Book picks similar to
Margarita by Joan Wolf


romance
historical-romance
historical
regency

His Contract Bride


Rose Gordon - 2012
    An avid academic and aspiring scientist, Edward is pleased to find that he won't have to bother with the nonsense involved in courting a young lady. Young and naive, it doesn't take much for her social-climbing father to convince Regina the gentleman she's to marry has requested her hand out of love, but devastates her when she learns the truth. Now, it's up to a gentleman who's more comfortable in a conservatory than a drawing room to prove to Regina that she's more than just the proverbial sacrificial lamb that helped gain her family their foot in Society's door and that he--if no other gentleman--is trustworthy. But he just might be the one doing the learning as he'll be forced to acknowledge that sometimes the most combustible elements aren't the ones you control, but sometimes the ones you don't.

The Taming


Jude Deveraux - 1989
    His very caress melted Liana into liquid fire, and she vowed to capture this manificent, wild man. Boldly the delicate beauty gave him her hand -- and Britain's richest dower. Yet he was bound to a bitter feud: for love betrayed, brothers killed, and ancestral land usurped. In Rogan's war-ravaged castle, Liana would lay her tender seige...to redeem his embattled spirit and win his untamed heart!

Rogue Countess


Amy Sandas - 2012
    Her only weakness might be the love she still harbors for the man who betrayed her. A wicked and deceitful plot brought about the unwanted marriage between young Anna Locke and Jude Sinclair, the handsome son of an earl. Furious over his new circumstances, the groom left his bride and England behind to travel the world. When he returns after eight long years, his first intention is to put an end to his farce of a marriage once and for all. But he never expected the woman his wife has become, or his fierce attraction to her. Living by her own rules, Anna has achieved success and independence as the owner of the finest Thoroughbred stables in Britain. She believes herself long-cured of the childish infatuation she’d once held for the man who married her and left her. With her husband’s unexpected return, Anna’s first desire is for revenge, but she soon realizes that she faces a difficult choice between fighting him and fighting for him. With a past tangled in lies and blackmail, Anna and Jude declare their marriage a battleground as passionate anger slides too easily into bold desire. To claim the love that could be theirs, they must overcome mutual distrust and destroy a long-held secret before it destroys them.

Sinful


Susan Johnson - 1993
    That is until he stepped into his carriage one evening and found it already occupied… Chelsea tempted him with a sinful offer. Sinjin adamantly, albeit politely refused. She was a young unmarried maiden, too dangerous for a man who'd vowed never to wed. No matter how luscious the prize, he wasn't reckless enough to be entrapped by the tantalizing minx. Can the spirited young beauty change his mind?

The Elusive Wife


Callie Hutton - 2013
    However, he doesn’t remember what she looks like because he was blind drunk at his arranged wedding and hasn’t seen her since.The fascinating Lady Olivia has captured the Earl’s attention. Newly arrived from the country to stay with her school friend for the Season, she is appalled to discover that her husband, Lord Coventry, doesn't even recognize her. She's not about to tell the arrogant arse that she is his wife. Instead, she flirts with him by night and has her modiste send her mounting bills to him by day.Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned… Too bad this woman finds her husband nearly irresistible.

The Coming Home Place


Mary Spencer - 1994
    Handsome rancher James Kagan had closed his heart when his childhood sweetheart died, and beautiful Elizabeth Beck had lost everyone on the journey from Tennessee to California, but they discover that the only place they truly belong is in each other's arms.

Lord Ruin


Carolyn Jewel - 2002
    He planned to marry for beauty. But a night of unforgettable passion left him a changed man—a man tied to a bespectacled spinster. Anne Sinclair's long legs drove him wild with desire, and her quick wit challenged his mind. Ruined for any other, the notorious rake had only one choice: to court his wife. To win her confidence, however, nothing less than his love would do.The Divine SinclairAnne Sinclair had sworn to protect her sister from the infamous Lord Ruin. Yet she never expected to sacrifice her own virtue. Forced to give the rogue her hand in marriage, she vowed never to relinquish her heart. But Ruan worshiped her body and valued her intelligence, making Anne long to succumb to the ultimate temptation: falling for her husband.

