At least, that's what her mother has loudly declared to everyone in Spindle Cove.But Diana's not excited by dukes and lords. The only man who makes her heart pound is the village blacksmith, Aaron Dawes. By birth and fortune, they couldn't be more wrong for each other...but during stolen, steamy moments in his forge, his strong hands feel so right.Is their love forged strong enough to last, or are they just playing with fire?

    With scandal nipping at her heels, to avoid total social ruin, Elizabeth must present a fiancé by the end of the Season. But when the viscount proves reluctant, Elizabeth is forced to employ a seduction of a different sort...With his seduction he is determined to ruin herViscount Derek Creswell believes Elizabeth set out to trap him into marriage. After all, her sister attempted the very same thing with his brother six years before. Now the delectable Miss Smith expects a betrothal and a ring, while Derek finds her ruination infinitely more appealing...But as Derek sets out to seduce only her body, Elizabeth is intent on claiming his jaded heart.This is a novella and 29,000 words. Included is a three chapter excerpt of the third full-length book in The Elusive Lords series, AN HEIR OF DECEPTION. The total word count for this book is 43,000 + words. Prior books in The Elusive Lords series are:SINFUL SURRENDER (Book #1)A TASTE OF DESIRE (Book #2)

     FORTUNE’S FLOWER - To claim his family estate, James Huntington embarks on an expedition to find his grandfather’s missing journals. He’s at odds with his fellow traveler, the wellborn Miss Lily Strathmore - but even as they succumb to temptation, danger awaits. THE VISCOUNT’S SECRET - Anthony Blake, Lord Percival, is renowned throughout the ton for his handsome face and foppish ways. Only a select few know that beneath his foolish exterior is a keen intelligence in service to the Queen. Nobody suspects his secret until he meets a quiet young woman who sees far more than she should. THE PIANO TUTOR - Widowed Lady Diana Waverly finds love and passion in the most unlikely of places when a new piano tutor arrives at her door. MISTRESS OF MELODY - With her future in jeopardy, a young woman must turn to Morgan Trevethwick, the Earl of Silverton, for help. He cannot refuse a lady in distress, though she threatens to overturn his entire carefully-planned future. A DUKE FOR MIDWINTER - After a gentleman rescues her from a winter storm, Miss Selene Banning finds herself snowbound with Sir Jared Kendrick, a baronet who is not precisely who he claims to be.

    The whole Ton knows him to be a complete rakehell, hardly the ideal spouse for a lady.When he horrifies the Ton by announcing that he won’t go through with the marriage until Emma is carrying his child — or did he say that she was already carrying a child? — the gossips (and Emma) go wild.Obviously she should hand this Beelzebub his ring back directly. But curiosity, and a strong wish to teach her brazen-faced fiancé some manners, demand that she beat him at his own game.So she does.It’s the story of a reluctant bridegroom (engaged since childhood, and hasn’t seen his fiancée in years), a bride who’s losing her patience, and a wild night in which the said bridegroom meets a wicked, delicious Frenchwoman…or is she?

    Clare must look after her siblings and run the household. Now she must add to her worries the fate of Dominic, a poor orphan who has inspired the wrath of the king himself. Clearly Linnet has no time to consider her own desires—much less notice the attentions of a certain handsome, powerful magistrate…Sir Anthony Tait is at a loss for how to capture Linnet’s interest. If only she would be still long enough for courting. Outright seduction seems the only answer. But will his kisses be enough to persuade her—or might Anthony have something to learn from young Dominic about matters of the heart? And in saving the boy’s future, might Anthony and Linnet at last create their own?

    The only one thing he doesn't have? Charm.As the second son, Alexander Gordon was never supposed to inherit the earldom. But then again, his elder brother wasn't supposed to die in a tragic hunting accident, either. Alex's gruff manners and quiet nature are far better suited to his solitary life as as a scholar, but Alex is honor-bound to do right by the title and by his family. Which means...he must find a wife. More importantly, he must learn how to woo a wife. Luckily for Alex, his great aunt has brought her companion along to celebrate Christmastide. The lovely Miss Lovelace might be plagued by scandal and notoriety, thanks to her family's downfall, but she knows more than anyone about the art of charm and flirtation. His new instructor makes the ideal practice partner for conversation, and dancing, and...kissing? But no, that was a mistake. He has a duty to his family to uphold, and as delectable as his new teacher might be, she's not a proper choice to be his wife. When it comes to love versus duty, it would be wicked to choose with his heart...wouldn't it?

