Book picks similar to
A Candle in the Dark by Megan Chance


historical-romance
romance
historical
historical-fiction

The Bride Hunt


Margo Maguire - 2005
    . . Lady Isabel Louvet is a woman of noble birth, wit, courage, and beauty. But though these qualities make her an excellent bride, they cannot save her when, on the night she was meant to choose a groom, wild Scottish brigands storm the walls of her father's castle. As what should be a celebration turns to terror and bloodshed, Isabel is carried away from her family to be offered to a Scottish chieftain as a slave . . . or worse.But unbeknownst to Isabel, she has a champion, a feared warrior and knight of legend named Anvrai d'Arques. His visage bears the scars of battle, but his heart remains pure in its devotion to country and king - that is, until he sets out to rescue Isabel. Her fierce spirit of survival stirs his passion more than combat ever could, and with her touch his world forever shifts. Now, with the Scottish on their heels and a country on the brink of war, they must go forth in battle together to save themselves, to protect their countrymen, and to find a love that can set them both forever free.

The Prisoner


Karyn Monk - 2001
    Instead he finds himself imprisoned once again--by an exquisite woman with red-gold hair who soothes his fevered body and tormented soul ... and stirs in him a passion unlike any he has ever known....until she imprisoned his heart.An outcast from society, Genevieve MacPhail has devoted her life to rescuing wayward urchins from the brutalities of a corrupt prison system. Harboring an infamous escaped murderer will only imperil the beloved children who have become the center of her world. But she doesn't believe the disarmingly handsome nobleman is a cold-blooded killer--even if he does harbor a painful secret.Determined to solve the mystery of who was trying to kill him, Genevieve will assume the role of Haydon's wife, only to find herself succumbing to a dangerous desire that could destroy them both.

The Duke I Tempted


Scarlett Peckham - 2018
    Meticulous. Immaculate. No one would expect the proper Duke of Westmead to be a member of London’s most illicit secret club. Least of all: his future wife. Having overcome financial ruin and redeemed his family name to become the most legendary investor in London, the Duke of Westmead needs to secure his holdings by producing an heir. Which means he must find a wife who won’t discover his secret craving to spend his nights on his knees—or make demands on his long scarred-over heart. Poppy Cavendish is not that type of woman. An ambitious self-taught botanist designing the garden ballroom in which Westmead plans to woo a bride, Poppy has struggled against convention all her life to secure her hard-won independence. She wants the capital to expand her exotic nursery business—not a husband. But there is something so compelling about Westmead, with his starchy bearing and impossibly kind eyes—that when an accidental scandal makes marriage to the duke the only means to save her nursery, Poppy worries she wants more than the title he is offering. The arrangement is meant to be just business. A greenhouse for an heir. But Poppy yearns to unravel her husband’s secrets—and to tempt the duke to risk his heart.

Lions and Lace


Meagan McKinney - 1992
    Born to luxury, she belonged with the Astors and the Vanderbilts at cotillions and soirees. But she shivered with fear and something more as she faced the handsome, ruthless Trevor Sheridan. He had bankrupted her fortune and would expose her family's scandalous secret unless she accepted his outrageous offer, his emotional blackmail ... his heart-stopping kiss.HE BROKE THEM ALLBorn Irish, brought up in the streets, Trevor "the Predator" Sheridan learned early how to get the wealth and the women he wanted. An expert at games of power, he played one that would destroy every famous family who had snubbed him. Tricking the beautiful Alana was his trump card. But he never intended to want her ... until her beauty and her resolve stole his breath away.NOW THEIR DESIRES SWEPT THEM TOWARD RAPTURE ... OR RUIN

