Book picks similar to
Her Enemy at the Altar by Virginia Heath


historical-romance
romance
regency
historical

Merely Married


Patricia Coughlin - 1998
    Life for Adrian Devereau, the sixth duke of Raven, was flawless, but for one nagging detail.  Try as he did to live down to his reputation as the Wicked Lord Raven, the ladies persisted in viewing him as desirable husband material.  So he conceived a bold solution to foil them once and for all--he would marry a woman on her deathbed and adopt the role of grieving widower.  He even found a most suitable wife: Leah Stretton, overtaken by a sudden illness while journeying to London.  But with Leah's "miraculous" recovery, Adrian found himself properly wedded to a beauty as headstrong as she was healthy.  Now his only chance at freedom was playing her game.  More adept at writing about romance and adventure than living it, Leah could not permit a new family scandal to ruin her sister's launch into society.  If Adrian played her devoted husband, she would grant him an annulment later.  There was only one rule: neither of them could fall in love.  Of course, rules were made to be broken.

It Takes Two to Tangle


Theresa Romain - 2013
    Wounded and battle weary, he decides that the right wife is all he needs. Selecting the most desirable lady in the ton, Henry turns to her best friend and companion to help him with his suit…Is a Terrible Mistake…Young and beautiful, war widow Frances Whittier is no stranger to social intrigue. She finds Henry Middlebrook courageous and manly, unlike the foppish aristocrats she is used to, and is inspired to exercise her considerable wit on his behalf. But she may be too clever for her own good, and Frances discovers that she has set in motion a complicated train of events that’s only going to break her own heart…

Noble Intentions


Katie MacAlister - 2002
    This time he intended to marry a quiet, biddable woman who would not draw attention to herself or cause scandal. Gillian Leigh's honest manner and spontaneous laughter attracted him immediately. It mattered little that she was accident-prone; he could provide the structure necessary to guide her.But unconventional to the tips of her half-American toes―toes that one of them was constantly tripping over―his new bride turned the tables on him, wreaking havoc on his orderly life. And worse, demanding he surrender his heart. Perpetually one step behind his beguiling spouse, Noble suffered a banged-up head, a black eye, and a broken nose before he realized Gillian had healed his soul and proved that their union was no heedless tumble, but the swoon of true love.

Once and Always


Judith McNaught - 1987
    Bewildered by his arrogance yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she senses the painful memories that smolder in his eyes. When he gathers her at last into his arms, arousing a sweet, insistent hunger, they wed and are embraced by fierce, consuming joy -- free from the past's cruel grasp. Then, in a moment of anguish, Victoria discovers the treachery at the heart of their love . . . a love she had dreamed would triumph not just once, but always.

Miss Billings Treads the Boards


Carla Kelly - 1993
    But beautiful Kate was an impoverished orphan—and her only escape from a lecherous employer's embraces was to go upon the stage. It was dangerous enough that a charming French playwright wanted her as his leading lady, and an ambitious impresario demanded that she bare her charms to an eager audience. But when a magnificent marquess, Lord Henry Grayson, proposed that she join him in a masquerade of mating in a mock marriage, Kate found that putting on an act in public could be even more perilous in private...if the act was an act of love....

Three Schemes and a Scandal


Maya Rodale - 2012
    . . a compromising positionLady Charlotte Brandon is always up to something . . . but somehow her best schemes for matchmaking often end in disaster.Scheme: A family feud, outrageously false rumors, a shattered priceless vase . . . an even more compromising positionIt's no wonder she's considered by at least one devastatingly handsome man to be devious, destructive, and dangerously appealing.Scheme: A fox, a rabbit, a childhood foe, and a dashing rogue . . . the proposal to end all proposalsIt's high time someone turned the tables on the lovely Lady Charlotte, and James Beauchamp is just the man to do it. Even if it means beating Charlotte at her devious game with a scandalous scheme of his own.

The Soldier's Dark Secret


Marguerite Kaye - 2015
    If only he could just as easily put aside the tortured memories he carries deep within; Perhaps enchanting French artist Celeste Marmion might be the distraction he so desperately craves?Except Celeste harbors secrets of her own, and questions that she needs Jack's help to solve! With Celeste's every touch an exquisite temptation, how close can Jack get without revealing his darkest secret of all?Comrades in ArmsWar heroes, heartbreakers & husbands?

