Book picks similar to
The Emperor's New Clothes by Victoria Alexander


historical-romance
romance
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historical

Wildest Dreams


Jennifer Blake - 1992
    Joletta tries to track down the formula through journals written by her ancestress, Violet Fossier, who in 1854 made a grand tour of Europe. As Joletta follows Violet's itinerary across the continent, the story goes back in time, to nineteenth- century Europe and a scandalous love affair that is intimately bound up in the mystery of the perfume. In the present Joletta finds herself attracted to--and suspicious of--Rone Adamson, a Southern playboy whose astounding knowledge of perfume makes Joletta wary. Yet his chivalrous charms prove too much for her scruples, and Jolettta succumbs to her dubious white knight, even as danger swirls around them....A Main Selection of the Doubelday Book ClubFrom the Paperback edition.

Knights


Linda Lael Miller - 1996
    Gregory, whom she has not seen since childhood. She is stunned to discover that he has returned with a betrothed; beautiful Gloriana is to be cast into a nunnery. Dane's mysterious sister-in-law, Elaina, counsels her to win Dane's heart or see the entire Kenbrook line imperiled.Entranced by her passionate will, he cannot resist Gloriana's potent charm, while she falls ever more deeply in love with Dane, her valiant swordsman. But their newfound happiness is brief — suddenly, Gloriana is swept across the chasm of time to a dazzling future. Trapped centuries apart, Gloriana and Dane suffer the torment of their longing, knowing that only their love for one another and the strength of their desire can reunite them at last.

The Runaway McBride


Elizabeth Thornton - 2009
    He did, however, once have a lover he later dubbed Faithless McBride. For eight years, he'd suppressed thoughts of Faith McBride's abandonment with whiskey and women. That is, until visions of her imminent death started to haunt him. Only James can save her from a killer; but can Faith trust the one man who destroyed her faith in love?

The Love Killers


Jackie Collins - 1974
    Beth, Lara and Rio -- three exotic women with a common cause and vengeance in their hearts.They're out to avenge a murder and they'll go to any lengths. Their targets: the heirs of the Bassalino crime family. Their weapon: sex. The result: a bloodbath of sexual mayhem through the lethal corridors of organized crime.Three beautiful women set out to prove that when it comes to revenge, the female is far deadlier than the male -- especially when they're "THE LOVE KILLERS. . .

Because of You


Cathy Maxwell - 1999
    She never dreamed her orderly life would be turned upside down when a mysterious stranger came knocking on her door one stormy night. And, when they were found in a compromising position, she found herself marrying a man she barely knew...but couldn't resist.A NOT SO CONVENIENT MARRIAGEWhat Samantha doesn't know is that her unknown bridegroom is Yale Carderock, the disinherited son of a duke, banished by his father years before. Now the prodigal has returned—rich, but only somewhat reformed. Yale is bewitched by his bride's innocent fire, and he knows he's powerless to resist her awakening sensuality. But is this outcast from society worthy of her tendor love?

To Tempt a Saint


Kate Moore - 2010
    Though Xander, Will and Kit may not be legitimate in the eyes of the aristocracy, their mother made sure that they each received a gentleman's education and knew how to make their way in the world...Despite being knighted for saving the Prince Regent's life, Sir Alexander Jones will never truly be accepted by the nobility. But if he's to find his long lost brother, Xander must win the first willing heiress he can find— and obtain the funds he needs to search London's darkest corners.Slandered and denied her rightful inheritance by the machinations of her unscrupulous uncle, Cleo Spencer has been living on a farm with only a meager stipend to support her and her brother. Only by marrying can Cleo access her funds and provide her younger brother the life he deserves.

Love Lessons


Cheryl Holt - 2001
    But Abigail's lack of experience with the opposite sex means that she cannot allay her sister's fears about the marriage bed--unless she takes bold steps to learn what the intimacy between a man and woman entails. Yet the one man in London qualified to teach her awakens temptation Abigail never anticipated--to experience each whispered pleasure for herself...James Stevens--wealthy, dissolute, and wholeheartedly bored by London society--believe nothing can shock him. While Abigail's request for a verbal explanation of the pleasures of the flesh is mildly surprising, what amazes James is his powerful reaction to her innocence and lush beauty. A sexual dalliance between them may bring untold carnal bliss, but anything more would ruin Abigail forever. And for the first time in his life, James suspects that mere physical intimacy pales in the face of true love...

Pure Sin


Susan Johnson - 1994
    It made no difference that she'd only just met the exotic half-blood or that he was the scandal of polite society. Flora had never lived according to anybody's rules, and the instant she felt the heat of Adam's savage passion, the only thing that mattered was that she wanted him.PURE SEDUCTIONAdam Serre couldn't help but be wary. Lady Flora was quite spectacular, with her daring beauty and delicious conversation, but the noble daughter of a famed archaeologist did not fall into the category of amorous interludes. And after just extricating himself from a vicious marriage, his interest in women was purely transitory. Until the incomparable Flora set out to seduce him with a temptation that was ... Pure Sin.

