Book picks similar to
Midnight Moon by Mildred Riley


historical-romance
historical-fiction
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Kit: Finding Freedom and Love


Katherine St. Clair - 2017
    She’s had a bit of schoolin, and now she works at the local cannery. Her friend Letty dreams of marriage and a family of her own. Kit could choose that life, but she wants more. But it’s 1895 in North Carolina, and her options are limited. In the newspaper, she sees an advertisement calling for young women to go and work for the Harvey Company – a growing chain of restaurants - that serves hungry railway passengers traveling to the untamed west. But the interview is miles away in Raleigh…does she dare? Will she leave her family and the life she knows, and risk everything for independence and adventure? Yes, she will! But it’s not easy. Leaving home is only the first of many challenges for Kit, from facing her own doubts, to proving herself, and standing up to the judgment of others – including her closest new friend. With hard work and an instinctive knowledge of how to bring out the best in others, Kit progresses in her career, until she gets a message from home. Racing back across the country to the bedside of a loved one, Kit begins to question what will make her happy. When it looks like love will be a better choice, Kit is tempted to leave her life out west behind. Are fate, friendship, determination, and good advice enough to keep Kit on the right path? Can she have a successful career, and also the love and respect of a good man? Is there a man out there who is strong enough to value her, and give her wild heart a home? Read on to learn Kit’s fate, and discover the famous Harvey Girls, whose hard work and courage helped build a restaurant empire like no other.

Rustlers and Ribbons


Kirsten Osbourne - 2018
    When her friend Doris proposed sending for a mail order husband for Gretchen, who was seven months pregnant and unwed, she hoped for the best for her friend, but still felt badly for herself. Darryl Miller has always been known as one of the demon horde. If he stays in Beckham, Massachusetts, he will never rise above the reputation, but he has nowhere to go! When he receives a letter from his sister asking him to marry her pregnant friend, he only hesitates for a moment. Two weeks later, he arrives in Salmon to marry a stranger. The only trouble is the stranger refuses to marry him. Within an hour, he finds himself married to another friend of his sister’s. Will he be able to make a go of life with the beautiful straight-laced schoolteacher? Or has he made a huge mistake leaving everything to travel across country? A Distant Shore: a Kansas Crossroads novelette by Amelia C. Adams Collette Barnard has traveled from England to America to work as a ladies’ maid for a spoiled socialite who doesn’t want the California life her husband is seeking. When her employer leaves her husband in the middle of the night, Collette is discharged and abandoned in the town of Creede, Colorado, with little money and no idea what to do next. When the kind hand of fate lands her at the Brody Hotel in Topeka, Kansas, she meets a handsome young man named Gabriel Brody, who is also struggling to choose the right path for his life. Perhaps together, they can piece together a future from the bits that have been left them. Mail Order M’Lady by Carra Copelin Lady Anne Medvale, the daughter of the Marquess of Thamesford, has created a scandal by running away with a prominent politician. In America, alone and penniless, she answers an ad in the Grooms’ Gazette and travels to Beaumont, Texas as a mail order bride. Morgan Grant, a dedicated cattleman/lawman isn’t looking for a wife, but circumstances present themselves and he marries an unlikely mail order bride. Can the two of them overcome their differences to live happily ever after? Mail Order Millennium by Peggy L Henderson Growing up in a privileged society may seem glamorous, but having every material possession has left Sherri Stucki feeling empty, exploited by her friends, and abandoned. A world where people see past her money seems like a far off dream, until a mysterious stranger offers her a second chance at the life she seeks. Alexander Walker learned the hard way that city life – and its women – were not meant for him. He must complete one final job before returning to a life of solitude in his beloved mountains. The last thing he needs is a distraction from a spunky socialite who seems like a fish out of water. As they travel together toward new destinies, Alexander and Sherri discover that the life they desire can only be found in each other. Mail-Order Brides of Coldwater Creek Josie by Margery Scott Josephine (Josie) Parker’s birthday is coming up, which means she’ll have to leave the Chicago orphanage where she’s lived her entire life. With nowhere to go and no future to look forward to, she agrees to become a mail-order bride to Cooper Thompson, a rancher in Coldwater Creek, Montana. Cooper Thompson is happy with his life. He has his work, his family, and enough money to get by. He doesn’t need – or want – anything more, especially a wife. When Josie arrives in Montana, she’s shocked to learn that Cooper’s sister actually wrote the letter, and that he knows nothing about it.

Forbidden Jewel of India


Louise Allen - 2012
    The daughter of an Indian princess and an English peer, she's the perfect pawn in the opulent courts of Rajasthan. Even so, she will not return to the father who rejected her.Arrogant angrezi Major Nicholas Herriard is charged with bringing the alluring princess safely to her new life in Calcutta. Nick's mission is to protect, to serve—but under the searing Indian sun an initial attraction unfurls into a forbidden temptation.This beautiful, impossible princess tests the very limits of his honor—especially when Nick is left with only one option to keep Anusha safe: marriage. But the fast-flowing waters of the Ganges determine a different fate, and duty may separate them forever.