Sin and Sensibility


Suzanne Enoch - 2004
    And who better than the dashing and notorious rake, Valentine Corbett, to protect her from scandal...and school her in sin?Young ladies just want to have fun...Unfortunately Eleanor Griffin has three strapping brothers to frighten away any beau they deem unsuitable. She knows she's expected to marry eventually—probably to some staid, crusty, old lord—but until that dark day dawns, Nell intends to enjoy herself. However, her brother, Sebastian, Duke of Melbourne, isn't about to let his sister run completely wild, and asks his best friend, the Marquis of Deverill, to keep a close eye on the spirited lovely.Could any chaperone be less qualified—yet more appreciated—than Valentine Corbett? Here is a man as sinful as he is attractive, a notorious rake, gambler, and pursuer of women, whom Nell has fancied since girlhood. Alas, the irresistible rogue seems uncharacteristically determined to be honorable, despite the passionate longing in his gaze. And Nell must tread carefully, for she has promised to immediately wed whomever her siblings choose should so much as a hint of scandal arise

An Arranged Marriage


Jo Beverley - 1991
    "An Arranged Marriage" is the first of Beverley's beloved tales that began her popular "Company of Rogues" series. Eleanor Chivenham didn't put much past her vile brother, but even she had not anticipated his greedy scheme to dupe a rich earl into mistaking her for a lightskirt! With her reputation in shreds and her future ruined, a defeated Eleanor was forced to agree to a hasty wedding. But marriage to the mysterious Nicholas Delaney was more than she'd bargained for. He doubtless thought the worst of her, but when society gossip soon told her all about his beautiful French mistress, Eleanor tried to act with the cool dignity required in a marriage of convenience. But how long could she hold out against his undeniable charm -- or the secret desires of her heart? For the sake of family honor, Nicolas Delaney agreed to wed a wronged lady. In truth, such chivalry ran counter to his carefully wrought image of a carousing, dissolute rogue -- the guise so vital to his secret political mission. He hoped to keep his new wife in the background until a spy was trapped, but Eleanor's beauty and fighting wit were impossible to ignore. In fact, she presented quite a challenge to his prowess with women -- and a test of his formidable will!

A Touch Wicked


Katrina Kendrick - 2018
    He's handsome, titled, rich as Croesus, and on the lookout for a bride. When an invitation to the Masquerade — an illicit club where members carry on affairs in complete anonymity — arrives on his doorstep, it seems like a last chance to revel in bachelorhood. But after he meets the mysterious Selene, he gets more than he bargained for.She is keeping a secret identityEmma Dumont is a commoner with desires far too lofty for her station — including a hopeless infatuation with Lord Kent, her employer. When she overhears his plans to attend the Masquerade, she decides to act: go under the guise of a lady, seduce him, and spend one night in his arms. As it turns out, one night isn't enough.The arrangement is supposed to be straightforward: anonymous lovemaking, no attachments. But matters of the heart are a lot more complicated...A Touch Wicked is a novella in the Private Arrangements series. It can be read as a standalone.

Captive of Sin


Anna Campbell - 2009
    He's dismayed to discover that she's none other than Lady Charis Weston, England's wealthiest heiress—and that the only way to save her from the violent stepbrothers determined to steal her fortune is to wed her himself! Now Gideon must hide the dark secrets of his life from the bride he desires more with every heartbeat. She promised to show him how to love—and desire—again.Charis has heard all about Gideon, the dangerously handsome hero with the mysterious past. She's grateful for his help but utterly unwilling to endure a marriage of convenience—especially to a man whose touch leaves her breathless. Desperate to drive him mad with passion, she would do anything to make Gideon lose control—and fall captive to irresistible, undeniable sin.

The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne


Elisa Braden - 2015
    And it is—perfectly boring. Agree to marry a lord who has yet to inspire a single, solitary tingle? Why, of course. Smile as though this is not the thousandth time he’s mentioned hounds and hunting? It’s all in a day’s work for the oh-so-proper sister of the Duke of Blackmore. Surely no one would suspect her secret longing for heart-racing, head-spinning passion. Except, perhaps, a dark stranger… on a terrace… at a ball where she should definitely not be kissing a man she has only just met.The obsession that leads to ruin…Hatred, not love, drives Lucien Wyatt, Viscount Atherbourne, to tempt the “Flower of Blackmore” into sin. Her brother has done unthinkable damage to Lucien’s family, and he intends to exact revenge in the only way left to him: Ruining his enemy’s sister, then stealing her from Blackmore by making her his own.The woman who will set fire to her husband’s heart…As Lucien carries out his ruthless plan, tutoring his new bride in the finer points of pleasure, her surrender leaves him breathless… and soon a new obsession awakens—a scandalous fascination with his irresistible wife.

