Book picks similar to
The Accidental Duke by Barbara Devlin
historical-romance
netgalley
free
regency
A Touch of Silver
Lynne Connolly - 2019
He was happier living in seclusion with his sisters. About to become betrothed to the icy daughter of a duke, he meets the vibrant, alluring Annie, who captivates his heart. But if he gives in to his desires, he risks a happy ending for his sisters, and they deserve their chances.Annie Cathcart is a widow from the City of London. Finally, she has the chance to achieve her dream of creating silverware for the table. But she needs Gerald's old Shoreditch home to do it. Expecting a stuffy, pompous aristocrat, she meets a man who sees right through her practical exterior to the passionate woman beneath. She wants him more than the house, her respectability, and her independence.Annie and Gerald are faced with stark choices when her landlord tries to blackmail her into marriage.
Either they give in to the pressures forcing them into unhappy respectability apart... or they boldly defy convention in the name of love.
Larken
S.G. Rogers - 2014
Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take. Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn’t be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he’d bargained for. Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen?
Mistletoe Magic
Rose Pearson - 2019
Her brother, the Earl of Allerton, has chosen a suitable gentleman but when Georgiana meets him, she finds him rude, arrogant, and selfish.Knowing it would be unwise to cry off, Georgiana tries to build a regard for Lord Poole, only to find her heart stolen by someone entirely unsuitable - Mr. Oliver Lowell, a wealthy financier from Boston. Whilst Mr. Lowell is treated with respect by society, Georgiana knows she cannot let him steal her heart. Yet Lord Poole is even worse than she expected.Aware that Mr. Lowell will return to America after Christmas, Georgiana cannot bear the thought that she will never see him again. But if she leaves with him, then the scandal will be so great that she can never return to England! And what will her betrothed, Lord Poole, do if he discovers she intends to cry off?Will Georgiana do what is expected or follow her heart?
A Love Match for the Marquess
Cara Maxwell - 2021
Marry the lady? Check. Move on with life? This Marquess’ marriage is not turning out the way he expected. His fiery bride has won his hand; now, can she win his heart?To have and to holdVivacious, bold, beautiful Madison Hutton is an instant success when she arrives in London for her debut season. While she has caught the eye of many an eligible bachelor, her head is not so easily turned. Madison is looking for one thing: a true love marriage. When she meets Henry, a dashing young marquess, she thinks she has found her perfect match...After years of wild bachelorhood, Henry is ready to find a suitable wife and settle down. The enchanting Madison checks all the boxes: smart, outgoing, sweet. She will make the perfect marchioness. The raging attraction between them? That is a bonus.To find a love that is trueBut as the wedding bells fade, Madison and Henry both realize marriage is not as easy as they thought it would be. And the person they married? A stranger, a rake, a partner...a true love?The Hesitant Husbands is a steamy Regency romance series. Each book can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone romance novel. A Love Match for the Marquess is Book 3 in the series, but the first chronologically.
A Lady's Revenge
Tracey Devlyn - 2012
When her latest assignment goes awry, she suffers at the hands of her French captor until Guy Trevelyan, the Earl of Helsford and master cryptographer, saves her during a daring rescue. Scarred and wary of men, Cora shies away from the one man who could heal her savaged heart.After rescuing Cora from a French dungeon, Guy discovers it was one of his deciphered messages that led to her captivity. Guy strives to earn her forgiveness while outwitting their enemy. But will he find the scars on her wounded soul run too deep?
Luck Is No Lady
Amy Sandas - 2016
It does not mean I won't do them again."Gently bred Emma Chadwick always assumed she'd live and die the daughter of a gentleman. But when her father's death reveals a world of staggering debt and dangerous moneylenders, she must risk her good name and put her talent for mathematics to use, taking a position as bookkeeper at London's most notorious gambling hell. Surrounded by vice and corruption on all sides, it is imperative no one discovers Emma's shameful secret or her reputation-and her life-will be ruined.But Roderick Bentley, the hell's sinfully wealthy owner, awakens a hunger Emma cannot deny. Drawn deep into an underworld of high stakes gambling and reckless overindulgence, she soon discovers that in order to win the love of a ruthless scoundrel, she will have to play the game...and give in to the pleasure of falling from grace.