Stormswept


Deborah Martin - 1995
    Albans spent with the dark and daring Rhys Vaughan was intoxicating, the heady culmination of her new husband’s driving hunger and her own awakened sensuality. When he mysteriously disappeared the next morning, she waited for him in hope and desperation. And when he was finally proclaimed dead in a shipwreck, she bitterly mourned the loss of her love.The second wedding night that Juliana spent with Rhys Vaughan was six years later, after he returned to claim her just as she was about to wed another. This Rhys was different—bolder, harder, and convinced that she’d betrayed him. Only their blazing passion remains from their years apart. But is it enough to light their way through the maze of mystery, menace, and mistrust—to the love they once shared and would have to find again?

Caprice


Laura Parker - 1994
    Thought to have been killed at Waterloo, he soon wishes he were, instead bored to tears by his unruly family and his role as Lord. He misses the spy games of Persia, where he was a master of intrigue. His attention is snared by a ravishing, veiled beauty who has swept into London’s Regency society on a cloud of exotic mystery.Who is this Princess Sultana el Djemal? Hadrian must know, even if playing the game of love could cost him body and soul.Clarissa Willoughby’s harmless deception was designed to open doors for a widow ready to shed her weeds. Once Hadrian begins his pursuit of “Sultana,” his passionate seduction makes Clarissa jealous of the exotic temptress she herself created. The game of love becomes more perilous than way when Clarissa sets out to win Hadrian’s heart, battling again his suspicions and her alter ego.

The Marchioness Who Tempted Fate


Hanna Hamilton - 2020
    The day she finds herself at the mercy of a peculiar Marquess, she realizes that trying to steal from a nobleman, was a very bad idea.When Percival Dandridge, Marquess of Northbury, apprehends a suspiciously feminine thief in his house, he decides to offer her a position in his kitchen. He never intended to fall in love with her.But when an attempt against his life is made, all clues point to her.Realizing she is being framed, she becomes a ghost, working to prove her innocence. A dagger, an old gold pouch, and a diligent constable are all she has to solve this mystery and uncover a string of old ones…

The Raider's Bride


Kimberly Cates - 1994
    At night, he secretly rides as Pendragon, ruthless leader of the patriot cause. The last thing he needs is a ward. What is a masked raider supposed to do when a pint-sized mistress of disaster is dumped on the doorstep of his mansion? Especially since little Lucy displays a penchant for unearthing secrets?A reluctant British spy...When Ian Blackheath and Lucy have an altercation in Emily d’Autrecourt’s millinery shop, the lovely Englishwoman is horrified at Blackheath’s insensitivity toward his ward. Then Lucy steals a doll from Emily’s shop—secreted inside the plaything is evidence of Emily’s role as a spy. Accepting Ian’s offer that she be Lucy’s governess is dangerous, but how else can Emily search for the doll without arousing suspicion?A rebellion of the heart...Ian is stunned when Emily agrees to take charge of “hurricane Lucy”. As for guarding his secret—it should be no challenge to keep Emily far from the wing where Pendragon plots rebellion. One sample of Ian’s wicked, seducing ways, and the prim Englishwoman will avoid him like plague. He doesn’t expect Emily to catch fire in his arms or for the tempting seamstress to discover the secret power of her own desires. Suddenly, in a land racing toward revolution, Ian and Emily must choose. With everything to lose, do they dare to risk their hearts?

Love Forever After


Patricia Rice - 1990
    She’s content with her small home and a friendly village—until a cloaked and crippled Beast rides into her orchard. Badly scarred in heart and soul, Viscount Graham Trevelyan has no use for love. He has a need for revenge and a child to protect. The compassionate innocent who doesn’t flee his fierce visage is the perfect mother his silent daughter needs. Penelope understands the wisdom of a marriage of convenience to save her home. But how can she protect her heart from the gruff man who shows her kindness, only to keep her at a distance? And how long can Graham stay away from a courageous woman who dares tell him when he’s wrong—and threatens to desert him should he continue down his dangerous path?

The Viking's Bride


Jessica Knight - 2019
    But there’s nothing he won’t do to have me.I was forced to marry a ruthless Viking Warlord.Now, I’m carrying his twins. Grim is big, fierce, and handsome beyond words.But he's a killer, feared by all.I can’t believe my father would force me to marry this barbarian.Could a man like that ever love anyone, let alone me?We’re from two different worlds.Being with him in fantasy is far different than reality.A happy marriage seems impossible.So, I ran. But he found me, put me over his shoulder.And brought me back to be his bride.I hate how his gruffness makes my body yearn.I hate how his touch drives me wild.But what if there's more to him than a broken and vicious warrior? Could I get the happily ever after I've dreamed off?Or will I always be his captive bride?

