Book picks similar to
The Runaway Bride by Sheila Walsh


regency
historical-romance
regency-romance
romance

The Duke's Secret


Allie Kensington - 2021
    Her only source of comfort is her sweet cousin for whom she acts as chaperone and companion. Enduring a London Season seems daunting, but with matrimony far from her mind, she is content to hide in the shadows until the season is over.James Berkeley, Duke of Cheshire, is the most eligible bachelor in London. At least, he would be if he had any intention to wed. Before he can think about matrimony, he has a secret and solemn duty he must fulfill. The last two London Seasons have come to naught; he is hoping a third will hold more promise, allowing him to solve a mystery and regain his freedom once and for all.James is intrigued when he meets the beautiful Miss Gray; she is elusive, mysterious, and cares little that he is a duke. But when James discovers Miss Gray could be the very woman he is honor-bound to find, he is torn between duty and desire. She might be the key to solving all of his problems, but he’d rather she be the key to his heart. And one thing is certain: she cannot be both.

The Magic Touch


Patricia Keyson - 2013
    When she goes to stay with her starchy Aunt Constance in London, she meets the handsome but mysterious Beaumont who shares her rebellious spirit. In order to visit one of his magic lantern shows she dresses up as a man which leads to unexpected complications in their relationship. Will her Aunt Constance get in the way of their romance, and why does Beaumont repress his feelings for Hope?

To Lure a Proper Lady


Ashlyn Macnamara - 2016
    He’s terribly ill, and Lizzie suspects poison. But when she seeks help from the Bow Street Runners, her request is answered by a rough-hewn rogue known only as Dysart. Though his irreverent charm by turns shocks and captivates her, a man of Dysart’s background is an altogether inappropriate choice for a duke’s daughter—isn’t he?Although Dysart has his reasons to disdain polite society, the promise of supplemental income from a noble’s coffers is too tempting to deny. But if Dysart means to apprehend the culprit who poisoned the duke, he’ll need to avoid any and all distractions—like the delicious swish of Lady Elizabeth’s hips. Yet as the investigation begins to unearth secrets he’d rather remain hidden, Dysart must decide at a moment’s notice whether to hold Elizabeth at arm’s length . . . or pull her dangerously close.

Lady Vivian (Almack's Assembly Rooms Book 1)


Agnes Forest - 2018
    Could she pick her destiny, Vivian would choose adventure in the rolling hills, endless afternoons in the dusty garden, and a husband who speaks to her heart; no matter what his income might be. One magical evening at Almack’s - London’s most exclusive club - Lady Vivian runs into the dashing Lieutenant Sawyer Cook and discovers that her future is not so set in stone. Romance ensues, scandals are wrought, and real identities are revealed. Trapped between duty and longing, Lady Vivian must come to grips with the very notion of fate. Lady Vivian is a 70.000 word clean and wholesome Regency-era romance novel. It makes the first volume of Almack's Assembly Rooms. Each book of the series can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, or read as a collective. Garuenteed to make you chuckle!

Miss Billings Treads the Boards


Carla Kelly - 1993
    But beautiful Kate was an impoverished orphan—and her only escape from a lecherous employer's embraces was to go upon the stage. It was dangerous enough that a charming French playwright wanted her as his leading lady, and an ambitious impresario demanded that she bare her charms to an eager audience. But when a magnificent marquess, Lord Henry Grayson, proposed that she join him in a masquerade of mating in a mock marriage, Kate found that putting on an act in public could be even more perilous in private...if the act was an act of love....

The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma


Trisha Messmer - 2020
    She longed to be free. Pressured by forces beyond their control, will they give in to forbidden desire?England, 1823. After establishing a successful practice in America, Dr. Harry Radcliffe swore he wouldn’t set foot on British soil again. But when he’s named the Duke of Ashton after his callous brother’s sudden death, he begrudgingly returns to the pretentious world he detests. And his pledge to his dying mother to find a wife is thrown into chaos when he meets his stunning sister-in-law.Margaret Radcliffe finally escaped her abusive marriage. Yet her late husband’s final cruel act left her penniless, with her only option to remarry... the one thing she vowed she’d never do again. But the new duke’s startlingly familiar features awaken yearnings she thought long-forgotten, dangling the heartbreaking whisper of a passion impossible to fulfill.Although convinced the accusations that she murdered her husband are only salacious gossip, Harry's real torment comes when he wishes for a union that would make them outcasts. But even when they finally submit to their simmering attraction, Margaret’s dream of happily-ever-after may be derailed by society’s schemes.Can a scandalous affair turn into a lifetime of love?The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma is the suspenseful first book in The Hope Clinic Regency romance series. If you like swoon-worthy heroes, uplifting humor, and heroines beating the odds, then you’ll adore Trisha Messmer’s tale of tortured hearts.

Aphrodite - a Humorous Regency Novel


D.G. Rampton - 2021
    Unfortunately for her, her grandmother has other ideas...marriage.Lively and strong-willed, April does not appreciate being compelled to catch a husband. Yet, before long, she finds herself courting the affections of the Duke of Claredon, while struggling with a wholly inappropriate attraction to the insufferable Mr Royce.In the lead up to Christmas, in the year 1820, a delightfully devious campaign is orchestrated to bring together two people destined for one another, regardless of the obstacles to be overcome and the inconvenient tendency on the part of the protagonists to resist their attraction...until they are finally brought to realise they cannot escape fate, or the meddling of one determined grandmother!

