Book picks similar to
An Encounter with Venus by Elizabeth Mansfield
romance
regency
historical-romance
historical
Until You
Jennifer McNare - 2012
Having grown coldhearted and cynical, as well as older and wiser, he has vowed to never again allow another woman to affect him emotionally, for he has learned his lessons and learned them well. So, when the breathtakingly lovely Ashleigh St. John suddenly and unexpectedly enters his life, as well as his home, he is determined to keep the alluring interloper at an emotional and physical distance. Unfortunately, he quickly discovers that some things are easier said than done.Reckless and daring, Ashleigh St. John is an unconventional young lady with the heart of a hopeless romantic. When she meets Nicholas Leighton she knows she has met the man of her dreams, but unfortunately, the man of her dreams seems bound and determined to keep her at a distance, hiding behind a self-erected wall of cool detachment and calculated indifference. Willing to do almost anything to break through the intractable barriers that guard his heart, she will willingly surrender her innocence, and time and again risk her ravaged heart to ultimately win his trust, and more importantly, his love.Original Publication Date: 6/1/2012Please note that the previous title of this novel was Forever and Always.**
A Duke's Temptation
Jillian Hunter - 2010
Willing ladies stolen by desire, seduced into risking it all.Samuel Charles Aubrey St. Aldwyn, Duke of Gravenhurst, is a radical rogue and champion of unpopular causes. No one would dream that he is also the author of a bestselling series of dark historical novels, a writer accused of corrupting the morals of the public, and a master seducer who counts among his passionate fans wellborn Miss Lily Boscastle. But Lily is no stranger to disrepute.When her engagement to another man ends in a tarnished image and public disgrace, Lily is forced to seek employment outside London --- as housekeeper for Gravenhurst himself. Her sharp wit and sensuality appeal to his wicked instincts --- and she's a perfect match for every beguiling move he makes. Yet there's more to him than Lily imagined --- a secret known to few living souls, ghosts from the past that haunt both of their futures in ways too dangerous for even the duke to have invented.
The Perfect Rake
Anne Gracie - 2005
One of them must marry—and fast. To act as her sisters' chaperone, Prudence invents a secret engagement to a reclusive duke...But when the duke arrives unexpectedly in London, she needs his help to avert disaster....into the arms of a rakeAristocratic Gideon, handsome, rakish and with a strong frivolous streak, casually hijacks Prudence's game, awarding himself a stolen kiss or three along the way. Used to managing sisters and elderly men, Prudence is completely out of her depth with a charming, devious and utterly irresistible rake. And her plot goes terribly—if deliciously—awry...
Of Moths and Butterflies
V.R. Christensen - 2011
Gina Shaw is a servant in his uncle’s house. Clearly out of place in the position in which she has been discovered, she becomes a source of fascination . . . and curiosity. A girl with a blighted past and a fortune she deems a curse, Gina has lowered herself in order to find escape from her family and their scheming designs. But when she is found, the stakes suddenly become dire. All Gina wants is the freedom to live her life as she would wish. All her aunts want is the money that comes with her. But there is more than one way to trap an insect. An arranged marriage might turn out profitable for more parties than one. Mr. Hamilton is about to make the acquisition of a lifetime. But will the price be worth it? Can a woman captured and acquired learn to love the man who has bought her?
A London Season
Patricia Bray - 1997
Here is a chance to find a wealthy husband and get the entire family out of debt. But the upper crust of London bristles at Jane's blunt country ways—everyone but Lord Glendale. The handsome Lord, not in the market for a wife, finds himself amused by Jane's frank manner and wagers that—within the month—even provincial Jane can be brought into fashion.His plan succeeds only too well, as Jane blossoms into the most popular young lady of the season. Now will Lord Glendale relinquish Jane to her newfound admirers? Or will he take the biggest gamble of all– and risk his heart in a challenging game of love?
A Winter's Knight
Elizabeth Cole - 2012
But her rescuer, the mysterious Anthony Sterling, immediately melts her heart and makes her dream of a life beyond her tiny, sheltered world. The more she gets to know him, the more she senses he is hiding something from her.When Captain Anthony Sterling was wounded in battle, he lost his leg, his fiancee, and any hope for happiness. Even the revelation that he is the heir to a fortune brought him nothing but bitterness. Then his chance encounter with the charming, innocent Phoebe makes him wonder if there may be a future for him after all. But first he must escape the shadows of his past.
A Lady's Revenge
Tracey Devlyn - 2012
When her latest assignment goes awry, she suffers at the hands of her French captor until Guy Trevelyan, the Earl of Helsford and master cryptographer, saves her during a daring rescue. Scarred and wary of men, Cora shies away from the one man who could heal her savaged heart.After rescuing Cora from a French dungeon, Guy discovers it was one of his deciphered messages that led to her captivity. Guy strives to earn her forgiveness while outwitting their enemy. But will he find the scars on her wounded soul run too deep?
