Book picks similar to
Word of Honor (Knights of Valor #1) by Lauren Linwood


historical
knights
romance
damaged-but-wonderful-hero

Shades of Brilliance


Eleanor Chance - 2020
    With her drunk of a father missing and her mother dead, it falls upon Celeste to protect her younger brothers and sister from starvation. When the burden becomes overwhelming, and Celeste makes plans to escape her wretched life, her wealthy aunt appears and whisks her off to work as a nanny to young Federigo Benetto.One day as Celeste escorts Federigo to his art lesson with Maestro Luciano Vicente, the maestro discovers a sketch drawn by Celeste. He immediately recognizes her raw artistic talent and begs her to become his secret protégé. Celeste consents and soon becomes obsessed as she hones her abilities under the watchful eye of Luciano, whom she secretly loves. She carries on blissfully until their arrangement is discovered and she is thrown out onto the street with nothing. Will she survive in a world working against her to achieve her dreams and win the heart of the nobleman she loves?

A Mistress for Penndrake


Tammy L. Bailey - 2018
    For a year, Lord Wesley has tried to undo the devastation his father left to Penndrake, their ancestral home, only to discover the man gambled it away right before his death. Now Wesley is being blackmailed by the new owner into marrying a woman he’s never met in order to get it back. But his intentions are less than honorable…At one and twenty, Miss Kate Holden intends to become a governess, having sworn off all men years ago. However, her plans are halted when she receives a daunting letter from her cousin about a Lord Wesley. Ignorant of the name, and the devilish marquess that wears it all too well, she nearly ends up compromised. Refusing to fall prey to Wesley’s skillful seduction, Kate decides to turn things around on the rake. But the high-stakes game between them soon leads to her losing the last thing she expected…her heart.

The Crimson Castle


Samantha Holt - 2012
    But while she should be concentrating on spurning the advances of the lord, Evelyn finds herself fighting an attraction to the enigmatic and brooding Gabriel, Tibald's darkly unnerving right hand man.As she becomes aware of Gabriel's merciless nature, she struggles to reconcile herself with the consuming nature of their bond, while trying to understand the two sides of the conflicting man. All the while, Lord Tibald plots to get his hands on Evelyn's lands...and her.

A Kiss of Lies


Bronwen Evans - 2014
    Desperate to escape her abusive past, Sarah Cooper disguises herself as a governess in the employ of Christian Trent, Earl of Markham, the man who, long ago, she fantasized about marrying. Despite the battle scars that mar his face, Sarah finds being near Christian rekindles her infatuation. A governess, however, has no business in the arms of an earl, and as she accompanies Christian on his voyage home, Sarah must resist her intense desires—or risk revealing her dangerous secrets. One of the renowned Libertine Scholars, Christian Trent once enjoyed the company of any woman he chose. But that was before the horrors of Waterloo, his wrongful conviction of a hideous crime, and his forcible removal from England. Far from home and the resources he once had, Christian believes the life he knew—and any chance of happiness—is over . . . until his ward’s governess sparks his heart back to life, and makes him remember the man he used to be. Now Christian is determined to return to England, regain his honor, and win the heart of the woman he has come to love. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from other Loveswept titles.

The Dark Knight's Captive Bride


Natasha Wild - 2016
    and the keeper of his heart.Richard de Claiborne, the dark earl of Dunsmore, serves King Edward Plantagenet well. Sworn to obey his king's every order, he nevertheless chafes at the command he wed the daughter of his enemy — a man who slew his father in cold blood. But King Edward wants peace in his lands, and he will stop at nothing to get it. If he has to order his most powerful Marcher lord to marry a Welsh princess, he considers it a small price to pay.Princess Gwenllian is a political pawn. When she's forced to marry the evil Black Hawk de Claiborne, she quakes at his fierceness and brutality. But she does her duty to her father and her people, knowing she will never surrender to her enemy. In the halls of Black Hawk's great keep, Gwen glimpses a man who can be tender and passionate — and who teaches her about breathtaking sensuality and a desire so great it threatens every vow she ever made to keep her heart locked tight.As war once more looms between Wales and England, Gwen realizes a terrible truth: she's in love with the enemy. When long-buried secrets threaten to destroy her fragile happiness, she must make a terrible choice-or watch the man she loves sacrifice his life to save hers...

The Promise of Tomorrow


AnneMarie Brear - 2018
    After a year on the road, they stumble into a Yorkshire village where the Wheelers, owners of the village shop, take them in. This new life is strange for Charlotte, but preferable to living with McBride or surviving on the roads. Harry Belmont is an important man in the village, but he’s missing something in his life. His budding friendship with Charlotte gives him hope she will feel more for him one day, and he will marry the woman he yearns for. When McBride discovers where Charlotte lives, his threats begin. Harry fights to keep Charlotte safe, but World War I erupts and Harry enlists. Left to face a world of new responsibilities, and Harry’s difficult sister, Charlotte must run the gauntlet of family disputes, McBride's constant harassment, and the possibility of the man she loves being killed.Can Charlotte find the happiness that always seems under threat, and will Harry return home to her?

Heart of a Knight


Barbara Samuel - 1997
    After an arduous exile to flee the darkness and danger sweeping her lands, Lady Elizabeth D'Auvers returns home to Woodell Castle, yearning only for her looms and her quiet life. To her astonishment, she finds the castle and farmlands thriving, thanks to Lord Thomas of Roxburgh, a knight errant whose size and strength offer protection to Elizabeth's castle and its people. Yet chilling thoughts trouble her mind--for there is something mysterious about this man.

