, a fine woman for whom he’s carried a torch since the day they met. Thinking himself undeserving of a diamond like her, he introduced her to his best friend—a decision he now regrets deeply, knowing of the hurt she carries in secret.Now, he is positioned to match wits with this woman, who is determined to save young ladies from future heartbreak. And despite his misgivings, Clayton is entertaining fantasies that he could end their battle with a kiss. If only he had the courage to tell her how he feels—or the hope that she’d ever again let down her guard. This meeting of the Mismatch Society is called to order…

A Duke to Die for


Amelia Grey - 2009
    What is a roguish young nobleman supposed to do with a shockingly lovely young ward?The Duke of Blakewell believes he'd better marry her off as soon as possible, before he gives in to temptation himself...But Henrietta doesn't want a husband— she wants her independence...Sure that she carries a curse that killed her previous guardians, Henrietta just wants the duke to sign over her inheritance before something terrible befalls him...In a moment of passion, they become scandalously entangled, and suddenly the duke must take Henrietta's curse seriously, and she must take drastic measures to save the one man she could love...

The Highlander Who Protected Me


Vanessa Kelly - 2018
    Instead she's hiding on a remote Scottish estate, terrified that her vicious former fiancé will use her pregnancy to force her into marriage. One man can help her--Royal Kendrick, son of a distinguished Highland clan. Though a mistake drove them apart long ago, Royal is the only person Ainsley trusts to protect her baby--even if that means agreeing to never see either of them again . . . Scarred in body and soul by war, Royal suddenly has a purpose--caring for an innocent babe and thereby helping the woman he can't stop loving. But when Ainsley ultimately returns to Scotland, determined to be a real mother to her child in spite of the risk, there's only one solution: marriage. And only one likely outcome: surrendering to the desire that's simmered between them for so long, no matter how dangerous it may be . . . Contains mature themes.

Not the Kind of Earl You Marry


Kate Pembrooke - 2021
    Furious at what appears to be a shrewd marriage trap, William tracks down his alleged fiancée before her plans can affect his campaign for a coveted political post. But then William realizes an engagement, however fake, may benefit them both...Miss Charlotte Hurst may be a wallflower, but she’s no shrinking violet. She would never attempt such an underhanded scheme, especially not with a man as haughty or sought-after as Norwood. Yet his suggestion to play along with the betrothal has its merits... and the longer they pretend, the more undeniably real their feelings become. But when the true culprit behind their engagement is revealed, can their newfound happiness survive the scandal?

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days


Kerrigan Byrne - 2019
    And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees...Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past—one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERSPiers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.

The Miss Mirren Mission


Jenny Holiday - 2015
    He is eligible, withdrawn, and endlessly fascinating. Yet as an integral part of London’s underground spy ring intent on defeating Napoleon, Blackstone has no mistress but the cause.Miss Emily Mirren is considered “unbiddable” by the ton. She wields a fierce intellect, which she channels into her own secret cause—writing an abolitionist newspaper column under a male pseudonym.When Emily’s aims clash with Blackstone’s, they stray into a dangerous game of attraction and subterfuge, and secrets are the going currency. And in order to complete the most important mission of his career, Blackstone must thwart Emily, even if it breaks both their hearts.

The Baron's Betrothal


Maggi Andersen - 2012
    Read for free in Kindle Unlimited! London 1816 Guy Fortescue comes to England to claim his inheritance, Rosecroft Hall, abandoned over thirty years ago when his father fled to France after killing a man in a duel. But England proves to be a dangerous place - someone wants Guy dead. As Guy seeks to discover who lies behind the attacks on his life, he arranges a faux betrothal with Miss Horatia Cavendish. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan. An aspiring poet, Hetty proves to have a mind of her own but in spite of that, Guy finds her far too alluring. Dangerous.... Headstrong and lovely, Hetty agrees to the betrothal because it allows her to go to London where she can attend literary societies with her aunt. While her affection for Guy grows deeper, she must not forget the betrothal isn’t real. Guy will choose a bride from the beau monde - it will not be a colonel’s daughter from Digswell. But Hetty is soon drawn in to Guy's life, more and more, and not entirely against her will. He is handsome and brave, and the attraction between them is undeniable. Soon, she can no longer resist her desire for him and the fact that someone is out to kill him only feeds her innate protectiveness of the man she is betrothed to. As attempts are made on Guy’s life, Hetty and his sister ,Genevieve, work together to keep him alive, and a love that has been denied finally comes to fruition in the exciting conclusion. Publisher's Note: This book was previous released in the UK under the title A Dangerous Deception, but new content has been added and the story edited to produce a quality, new tale. Enjoy!

Bargaining With a Rake


Julie Johnstone - 2012
    Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she’s desperate to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian’s scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake, Alexander Trevelle, Lord Lionhurst. He agrees to help her win the hand of his American friend, if she’ll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact may just be their hearts.

The Second Time Around


Ella Quinn - 2017
    . .Before he died, Patience was the Earl of Worthington’s second wife. So why shouldn’t Patience be allowed a second chance at marriage, too? Of course, finding a new husband was not something the mother of four had ever planned on. But a surprise encounter with her first love has suddenly made the impossible seem possible all over again . . .It seems like a lifetime ago that Richard, Viscount Wolverton, was halfway around the world, looking for adventure . . . while Patience, at her coming-out, was left with no choice but to take old Worthington’s hand. Richard never forgot the woman whose heart he yearned for—and now that he’s back, he’s not going to let her slip away again . . .

A Talent for Temptation


Sabrina Jeffries - 2017
    Fortunately, Quinn Raines, her secret beau, shows up to foil the attack. Unfortunately, as the two of them are struggling with her abductor, Meriel accidentally stabs Quinn with a knife. Unbeknownst to Meriel, Quinn set up the fake abduction so he could play the hero and win her hand in marriage. But now that his plan has gone disastrously awry, can he convince her that he’s still the man for her? Sabrina Jeffries brings her famous “quick pacing, witty dialogue, and charmingly original characters” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) to this enchanting romance.