Tristan
Elizabeth Rose - 2020
unless she is the key to finding a lost treasure.
Tristan Fisher and his brothers leave their father's fishing boat and return to a life of piracy, longing for the adventure and riches they once knew. With dwindling supplies and a restless crew, fate finally smiles on them when a storm at sea leaves behind flotsam. However, it is more than just boxes and barrels of supplies they find. Tristan and his brothers fish an old woman out of the water who claims to not only know the whereabouts of a treasure map, but who also says she is their long lost grandmother!Scottish lass, Gavina Drummond's life is turned upside down with one tragedy after another. Now, disguised as a boy and with a treasure map secretly and unwillingly inked on to her back, she finds herself as cabin boy and musician to a dark and dangerous pirate named Tristan. He's not really what she expects and is surprised when he protects her from his cutthroat crew. The handsome man wins her trust and gains her interest.Gavina needs nothing short of a king's treasure to pay back her father's steep gambling debts and to buy back her brother's freedom. Desperate to find the English king's stolen treasure, her only problem is that she can't see the map to read it. With time running out, it is crucial she finds someone to help her soon.Tristan seems the likely choice, since searching for treasure is a trait of his kind. But if Gavina confides in him, she'll have to show him the map. And in order to do that, she'll have to disrobe.Will a dark-hearted pirate discover he's unknowingly brought a woman on board who is also the key to finding his coveted treasure? Or is it not a treasure of silver and gold that he truly desires the most after all?
To Steal a Heart
K.C. Bateman - 2016
Under cover of night, the tightrope-walking thief puts her skills to good use—until her aerial stunt is foiled when her target appears in the window and, with consummate poise, helps Marianne off the wire and into his lair. The tremors that run through her body are not just from fear; there’s an unwanted frisson of desire there, too. But is it because of her elegant, wickedly handsome host . . . or his proposition? Nicolas Valette has had plans for his graceful trespasser since he witnessed her unique skills at the Cirque Olympique. Sinuous as a cat, Marianne is perfect for his next mission, but she refuses his generous offer for fear of disobeying her family’s tormenter. When their mutual enemy auctions off her virginity to the highest bidder, Nicolas leaps at the chance to purchase her cooperation. Keeping her will be like trying to tame a wild animal, but what’s life without a little risk? Besides, Nicolas and Marianne both want the same thing: revenge—and, perhaps, something else that’s equally delicious. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
To Dream of You
Tamara Gill - 2020
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?
A Dangerous Pursuit
Laura Beers - 2021
A spy. And a love worth fighting for.Welcome to book 1 in the exciting new series Regency Spies & Secrets from bestselling author Laura Beers.Miss Madalene Dowding was devastated when her mother died, leaving her all alone. To honor her mother's legacy, she decides to use part of her fortune to open an orphanage. When a teacher at the orphanage goes missing, Madalene takes it upon herself to start looking for her, even if it means taking her deep into the unsavory parts of London.Baldwin Radcliff, the Marquess of Hawthorne, is working on his last case as an agent of the Crown, since he is about to retire and take up his seat in the House of Lords. He is tasked with finding a French spy that is in league with a growing group of radicals. As he searches for the enemy, he discovers a meddling heiress that keeps stumbling in at the most inopportune times, making him wonder if she is perhaps the spy he has been sent to find.Despite mutual dislike, Baldwin agrees to help Madalene, but only if she stays far away from the investigation. A promise that Madalene has no intention of keeping. Will headstrong Madalene and duty-driven Baldwin be able to work together, especially since so much is at stake?
Will Baldwin choose between saving the Crown or saving an obstinate woman that he has unwittingly fallen in love with?
