Book picks similar to
Silverhawk by Barbara Bettis


historical-romance
medieval
romance
historical

One & Only


Kara Griffin - 2012
    He vowed never to forget the sprightly lass and so he reconciled his life to what all great lairds should – warring and protecting his clan. When he finds out his enemy is betrothed, he vows, a bride for a bride.Bree doesn’t recollect her young years. All she knows is a betrothal has been arranged to the MacHeth Laird. He’s a brutal man who wants to use her as a pawn to overthrow King Alexander in a feud that began twenty years prior with his father, King William. Her only chance to thwart the marriage is to barter for protection of the Gunn Clan.As Bree gets to know the hardened chieftain, Grey Gunn, she is astounded by the love of a clan she never knew she had. But is that love enough to let go all the pain and begin living the life she was destined to with her One & Only?

Highlander's Bride


Deborah Gafford - 2006
    Set in 1502, in the Highlands of Scotland, this beautiful love story transcends time and continents, bringing readers to a past where romantic heroes let nothing stand in the way of protecting those they love! Highlander Alexander MacGregor returns home, victorious but weary after his valiant service to the King of Scotland. But his hardest battle of all may be with his own family. As next in line to become laird of his clan, his father gives him an ultimatum; he must wed a mysterious lass within five days or forfeit his birthright.When Katherine Gordon is brought to the MacGregor stronghold and presented to a gruff, moody Highlander, whom she is told she must marry, she wants none of him. Vowing not to let his intelligence and handsome looks sway her wounded heart, she seeks to escape before she is forced again to learn the treachery of a man's passion. But escape can lead to capture by an unknown enemy. And capture can mean death.Each betrayed by love in the past, and now forced together by fate, they must learn to trust each other with their hearts if they are ever to know true love. But an unknown enemy seeks to destroy them before that can happen. Will Alexander risk everything for Katherine?

The Christmas Mansion


Hollis Shiloh - 2013
    He meets a gentle, insecure magician named Gene, who's come to work on the crumbling mansion's moldings. He doesn't expect to fall in love.Note: This story first appeared in "Christmas Delights," a collection of Male/Male gay romance stories set in and around the Christmas season.Length: 9,615 words Heat level: sweetThemes: Christmas, magic, gay romance, sweet romance, historical fantasy

The Practice House


Laura McNeal - 2017
    Aldine’s sister converts and moves to America to marry, and Aldine follows, hoping to find the life she’s meant to lead and the person she’s meant to love.In New York, Aldine answers an ad soliciting a teacher for a one-room schoolhouse in a place she can’t possibly imagine: drought-stricken Kansas. She arrives as farms on the Great Plains have begun to fail and schools are going bankrupt, unable to pay or house new teachers. With no money and too much pride to turn back, she lives uneasily with the family of Ansel Price—the charming, optimistic man who placed the ad—and his family responds to her with kind curiosity, suspicion, and, most dangerously, love. Just as she’s settling into her strange new life, a storm forces unspoken thoughts to the surface that will forever alter the course of their lives.Laura McNeal’s novel is a sweeping and timeless love story about leaving—and finding—home.

The Beauty Bride


Claire Delacroix - 2005
    And he has no choice but to see them all wed in haste.Lady Madeline’s heart is not for sale…especially not to a notorious outlaw like Rhys FitzHenry. Yet Madeline’s hand has been sold, to none other than this battle-weary warrior with a price on his head. A more dutiful maiden might cede to the Laird’s command and meekly accept her fate, but Madeline has never been obedient. She decides to run away, though she never dreams that Rhys will pursue her.She does not expect this taciturn man to woo her with fanciful stories, much less that each of his enthralling tales will reveal a scar upon his shielded soul. She never imagines that a man like Rhys could imperil her own heart while revealing so little of his own feelings. When Rhys’ past threatens his future, Madeline takes a leap of faith. She dares to believe him innocent—and risks her own life to pursue a passion more priceless than the rarest gem.