Bold Angel


Kat Martin - 1994
    Even though he had once saved her from a fate worse than death, she could not forget he'd raised the grim battlements of Braxton, keep on her dead father's lands or that his men had dishonored her sister. If she wed him to bring peace to her people, he would have to lay siege to her bed.But their destiny was more powerful than the clash of swords.The darkly handsome warlord's blood coursed with desire for Caryn's burnished crimson lips, and his passion would not be denied. But in the wild ecstasy they shared. Ral feared more than his heart was in danger. Could his rebellious bride be a traitor deadlier than the wolves and brigands prowling deep in English forests?A magnificent tale of intrigue, vengeance and soul-searing love, Kat Martin's newest romance is her most irresistible to date!

The Sherbrooke Bride


Catherine Coulter - 1992
    He must have an heir. Thus, he must first provide himself with the requisite bride. Alexandra Chambers, youngest daughter of the Duke of Beresford, has loved Douglas Sherbrooke since she was fifteen. Unfortunately, it is her sister, the incomparable Melissande, he wishes to wed.But life never ladles out what one expects, and Douglas finds himself wed to the wrong sister. If having an unwanted wife isn't enough, he is also plagued by The Virgin Bride, a ghost that is reputedly seen in the countess's bedchamber. Does the willowy phantom really appear to Douglas? Does she speak to him?

Her Christmas Earl


Anna Campbell - 2014
    Now her reputation hangs by a thread and only a hurried marriage can rescue her. Is the Earl of Erskine the heartless libertine the world believes? Or will Philippa discover unexpected honor in a man notorious for his wild ways?Blair Hume, the dissolute Earl of Erskine, has had his eye on the intriguing Miss Sanders since he arrived at this deadly dull house party. Now a reckless act delivers this beguiling woman into his hands as a delightful Christmas gift. Is fate offering him a fleeting Yuletide diversion? Or will this Christmas Eve encounter spark a passion that lasts a lifetime?

The Fifth Kiss


Elizabeth Mansfield - 1981
    His lips pressed to hers, she seemed to be living through a storm or a tidal wave. In the instant before she gave herself to the surging of her blood, she thought: Does one, could one, survive?

An Absent Wife


Camille Oster - 2013
    The death of the wife he'd ignored for close to a decade was a downright nuisance, making him further fodder for the gossips, and now a target for every designing matron in London. In line with her consistent talent for being disagreeable, Lady Adele Warburton had run off with a lowly lieutenant, leaving safety and respectability behind, then died in a cholera epidemic in a far flung country. In a last show of husbandly duty, Lysander decides to recover her effects, and grudgingly those of her lover, retracing the steps of the wife he'd barely known across half the world. But arriving in the mayhem of India, he finds that all is not as it should be.

Wanton Angel


Linda Lael Miller - 1987
    Heartache and betrayal prompt Bonnie McKutchen to leave her wealthy husband, Eli, but, determined to win her back, he searches and finds her dancing for money in a Washington mining town saloon.

The Light in the Darkness


Ellen Fisher - 1998
    Embittered by the death of his wife, scornful of female wiles, and completely contemptuous of any attempt to bring happiness into his life, Grey hardly considered himself good husband material. And yet, if only for the shock value of it--and to put an end to all the nagging--Grey showed up one day with a bride on his arm: an ignorant, ill-kempt, timid young tavern wench....The Most Unlikely Bride...Jennifer knew she was no one's idea of a suitable bride for the rich, elegant Grey--least of all, his. But though she couldn't begin to understand the reasons behind his caustic, tormented personality, she did know one thing. He had saved her from a life of drudgery and cruelty, and she would repay him by turning herself into a ravishing, accomplished beauty who would do him credit in society's eyes. And maybe, just maybe, in the process, he might fall in love with her just a little....

A Breach Of Promise


Victoria Vane - 2011
    Only seduction remains... On the night of her betrothal, Lydia Trent receives just a taste of what awaits her in marriage with her fiance...and then he leaves her wanting. Now, after waiting six years for her exceedingly reluctant bridegroom to honor his troth, Lydia is resolved to break it off. When Marcus, Lord Russell, receives Lydia's letter demanding a release from their marriage contract, he is at first stunned, but certain that he'll have her eating out of his hand with his usual wit and charm. Although confident that he'll repair the damage, he has no clue how determined the headstrong Lydia is to thwart his every effort to win her back. Yet, Marcus discovers, in spite of her conviction to end the engagement, Lydia is more responsive to his touch than he ever imagined. He just needs to get her alone to unleash the promised passion he sees within his virgin fiancee. Armed with this knowledge, he will use any tool in his arsenal to exploit her weakness. In short, he'll just have to ruin her!