Duke of Depravity
Scarlett Scott - 2018
A duke with demons and a governess with secrets collide in this passionate tale! Crispin Ashforth returns from battle the newly inherited Duke of Whitley with two sisters under his charge. Publicly lauded as a hero, he is haunted by the bitter mission that nearly saw him killed and cost the life of his best friend. He’s desperate to drown out the demons tormenting him by any means, regardless of how depraved. All he needs to do is find a proper governess for his hellion sisters so he can drink and wench himself into oblivion. Enter Miss Jacinda Turnbow, who is as lovely as she is prickly. It doesn’t take Crispin long to realize he’s found precisely the sort of distraction he needs in the prim governess. But Jacinda has secrets of her own, and she’s no ordinary governess. To save herself and her father from ruin, she has agreed to infiltrate the duke’s home and search for evidence that he’s a traitor. Resisting his advances grows more difficult by the day, however, as she discovers there’s more to Crispin than the careless life of sin he’s cultivated. And the greatest danger she faces is losing her heart to the man she has no choice but to betray. Purchase or read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
What a Gentleman Wants
Caroline Linden - 2006
An occasional thank you would suffice; instead, his resentful sibling forges his name to a marriage license and presents him with an unwanted wife. She's a vicar's widow with a mind of her own who may be the first person in Marcus's well-ordered life to make him feel...completely out of control.Hannah can't help but curse her own idiocy. Dire straits have led her to the altar with a gentleman she hardly knows. Played for a fool, she's embarrassed, furious, and worse, married to an equally outraged stranger—an exasperating man who unleashes all manner of emotions in Hannah, not to mention unwanted desire. Reluctantly, she agrees to play the wife until he can sort out the mess. But the nearness of the undeniably attractive Duke and the passion in his black eyes unsettles her well-guarded heart—making her want to do so much more than "act" the role of blissful bride.
Spinster Sister
Elise Marion - 2021
He never anticipated her.
Welcome to book 1 in the new and exciting series from bestselling author Elise Marion.Helena Montgomery is left to care for her siblings after the deaths of her parents. Buried under a pile of debt, she has no choice but to join her friends in a dangerous scheme. Moonlighting as a masked highwayman is a sure way to end up facing the hangman, but there is nothing Helena wouldn’t do for those she loves. Besides, she only intends to continue her illegal activities until her sister’s first season yields an advantageous marriage.Lord Sebastian Radcliffe doesn’t want a wife but must select one to secure his family legacy. The young, beautiful Harriett Montgomery seems like the perfect choice—yet Sebastian finds himself drawn, instead, to her elder sister. He never expected to marry for love, yet the vivacious Helena quickly burrows her way past his stony façade and straight into his heart.He thinks her a high-handed shrew; she thinks him a self-righteous bore. Yet, passion kindles between this unlikely pair, leaving them hopeful that the futures they once thought impossible might be within reach. However, the damaging secret of Helena’s crimes hangs over her head, forcing her to keep Sebastian at arm’s length. Despite her best efforts, she is unable to deny the depth of her feelings.
When the truth is exposed, will Helena lose the man she has come to love?
Always the Lyon Tamer
Emily E.K. Murdoch - 2021
unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.Always taming gentlemen but never getting her own—but the Lyon's Den will change that...Miss Rebecca Darby is tired of being courted by John Lennox, Marquis of Gloucester. After months of empty promises, it's time to take matters into her own hands. Because John 'the Lion' Lennox is always surrounded by his pride of ladies, and she's never able to get close. His flirting has led nowhere, and Rebecca won't stand for it anymore. Not when the Lyon's Den, the secretive club owned by Mrs. Dove-Lyon, promises to play games leading to happy matrimony.John has no idea what faces him in the game. Rebecca has no idea whether her shyness will allow her to carry through with her plans, but if she doesn't try, she'll always wonder. He doesn't recognize the mysterious woman in the mask. She knows this is her only chance to tame him.
In a world where women rule the roost, and gentlemen must do what they're told, it will take a Lyon Tamer to bring John to his knees. But once the masks are removed, will Rebecca have her way, or will the Lyon escape into the night?
This novella is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series which can be read in any order.
Accidentally Betrothed to the Scarred Duke
Patricia Haverton - 2020
Or with finding out that she is to marry a deformed stranger.Darian Herington, Duke of Belmont, lost himself the day his wife was killed, and his leg was amputated. Though angry at his aunt for finding a wife for him without his consent, everything changes upon their meeting…as he saves her from certain death.When the face of a stranger awakens old memories in Darian, he realizes that fate is cruel: Alice is the key to a truth locked away years ago. A truth that he has been waiting for his entire life: finding out what really happened the night his wife died.