The Persistent Suitor


Rachel McNeely - 2015
    She’s ramshackle, always says what she thinks and prefers riding and fishing over sewing and social graces. Grayson Lyall, Marquis of Carraway, is Society’s ideal of a perfect gentleman. He’s handsome, wealthy and considered a war hero by everyone but himself. A gentleman, that is, until he sets eyes on the intriguingly different Lady Juliana, emotionally jilted and humiliated and under pressure to change everything about herself. For her, he is quite willing to play the hero to a reluctant damsel in distress. But nothing is ever easy with Lady Juliana. It will take persistence.

The Reluctant Bride


Claire Firth - 2013
    She has been sold to the highest bidder so that she may produce an heir for the devilishly handsome and arrogant Earl and she is outraged. How can she have any respect or feelings for a man whose reputation is that of a complete wastrel and philanderer? She resolves to resist him at all costs yet Sophia is totally unprepared for the exquisite pleasure she experiences from her husband’s wicked hands as he introduces her to a world of sexual delight she had no idea existed. For Ralph, when his cousin had suggested he take a wife to heal the rift in his family, it had seemed the perfect solution to his problems. However, he hadn’t counted on choosing someone as spiritedly passionate as Sophia and something inside of him reacts to her in a way that disconcerts him. What started out as a necessary chore soon becomes an exciting challenge as he determines to do what he does best - seduce his young wife and put an end to the estrangement that exists between them. But why is Sophia’s good opinion becoming increasingly important to him? And why does he feel the compulsive need to convince her that he is not the unsavoury character she believes him to be?

Wild Wyoming Wind


Margery Scott - 2011
    Dedicating his life to bringing criminals to justice, he's on the trail of Tyler Boone, an escaped outlaw and killer.Jake and Maddie lock horns when Jake shows up at Maddie's homestead and announces he's staying until he captures Tyler. But living in close quarters exposes emotions and feelings they had both thought long dead, and brings danger, sorrow and love, forcing them both to question the past, and eventually, to trust in the future.

Lady Libertine


Kate Harper - 2011
    With seven failed Seasons behind her, Lucy knows that it is up to her to save herself from a life of dreary spinsterhood and she has come up with a plan. So has the Earl of Hamersley, who is incensed that somebody has had the nerve to report on his public indiscretions. He is determined to unmask Lady Libertine and put a stop to her pen, once and for all. He suspects that Lucy Landon knows more than she is saying, but, when he starts to investigate, he finds the only thing he really wants to discover is how Lucy's lips taste. Can a wolf really fall for a mouse? And what will Hamersley say when he finds out she is the infamous Lady Libertine? Word count - approx 34 thousand.

The Dark Side of the Earl


Ella Edon - 2020
    Being a wallflower, dedicated to philanthropy, was her choice and she was happy with it.When her father sells her hand to settle his debts, Eleanor is shocked. Mainly because she has met her betrothed before. All alone, in secret, in the dark.Captain Nathan Reynolds, Earl of Brixton, was a soldier, who didn't need a bride. Upon his return to England, he is thrust, by his mother, into an arranged engagement to a heavenly creature who has never seen before. What confuses him more is that his intended seems to know him already.Despite their attraction and his sinister thoughts for Eleanor, Nathan cannot go through with the marriage until he discovers why his future was orchestrated behind his back. What begins as harmless research, quickly turns to a dangerous path.For a man with the same face as Nathan may destroy their lives before they ever walk down the aisle…Torn between light and dark, she must choose the side she belongs to…

How to Lose an Earl in Ten Weeks


Jenni Fletcher - 2021
    Welcome to the hottest Season that Regency London has ever seen.An enemies-to-lovers regency romance that's like watching an episode of Bridgerton. Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Outlander and Romancing the Duke.Miss Essie Craven has been engaged since birth to a man she has only met once. The haughty, black-haired man with the intense blue eyes: Aidan Ravell, Earl of Denholm. The most coveted man in all of the Ton.The day of their marriage is set. The only problem is, spirited Essie dreams of more than being a Countess. She soon finds out that Aidan has his own reasons for not wishing to marry, but is compelled to proceed due to his sense of honour and the financial baggage his father has left him.So, Aidan and Essie strike up a deal. Essie will find him a more suitable match, and in the meantime they will keep up appearances as the most fashionable couple in all of the Ton.But soon what is real and what is fake begins to converge. Suddenly, what seemed to be a simple agreement is no longer quite that straightforward . . .

A Prudent Match


Laura Matthews - 2000
    The wealth she inherited in the wake of her fiance's death is enough to mend his financial affairs. But even if he didn't need the money, he finds himself entranced by her innocent beauty...Prudence remains brokenhearted over the death of her fiance, but knows the time has come to marry rather than die a spinster. Although she is aware that Ledbetter has wed her only for her money, his forward advances frighten her pure sensibilities. And it will take all of her courage to trust this man whose passion knows no bounds--and find a love that is the greatest fortune of all...

The Mysterious Heir


Edith Layton - 1984
    No one could guess she had been forced to take a position in trade—or that she had come to the Earl of Auden’s estate to entice him into naming her dismayingly disagreeable cousin Anthony heir to a fortune that she then could share.But Elizabeth had stiff competition for the Earl’s imperious favor…from the schemingly seductive Lady Isabel Courtney and her odious little boy, Owen…from the implacably upright Richard Courtney and his unfortunate honesty…and from the memory of the Earl’s first wife, who had made him despise women who deceived.Elizabeth knew she could never reveal the truth to the Earl—even when she forgot about gaining his fortune and began losing her heart….