Book picks similar to
Masks of Desire by Fenna Edgewood
historical-romance
historical
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romance-historical
Highland Refugee
Aileen Adams - 2020
With her faithful maid and companion she begrudgingly embarks on a voyage to new lands to marry the laird her father has determined will prove a fruitful alliance with her their clan. Alas, the ship she is on does not weather a storm well, leaving her cast upon the sea.Laird Duncan McAbee of Duffus is mourning his father on the shore when he notices a body bobbing among the waves. Little does he know, the body he pulls forth is a raven-haired spitfire of a lass with a steel will of determination not to marry her betrothed. He is caught unawares when she wields a poker and even further caught offguard when she manages to broach his defenses and capture her heart.How is he supposed to recover when she chooses to leave him for Laird Jared Stewart?
Last Dance in London
Sydney Jane Baily - 2021
Too bad for him, clever and impossibly desirable Julia Sudbury shows up in his bedroom.Like a shadow, Julia slips from Mayfair's ballrooms into the nobility's private chambers where nothing is more appealing than a spare piece of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, and cravat pins, oh my!With Julia's bad behavior tarnishing his reputation in ways he'd never imagined, Jasper goes on the run to escape the brutal gossips shredding his family name.It's enough to make a cocky rake wish he were safely married! Who will tame whom?
Seductive Silence
Larissa Lyons - 2021
He just hopes she can hear what’s in his heart.Lord Tremayne has a problem. He stammers like a fool—at least that’s what he learned from his father’s constant criticism and punishing hand. Daniel now hides his troubles, limiting his speech and getting by with a few close friends. His well-fought privacy is all for naught when he goes looking for a new mistress and finds a delightful young woman who makes him, of all people, want to spout poetry. He thought he had a problem before? Avoiding meaningless dinner prattle is nothing compared to the challenge of winning the heart of his new lady lust.Recently widowed and increasingly poor, Thea’s been reduced to sharing her rented room with rodents and arguing over every morsel (the mice usually win). When a friend suggests an alliance of the most intimate sort, Thea’s reluctantly intrigued. But given her lackluster marriage, she doubts her ability to entice an experienced man. The considerate, if quiet, Lord Tremayne attracts her mightily, so she sets aside her misgivings. That is, until Thea realizes she’s about to break the cardinal rule of mistressing—that of falling for her new protector.A fun, emotionally satisfying, steamy tale told in three parts: Seductive Silence, Lusty Letters, and Daring Declarations.
Romancing the Rogue
Lana Williams - 2017
One irrevocable moment. Two lives changed forever. Caroline Gold is desperate to save her family from financial ruin with a proposal from a wealthy duke. But one misstep has her betrothed to the wrong man—Richard Walker, the Earl of Aberland, a handsome but cynical rogue with barely a farthing to his name. Richard spies for the Crown under the guise of a rogue but is intent on revenge. Offering for the beautiful Caroline creates an unwelcome distraction. Yet the desire he finds with her makes him wonder if a life—and love—after he claims justice is possible. Caroline quickly sees there is more to Richard than she expected, and his kindness toward her ailing father melts her heart. But marrying him won’t save her family despite the surprising passion she discovers in his arms. A French spy posing as an English lord is on the loose. Can Richard unveil the man’s identity and stop him before he destroys all Richard holds dear, including Caroline?Previously released from July 2017 to July 2018 as part of the Regency Rendezvous Collection
Gambling on the Duke's Daughter
Diana Bold - 2007
Desperate for a little peace, he sells his commission and returns to England but soon finds himself angry and adrift in London Society. When an old nemesis challenges him to a wager -- he must get Lady Natalia Sinclair to dance with him twice in one evening -- he is willing to play along. The daughter of a duke, Lady Natalia Sinclair fears her enormous dowry is the only thing that draws her many suitors. But heroic Captain Blake seems different. Unfortunately, she soon realizes his smile is false, his interest superficial. Dylan sees Natalia's rejection as a challenge, and the stakes increase when he discovers his elder brother Michael is wooing the duke's daughter as well. Passed over for Michael too many times, he's determined to prove he can be first in somebody's heart. As the lines between the wager and attraction blur, can Dylan and Natalia find the courage to take the biggest gamble of all -- love?
