Book picks similar to
A Fateful Connection: A Short Regency by Elizabeth Bailey
historical-romance
short-story
free-digital-book
historical-fiction
His Lady Smuggler
Tamara Gill - 2015
But before she can embark on her new life, May must complete her dealings with the local smugglers, men who have kept a roof over her family’s head during frugal times. One last Christmas at home and her life would change forever. So when William Scott, the Earl of Grandison arrives and crumbles her perfectly planned future to rubble, May is less than pleased. William, Lord Grandison works for the Crown, and is determined to catch the nuisance Englishmen who dare smuggle along the Cornwall coast. William has never veered from his pursuit of these men working against the law, that was until he meets May Stanford, the maddening daughter of his host for Christmas. May drives him to distraction and forces him to admit to feelings he has never felt before. But when May and William discover the crippling truth of each other, their secrets will threaten to tear them apart.
Gentlemen Always Play Fair
Cheryl Bolen - 2016
Unaware of the tales of Lord Stacks' wickedness, Freddie Lambeth comes to live with her guardian, and through his caring blossoms from a plain, shabbily dressed girl to a lovely young woman. Freddie and Lord Stacks come to need each other as his flowers need sunshine, but Stacks cannot allow himself to love her. His own wickedness has destroyed any chance for happiness. HIGHLANDER IN HER BED by Allie Mackay Tour guide Mara MacDougall stops at a London antique shop-and spots perhaps the handsomest bed ever. Then she bumps into the handsomest man ever. Soon Mara can't forget the irresistible-if haughty-Highlander. Not even when she learns that she's inherited a Scottish castle. Spectral Sir Alexander Douglas has hated the Clan MacDougall since he was a medieval knight and they tricked him into a curse-the curse of forever haunting the bed (the very one that Mara now owns) that was once intended for his would-be bride. But Mara makes him feel what no other MacDougall has-a passion that he never knew he'd missed. MY HIGHLAND LORD by Tarah Scott London Heiress kidnapped by the Marquess of Ashlund, read the headlines. Yet no one tried to save her. British spy Phoebe Wallington searches for answers to exonerate her father of treason. Her quest veers off course when she's kidnapped by suspected traitor Kiernan MacGregor, the Marquess of Ashlund. But someone wants him dead…and Phoebe stands in the killer's way. The only way to save her reputation and protect Kiernan is to marry him. MY LADY THE SPY by Barbara Devlin Can the mind forget what the eyes have seen? L’araignee, The Spider, is England’s most notorious spy--and Lady Rebecca Wentworth’s alter ego. After her partner in espionage is killed in the line of duty, Rebecca returns to London, only to discover a traitor has compromised the war effort from the highest levels of the vaunted Counterintelligence Corps. To lure the villain into the open, Rebecca embarks on a new mission, acting as prey for a dangerous enemy. But it is the handsome former Navy captain tasked with her safety that presents the greatest threat, when she falls in love. THE WICKED LADY by Brenda Jernigan The Thief When Trevor Claremont was blind-sided by a pickpocket on the docks beside his clipper ship, he tracked down the culprit--only to face a feisty, emerald-eyed beauty who stirred his hungriest desires. Seeing a solution to his pressing problem of finding a bride to please his dying grandmother, he offered her a deal: marriage to him...or prison, never imaging that this little cut-purse would also steal his heart. The Sea Captain Kristen Johnstone realized she’d been outfoxed by this handsome Englishman and reluctantly agreed to a marriage in name only. Soon, she traded rags for resplendent gowns, black alleys for drawing rooms, and fury for fiery passion in the arms of her new husband. But when the scandalous secrets of her past came to light, she would risk everything, including her heart to save a love more precious than gold.
Loren's Hope
Jean L. Kuhnke - 2015
Loren is perceived as a child as thin as a rail with mud caked hair when Old Tom and his boys come across Thad Walters on their way to town. Rather than take the chance that Miss Pearl won't offer him enough money for a visit at Pearl's brothel, Old Tom decides to convince Thad to buy her. Thad knew that he would do everything in his power to get the child away from the men that had her tied behind their horse half dragging her to town. When he finally payed them enough to get four steak dinners and one roll in the hay for Old Tom, he took her to his ranch planning to take the child to the next town where she could be taken in by a good family. To his surprise, when she got all the mud off, he found her to be a beautiful woman, not a child at all.
