Book picks similar to
A Respectable Woman by Lynn Bryant


g-hx-rom
genre_romance-fiction
19th-century
__19ème-siècle

Diana


Alexa Aston - 2019
    A powerful earl who longs for children. Can they ignore the raging gossip and find happiness together? Lady Diana de Wolfe's curiosity about kissing led to her ruin before she ever made her come-out in London. Banished from her home by a furious, disappointed father, Diana gives birth out of wedlock to twins and supports her family, without help, until her parents' deaths. Her brother, the new Earl of Reston, welcomes her back into the family fold and takes Diana to London, hoping she can make a match—and demanding she keep silent about her children until she lands a husband.Oliver Ward, Earl of Merrifield, raised his siblings after his father's tragic death and his mother's subsequent madness. With his brother at university and his sister making her come-out, Oliver is ready to find a wife and start a family of his own. His good friend, Lady Merrick, whom he almost wed, promises to help him find the right woman. Meeting shortly before the London Season begins, Oliver is drawn to Diana's spirit and beauty. Her attraction for him only grows when he learns about her precocious twins, and he is determined to make her his.Will the rumors regarding Diana's past mistakes doom this couple in society's eyes-or can love overcome gossip and save them both?Diana occurs after the events written about in Alexa Aston's bestselling St. Clairs Trilogy and is a part of the De Wolfe Pack Connected World.

Beauty and the Scarred Hero


Emily May - 2010
    Major Nicholas Reynolds returns from the Battle of Waterloo a hero. Once, his rakish good looks ensured he had his pick of beauties, but now his battle-scarred face exiles him from high society. Lady Isabella Knox is horrified by the cruel gossip surrounding Nicholas, but intrigued by the man whose steely glance makes her blush on the outside...and burn deep onthe inside. A few stolen kisses later this beauty knows she's lost her head -- and her heart-- to the most notorious gentleman of the ton...

The Capricorn Stone


Madeleine Brent - 1979
    But suddenly, their father was dead--and worse--revealed as a notorious jewel thief.Forced from their home, shamed, and virtually penniless, they began their lives again in London, unaware that they held the secret to a fabulous fortune...

The Girl is Not for Christmas


Emma V. Leech - 2020
    She is just too stubborn to admit defeat.After a series of disastrous investments, her family is on the brink of bankruptcy. Now, Olivia is the only thing standing between her brother Charlie’s rapidly growing family and penury. Olivia has one chance to capture the eye of a wealthy man and marry well. Her great aunt’s lavish spring ball. Between now and then, Livvy must transform herself from who she is, into a woman who can drive a respectable fellow mad with desire. An impossible task.Ever practical, she knows there is only one man who can help with her transformation...The notorious Earl of Kingston, dubbed the King of Sin by the scandal sheets, is recovering from the toll taken by his immoral lifestyle. With his own financial and private affairs in a mess, King escapes London to stay with his old friend, Charlie, for Christmas.When his friend’s odd little sister demands his helps to learn the art of seduction, King is at once horrified, intrigued, and too bloody wicked to refuse.Before the holiday is over, King is in way over his head and must persuade Livvy that the King of Sin is dead, and he’s the man she needs.

The Perfect Lady


Deborah Wilson - 2018
     No one would suspect the barmaid is an earl’s daughter. She’s learned to work hard and make her heart even harder. But … in one night, everything changes. She saves a life. Who knew that life would be the son of one of the oldest titles and most honorable homes in England? The Curbains And to a man who’s just as valiant as his name suggests. General Hero Curbain has fought England’s greatest enemies. As the son of a duke, he’s faced his own challenges but never had he expected the challenge of Lady Beatrix. In thanks for her kindness, he offers her the chance of a lifetime: 1- One Season. 2- One opportunity to restore her name. 3- One chance to find love. However … As secrets spill and the truth of Beatrix’s past is revealed, she’ll have to decide the best course of action. Fight for the man she loves or run away from her dreams once again? What happens when Hero discovers Beatrix is not the perfect lady he envisioned? Can love live in a society founded on duty?

