Book picks similar to
Margarita by Joan Wolf


romance
historical-romance
historical
regency

Taming the Highlander


Terri Brisbin - 2006
    Now laird of the powerful MacLerie clan and in need of a wife, Connor buys his way to a bride, one he insists not be beautiful like his first wife. He brings Jocelyn to his lair planning to keep her in his bed and out of his life...and heart.Jocelyn MacCallum saves her family and people with her marriage, but fears for her soul and her life when she becomes bride to the Beast. Against his wishes and orders, Jocelyn begins to make a place in his clan for herself and begins to learn more about the man she wed.When an old threat rises against the clan and laird, will love be powerful enough to save the woman not known for beauty and her Beast?

This Other Eden


Marilyn Harris - 1977
    — He was the last Lord of Eden Castle, Thomas Eden, a man of brooding desire and sudden passion ... — She was his servant girl, Marianne Locke, the fiery young beauty who would rather submit to the cruel kiss of the whip than suffer the lust of a man she did not love...From the wild Devonshire coast to the glittering literary salons of London, the tumultuous union of these two proud people hazed a raging tempest of enduring love.

Duchess by Chance


Wendy Vella - 2013
    So to save his family’s honor Daniel agrees to the marriage. But society’s favorite bachelor is no longer a charming easygoing man. His father’s betrayal has left him angry and with a thirst for revenge and the last thing he needs are his growing feelings for his shy new wife.Eva learns she is to wed the Duke of Stratton on way to the church. Despite the shock, this is an unexpected opportunity to escape her horrid family – one she grasps at with both hands. However, her courage falters when she faces the devilishly handsome but unyielding Duke who is now her husband.Can they make their marriage real despite coming from two completely different worlds?

Love Only Once


Johanna Lindsey - 1985
    A golden-haired seducer, Nicholas has been hardened by a painful secret in his past. And now that he has besmirched Reggie's good name, the hot-tempered lady has vowed to wed him. Her fiery beauty stirs Nicholas as no woman ever has - and the rake arouses Reggie's passion to an unendurable level. Such uncontrolled desires can lead only to dangerous misunderstandings and, perhaps, to a love that can live only once in a lifetime.

Never Desire a Duke


Lily Dalton - 2013
    Yet a shocking encounter with him in a crowded ballroom—and a single touch—are all it takes to reawaken her furious passion for him. But how can she trust the man who crushed her dreams and took away the one thing she wanted most?A Love Beyond ReasonLord Claxton has never forgiven himself for the youthful mistake that ruined his marriage to Lady Sophia. Now, after nearly a year abroad, the reformed rogue vows to win back the only woman he's ever truly loved. He'll do whatever it takes to prove he can be the honorable husband she deserves—and the passionate lover she desires. As the snowdrifts deepen outside their ancestral home, can they rekindle the flame that burned so bright and find a new path to forever?

Miss Winthorpe's Elopement


Christine Merrill - 2007
    She never meant to wed a noble lord over a blacksmith's anvil!Adam Felkirk, Duke of Bellston, had no intention of taking a wife. But then Penelope's plight moved him. Now the notorious rake has a new aim—to shock and seduce his prim and proper bride.But the gorgeous duke will be taught a lesson of his own as scholarly Miss Winthorpe becomes his seductive duchess!

A Fallen Lady


Elizabeth Kingston - 2015
    Even more shockingly, her refusal came on the heels of her scandalous behavior: she and her betrothed were caught in a most compromising position. Leaving her reputation in tatters and her motivations a mystery, Helen withdrew to a simple life in a little village among friends, where her secrets remained hers alone. For reasons of his own, Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is determined to learn the truth behind the tangled tale of Helen's ruin. There is nothing he abhors so much as scandal - nothing he prizes so well as discretion - and so he is shocked to find, when he tracks Helen down, that he cannot but admire her. Against all expectations, he finds himself forgiving her scandalous history in favor of only being near her. But the bitter past will not relinquish Helen's heart so easily. How can she trust a man so steeped in the culture of high society, who conceals so much? And how can he, so devoted to the appearance of propriety, ever love a fallen lady?

The Admiral's Penniless Bride


Carla Kelly - 2010
    As she spends it on a cup of tea - to stave off being at the mercy of the workhouse - the last thing she expects is an offer of marriage... from a complete stranger!Admiral Sir Charles Bright's seafaring days are over - and according to society, that must mean he's in need of a wife! Discovering Sally is in need of a home, he offers a solution... They marry in haste - but will they enjoy their wedding night at leisure?