To Claim Her Heart
Jodie Wolfe - 2018
Finding property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased fiancée. He hasn't counted on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the homesteading know-how he is sadly lacking. Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith's only hope for survival, and not just any plot, she has a specific one in mind. The land's not only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for herself. She's willing to put in whatever it takes to get that piece of property, and Elsie's determined to keep it. Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has no intentions of allowing that preacher to lay claim to her land . . . or her heart. Written for the General Market (G) (I): Contains little or no; sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language. May also contain some content of an inspirational/religious nature. Similar novels in this genre may be categorized as: historical romance, inspirational historical romance, christian romance, and wholesome historical romance.
When It Rained at Hembry Castle
Meredith Allard - 2021
When the 8th Earl of Staton dies, his eldest son, the unreliable Richard, inherits the title and the family’s home—Hembry Castle. The Earl's niece, the American-born Daphne, is intrigued by Edward Ellis, a rising author with a first-hand knowledge of Hembry Castle—from the servants’ hall. And Edward, though captivated by the lovely Daphne, has his own hurdles he must overcome. Can Richard come to terms with his title before bringing ruin on his family? Will Edward and Daphne find their way to each other despite the obstacles of life at Hembry Castle? When It Rained at Hembry Castle is a page-turning, romantic novel with vivid characters and an engrossing story that will keep you guessing until the end.
That First Montana Year
Donna L. Scofield - 2015
But she's a minister’s daughter and pregnant. To save embarrassment for the families, and hoping a fresh start will help them become the sweethearts they were before, B’Anne agrees to leave everyone and everything she knows and go with Will to the Montana Territory. They hope Will's uncle Hiram, whom he has never met, will guide them in their homesteading. Uncle Hiram welcomes Will, but treats B’Anne coolly until he realizes she isn’t a “frills and furbelows” girl. Although Will seems to care for B’Anne, she loses her confidence when she discovers a letter from Will's former sweetheart. Will's secrecy threatens to build a wall between them. Spring arrives, and with it the promise of renewal. But is B’Anne's hope for a fresh start enough to sustain the young couple through the years of hard living under that big Montana sky?
A Rancher's Woman
E. Ayers - 2013
A series of events soon prove she’s capable of standing on her own two feet. However, she’s not prepared to follow her heart and accept marriage from the one man who truly loves her. Many Feathers' chance encounter with a blue-eyed blonde woman sets him on a path that lands him between the white man's ways and the traditions of his people. Determined to protect his people and prove his worthiness as a suitable husband to a white woman, he stakes claim to land and establishes a ranch. But there's one outlaw focused on destroying Many Feathers and everything he's trying to accomplish.
The Ravished Rose
Suzanne Quill - 2016
Instead, she is brutally attacked, forcing her to flee London and abandon her hopes for the future. Allan Ridgefield, Earl of Ridgecrest, no longer has a need for love, having had his heart crushed two days before his wedding when his childhood sweetheart fell from her horse and died. Ten years later, he desperately seeks a marriage of convenience in order to meet the terms of his father’s will and retain his estates and title.
Sinful Pleasures
Kristi Jun - 2018
Giles, she cursed the day she let a man dictate her life...Amelia Knight was given the chance to start anew in Scotland to live with her wealthy grandmother but not without a price. She must never reveal her past to anyone and must marry for a title to have access to her very large inheritance. To secure a husband, she heads to the glamourous Regency London with a plan to ensure her independence and risks everything she vowed never to do: fall in love.Born to privilege, he is forced back to London to remedy the family debt and shame and to fulfill a deathbed promise to his beloved brother...Emotionally scarred and devastatingly handsome, Richard, the Earl Blackthorn, saw the horrors of a broken marriage first-hand. He has no plan to marry or remain in London. When an heiress devises a plan that will ensure their freedom from marriage in two years and pay off his inherited debt, he agrees to marry. Until an unknown threat forces him to face the one question he isn’t willing to consider and open his heart to new possibilities.