To Steal a Heart


K.C. Bateman - 2016
    Under cover of night, the tightrope-walking thief puts her skills to good use—until her aerial stunt is foiled when her target appears in the window and, with consummate poise, helps Marianne off the wire and into his lair. The tremors that run through her body are not just from fear; there’s an unwanted frisson of desire there, too. But is it because of her elegant, wickedly handsome host . . . or his proposition? Nicolas Valette has had plans for his graceful trespasser since he witnessed her unique skills at the Cirque Olympique. Sinuous as a cat, Marianne is perfect for his next mission, but she refuses his generous offer for fear of disobeying her family’s tormenter. When their mutual enemy auctions off her virginity to the highest bidder, Nicolas leaps at the chance to purchase her cooperation. Keeping her will be like trying to tame a wild animal, but what’s life without a little risk? Besides, Nicolas and Marianne both want the same thing: revenge—and, perhaps, something else that’s equally delicious. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

How to Dance with a Duke


Manda Collins - 2012
    But the rules of her father’s exclusive academic society forbid her entrance unless she weds one of its members. To clear her ailing father’s name of a scandalous rumor, Cecily needs to gain admission into the Egyptian Club—and is willing to marry any old dullard to do it.Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson, is anything but dull. He’s a dashing and decorated war hero determined to help Cecily—even if that means looking the other way when she claims the dance card of Amelia Snow, this season’s most sought-after beauty. But Lucas has a reason for wanting Cecily to join the Egyptian Club: His brother went missing during one of Lord Hurston’s expeditions to Egypt. An alliance with the explorer’s bluestocking daughter could bring Lucas closer to the truth about what happened…or it could lead him to a more dangerous love than either he or Cecily could have imagined…

The Pirate Lord


Sabrina Jeffries - 1998
    His men are tired of wandering the high seas and want to settle down with wives on the uncharted island paradise they've discovered. And the women are bound to be grateful to be rescued from the life of drudgery awaiting them in New South Wales . . . Lord, he's so clever! A Splendid Passion Married? To pirates? Sara Willis couldn't be more appalled. First she demands proper courting—at least a month. The darkly handsome pirate lord gives them two weeks. Then Sara insists the men vacate their huts for the women—Gideon demands her kisses in return. As the demands heat up, so do their passions—and soon Sara can't remember just why she's fighting the devilishly seductive captain so hard. . .

Captive Mistress


Deborah LeVarre - 1983
    But before she knew it, the luscious stowaway drifted asleep--and awoke to the hard, flinty glare of Captain Michael Lancer. Christy trembled when he threatened to send her to a watery grave, but she was utterly terrified when he decreed she would pay for her passage with nothing less than her private services in the captain's cabin!ECSTASY'S SLAVEWith his chiseled features and manly build, Michael Lancer never lacked for feminine attention. But when he saw the tempting, petite Christy, she shattered his control and ravaged his resolve to never touch an unwilling woman. Something in the way her lips pouted and her hips swayed drove him mad with desire. And when she refused to succumb to his sensual charms, Michael had no choice but to claim her forever and make her his own CAPTIVE MISTRESS

Beauty And The Baron


Deborah Hale - 2003
    Beauty And The Baron by Deborah Hale released on Apr 24, 2003 is available now for purchase.

Kisses, She Wrote


Katharine Ashe - 2013
    . .Handsome as sin and scandalously rakish, Cam Westfall, the Earl of Bedwyr, is every young lady's wickedest dream. Shy wallflower Princess Jacqueline of Sensaire knows this better than anyone, because her dreams are full of the breathtaking earl's kisses. And not only her dreams—her diary, too.But when Cam discovers the maiden's not-so-maidenly diary, will her wildest Christmas wishes be fulfilled in its pages . . . or in his arms?