The Heart of an Earl
K.J. Jackson - 2020
Ripped from her family years ago by a pirate captain, Lady Julianna knows a thing or two about surviving. But she’s grasping at the last threads of staying alive after the captain dies and leaves her at the mercy of the pirate crew. She hides his death—as the second the crew of the Red Dragon discovers the captain is dead, survival will be the least of her worries. But the ruse can only work for so long. Just when her hope is nearly lost, their ship is attacked and she spies a way out. A way out in the form of one tall, strong sailor that just may be her salvation—or her biggest mistake. A long lost earl determined to stay adrift. Desmond Phillips gave up any hope of living a normal life years ago when his wife and unborn baby died. Losing himself among the crew of a privateering ship, all in England gave him up for dead—just as he and his shattered heart preferred it. Two lost souls meet. In the midst of a battle at sea, a sprite of a woman drops onto Des, begging for his help. He saves her and inherits the duty to bring her home safely. As the journey to deliver Lady Julianna home to England unfolds, these two lost souls find unlikely kindred spirits in each other, and the cold, broken shards of Des’s heart begin to heal. But the curse of an ancient box haunts their every move—their very lives. If they manage to break the curse of the Box of Draupnir, they may just be rewarded with an undying love. Note: The novels in the Box of Draupnir series by K.J. Jackson are each stand-alone stories and can be read individually in any order. These historical romances are set in the Regency and Victorian eras, and do not shy away from scenes with steamy heat, occasional naughty language, and moments that might possibly make you squirm.
Bewitched by the Bluestocking
Jillian Eaton - 2021
until a gorgeous, soaking-wet American shows up and demands he help her find a stolen family heirloom. Having had his heart crushed once before by a beautiful woman, Kincaid has no intention of tempting fate a second time. But Joanna Thorncroft isn’t about to take no for an answer.Joanna has to find her mother’s ring and discover the secrets it contains. Secrets that have brought her all the way across the Atlantic and onto the doorstep of a sinfully handsome detective. While falling in love is the furthest thing from her mind, fiercely independent Joanna can’t help but find herself drawn to Kincaid...and the blazing passion that soon threatens to consume them.
But when the scandalous truth about the ring’s history is unveiled, it changes both the past and the present. If Joanna and Kincaid want a future together, they must risk everything to get it…including their hearts.
My Lord Rogue
Katherine Bone - 2014
The only thing more dangerous is being in love…Gillian Chauncey, Baroness Chauncey, is a master of disguise, trained by her expatriated husband, a former French royalist, in the arts of espionage. When a dangerous life or death secret lands in her lap, she’s thrust into a perilous world of ticking clocks and desperation, arrowing her directly into the arms of the man who arranged her marriage.Lord Simon Danbury is no ordinary nobleman. He’s been tasked by Admiral Nelson to organize an elite group of clandestine first sons willing to sacrifice all to protect England’s shores. When an assassination attempt is made on Nelson, Simon isn’t sure what poses more danger, the enemy or the masterfully seductive Gillian.
The Duke Conspiracy
Wendy May Andrews - 2015
Growing up, Rose and Alex were the best of friends until their families became embroiled in a feud. Now, the Season is throwing them into each other’s company. Despite the spark of attraction they might feel for one another, they each want very different things in life, besides needing to support their own family’s side in the dispute. Miss Rosamund Smythe is finding the Season to be a dead bore after spying with her father, a baron diplomat, in Vienna. She wants more out of life than just being some nobleman’s wife. When she overhears a plot to entrap Alex into a marriage of convenience, her intrigue and some last vestige of loyalty causes them to overcome the feud. His Grace, Alexander Milton, the Duke of Wrentham, wants a quiet life with a “proper” wife after his tumultuous childhood. His parents had fought viciously, lied often, and Alex had hated it all. Rose’s meddling puts her in danger. Alex will have to leave the simple peace he craves to claim a love he never could have imagined. Can they claim their happily ever after despite the turmoil?
