Book picks similar to
Willed To Wed by Wilma Counts
regency
historical-romance
traditional-regency
willed-thus
The Hazards of Hunting a Duke
Julia London - 2006
Much to her shock and delight, the marquis sweeps her into a whirlwind romance and proposes marriage. But after their passionate wedding night, Ava discovers Jared has ulterior motives of his own. Not only does he expect her to deliver an heir while he continues to enjoy a rogue's life, but Ava also suspects she is a pawn in her husband's quest for revenge. Marriages of convenience work for some, but for Ava a loveless bond won't do. So she devises a bold plan to confront her husband's demons so that he might be free to choose to give her his heart for the right reason: because she is the only woman he will ever truly desire.
Curricle & Chaise
Lizzie Church - 2012
Even this might have proved tolerable. After all, Lydia was an independent sort of a girl, more than capable of holding her own against importunate tradesmen, and more than happy to bring her younger sister up on her own.It would not do, however. The state in which Lydia discovered the family affairs made independent existence quite out of the question. In spite of all her best efforts, within a few months of her mama’s death, and scarcely out of full mourning, it became apparent to her that there was nothing to be done but to acknowledge the inevitable and appeal to her relations for help….It is 1810. Lydia, now penniless, is forced to seek a home with an aunt and uncle who have no interest in her whatsoever. But there are plenty of others with an interest in her – including the handsome but selfish son of the family – her cousin Charles - and two elegant brothers who live nearby.Each, in his own way, poses an intriguing challenge to her. Luckily Lydia is well able to look after herself but she gets into a number of scrapes which almost cost her any chance of happiness before finally managing to sort things out in the end.
A Lyon in Her Bed
Amanda Mariel - 2020
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.A woman seeking escape…Lady Emiline Hawthorne will do anything to avoid an unwanted union—even marry a stranger. To that end, she goes to The Lyon’s Den to enlist Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon’s help. There is only one problem; Emiline cannot pay the matchmaking fee.
A man with a broken heart…
Leonard Quinton, 6th Earl of Morton, returned from the war to discover everyone he loved had betrayed him. Now he must beget an heir without risking his heart. He proposes a simple arrangement to the first lady he sees at The Lyon’s Den—The use of her womb in return for his financial support.
Two souls, one heart…
When Emiline finds the old Countess of Morton’s diary, she learns the secrets of Leonard’s past. Secrets even he does not know. Will their revelation lead to happily ever after, or will they destroy the bonds Leonard and Emiline have formed?
Her Ladyship's Companion
Joanna Bourne - 1983
Brody's Seminary for the Daughters of Gentlemen for a new life. But when she accepted the position as companion to the formidable Lady Dorothy, spirited Melissa could not have known that she would soon be caught up in a web of passion and intrigue at beautiful and remote Vinton Manor.Giles Tarsin, her haughty employer, is maddeningly aloof--and irresistibly attractive. Darkly handsome Sir Adrian Hawkhurst admires her undisguisedly with, Melissa suspects, the most impure intentions. Harold Bosworth, a family connection, appears to be ever the gentleman. But why is seven-year-old Robbie, an orphan like Melissa and the future Earl of Keptford, so terrified? Before long, Melissa is struggling to unravel dark family secrets that will lead her suspicions to center on just one man...the one man she loves!
So Wild a Heart
Candace Camp - 2002
But the former abbey they received came with a price—a curse that no family member would ever know happiness.Devin Aincourt, Earl of Ravenscar, makes no apologies for who he is—a drinker, a womanizer, a gambler. Having been cast aside by his disapproving father years before, Dev is content to live out his cursed life in this hedonistic manner. Until his mother asks him to make a bold move to restore the family name and fortune: marry a rich American heiress.Believing it will be a marriage in name only, Dev agrees to marry Miranda. But he never imagined that this feisty, unconventional foreigner would have plans of her own: to restore Blackwater, the old abbey, to its former glory, to extricate Dev from the clutches of a devious mistress and to win his heart for her own. All while risking her own life to an unknown enemy.
Lady Silence
Blair Bancroft - 2005
Damon Farr, a war-weary cavalry colonel in search of peace and quiet, acquires a good deal more when he employs as his secretary Katy Snow, the mute housemaid his family took in off the street years earlier.
Miss Winters Proposes
Frances Fowlkes - 2015
First, she'll propose marriage to her handsome, reclusive neighbor, Lord Colwyn. Then, once she has both name and financial support, she'll be able to pursue her true (if rather unladylike) passion -- breeding dogs. But when Lord Colwyn rejects her proposal... Juliet must take matters into her own hands. The last thing Benjamin Colwyn expected was for the spirited Juliet to blackmail him into marriage -- especially not by kidnapping his beloved canine companion. Yet despite his yearning for peace and isolation, he finds himself wanting to help her, if only to protect her from a marriage to a disreputable scoundrel. He certainly doesn't expect the woman who pilfered his dog to steal his heart, as well...