The Wheel of Fortune


Susan Howatch - 1984
    Take me back to Oxmoon and make it live again!"Oxmoon, the rambling old mansion on a sprawling estate in Wales, has been for generations, the dream, the downfall, and the destiny of the wealthy Godwin family. They are entranced by tales of glittering parties where young lovers waltzed beneath the chandeliers as the orchestra played "The Blue Danube Waltz". They are ensnared by the family legacy of madness, murder, and doomed romance --- the disastrous consequences of 19th-century Gwyneth Godwin's scandalous affair with sheep farmer Owen Bryn-Davies.

The Warrior's Wife


Denise Hampton - 2001
    His kisses awaken her heart and her body in ways she never dreamed possible.Rafe Godsol is determined to take Kate to avenge his father's death and reclaim property stolen by Kate's family. When he discovers the daughter of his foe could be the wife of his heart when he never expected to marry, he'll defy anyone who tries to take her from him, be that her father, his king...or even the lady herself.

The Runaway Countess


Leigh LaValle - 2012
    Once the darling of high society, Mazie Chetwyn knows firsthand how quickly the rich and powerful turn their backs on the less fortunate. Orphaned, penniless and determined to defy their ruthless whims, she joins forces with a local highwayman who steals from the rich to give to the poor. Then the pawn broker snitches, and Mazie is captured by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. A man who is far too handsome, far too observant…and surely as corrupt as his father once was.Sensible, rule-driven Trent Carthwick, twelfth Earl of Radford, is certain the threat of the gallows will prompt the villagers’ beloved Angel of Kindness to reveal the highwayman’s identity. But his bewitching captive volunteers nothing—except a sultry, bewildering kiss. And so the games begin. Trent feints, Mazie parries. He threatens, she pretends nonchalance. He cajoles, she rebuffs. Thwarted at every turn, Trent probes deep into her one vulnerability—her past. There he finds the leverage he needs and a searing truth that challenges all he believes about right and wrong.Warning: The delicious, if left-brained, hero might forever change all you think you know about the Robin Hood legend. Contains razor-sharp wordplay, skinny dipping and tortured hearts.

A Love by Any Measure


Killian McRae - 2011
    An English lord. A love that overcomes all boundaries, but at what cost?Lord August Grayson, English landlord, has secretly, and much to the dismay of his father, held in reverence the object of his first fancy: poor Irish tenant Maeve O'Connor. Returning to the Ireland for the first time since his youth, August discovers that Maeve has grown into a woman of beauty and tenacity. August understands, however, that he could offer Maeve nothing but shame if her pursued her. But when circumstances allow him an opportunity to indulge his fancy, even if only in a limited scope, August finds himself unable to resist the temptation. Maeve,for her part, knows the danger falling for August holds, but finds her heart and her good senses becoming confused the longer she spends in his company. As two hearts become hopelessly entangled, both Maeve and August are forced to question the costs of their love. As consequences of their romance manifest, both struggle with the pain and difficulties their love causes, both for them and for their loved ones.Killian McRae's delve into historical romance will challenge reader's presumptions of the genre. A title garnering controversy due to McRae's preference towards historical truth versus genre-standard "love despite the realities of the day" perspectives, it asks at what cost winning love is justified. "A Love by Any Measure" is an exploration of a romance that strives to overcome divisions of cultural, socio-economic, and religious differences in an era where options for lovers in such situations were limited.

The Snow Gypsy


Lindsay Jayne Ashford - 2019
    Eight years ago, her brother disappeared while fighting alongside Gypsy partisans in Spain. From his letters, Rose has just two clues to his whereabouts—his descriptions of the spectacular south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and his love for a woman who was carrying his child.In Spain, it has been eight years since Lola Aragon’s family was massacred. Eight years since she rescued a newborn girl from the arms of her dying mother and ran for her life. She has always believed that nothing could make her return…until a plea for help comes from a desperate stranger.Now, Rose, Lola, and the child set out on a journey from the wild marshes of the Camargue to the dazzling peaks of Spain’s ancient mountain communities. As they come face-to-face with war’s darkest truths, their lives will be changed forever by memories, secrets, and friendships.