A Lady's Honor


A.S. Fenichel - 2018
    But if she must be unmarried, far better to be of use than languishing at home, disappointing her parents. As an employee of the Everton Domestic Society of London, Phoebe accepts a position at the country home of an old friend and discovers an estate—and a lord of the manor—in a state of complete chaos. Losing himself in the bottle has done nothing to ease Markus Flammel’s grief over losing his wife. Not even his toddler daughter can bring him back from the brink. Now this fiery, strong-minded redhead has taken over his home, firing and hiring servants at will and arousing unexpected desire. As not one, but two, suitors suddenly vie for Phoebe’s hand, can Markus move past loss and fight for a future with the woman who has transformed his world?

The Loving Spirit


Lucy Gordon - 2001
     Pregnant with her fifth child, Amelia cannot help but reflect on how wonderful her life is. Despite her children’s governess, and lifelong friend, Mrs Kate Hendriks’ wariness of Justin, she knows her husband is a good man. While Kate finds him often rude and imposing, he makes Amelia happy. Kate’s own life hasn’t been the kindest and sweet-hearted Amelia constantly tries to ensure that both her and her restless son, Tom, are happy. As the war with Napoleon drags on, Tom is desperate to join the army and Justin is more than happy to help, but Kate fears they will find out her secret. After all, Tom’s father may have been a soldier but he wasn’t called Hendriks, and legally, neither is she. She’s done her best to forget Leon Danby, the soldier who seduced and raped her at the tender age of fifteen, and only Amelia knows the truth. In the days leading up to Amelia’s labour, the two must endure Justin’s icy and malicious cousin Lady Millicent Thorpe, as she prepares for her niece’s debut. However, tragedy soon strikes. Amelia’s labour goes awry and though a healthy baby girl is delivered, Amelia is dying. Summoned to her deathbed, she makes Justin swear he’ll remarry – but not just to anyone; to keep their children safe from Millicent, she wants him to marry Kate. Within a few hours of Amelia’s death, they keep their word and marry. But how can Kate love her friend’s arrogant, grief stricken husband? Not only that, how can Kate keep her promise to Amelia, when Millicent is determined to see her ruined? Can she keep the truth about her past hidden, and her son safe? Can her and Justin truly live as husband and wife? Set in early 19th Century England, The Loving Spirit is an adventurous tale, showing that even in tragedy, passionate true love is entirely possible. Lucy Gordon began working life on a British women's magazine, where she interviewed famous men like Sir Roger Moore, Sir Alec Guinness, Warren Beatty, Richard Chamberlain and Charlton Heston. But since 1984, she has been publishing her romance novels – twice winning the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for the Best Traditional Romance. She is now married to a Venetian artist and together, they have lived in different parts of Italy, though currently reside in her native England.

The Wishing Chalice


Sandra Landry - 2004
    But what she found instead was a portal to the past--and possibly the key to her future. Transported back in time, and into the body of a beautiful woman, she cannot deny her growing attraction to her 'husband' Hunter. Nor can they ignore the danger surrounding them, which they must confront--before tragedy strikes.

Bella's Band


Alina K. Field - 2014
    His brother’s murder has forced Steven into a new and completely unwanted role, and worse, he has no idea how to salvage his family’s depleted estate. A rumor that his brother had a son by a woman who may be a) the murderer, and b) his brother’s secret wife, sets Steven on a mission to find her, the boy, and—Steven ardently hopes—the proof of a marriage that will set him free. Confirmed spinster Annabelle Harris is a country heiress with a penchant for taking in orphans and helping the downtrodden. Her philanthropy hides her desperate search for her disgraced sister, the mistress to the Earl of Hackwell. When the Earl is murdered, her sister thrusts her child into Annabelle’s care and disappears. Now, with suspicion pointing at the sister, Annabelle has begun a new quest, to find the woman, and clear her name. When their paths converge, the reluctant Earl and the independent spinster find themselves rethinking their goals, and battling the real murderer together.

