Book picks similar to
Splendor by Catherine Hart


historical-romance
romance
historical
pirates

Blaze


Susan Johnson - 1986
    To Blaze Braddock, beautiful, pampered daughter of a millionaire, it was a chance to flee stifling codes of Boston society. But when Jon Hazard Black, a proud young Absarokee chief, challenged her father's land claim, Blaze was swept up in a storm of passions she had never before even imagined.Taken hostage by the Indian warrior, Blaze Braddock surrendered to the dreams of a defiant people -- and found love in the arms of a man who had sworn to be her enemy... This book is intended for mature audiences.

Innocent Fire


Brenda Joyce - 1988
    Here is the beginning of the Bragg empire-opulent and glamorous-vast, dangerous, and as untamed as the sweeping plains of Texas…Leaving behind the sheltered life of a French convent, Miranda journeyed to the New World and an arranged marriage to a prosperous Texan rancher. Arriving in America, the innocent European met her fiance's friend Derek Bragg, a rough-hewn Texas Ranger, whose harsh manner and candid comments about her beauty enraged the shy miss. Although Bragg fought to deny his feelings for his charge, he knew that he was falling in love with her. Miranda, too, was struggling with her desire for her escort as they trekked across the treacherous wilderness. Drawn to the lawman--enflamed by his raw masculine virility--will Miranda sacrifice her innocence to the fire blazing out of control in her heart?

The Flame and the Flower


Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - 1972
    and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger.A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed lovely his woman... and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love.

Rough Wrangler, Tender Kisses


Jill Gregory - 2000
    HE CALLED HER PRINCESS.   Caitlin Summers has come west for one reason only: to sell the Wyoming ranch that belonged to her late father. But Cloud Ranch isn’t hers to sell—not as long as foreman Wade Barclay and his two brothers are majority owners. According to the will, Caitlin can’t sell her share until she’s lived there . . . for a whole year. For the debt-ridden Philadelphia beauty, the situation is intolerable. But the rough, infuriating wrangler will awaken every tender emotion buried in her heart. To Wade Barclay, Caitlin Summers is just a spoiled society girl—even if she is also the daughter of the man who was a father to him in all but name. Caitlin broke her father’s heart when she and her mother left Wyoming, and Wade has no intention of letting her do the same to him. But living together under the same roof is hard on a man. One stolen kiss is all it takes to make him wild with wanting her. As the days pass, Wade knows he desperately needs Caitlin—in his bed, in his heart, and by his side forever in this wild, beautiful land he knows she’ll never call home.

A Groom of One's Own


Maya Rodale - 2010
    His beautiful soon-to-be duchess. A whirlwind courtship. It is this author's privilege to report on the event all of London is talking about: the upcoming wedding of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon to the only daughter of the Duke of Richmond. Every detail of the "Wedding of the Year" will be reported in these pages as a London Weekly exclusive. But I, Miss Sophie Harlow, must confess to a secret infatuation with this "double duke" that can only lead to trouble. It is impossible that this notoriously upstanding gentleman would ever jilt his bride for a scandalous female newspaper writer. And yet . . . the arrival of a foreign prince, the discovery of a shocking secret, and one passionate kiss could change everything. Will this perfect duke risk the scandal of the year to marry the woman his heart desires?There are just three more weeks until the wedding . . .

Savage Surrender


Natasha Peters - 1977
    Caught in a web of twisted destinies, she journeys from the luxury of a French chateau to the horrors of a West Indies slave ship...from the exotic existence as pirate Jean Lafitte's mistress to unspeakable degradation at the hands of brutal men.Woven throughout the sultry landscape of her saga is Garth McClelland...mysterious, secretive Garth, a man whose worldly power is surpassed only by his insatiable lust for the ravishing Elise. Their romance soars to the peak of unquenchable passion, plumbs the depths as they fight treachery, intrigue...and their need for each other, until finally they unite in an inferno of rapturous love!

The Pirate and the Puritan


Cheryl Howe - 2003
    Afterwards, she embraced the strictness of her mother's faith, molding herself into a rigid spinster before her time. After ruining herself so thoroughly, she can never marry. Her only hope is to escape the strict mores of Boston's Puritan population so she could be of use in her father's enterprises in the Caribbean.On Barbados, she discovers her father has added a new partner to his venture. Lord Christian Andrews might charm her father, but Felicity sees the scoundrel behind his handsome exterior. She won't allow him to send her away, despite the fact a notorious pirate has targeted her father's ships and murdered his other business partner. Felicity feels it her duty to sneak aboard Lord Christian's ship before he sails away with her father's fortune. What she discovers is a man capable of unleashing her denied lust, though their shared passion might destroy them both.