His Majesty, the Prince of Toads


Delle Jacobs - 2006
    But even before he learns the circumstances of his inheritance, he encounters her at a New Year's gala. Shock sets in as he realizes the most beautiful woman in England is the same gangly, calf-eyed chit who tricked him into marriage six years before. That's not how Sophie remembers it. She wishes fervently she'd had the sense not to scream when the drunken scapegrace crawled into her bed at her Uncle Harry's house party. True, she'd had a secret tendre for the handsome wastrel, until his scathing denunciation of her after their forced wedding. Then he went off to war without even consummating their union, and for six years she heard nothing from him. Now the toad offers her forgiveness in exchange for his presence in her bed? Revenge comes more to mind.And so the battle of wits begins. And the harder they fight it, the more they fall in love.

An Inconvenient Match


Susanna Malcolm - 2019
    Difficult. Rich. …Is the discourteous manner in which the Earl of Ashland would describe his new wife. In dire financial straits, Ash has sacrificed himself at the altar in order to salvage his lofty family name, grudgingly uniting himself to the wealthy tradeswoman with steel in her spine and ice in her veins. He can’t imagine he’ll ever find anything to admire about her, until a glimpse of the simmering heat beneath her cool façade arouses an undeniable attraction. Indolent. Irresponsible. Drunk. …Is precisely how Honora Botham would label her new husband. Marrying the handsome earl elevated her to a long-coveted status, allowing her to achieve her beloved grandmother’s dreams for the family’s ascent into the nobility. Eager to finally experience the sensual pleasures of marriage, Honora enters into matrimony willingly. But while she’s always admired Ashland’s looks, she can find little to approve of in his indulgent avoidance of responsibility. His indolence and her ambition make for a volatile union, and yet… Mutual desire grows stronger, but is it enough to overcome the discord between them?

Accidentally Compromising the Duke


Stacy Reid - 2016
    Miss Adeline Hays is out of options. Determined to escape marriage to a repugnant earl, Adeline plans to deliberately allow herself to be caught in a compromising position at a house party with the much kinder man she’d hoped to marry. Instead, Adeline accidentally enters the wrong chamber and tumbles into the bed of the mad duke.Edmond Rochester, the duke of Wolverton, is seeking a wife to care for his two daughters. A young lady of sensibilities, accomplishment, and most importantly, one who he is not attracted to—a complete opposite of the bewitching beauty who traps him into marriage. But despite the lust he feels for his new duchess, Edmond is resolved to never allow them intimacy, refusing to ever again suffer the tormenting loss of a loved one.

A Perfect Scoundrel


Heather Cullman - 2000
    The handsome rake believes her charade, which is exposed when the masks are dropped. But the real escapade has just begun. . . .

About a Rogue


Caroline Linden - 2020
    James, notorious rake. Defiantly she helps Cathy elope with her true love, and takes her sister’s place at the altar.It’s not even the match that was made…Perched on the lowest branch of his family tree, Max has relied on charm and cunning to survive. But an unexpected stroke of luck gives him an outside chance at a dukedom—and which Tate sister he weds hardly seems to matter. But could it be the perfect match? Married or not, Bianca is determined to protect her family’s prosperous ceramics business, even when Max shows an affinity for it—not to mention a dangerous ability to intrigue and tempt Bianca herself. And when Max realizes how beautiful and intelligent and desirable Bianca is, he’ll have to prove he’s no rogue, but the passionately devoted husband she craves…

A Scandalous Wife


Ava Stone - 2011
    However he wasn’t prepared when his cad of brother ruined and then abandoned a young lady. To right the wrong, Robert married the girl himself; but his chivalry only went so far. He didn’t want a wife, and most certainly not a scandalous one. So after repeating his vows, he sent her packing, off to a secluded estate and expected her to stay put. After years of mistreatment at the hands of her family, Lydia was prepared to be an accommodating wife; but her rigid and unforgiving husband asked too much of her. After languishing for years in her opulent prison, Lydia leaves her country estate for the glamour and excitement of London—and unfortunately her husband’s path.

The Greek's Chosen Wife


Lynne Graham - 2006
    Their relationship was never consummated and they have always lived apart. But now Prudence longs to have her own baby and she wants a divorce. However, Nik is horrified - he is her husband and he will be the father of her child! Prudence reluctantly agrees to a trial marriage with Nik. But conceiving his baby? That's not a risk she's willing to take...