Book picks similar to
Lessons in Enchantment by Patricia Rice


romance
fantasy
historical
historical-romance

Ascension


A.S. Fenichel - 2014
    She’s grown from a sweet girl into a mysterious woman who guards her dark secrets well. When he sees her sneaking away from a ball, he’s convinced it’s for a lover’s rendezvous. Following her to London’s slums, Gabriel watches in horror as his fiancée ruthlessly slays a man.Lady Belinda Clayton’s only concern was her dress for the next ball—until demons nearly killed her, and a group of Demon Hunters saved her life. Now, a lady by day, and a demon hunter by night, she knows where her duty lies. Ending her betrothal is the best way to protect Gabriel from death at a demon’s hands.Gabriel soon realizes, like him, Belinda has been fighting for her country. He joins in the fight, determined to show her that their love can endure—even at the gates of Hell.

Loving the Scarred Soldier


Rose Pearson - 2021
    Broken-hearted, she seeks to find a new beginning where it all began—Caldor House—the place where she first loved and lost. However, things aren’t as they used to be. When her former governess falls ill, and Charlotte decides to be her nurse, she is drawn into the secrets lurking in the shadows of the woman’s home, and the truth no one has dared tell her.James Watts no longer exists; at least that is how he wishes it. Scarred in the Napoleonic Wars, and having lost his only love, Charlotte, he has cloistered himself in the recesses of his family home. Hidden away from the stares and horror of his neighbors at his now marred features, he has chosen to live a life in secret. Until Charlotte’s return and the longing for more, that she elicits inside of him, threatens to derail his plans to remain hidden. Now they must face the scars of their past in order to have a future, but someone wants to keep them apart. Can this pair find love once more, or will they relive a past of love and loss?

Seductive Silence


Larissa Lyons - 2021
    He just hopes she can hear what’s in his heart.Lord Tremayne has a problem. He stammers like a fool—at least that’s what he learned from his father’s constant criticism and punishing hand. Daniel now hides his troubles, limiting his speech and getting by with a few close friends. His well-fought privacy is all for naught when he goes looking for a new mistress and finds a delightful young woman who makes him, of all people, want to spout poetry. He thought he had a problem before? Avoiding meaningless dinner prattle is nothing compared to the challenge of winning the heart of his new lady lust.Recently widowed and increasingly poor, Thea’s been reduced to sharing her rented room with rodents and arguing over every morsel (the mice usually win). When a friend suggests an alliance of the most intimate sort, Thea’s reluctantly intrigued. But given her lackluster marriage, she doubts her ability to entice an experienced man. The considerate, if quiet, Lord Tremayne attracts her mightily, so she sets aside her misgivings. That is, until Thea realizes she’s about to break the cardinal rule of mistressing—that of falling for her new protector.A fun, emotionally satisfying, steamy tale told in three parts: Seductive Silence, Lusty Letters, and Daring Declarations.

Not So Sweet Maria


Jessica Spencer - 2017
    They do not know Lady Maria despises the hypocritical ways of Polite Society and is trying to sail away to America! Though the granddaughter of a duke, Lady Maria is a Child of Scandal because her mother was an American commoner. She blames the duke and the duchess for her parents’ death. Had they not disowned them, they would not have died of a virulent fever in America, leaving her an orphan at the age of five.She has not forgotten the coldness she had met with as a child, and how there were those who examined her features for tainted blood, and disparaged her mother to her face.She agrees to an arranged match to ward off her persistent suitors, treating the engagement as a sham one to be ended at her convenience. Then, most unexpectedly, she finds love with a commoner. Only he isn’t a commoner but the Earl of Daventon. Gareth, Earl of Daventon is no stranger to Scandal. Rumour has it that his father had banished his mother for adulterous behavior. He remembers his mother as a sweet, gentle woman and knows the late earl yearned until his last breath to have her back. Love is a quagmire and I shall not be caught in it, he decides. But love finds him. The object of his ardour is a mysterious young woman who dresses like a shop girl and behaves like a lady. Lord Daventon remedies the situation by accepting an arranged match, his betrothed being Lady Maria whom he hasn’t met. All of which leads to a delightful tangle of affairs.

Texas Conquest


Holly Castillo - 2017
    Having rolled her out of harm's way, he can't deny that he is intrigued by the soft, delicate woman, especially when she races away without telling him her name. Angie serves as a spy to the Texians, aiding them in the Texas Revolution. Her desire for the enemy soldier's arms around her goes against everything she has been fighting for. However, their fate is intertwined and they are forced to work together. While Angie tries to protect her heart, Lorenzo must overcome his own demons. With the Texians on the verge of attacking San Antonio, Angie and Lorenzo have to fight not only for their right to love one another, but also for their lives and the future of Texas.