When a Lord Loves a Lady: The Honorable Rogues Collection, 1-5
Collette Cameron - 2019
Familiar tropes fill the pages of these historical page-turners, including second chances, friends to lovers, tortured military heroes, ugly ducklings, and unrequited love. Misunderstandings, self-doubts, secrets, shadowed pasts, and antagonists you'll long to clobber, have the flawed, but charming characters, trotting headlong into romantic mayhem. Will the heroes' and heroines' fledgling love survive the tumult? Oh, such chaos and conflict reign for these lords and ladies, which means scrumptious, satisfying historical romance stories you must read in one sitting! Caution: This five-book set contains unconventional, frequently head-strong Regency misses, lords you'll want to hug and smack upside their handsome heads, a cast of secondary characters from utterly charming to dastardly, and more than one spoiled feline with superior airs. Buy this charming Regency Romances collection of heartwarming happily ever afters for delightful, romantic escapes into Regency England's historical past. A Kiss for a Rogue: Can a beautiful spinster trust love again? Especially if the same man asks? A sweet story of love relinquished and redeemed as once betrothed Allen Wimpleton and Olivia Kingsley meet again after a three year separation only to discover their love is stronger than ever. A Bride for a Rogue: When is love not enough? A clumsy noblewoman resigned to spinsterhood determines to win the heart of the man she's loved since girlhood-a penniless soldier who returns from India, a disfigured and disillusioned. A Rogue's Scandalous Wish: A marriage offer obligated by duty; an acceptance compelled by desperation. A stolen moonlight kiss, the threat of a duel, and the subsequent scandal result in a compulsory marriage offer and an equally unenthusiastic acceptance. To Capture a Rogue's Heart: Could you give up what you're most passionate about forever? When a privateer-turned-duke enlists help finding a bride from a woman intended for another, neither is prepared for the resulting havoc. The Rogue and the Wallflower: He loved her beyond anything and everything-precisely why he couldn't ever marry her. Since an explosion ravaged Captain Morgan Le Draco's face, he's fortified himself behind an impenetrable rampart of cynicism and distrust. Scorned and ridiculed most of her adult life, Shona, Lady Atterberry is reconciled to spinsterhood, until Morgan saves her life, and neither can deny the immediate, powerful, and sensual attraction that sparks between them.
Miranda's Dilemma
Natasha Blackthorne - 2015
Scorned by her ducal father and determined to attain everything that life has denied her due to an accident of birth, she’s not about to let this arrogant earl stop her.Adrian Sutherland, the Earl of Danvers, saw his father destroyed by a heartless, predatory courtesan. He has no time or patience for such exotic, expensive ladybirds. He’s far too busy restoring his family’s wealth and reputation whilst doing what he can to protect his friends from the clutches of all the scheming courtesans of London.Then a moment of compassion turns intense dislike to breathless passion, and these two strong-willed, fiercely proud people are compelled to indulge in a brief affair. Each is convinced that they can satisfy their craving for the other without emotional risk.But neither realizes that a little dalliance can be a dangerous thing.Reader Advisory: This is an erotic historical romance and it contains frank sexual language and period appropriate sexual slang, frequent sexual scenes and descriptions and general bedchamber naughtiness. The characters discuss abuse issues from their backstories during the course of their developing relationship. For Adults 18 & Over Only.
Forbidden: A Regency Box Set
Rachel Van Dyken - 2014
She enjoys her life and, apart from a rather snobbish mama, she is happy with her lot. Imagine her consternation then when her world is turned upside down by the brooding and aloof Mr. Brandon Haverton! Mariah and Brandon are forced to endure each other’s company more than either wants to when a snowstorm traps them in the same house. They argue, they bang heads and they drive each other insane. But something precious is blooming beneath the surface of all that ice. Something neither looks for but both need. Can love melt the snow around Brandon’s cold heart? Can Mariah be brave enough to take a leap of faith? And can a Winter Wish help bring two souls together forever? For the Love of a Lady-By Kristin Vayden Lady Esther Flanguard is all of the above… but that’s all about to change soon. Because, Essie has a plan. And it’s sure to work brilliantly. The only thing standing in her way is trying to convince Cross—her best friend’s brother—to go along with it. Lord Crossby, Cross to those who know him well, knows that Essie’s plan is not a good idea. What Essie doesn’t know, is that he’s been in love with her for years. He refuses to leave this second chance left to fate. He lost her once, and plans to never lose her again. So, knowing he’ll risk his heart, he agrees to play along with her disastrous plan. Silently vowing, that though Essie might be pretending…he isn’t, and this time he’s playing for keeps. Cloaked in Red:A Shattered Fairy Tale-By Kelly Martin Frederick Dodsworth has no desire to find love at Anthony Wexley's Christmas gathering. Yet when he lays his eyes on the beautiful Rebecca for the first time, he is beyond smitten. Lust turns to love. Love turns to jealousy. Jealousy turns to betrayal. How did Frederick Dodsworth become the most evil man in Darenset? Simple. It started with a kiss. The Devil Duke Takes a Bride-By Rachel Van Dyken Who said being bad wasn't oh so good? Benedict Devlyn, Duke of Banbury, has one thing on his mind and it isn't marriage. But things take a turn for the worse when his menacing aunt throws a hitch in his plans to remain the most sinful and talked about man in the ton. After all, a man cannot keep the reputation of being The Devil Duke when he is leg-shackled to some simpering spinster. But his aunt, bless her heart, thinks she's dying, and believes her nephew's behavior is the only thing standing in the way between her entrance to heaven or hell. So she very lovingly and selflessly sets him up. With his childhood nemesis. A young woman who, though she claims it was an accident, has nearly killed him thrice through her lack of grace and manners. It matters not that the minute he sets eyes on her at the Christmas ball, his blood boils with lust. He refuses to allow himself to fall prey to his aunt's ministrations. That is, until he is compromised and stuck in an engagement to a girl who claims she'd rather jump from a moving carriage than marry him. Funny thing that, for the very minute she says no, he finds his heart very much wants to say yes. When she doesn't leap at the chance to marry him, he sets about to not only prove that he's worthy of her favor, but also worthy of her heart.