A Pressing Engagement


Anne Barbour - 1992
    Aubin to pose as his fiancée. And Diana was forced to agree, as the handsome Earl had the power to send her to prison for a crime of which she was not guilty. Difficult as it was to tolerate the pretense, Diana knew that the earl always got what he wanted. Regency Romance by Anne Barbour; originally published by Signet

The Sergeant Major's Daughter


Sheila Walsh - 1977
    EVERYONE WAS EAGER TO PUT FELICITY IN HER PLACEHer cousin Amaryllis made it clear that Felicity did not belong in the fashionable drawing rooms of the great country house of Cheynings.Jamie, the six-year-old heir to Cheynings, marked Felicity as his latest victim in a long series of routed governesses.Lord Stayne, the infuriatingly handsome master of Cheynings, coldly informed her that her ideas and opinions were of no earthly interest to a supremely self-confident male like himself.And the vile Captain Hardman, whose devious designs Felicity threatened, did not bother to mask his intentions of removing her from his path by either brutal force or contemptible cunning.Felicity, however, had her own notions about what a woman’s place should be–as she set out on a campaign of conquest with only her wit and wiles as weapons, and love as a very treacherous ally….

Oh, Cherry Ripe


Claudette Williams - 1988
    She had no choice but to run away.Sky Westbrooke had no wish to marry, but his mischievous siblings sorely needed a firm maternal hand. Yet, how could he court his unseen bride, when into his employ had come the most remarkable, enchanting governess?And Cherry, playing at being a governess was smitten by the handsome, cavalier Lord Westbrooke. His stolen kisses left her breathless—yet, he was betrothed to another. Whatever was a love struck governess to do?**note: this is an updated version of an earlier novel written as Claudette Williams. The updated versions of Claudy's Claudette Williams titles are more sexually explicit than the original versions.

Redemption's Edge


Shirleen Davies - 2014
    The ex-Confederate general wants nothing more to do with commanding men and confronting the tough truths of leadership. Rachel Davenport possesses skills unlike those of her Boston socialite peers—skills honed as a nurse in field hospitals during the Civil War. Eschewing her northeastern suitors and changed by the carnage she’s seen, Rachel decides to accept her uncle’s invitation to assist him at his clinic in the dangerous and wild frontier of Montana. Now a Texas Ranger, a promise to a friend takes Dax and his brother, Luke, to the untamed territory of Montana. He’ll fulfill his oath and return to Austin, at least that’s what he believes.The small town of Splendor is what Rachel needs after life in a large city. In a few short months, she’s grown to love the people as well as the majestic beauty of the untamed frontier. She’s settled into a life unlike any she has ever thought possible.Thinking his battle days are over, he now faces dangers of a different kind—one by those from his past who seek vengeance, and another from Rachel, the woman who’s captured his heart.

Lily's Sister


Karen J. Hasley - 2006
    Hasley's acclaimed Laramie Series. Louisa Caldecott, a progressive woman and independent business owner in 1880 Kansas, is principled, strong-willed, passionate, and generous to a fault. Satisfied with her comfortable life, she's happy to live in her sister Lily's shadow. Until Lou meets John Rock Davis, Civil War veteran and man with a past. Until everything she loves is put at risk. Until she is forced to take a stand that threatens her safety, her happiness, and her future. Then all hell - but heaven, too - breaks loose, and self-sufficient Lou finally understands the cost of courage and the power of love. Karen J. Hasley's books have been reviewed as "satisfying," "sparkling," and "captivating," her research described as "flawless." Discover why readers return to Karen J. Hasley's fiction again and again for authentic stories about compelling women in historical settings.

A Hand for the Duke


Meredith Bond - 2019
    The illegitimate daughter of a baroness, she is being blackmailed by her own foster-father. She must rely on her flair for designing dresses to earn enough to pay him off. Starting a business dressing the ladies of Regency society isn’t easy for a nobody. But Tina has three aces up her sleeve—her own amazing talent, her well-connected biological mother, and the helpful (if meddlesome) support of the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society.The handsome, arrogant Duke of Warwick has grown up schooled in the “proper” way for a nobleman to behave. Rule number one: do not fraternize with people of the lower classes. But when he has to introduce his beloved sister to society, he finds himself completely reliant on the beguiling woman he’s hired as his sister’s modiste. To his astonishment, he finds himself opening up to her and enjoying her company far, far too much.When Tina discovers the true man behind the ducal title, her heart might very well be lost. But can the duke set aside his façade and allow himself to love the only woman who could possibly make him happy?It will take the combined efforts of the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society to see this difficult hand well played.