Thief of Hearts


Teresa Medeiros - 1994
    Ruthless and mocking, tender and virile, the notorious pirate awakened all Lucy's passionate longings, then abandoned her with nothing but a kiss...A Pirate's PrizeNow safely at home, the alluring waif is tormented by treacherous memories—and by the presence of Gerard Claremont, her mysterious new bodyguard. Everything about him, from his forbidding size to his impertinent manner, sparks her defiance. And even when Gerard's smile turns seductive, no one can make her forget Doom. Yet only when Lucy's path crosses the captain's once more, will she learn who is on a voyage of retribution, and who is out to steal her heart...

A Duke's Promise


Joyce Alec - 2018
    Miss Sophia Weston is left destitute after her father dies. Her brother and sister-in-law, Lord and Lady Brookridge, refuse to support her, even though it is their duty.When Sophia is forced to seek employment, she accepts a position as a governess for the widowed Duke of Harrogate. The duke’s only daughter, Sarah, brings an immense amount of joy to Sophia. Soon enough, Sophia learns to accept her new situation and loves her daily interactions with her only pupil. However, Sophia also discovers that her feelings are growing for the duke, even though she knows the duke could never marry her. When Lord and Lady Brookridge learn about Sophia’s whereabouts and her newfound happiness, they once again try to ruin her life with a scandal and take her away from everything she has grown to love. When the Duke of Harrogate learns about the plan, he must choose between the governess and his own reputation. If you love clean and wholesome, Regency romances with a strong woman heroine and an inspirational romantic story, you will love A Duke’s Promise. Authors Note: This is a clean, stand-alone romance with no cliffhangers.

Shameless


Rosanne Bittner - 1993
    First Lieutenant Clay Youngblood didn't need a Mexian outlaw--especially a beautiful one like Nina Juarez--to stir his sympathies and sidetrack his mission. But regardless of the risks, Clay knew that he must help Nina--for her gentleness filled his heart with more love than he ever thought was possible.

The Kadin


Bertrice Small - 1978
    For Lady Janet Leslie there would be no escaping the harem of the wealthy and powerful Sultan Selim. But from the moment the handsome ruler spied his breathtaking "Cyra," was captivated -- by the fiery desire that coursed through his veins. She belonged to him, body and soul -yet it was he who was enslaved.Praised for her keen sense of history and remarkable storytelling powers, the bestselling author of The Spitfire displays the passionate magic that has made her a national favorite -sweeping the reader into the romantic past, from the magnificence of Renaissance Europe to the perfumed splendor of a Sultan's court.

The Maidenhead


Parris Afton Bonds - 1995
    Maids must be young, handsome, and honestly educated."Having read this promising broadside, Modesty Brown flees from arrest in London for the safety of married bliss in the New World. At 26, she might not be young, nor handsome, and most certainly not honest. But educated, she is. Upon her arrival in Jamestown, the saucy wench is accused of witchcraft by a ruthless nobleman – and it’s either burn at the stake or wed a savage.In buckskins and a breechclout, Mad Dog Jones is certainly the savage – and he abhors the thought of a wife or family – or anything else that would remind him of his tortured past. In the virgin forests of the newly found colony, Mad Dog regards the tainted pub wench Modesty as the savage. Yet their savage passions for one another cannot be denied by night. And by day each is determined to be rid of the other . . . even if it means for Mad Dog gambling off the indentured contract of his wife, Modesty; even if it means for Modesty killing off her master, Mad Dog.

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 ...

Passion's Tide


Sarah West - 2012
    And now, at twenty-three, she must book a safe passage from her home in colonial Boston, to England, to fulfill her mother's dying wish. There is no time to spare, and when her ship is boarded by pirates and she is taken captive by the infamous el Tigre, she is furious.Logan Jeffries is nothing less than shocked when his fiery prisoner challenges his every move. As the undefeated Captain of the Imperial Destiny, he suddenly has no idea how to react when this small woman becomes his greatest adversary. Tempers flare and emotions climb as they embark on a journey that carries them deeper and deeper into a world of adventure, danger, and passion. But when the time comes, will Amber be able to surrender her independence to the man who has captured her heart?

The Captain of All Pleasures


Kresley Cole - 2003
    His sizzling kisses leave her longing, but after they share a night of passion, his subsequent disdain makes her blood boil. Nicole vows to take her revenge—by helping her father beat Sutherland in a high-stakes competition: the Great Circle Race from England to Australia.Nicole's scheme is thrown overboard after her father is wrongly imprisoned, yet she remains undaunted—taking to the high seas with her father's ship. But a storm wrecks her plans, and she finds herself a virtual prisoner aboard Sutherland's vessel. And while her mind tells her she should escape, her body urges her to surrender.