Duke of Christmas
Ellie St. Clair - 2019
When she learns the man she hasn’t met in years has been avoiding her in order to pass his time in pursuit of pleasure, she becomes determined to break all ties. Lionel Harrington has shirked his responsibilities as Duke of Ware since inheriting the title in his school days. Now a grown man, he would prefer to put off the inevitable and simply enjoy life for as long as he can, not caring about the consequences that may come. Until one night in the drawing room at a ball, Lionel is captivated by the woman he has avoided for so long. Suddenly the man who cares for nothing finds himself searching out an invitation to the St. James house party. Christmastide takes on a whole new meaning as he sets out to win over his future wife. For readers 18+ due to some steamy scenes.
The Bride Prize
Emma Prince - 2016
In order to earn a spot on his Jarl’s voyage, he must compete against his fellow Northmen in games of strength and skill. But when he learns that the prize for winning the competition is the hand of the dark-haired beauty he met only days ago, will he be forced to choose between his dreams and his heart? Eyva wants nothing more than to train as a shieldmaiden, but her parents refuse, hoping to yoke her to their Northland farm forever. When they put her up as the bride prize for their village’s festivities, she fears she will never escape the fate of a grueling life on her parents’ farm. But Tarr’s longing gaze and soft kisses just might give her the courage to fight for herself—and for their budding love. *This is a novella in the Viking Lore series and features all the beloved characters from Enthralled, Shieldmaiden’s Revenge, and Desire’s Hostage. Although it is meant to take place between Shieldmaiden’s Revenge (Book 2) and Desire’s Hostage (Book 3), it can be read as a stand-alone novella. **This novella was originally published in the Sirens of the Northern Seas collection in January, 2016.
The Spinsters Guild: A Sweet Regency Romance Boxset
Rose Pearson - 2020
That is, until Lady Emily, a widow, returns to society and finds herself in a position to help these ladies find love and happiness.Book 1 – A New BeginningEmily, a widow, returns to society with a new attitude. Admired by some “almost on the shelf” ladies, they ask for her help in finding husbands. Then an old beau is begging her to consider his courtship. Can Emily help others find love, and have a chance at love herself?Book 2 – The Disgraced BrideMiss Emma Bavidge can barely make her way through society without someone whispering about her. Her father’s disgrace has ruined her reputation and left her struggling in society. Her one hope is Lady Emily Smithton, who leads ‘The Spinsters Guild' and has promised to help. Book 3 – A Gentleman’s RevengeMiss Sarah Crosby is considered to be a spinster. Helping her cousin, Sophia, with her debut, she is attracted to Sophia’s suitor, Lord Ruddington. Lord Ruddington has a secret and a desire for revenge. Will he able to enact his revenge? Or will Sarah stop him?Book 4 – A Foolish WagerLady Amelia is forever burdened with an injured leg, a consequence of a fall from a tree. Lord Montague is blackmailed into a wager and is forced to court Lady Amelia to win the bet of making Lady Amelia fall in love with him. He soon realizes his mistake. But what can he do when so much is at stake?Book 5 – A Lord UndoneLady Beatrice's father said her mother played him false, and now she can barely lift her head in society. While hiding from society in a bookshop, she discovers a mysterious note in a book. She takes it home and becomes entwined in a mystery that changes her life!The Spinsters Guild series features Lady Emily Smithton as something of a matchmaker for a group of unusual ladies who are almost “on the shelf.” Can Lady Emily help them find their perfect match? Get your copy today!