Waltzing with the Earl


Catherine Tinley - 2017
    Wealthy and beautiful Henrietta Buxted should be the perfect candidate. So why does his eye keep wandering to her quiet cousin, Charlotte Wyncroft?Charlotte watches Henrietta's games of courtship with wry amusement. That is, until a stolen dance reveals a hidden side to the earl. Penniless Charlotte knows she's far from a suitable match, yet, in Adam's arms, she can dream of the happily-ever-after she's always wanted!

The Lover


Robin Schone - 2000
    But her plain looks mask a passionate woman who yearns to know a man's intimate caresses. Michel des Anges- Michael of the Angels- is renowned for his ability to bring women pleasure. All it will cost her is ten thousand pounds...Driven by vengeance, ravaged by tragedy, Michael seeks to lose himself in a woman who will demand only physical pleasure. A woman who won't suspect his own aching needs- or his true motive for accepting her terms. Unable to resist the lure of her guileless desire, he plunges her into a deadly web of deception and revenge where the price of carnal ecstacy is life itself...

Not Quite Married


Betina Krahn - 1983
    . . who won’t really be a husband?Having rejected his own father’s title and fortune, shipbuilder Aaron Durham vows to find a way to finance his dreams. But what is a charming scapegrace to do when a desperate young lady and a small fortune fall into his lap . . . with a shocking condition attached?One irresistible night of passion will change their destinies.  Touch by touch, kiss by kiss, they fall deeper into a love large enough to span continents . . . strong enough to overcome deception . . . and sweet enough to make them forget that they have been.

The Weaver Takes a Wife


Sheri Cobb South - 1999
    When her father gambles away his fortune, the duke's only chance for recouping his losses lies in marrying off Lady Helen to any man wealthy enough to take a bride with nothing to recommend her but a lovely face and an eight-hundred-year-old pedigree. Enter Mr. Ethan Brundy, once an illegitimate workhouse orphan, now owner of a Lancashire textile mill and one of England's richest men. When he glimpses Lady Helen at Covent Garden Theatre, he is instantly smitten and vows to marry her. But this commonest of commoners will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to win the heart of his aristocratic bride.

Devil's Desire


Laurie McBain - 1975
    SEARING PASSION ... ENDURING LOVEIn a rousing, unforgettable saga that sweeps across the valleys and peaks of human destiny, the stormy alliance of beautiful young Lady Elysia Demarice and Lord Alex Trevegne plumbs the depths of raw human emotion -- lust, jealousy and hate -- for though Lord Alex has married Elysia, he cannot possess her in flesh or spirit. Out of the turbulence of their clashing wills comes one of the greatest love stories ever written, as their twin passions mingle at last, in a rippling tide of liquid fire!

Bound by Your Touch


Meredith Duran - 2009
    Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne's golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath...and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within—in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.

The Prince of Midnight


Laura Kinsale - 1990
    Maitland, nobleman and highwayman, who was once known as the Prince of Midnight. Hiding in a crumbling castle in France, with a tame wolf as his pet, the hero is deaf in one ear, suffers from vertigo, and seems revoltingly sentimental to the stoic Leigh. But he joins her quest and together they begin to emerge from their individual suffering ...

Defying the Dashing Duke


Ella Edon - 2020
    When the gentleman of her dreams is issued to wed her older sister, Charlotte is truly devastated. Getting caught with him in a compromising position may be a devious way to prevent their marriage, but surely it was all an accident. Or was it not?With a preference for blondes, Kenneth Blackmore, Duke of Rutherford, could have any lady he wanted begging on her knees. Many a woman has cried for him, but only a plain-looking brunette that Kenneth truly cared for. Even if that meant staying away from her forever…Now intended for a loveless union with Charlotte’s sister, Kenneth no longer has to fear for his family’s curse. But when fate’s wicked games condemn him to marry Charlotte instead, he must soon find a way to break the spell.For being in love with his wife can be very dangerous…A scandal brought them together, another one will tear them apart…"Defying the Dashing Duke" is a Historical Regency romance novel of more than 80,000 words (around 440 pages). STANDALONE, no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.