The Gunslinger


Lorraine Heath - 1999
    A road-weary gunslinger with a ruthless reputation, he focuses only on his next target—and his next payday. That is, until a young boy offers Chance everything he owns—a piece of string, a harmonica, and a bent penny—if he'll save his sister from a couple of thugs. Chance agrees, only to discover that the beautiful, fierce young woman in need of rescue is actually the very person he's been hunting: his next mark.But after he saves her, Lillian Madison awakens in him long-buried dreams and possibilities. Facing the demons of his past, Chance is forced to question his next move. Dare he risk everything by following his heart … and trust that the road to redemption begins with Lillian?Originally appeared in the print anthology To Tame a Texan, under the title Long Stretch of Lonesome.

Wildest Dreams


Rosanne Bittner - 1994
    She doesn't believe she can escape the pain of innocence lost, or feel desire for any man…until she meets Luke Fontaine.Haunted by his own secrets, Luke would never blame Lettie for what happened in the past. One glance at the pretty redhead is enough to fill the handsome, hard-driving pioneer with a savage hunger.Against relentless snows, murderous desperadoes, and raiding Sioux, Luke and Lettie will face a heartrending choice: abandon a lawless land before it destroys them, or fight for their Wildest Dreams. An emotional saga from the "QUEEN OF WESTERN HISTORICAL ROMANCE" that will captivate fans of Debra Holland, Jodi Thomas, Diana Palmer, and Linda Lael Miller. What readers are saying about Wildest Dreams:"I laughed and cried and mourned the end of this wonderful adventure!" "This is my idea of what love, marriage and family should be like." "This book kept me thinking long after I had read the last page." "I have not read a historical romance in years, and years. But, this one sucked me right in." "If I were stranded on an island and could only take 5 books with me, this would be one."What reviewers are saying about Wildest Dreams:"It's a rip-roaring soap opera that lets the reader follow a couple's life together over the course of 25 years." "Anyone seeking an emotional, sweeping Western saga need look no further…" "I was swept away into Luke and Lettie's story and loved every re-reading minute of it, and they and their story has stayed with me again long after I have finished." "Books like this aren't being published in the romance genre anymore — and it's a damn cryin' shame." "In my opinion this book was everything a good western romance should be."What everyone is saying about RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award–winning and USA Today bestselling Author Rosanne Bittner:"Power, passion, tragedy, and triumph are Rosanne Bittner's hallmarks. Again and again, she brings readers to tears." "The strong flavor of the Wild West combines with a beautiful love story, creating a true saga of the era." "Ms. Bittner has a way of bringing the pages and characters to life which pulled me right in from page one and I hated having to put it down for even one second." "If you like authentic American West romances with in depth characterizations Rosanne Bittner is your author." "Rosanne Bittner has a way of weaving a story into your heart so that you can't help but love the characters and feel like you truly know them!" "We are very lucky to be living during a time when the TRUEE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL ROMANCE…keeps delivering epic novels that are forever engraved in our hearts."

The Judas Kiss


Victoria Holt - 1981
    But Pippa returned to find the truth behind her sister's mysterious death. And suddenly the fairy-tale kindgom glittered with evil and danger . . .

New Orleans Legacy


Alexandra Ripley - 1987
    Nothing in sixteen-year-old Mary MacAllistair's years in a convent school had prepared her for the mysterious box left to her by the mother she had never known. The name and address carved beneath the lid and its enigmatic contents were her only clues to her real identity, but enough to light a ragging desire to find her family and her past. Thus Mary would begin an unforgettable journey to that town of irrepressible hopes and dangerous dreams --- New Orleans. Here from an exotic bordello to an antebellum plantation to a sultry Quadroon Ball, she would ultimately expose the darkest secrets of the city itself. Here she would meet the seductive and irresistibly handsome Valmount Saint-Brevin, a man with the power to ruin her. And here she would have the chance to find the greatest legacy of all: the fulfillment of love.

A Secret Splendor


Erin St. Claire - 1983
    When Arden Gentry travels to Maui to search for the son she gave up long ago, she starts to doubt her decision because she knows she may resurrect secrets that surrounded his birth.

Outrageous


Christina Dodd - 1994
    After all, as lady-in-waiting to the queen, lovely Lady Marian had been in a position of privilege, yet she had been banished from the court. And the rumors were that she had given birth to an illegitimate child.An outrageous offerWhen he arrived, Griffith found Lady Marian to be strong, intelligent and fiercely protective of the young baby in her custody.... and very suspicious of him. If he were smart, the knight would just deliver the message with which he had been entrusted. Instead, he longs to linger to delve into the mystery that is Marian, to discover what she so desperately fears-and why he so improperly wants her.

Fortune is a Woman


Elizabeth Adler - 1992
    Against all odds they made their dreams come true, building one of the world's largest trading companies and most luxurious hotels... They had only each other--and bloody secrets to bury even as they rose to dizzying heights, wary of love yet vulnerable to passion in its most dangerous forms... The Mandarin would pass his multi-billion-dollar empire only to the women in the Lai Tsin dynasty--along with one last devastating truth....Sweeping from the turn of the century through the 1960's, from the Orient to San Francisco and New York, Elizabeth Adler has written a magnificent novel of new wealth and old privilege, family passions and secret shame, of women surviving, triumphant, in the riveting saga of romantic intrigue.