Three Abductions and an Earl


Tessa Candle - 2017
    Now an encoretante whose family has lost a fortune, Lydia discovers that the beau monde is hard on a nouveau riche social climber, particularly one who is no longer riche and only wants to climb trees. Lydia must stave off the effrontery of rakes and conniving competitors long enough to make a good match, or else incur society's scorn by earning her own money. Falling for the unattainable Lord Aldley is a distraction she cannot afford. But they share such an enchanted history, how can her heart resist?The tragically virtuous Earl of Aldley is tired of ambitious families hurling debutantes at his head, but cannot hide in France forever. He returns to London to seek out the mysterious tree-climbing girl who once saved him from a scheming chit, and finds more than he bargained for. Abductions, seductions, trickery and injury all endanger Lydia, but Lord Aldley's heart is imperiled beyond rescue. He has only just found her; will he lose her forever to his enemy, his best friend, or his own dangerous mistake?Three Abductions and an Earl is a full length novel and the first book in Tessa Candle's Parvenues and Paramours series.

Dark Desires


Eve Silver - 2005
    Damien Cole. Ignoring the whispered warnings and rumours that he's a man to fear, she takes her position at his eerie estate, where she quickly discovers that nothing is at it seems, least of all her handsome and brooding employer. As Darcie struggles with her fierce attraction to Damien, she must also deal with the blood, the disappearances ... and the murders.With her options dwindling and time running out, Darcie must rely on her instincts as she confronts the man she falling in love with. Is he an innocent and misunderstood man ... or a remorseless killer who prowls the East End streets?Note: All books in the Dark Gothic series can be read as stand-alone novels.

Lady Olivia's Butterfly


Beverley Oakley - 2009
     Denied access to her child by the terms of her cruel late husband’s will, the once-dazzling debutante, Lady Olivia, orchestrates a grand charade to reclaim everything she has lost. Freed from the shackles of her violent marriage, Olivia finds true love with Max Atherton, the man responsible for returning her son. But with the revelation that Olivia unwittingly holds the key to a dark secret that threatens the future of the honourable man who has fulfilled her heart’s desire, she is forced to choose between Max’s future, and safeguarding her son’s. This book was originally published by Robert Hale under the title Lady Farquhar's Butterfly. It is Book 2 in the Scandalous: Three Daring Charades in the Pursuit of Love Box set.

The Duke's Bride


Joanne Wadsworth - 2017
    She must move on, and preferably with a man who lives far away from her home in London where she need never be reminded of the duke who stole her heart. An elopement with an honorable American shipping merchant sounds perfect.The Duke of Ashten has no choice but to bound into his best friend’s carriage when he discovers little Ellie is inside and intent on eloping with a man to Gretna Green who she barely knows. He can’t allow her to make such a terrible mistake, yet convincing her might mean giving into his desire for the golden-eyed enchantress who has followed him around since he was a lad.Her pouty lips and bountiful charms can no longer be ignored, only convincing her of the truth of his intentions will mean jeopardizing both his sanity and a lifelong friendship as well.Each book in this series is standalone, and can be enjoyed out of sequence.REGENCY BRIDES SERIES:The Duke’s Bride, #1The Earl’s Bride, #2The Wartime Bride, #3The Earl’s Secret Bride, #4The Prince’s Bride, #5

The Medium


C.J. Archer - 2012
    Actually, she has several. As if seeing dead people isn't a big enough social disadvantage, she also has to contend with an escaped demon and a handsome ghost with a secret past. And then there's the question of her parentage. Being born an entire year after her father's death (yes, a year) and without the pale skin of other respectable English ladies, Emily is as much a mystery as the dead boy assigned to her.Jacob Beaufort's spirit has been unable to crossover since his death. It might have something to do with the fact he was murdered. Or it might not. All he knows is, he has been assigned by the Otherworld's administrators to a girl named Emily. A girl who can see and touch him. A girl who released a shape-shifting demon into the mortal realm. Together they must send the demon back before it wreaks havoc on London. It should be a simple assignment, but they soon learn there's nothing simple when a live girl and a dead boy fall in love.