With this Kiss
Victoria Lynne - 1999
But Julia's bold gaze lit other fires he had long suppressed. And now this glorious stranger was his bride. But when he tried to claim his husbandly rights, she demanded three months grace--three months to know a stranger's mind, to touch a stranger's soul, to go where no woman had ever gone before. Into his lonely heart . . . With This Kiss.
Mine, All Mine
Ella J. Quince - 2013
Rose. It has been revised and given a beautiful new cover.A steamy historical romance novel. Fated for Love Series. Lillian St. James is a privileged and beautiful duke’s daughter whose world is turned upside down when her widowed mother marries a seedy merchant.After her mother suddenly dies as well, Lilly has no one to turn to when scandal erupts over her stepfather’s treason. As her world falls apart Lilly is forced to go into hiding with the help of her loyal staff. She finds work as a cook’s assistant in the kitchen of a wealthy but mysterious aristocrat.Dominic Coel, Earl of Redwick, is a spy on the cusp of retirement. He is ordered to complete one last mission. He must track down a young girl who disappeared with stolen royal jewels. Dominic is desperate to complete his task and begin a normal life without murder and lies. While he must focus on his duties he can’t help but be distracted by the mysterious beauty who has just joined his kitchen staff. The girl is innocent to say the least, but her elusive nature and cultured speech drives him to wonder who the real Miss Millie James is.
Waiting for You
Kasey Michaels - 2000
Jack was variously annoyed, flattered, and as the years passed and childhood faded, both he and Merry sensed a slow change in their relationship.Friendship, blossoming into love. Love for each other, and a combined love for Coltrane House, fast falling into disrepair by his neglectful father. But one day the estate would be his, and Jack and Merry would make it beautiful again, raise their children there, and live happily ever after.Theirs was the perfect dream, until Jack’s father took him aside to tell him something that sent his son fleeing from Coltrane House, away from Merry, perhaps never to return. Ah, love… why is it never easy?Oh… and then there’s Jack’s quite singular friend from America, and possibly a pair of matchmaking ghosts. Ghosts? Well, certainly – why not? Everyone loves a happy ending!
The Blue Devil
Melynda Beth Andrews - 2001
But he’s having trouble keeping his mind on his mission, for one of the students reminds him too much of the mysterious Titania, a fairy queen who fled after they kissed at a glittering masquerade ball.Kathryn St. David is pretending to be a student at the school in order to recover her dear auntie’s lost diary, which contains a scandalous secret that could ruin them both. But she’s horrified to discover that her roommate is the ward of the notorious, darkly attractive Marquis of Blackshire--who seems to be keeping secrets of his own. Will he recognize her as the fairy queen and expose her as the lady who kissed him like a strumpet in the moonlight?
The Weaver Takes a Wife
Sheri Cobb South - 1999
When her father gambles away his fortune, the duke's only chance for recouping his losses lies in marrying off Lady Helen to any man wealthy enough to take a bride with nothing to recommend her but a lovely face and an eight-hundred-year-old pedigree. Enter Mr. Ethan Brundy, once an illegitimate workhouse orphan, now owner of a Lancashire textile mill and one of England's richest men. When he glimpses Lady Helen at Covent Garden Theatre, he is instantly smitten and vows to marry her. But this commonest of commoners will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to win the heart of his aristocratic bride.
The Silverton Scandal
Amanda Grange - 2003
She cannot begin to imagine why a wealthy nobleman would stoop to highway robbery.
Duke of Deception
Stephie Smith - 2012
Lady Louisa Barrick will do anything to save her estate and the village that depends on it, but when she tries to use a rakish privateer in her scheme, things don't turn out as planned. A duke masquerading as a privateer ... Jonathan Derek Wentworth has a scheme of his own: to track down the ton-based smuggling gang responsible for his father's death. When he's caught in a compromising situation with Lady Louisa, he decides it's better to marry her than to risk being ostracized by the London society whose invitations are vital to his plan. But Louisa refuses to marry him, unless he meets her terms, one of which is a month-long reprieve from consummation. Intent on seduction, Derek doesn't count on his unexpected jealousy wreaking havoc with his emotions, his marriage, and his masquerade. Lucy, still grieving the death of her father, wants desperately to avoid another heartbreak, but fears she may have schemed herself into a marriage with the one man destined to break her heart: a man who isn't what he seems, who obviously can't be trusted, and who will surely leave her the first chance he gets.
A Gentleman and a Scoundrel
Norma Darcy - 2013
Rich, handsome, with quite the most agreeable disposition and figure of any man of her acquaintance, he is the biggest matrimonial catch of the season.There is just one problem; Louisa suspects that the Duke does not possess a passionate bone in his body. This is unfortunate, given that she had long ago resolved to be soundly kissed by him!Jasper John Lansdowne, the Duke of Malvern is a gentleman through and through. He is well aware that Louisa regards him as her staid, bookish, older brother. He is determined to teach her that underneath his polished manners and gentlemanly demeanour, he is a man like any other―with a few desires of his own…Sparkling Regency Historical Romances take the manners and fun of the old style Regency novels and bring them up to date with a peep into the bedroom…