The Art of Inheriting Secrets


Barbara O'Neal - 2018
    Raw with grief and reeling from the knowledge that her reserved mother hid something so momentous, Olivia leaves San Francisco and crosses the pond to unravel the mystery of a lifetime.One glance at the breathtaking Rosemere Priory and Olivia understands why the manor, magnificent even in disrepair, was the subject of her mother’s exquisite paintings. What she doesn’t understand is why her mother never mentioned it to her. As Olivia begins digging into her mother’s past, she discovers that the peeling wallpaper, debris-laden halls, and ceiling-high Elizabethan windows covered in lush green vines hide unimaginable secrets.Although personal problems and her life back home beckon, Olivia finds herself falling for the charming English village and its residents. But before she can decide what Rosemere’s and her own future hold, Olivia must first untangle the secrets of her past.

A Proper Companion


Candice Hern - 1995
    Why, just about anyone would make a more suitable match...even her own paid companion, Emily Townsend! But if her dear, practical-minded Robert were to back out of the betrothal, the tongues of the ton would never stop wagging...At the very least, the dowager decides, she will extract a promise from her grandson to find Emily a husband. But when the handsome, rakish earl comes to know the charms of Emily Townsend, he suddenly regrets his hasty engagement-and is sorely tempted to win her hand for himself.

The Lady of the Garter


Marisa Dillon - 2014
    Garter knight, Sir James, is charged with bringing dissenters to justice. Determined to fulfill his vows, he’s unprepared for Lady Elena, a girl from his past.   Lady Elena defies her family and disguises herself as a squire to reunite with the man she’s always loved. She might be able to wield a sword, but she still possesses a woman’s heart.   Thrust into a world of danger and family rivalry, James and Elena face the ultimate test.   Can James avenge his father’s death and find passion, or will his Garter oaths hold him to a life of service without love?

One Scottish Lass


Lisa Shea - 2014
    All Hallows' Eve. The most mystical night of the year. The time when the veil between the worlds became perilously thin. And with a full moon overhead, this awesome power reaches its climactic height.Sorcha had no time for mystical nonsense - there were enough challenges in navigating the mine-field of her mother's vicious temper and the most important event of her young life. For, at long last, she had left Edinburgh to see the world. She and her mother were visiting the elegant city of Bath. Sorcha was wearing the finest dress she'd seen - and she was stepping into a life she'd only dreamt of.But when Johnny's eyes meet hers, and jealous rivals vow revenge, that delicate layer between what is and what once was rips. It shreds like the fragile thread of one's life.One Scottish Lass is the first novella in the regency time travel romance trilogy. It is 116 pages / 18,000 words. The second novella in the series is A Time Apart. The first two novellas end in cliffhangers, while the third provides a happy ending. The series then will continue in another trilogy - those will be coming out over the coming weeks. These stories are teen-friendly with no explicit language, violence, or intimacy. All proceeds benefit battered women's shelters. Note that for those who prefer reading books in all-in-one form, each trio of novellas will also be compiled as a completed box set once all three are done. It just means you have to be patient and wait for me to finish writing all of them :). For those who prefer to read along as I write, and offer suggestions for me to shape the plot, these novellas are here for your enjoyment! Either way, I'd love to hear your feedback on the storyline and characters.

Knight's Caress


Lynette Vinet - 1993
    And he knew just the way. He would take his own captive -- Amberlie de Fontaine, the brown-eyed Norman beauty who was now lady of his former keep. And once he had stolen her away, he would not scruple over stealing a fiery kiss or two from this dark and enchanting hostage...He was her only desire...Amberlie knew she should despise Tedric of Woodrose. After all, he had kidnapped her, and worse, it was almost certainly Tedric who had killed her husband in one of his many attempts to regain his land. But the tall, blond Saxon warrior was not the savage she had expected. And try as she might, it was not hate but passion she felt in his presence; passion that stirred her as never before. He had taken her by force, but she would give herself freely to the sweet ecstasy of his tempestuous embrace...