Devilish Debutantes Part One: Three Book Bundle: Hell Hath No Fury, Hell in a Handbasket, Hell Hath Frozen Over
Annabelle Anders - 2021
Thomas Findlay, a wealthy industrialist, knows she has not.
Dare to Be Wicked
Emma V. Leech - 2021
When the hat is rediscovered, dusty and forlorn, the remaining dares spark a series of events that will echo through all the families… and their daring daughters.Dare to be WickedTwo daring daughters…Lady Elizabeth and Lady Charlotte are the daughters of the Duke and Duchess of Bedwin. Raised by an unconventional mother and an indulgent if overprotective father, they both strain against the rigid morality of the era. The fashionable image of a meek, weak young lady, prone to swooning at the least provocation, is one that makes them seethe with frustration.
Their handsome childhood friend…
Cassius Cadogan, Viscount Oakley, is the only child of the Earl and Countess of St. Clair. Beloved and indulged, he is popular, gloriously handsome and a talented artist. Returning from two years of study in France, his friendship with both sisters becomes strained as jealousy raises its head. A situation not helped by the two mysterious Frenchmen who have accompanied him home.
And a simmering sibling rivalry…
Passion, art, and secrets prove to be a combustible combination, and someone will undoubtedly get burned.
Enchanting the Earl
Kathy L. Wheeler - 2021
The lights are too hot, the corsets too tight. It’s enough to make one faint.Thorne Gray, the earl of Kimpton, has no interest in debutantes, but what the devil is he supposed to do when one swoons at his feet? He catches her before she hits the floor, of course. An intriguing performance to be sure.But a scheming and powerful aunt, determined to see her niece settled before her death, threatens Lorelei’s opportunity to enchant the man of her choosing.
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.
Thistles and Thieves: Highlander Romance
Elizabeth Preston - 2017
Her job is to pull a valuable warlord out of his black hole. The king wants Laird Tam out of the doldrums and back doing what he does best: killing in the name of Scotland. Juliette reluctantly agrees to the king’s task, because she has no choice. Lady Juliette is sweet, sassy, and determined, but also a little spoilt. She knows she’ll cope with the bleak north, the boredom and the barbarous Scotsmen, but when these two hundred days are done, she’s bolting back to England as quickly as her silk slippers will take her. Juliette underestimates the Scottish Highlands. She greatly underestimates Laird Tam. And there’s something else she doesn’t realise: the Highlands are never boring . . . “We’re going into the sea, Juliette.” “No, no, no . . .” “Aye, we are. You’re a strong Sassenach, remember that. You’ll survive this shipwreck.” “No. I won’t . . .” “I’ll find you, my darling, I’ll always find you . . .” Then the wave hits. Now Lady Juliette must survive the sea, the Irish outlaws, runaway nuns, and the ancient Caledonian Forest. Not to mention her growing attraction to Laird Tam . . .
Miss Minerva's Pirate Mishap
Maggie Dallen - 2021
But what if this thief ends up stealing her heart?The eldest daughter of a naval captain, Minerva is well-versed in tactical objectives and strategic maneuvers. It's no wonder she's put those skills to use when planning her own future with her perfectly proper suitor. There is only one flaw in her plan. She's failed to take into account the troublesome newcomer who's hiding out in her seaside town. The irritating rogue is in her way at every turn—teasing, taunting, and all around upending her well-ordered life. But then again, what else would she expect from a pirate?She'd like to say it's fear that makes her heart pound and her pulse race whenever he is near. She'd like to say that...but she's never been a very good liar. It's excitement, plain and simple, that has her seeking him out when she ought to be running in the opposite direction. And when he kisses her? Well, that stirs up another emotion entirely. One that makes her wonder what she's willing to sacrifice for duty...and just how much she'd risk for love.