One Dance with a Duke
Tessa Dare - 2010
A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members--yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing "Duke of Midnight." Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke--until Lady Amelia d'Orsay tries her luck. In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke's dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother's debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club's founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?
The Lord and The Bluestocking
G.L. Robinson - 2021
Nowadays, he would probably be described as being on the Asperger's Spectrum. He's good looking and rich, but his lack of social skills make it hard for him to find a much-needed wife.He scandalizes the ton by putting an advertisement in the newspaper describing the type of spouse he requires and the marriage of convenience he envisages. Amazingly, he finds a suitable candidate. She's an impoverished gentlewoman with literary aspirations. But can this oddly-assorted couple possibly co-exist, let alone find happiness?This novel is a gently amusing look at an unusual but endearing Regency couple.
The Duke's Dilemma
Nadine Miller - 1996
Certainly she could never compete with the lovely Lucinda for the hand of the devastatingly handsome, dauntingly demanding Lord Jared Tremayne Duke of Montford, who was on the hunt for a wife, after a reign as London's leading libertine. No, the duke decidedly would never see Emily as a mate in marriage when Lucinda fit that role so well. But if the duke could not see Emily as a wife when she arrived with Lucinda on a matchmaking visit to the ducal estate, she caught his roving eye as a woman--which left Emily torn between her position as Lucinda's companion and confidante and the passion that the most irresistible rake in the realm knew so well how to stir and satisfy....
The Battling Bluestocking
Amanda Scott - 1985
But Miss Sutton-Drew may have met her match in Sir Brian Gregory, a shockingly wealthy mine owner and local magistrate, who is also handsome, brilliant, and charming. Convinced that Sir Brian is guilty of any number of social injustices, Jessica resists his enticing flattery and flirtation. But can she cease her battling ways long enough to listen to her heart? Or will oncoming scandal ruin everything before she recognizes the truth?
Ruined by Rumor
Alyssa Everett - 2012
When he learns she's been abandoned by her cad of a fiancé, he finds himself offering a shoulder for her to cry on. Comfort soon turns into a passionate kiss—-and scandal when they are caught in an embrace.Only one thing will save Roxana from certain ruination: marriage to the earl. The match may save her reputation, but responsible, tongue-tied Ayersley is a far cry from her dashing former fiancé. She's convinced Ayersley is merely doing his duty...while he's sure Roxana is still in love with another man. Are they trading one disaster for another?92,000 words
The Abduction of Julia
Karen Hawkins - 2000
So when he accidentally snatches her instead of her lovely, scheming cousin for an elopement to Gretna Green, Julia leaps at the chance to make her passionate dreams come true.Alec's in no position to quibble: if he doesn't marry by midnight and live scandal-free for a year, he loses his inheritance. At least marriage with do-gooder Julia will guarantee his fortune. But as his plain brown wren transforms herself into an elegant swan, Alec suddenly can't stay away from his last-minute wife--and when he kisses her, the inheritance is the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately, scandal can occur from the best of intentions...and Julia is never short of good intentions!
In for a Penny
Rose Lerner - 2010
Young Lord Nevinstoke enjoys every moment of his deep-gaming, hard-drinking, womanizing life. Then his father is killed in a drunken duel, and Nev inherits a mountain of debts and responsibilities. He vows to leave his wild friends and his mistress behind, start acting respectable—and marry a rich girl. Penelope Brown, a manufacturing heiress, seems the perfect choice. She’s pretty, ladylike, good at accounting, and looking for a marriage based on companionship and mutual esteem, not love. In fact, the only rash thing she’s ever done in her life is accept Nev’s proposal. When the newlyweds arrive at Nev’s family estate, they discover that all the respectability and reason in the world won't be enough to handle a hostile next-door neighbor, mutinous tenants, and Nev’s family's propensity for scandal. In way over their heads, Nev and Penelope have no one to turn to but each other—but to their surprise, that just might be enough.
A Gentleman of Substance
Deborah Hale - 1999
When Lucy Rushton's lover was killed in battle, she wed his brother, the formidable viscount Drake Strickland, to protect her unborn child. The marriage tore her heart, yet after their vows were sealed, Lucy saw another side of her stern husband -- a compassionate gentleman of substance who lured her in ways Jeremy never had!Duty-bound to care for lovely Lucy, Drake never expected sharing his home would warm his cold, bare life. And when her eyes flashed with provocative beauty, sending an irresistible invitation, he longed to believe his wife's heart was wholly his.