Hemlock and Honey


Elizabeth Preston - 2017
    They are dying from ergot poisoning, from eating infected crops. But this is the year 1244, and almost no one has heard of this condition, a disease later called, St. Anthony’s Fire. Desperate to save his clan, Laird Gus turns to a soothsayer for answers. The mystic tells him to hunt down and capture a special Sassenach woman with God-given healing gifts. Laird Gus tracks down Lady Sybilla and kidnaps her. Only trouble is, she keeps insisting that she has no magical abilities, nor healing skills of any sort. She’s not even clever with herbs. He has captured the wrong lass. English Lady Sybilla might not have the ability to break curses and cure a castle of folk, but she is clever. And cleverness turns out to be exactly what he needs.

Black Diamonds: One woman's brave heart (Seasons of Change Book 1)


Lynette Rees - 2015
     A tale of passion and compassion and most of all, one woman's brave heart. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, 1865. When Lily Jenkin begins her first day working for the Morgans at their corner shop in the little village of Abercanaid, she has no idea of the calamity that lies ahead of that fateful day. It is a day of tragedy at the Gethin Coal Pit that brings her into contact with the new handsome, chapel minister, Evan Davies, for the first time. Although a dark cloud of death passes over the village, Lily and Evan draw close to one another as they help the villagers deal with the tragedy, forming a bond which could lead to love. However, there is a gossiping old crone in the village who will do her best to cause trouble for the pair by hook or by crook. Lily has the opportunity to escape the valley of the shadow of death to make a new home for herself in Great Salt Lake, America. Will she take the chance to go to ‘Zion’, following her Mormon relatives, and more importantly, will Evan, a Welsh Baptist minister, go with her? The Seasons of Change Series: 1. Black Diamonds 2. White Roses 3. Blue Skies 4. Red Poppies

The Irish Princess


Amy J. Fetzer - 1999
    When the legendary warrior, Gaelan PenDragon demands her surrender and her oath, Siobhan refuses. In a clash of wills and customs, her enemy's vengeance comes gently and passionately—crumbling her barriers and weakening her resolve. But vanquishing her body does not give Gaelan her heart, for the price of loving the enemy could destroy Donegal forever.Sworn To ConquerHis sword for hire and undefeated in combat, love is a luxury Gaelan has never known. Yet the flame-haired Princess of Donegal inspires dreams he never dared have. Siobhan's proud defiance baits him, her smoldering desire lures him, and before the ghosts of his past can butcher the passion neither can deny, he vows to possess the Celtic beauty—at any cost. But when suspicion, lies, and a web of betrayal tear Siobhan from his arms, Gaelan vows to wage the battle of his lifetime...and capture the woman who has laid siege to his immortal soul.

The Black Knight


Connie Mason - 1999
    Clad in black from his gleaming helm to the tips of his toes, he was all battle-honed muscles and rippling tendons. In his stark black armor he looked lethal and sinister, every bit as dangerous as his name implied. He was a man renowned for his courage and strength, for his prowess with women, for his ruthless skill in combat.But when he saw Raven of Chirk, with her long, chestnut tresses and womanly curves, he could barely contain his embroiled emotions. For it was her betrayal twelve years before that had turned him from chivalrous youth to hardened knight. It was she who made him vow to trust no woman—to take women only for his pleasure. It was she who had made him ruthless and bitter and incapable of love. But only she could unleash the passion in his body, the goodness in his soul, and the love in his heart.

The Chieftain


Maeve Greyson - 2019
    No clan. No need of a wife. Until her.Alexander MacCoinnich fights for hire if the cause is worthy and the price is right. Life as a mercenary suits him—until a fierce beauty snatches him from death’s door after the massacre at Glencoe. Though he has nothing to offer but himself, he canna leave behind the sweet lass who risked everything to save him. She made an impossible promise. When Catriona Neal promised her dying mother, she’d do her best to shield the clan from her father’s maniacal whims, she didn’t realize her twin brother, next in line to be chieftain, was far more dangerous than her evil sire. But the arrival of the wounded, Highland warrior her brother hates and fears gives her hope and so much more. Conquer or be conquered. Heartbreaking treachery melds a bond between Catriona and Alexander, but can they survive long enough to nurture the love they both so desperately need? If you love action-packed, romantic page-turners set in Scotland during the dangerous times of the Glencoe Massacre and the early Jacobite uprisings, stirring tales about fierce Highland warriors and the fearless women who tame them, then this is the perfect novel for you!*Intrigue, betrayal and fiery romance abound in this first book of A Highlander’s Heart and Soul Series from bestselling author Maeve Greyson.

The Devil's Laird


Brenda Jernigan - 2021
    She doesn’t believe she is worth anything, much less love. Her own people believe she is cursed. Siena’s only true blessing is the gift of sight.The Devil’s LairdRoderick, Warlord of Kirkurd, is driven by revenge and guilt. When his holding was attacked, his wife ravished and slain, and his son missing, the goodness within Roderick died. He is now known as the Devil’s Laird.The MeetingRoderick saves Siena from the hangman’s noose and takes her back to his castle. Siena sees a lonely, haunted man who needs her. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot completely break down the barrier Roderick has constructed around his heart, nor shake the curse of bad luck that his people believe she carries. Only the Holy Grail can prove if she is good or evil.When Siena sacrifices herself to free Roderick’s son, Roderick realizes that he has lost his chance to love again. Now, he will move heaven and earth to find her, before it is too late.

Shadows and Lace


Teresa Medeiros - 1990
    The Dark Lord of Caerleon used Rowena to slay the ghosts of his past, but he would be ensnared in his own trap--slave to a desire he could never hope to quench.

Mystique


Amanda Quick - 1995
    When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone cowered-except Lady Alice. Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame haired beauty believed Sir Hugh was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams. She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession. Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight: In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would recover his treasured stone. But even as Hugh accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothal-one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance at love.