Destiny's Embrace


Beverly Jenkins - 2013
    While they bicker incessantly, their sexual tension is palpable, and only rises when Mariah's former lover arrives on the scene. Will she accept Logan's heart?Set in 19th-century California, Destiny's Embrace features unforgettable characters and a satisfying mix of adventure and passion from nation's premier writer of African-American historical romance.

Sentimental Journey


Barbara Bretton - 1990
    . . The first book in Barbara Bretton's beloved Home Front Series It's June 1943. From New York to California, families gather to send their sons and husbands, friends and lovers off to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor seems a long time ago as America begins to understand that their boys won't be home any time soon. In Forest Hills, New York City, twenty-year-old Catherine Wilson knows all about waiting. She's been in love with boy-next-door Doug Weaver since childhood, and if the war hadn't started when it did, she would be married and maybe starting a family, not sitting at the window of her girlhood bedroom, waiting for her life to begin. But then a telegram from the War Department arrives, shattering her dreams of a life like the one her mother treasures. Weeks drift into months as she struggles to find her way. An exchange of letters with Johnny Danza, a young soldier in her father's platoon, starts off as a patriotic gesture, but soon becomes a long-distance friendship that grows more important to her with every day that passes. The last thing Catherine expects is to open her front door on Christmas Eve to find Johnny lying unconscious on the Wilsons' welcome mat with a heart filled with new dreams that are hers for the taking. "This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." --Franklin Delano Roosevelt ˃˃˃ A Desert Island Keeper - All About Romance Harlequin Award of Excellence4.5 stars - RT Top Pick! ˃˃˃ And the story continues with Stranger in Paradise (Home Front - Book 2) Buy your copy now!

Fire Dancer's Captive


Colleen French - 1997
    There she meets Fire Dancer. A red man. A savage. The most glorious man she has ever laid eyes on. She dares to paint Fire Dancer’s portrait against his wishes and scandalously meets him at a cool brook nearby...HIS PROUD BEARINGFire Dancer, Prince of the Shawnee Nation, is at Fort Belvadere to negotiate peace with the King’s Army during the French and Indian War. He has never met a portrait artist, let alone a white woman like Mackenzie, and now a war rages within him. He forbade her to paint his portrait, lest she steal his soul. But he cannot stop her from stealing his heart.When a King’s soldier is murdered outside the Fort, Fire Dancer is imprisoned and beaten. After Mackenzie reveals she was with Fire Dancer at the time of the murder, she is locked in her room.THEIR FIERY PASSIONFire Dancer escapes and goes to say goodbye to Mackenzie. “Let this man in,” he whispers. “There is not much time, woman of my heart.”Mackenzie watches as Fire Dancer comes in through the window. “What have they done to you?”“Shhh, it is nothing,” he murmurs. “We must speak softly.”“Fire Dancer,” Mackenzie whispers. She kisses him softly on the mouth.“This man will never forget you.” He kisses her back, harder, and pulls her closer.

In Honour Bound


Elizabeth Bailey - 2019
     Can a free-spirited tomboy learn to fit in with respectable society…? 1799, Suffolk When her father dies in battle, seventeen-year-old Isolde Cavanagh is forced to rely on the protection of an old family friend. But when she arrives at the imposing estate of Bawdsey Grange it seems her would-be guardian has died. And his son Richard de Baudresey has never heard of her. To remain at the Grange, Richard insists Isolde learns to fit in with high society. But having grown up in military camps, tomboy Isolde has no interest in becoming a lady. Can Isolde bend her will to please her guardian? Will Richard learn to accept her as she is? Or will the dark secrets bubbling below the surface threaten their growing bond? IN HONOUR BOUND is the first book in the Brides By Chance Regency Adventures series, an enchanting set of Regency romances set in Georgian England. THE BRIDES BY CHANCE REGENCY ADVENTURE SERIES BOOK ONE: In Honour Bound BOOK TWO: A Chance Gone By BOOK THREE: Knight For A Lady

Scandalous/ Irresistible


Karen Robards - 2001
    The family's riches will pass to the next male heir -- a distant cousin -- and the Banning sisters are doomed unless Gabby thinks fast. Which she does. Pretending that Marcus is still alive, Gabby arranges beautiful Claire's London season. She'll keep up the pretense just long enough for Claire to marry a fabulously wealthy nobleman. But when a handsome gentleman arrives at the door and claims to be Marcus, Gabby's plan backfires. For if she exposes this mysterious stranger's deceit, she exposes her own. Bound by secrets and lies, Gabby and the roguish adventurer strike sparks off each other -- and soon London society is abuzz over the scandalous pair of "siblings" who appear to be falling in love.... With this beautifully rendered romance, bestselling author Karen Robards begins a sweeping series about three unforgettable sisters poised to take the ton by storm.

Simply Heaven


Patricia Hagan - 1995
    Determined to bring his friend's estranged daughter, Raven Ralston, back into her family fold, Steve Maddox is surprised by the half-Tonkawa girl he meets, a woman cast out of her dead mother's family who quickly falls in love with him.