Twice Upon A Time


Lisa Ann Verge - 1994
    Utterly wonderful!" -- RT Book Reviews "A love story that transcends all boundaries." -- The Medieval Chronicle Legendary warrior Conor of Ulster defies his people to make the exiled Brigid of Morna his queen—until a shattering act of treachery destroys their world. Driven to the ends of the earth, Conor lives a thousand lifetimes in the fading hope that—one day, somehow—he’ll find Brigid once again. Finalist "Best Time Travel" -- RT Book Reviews "One of the Year's Best Reads" -- The Readers’ Voice Finalist, three categories, Affaire de Coeur Reviewers’ Choice Awards

Highland Wolf Pact


Selena Kitt - 2014
    A man she's never even met. A man who, by reputation, is one of Scotland's cruelest lairds in over a century. But what choice does she have, with her father dead and her uncle now married to his brother's widow, putting him in charge of not only the Blackthorne fortune, but Sibyl's future as well? Then her betrothed turns out to actually be far worse than his reputation, so headstrong Sibyl decides life as a peasant, or even death, would be preferable to a future with such a despicable man, and makes plans to run away. On an organized hunt for wolves--or, as the Scots call them, wulvers--Sybil escapes her fiancé's clutches, only to find she's run into something far more untamed and dangerous in the middle of the woods. When a big, brawny, long-haired man, who only speaks to her in Gaelic and calls himself Raife, simply picks her up and carries her off with him into the Scottish wild, Sibyl knows she's in trouble. When he takes her to a place no human has ever been, she knows she's gone over the edge. And when he, at last, marks her as his own, she discovers that only one wild heart can claim another.Note To Readers: This is the extended version with over 10K words of new material and a BONUS epilogue and preview of the SEQUEL.

The Lady is Trouble


Tracy Sumner - 2021
    She’s a psychic firebrand. Rebellious, spurned by society and determined to change his mind.What’s a defiant woman to do when the man she’s meant for doesn’t believe in love?After three years of waiting for Julian Alexander to realize they are destined to be together, Lady Piper Scott takes matters into her own hands. Because her gift as a healer has never done anything but distance her from the most principled man in England. A meaningless diversion as a medium, all done to gain a certain wandering viscount’s attention, backfires. As most endeavors have for a woman known in the ton as Scandalous Scott.What’s a reluctant viscount to do when the woman he can’t have becomes the woman he can’t live without?Julian Alexander, Lord Beauchamp, battled his way from the lowliest slum to assume his title. He carries not only a turbulent past, but a mystical psychic gift that separates him from society. Honorable to his core, he is committed to protecting a community of outcasts with abilities like his own. He has no time, no place, for love. Or repeatedly rescuing the most outrageous, beguiling woman he’s ever known. Even if she needs his protection most—and he desires her above all others.Seduction, intrigue and desire lead to an explosive passion…Julian vowed to shield Piper from the deadly foes seeking to possess her powerful gift. Although he needs her help in controlling his own, the mix could be deadly. Soon what was once a simple agreement to work together becomes enchantingly complex as they surrender to a timeless love…

Masks of Desire


Fenna Edgewood - 2021
    Her childhood sweetheart, Henry Gardner, is handsome, kind, and passionately in love with her. Or so she believes, until one day she is told everything she knows about Henry is a lie. In an instant, their long-time engagement is broken and Caroline's world is shattered.Henry Gardner has been told that the girl he's loved all his life has cruelly betrayed him. But no matter what she may have done, his love for her will not dim. The only problem? She's about to marry someone else. Less than twenty-four hours until he’ll lose her for good... Stealing an earl's bride on the eve of her wedding might be an insurmountable challenge for some men, but Henry is determined to make sure Caroline knows that forever is a promise he means to keep. Even if doing so comes at a perilous price. One boy. One girl. One future they must fight for together. Her one true love may have returned, but after all he's put her through, Caroline has no intention of falling back into his arms. But when she stumbles onto a terrible family secret, Caroline must make a leap of faith and put her heart in the hands of the one man she swore she'd never trust again. Book Details Please Note: Masks of Desire was previously released as a free short story of five-thousand words. This fifty-thousand-word-plus novel contains many revisions as well as new revelations and insights for readers of the Gardner Girls series. It may be read as a prequel or a final sequel to the series.

The Haunting of a Duke


Chasity Bowlin - 2012
    Now it's made her a killer's target. Emme knows why the Dowager Duchess of Briarleigh invited her to a house party--to investigate whether the duke, Rhys Brammel, murdered his wife years ago. But Emme never imagined she would fall in love with the brooding duke. Branded by society as a possible killer, Rhys is suspicious of Emme and her alleged "gift." Then a late night encounter creates awareness of her other, more attractive, aspects. When Emme's life is threatened, Rhys becomes her protector. Emme and Rhys find passion and peril as they join forces to solve the mysteries at Briarleigh. She made him believe in spirits, but can she make him believe in love?