    But no matter how hard she smiles, she can't forget the youthful mistake that could have ruined her reputation. Even though the worst of her indiscretion was kept secret, one other person knows the truth of those dark days: the sarcastic Doctor Jonas Grantham. She wants nothing to do with him...or the butterflies that take flight in her stomach every time he looks her way.Jonas Grantham has a secret, too: He's been in love with Lydia for more than a year. This winter, he's determined to conquer her dislike and win her for his own. It all starts with a wager and a kiss...A Kiss for Midwinter is a novella (38,000 words) in the Brothers Sinister series. It follows The Duchess War. Each book stands on its own, but those who prefer to read in order might want to read that book first.

    Padraig yearns to be more than a friend... can he win her heart forever?A novella linked to my Rogues of Ravensmuir and Jewels of Kinfairlie trilogies, originally published in the Mammoth Book of Irish Romance. The story was edited for space constraints there - this is the WHOLE story.

    Determined to save her younger sister's reputation Annalise begs the thief to take her with him. It doesn't hurt that the handsome stranger might also be saving her from a marriage without love or passion.Griffin Hartwell, Viscount Benning never imagined that playing the highwayman would bring him face-to-face with his own would-be bride. Once alone Griffin takes the opportunity to show Annalise just how passionate he can be, but will his charade ruin their chance at a forever love? Her Gentleman Thief was originally published in the Mammoth Book of Regency Romance, 2010.

    Some fear this omen, some desire it. All respect it. Follow the journey of these brand new historical romance tales from USA Today and Bestselling authors and discover the power--and the promise--of the blue rose for yourself.

    But a midnight wager with Win Maddox has her dreaming of more. Losing to the silver-tongued barrister would cost her everything, but winning could lead to her dreams coming true forever.Ruination of a Rogue by Clair Brett… Will Lord Zander Milford find rumination an acceptable outcome if only at the hands of Miss Maria Lightowler?It Was Only a Kiss by Sofie Darling… Snow falling, the Twelfth Night Ball, a stolen kiss—but no one would’ve expected bespectacled spinster Violet Hotchkiss to be the one stealing a kiss from Bumpstead Hollow’s most eligible bachelor, Will Sinclair. And now that she’s had a taste of passion, she refuses to settle for a life without romance, adventure…or Will.Christmas Chase by A.S. Fenichel… Sarah Sommers has a plan—find the father who abandoned her and live happily ever after as his beloved daughter. Not even the handsome Lord Monty Witmore with his determination to deliver her to yet another guardian will stop her. Her heart, however, has other ideas about where the chase will end… Twelve Nights of Ruin by Carrie Lomax… Holly Mayweather was the delight of London society—until her reputation was tarnished by a shocking scandal. Can the spirited beauty find happiness with William Sharp, a stoic former soldier? Or will their wedding vows end with “I don’t”?What If I Still Love You by Erica Taylor… After a failed elopement ten years earlier, Henry, Earl of Eddington, and Anna, the widowed Viscountess Newcroft, are reunited at his aunt’s Twelfth Night party. As they search the castle for a box of letters left to Henry by his late father, can this star-crossed pair find their way back to each other? Or will fate intervene, again, and separate them for good?Three Kisses Before Christmas by Tanya Wilde… Wolfstan Robert Ward, the Earl of Wicke and Selborne, lost his head for his best friend’s sister the day he saved her from a frightful bully in their youth. There is just one problem. Rebecca is in love with another man—his cousin. Winning her would take every trick in the book, but what is Christmas if not a time for miracles?

    Will, the Earl of Merlton, is determined to salvage his family's fortune without succumbing to a marriage of convenience.But when a snowstorm leaves Violet and Will stranded and alone, their sudden chemistry will challenge good intentions. Seized by a desire that burns through the night, they'll toss reservations aside in favor of the heat found in each other's arms.Will their passion survive the storm? Will they realize they've found a love to last them through all seasons?

    He's handsome, titled, rich as Croesus, and on the lookout for a bride. When an invitation to the Masquerade — an illicit club where members carry on affairs in complete anonymity — arrives on his doorstep, it seems like a last chance to revel in bachelorhood. But after he meets the mysterious Selene, he gets more than he bargained for.She is keeping a secret identityEmma Dumont is a commoner with desires far too lofty for her station — including a hopeless infatuation with Lord Kent, her employer. When she overhears his plans to attend the Masquerade, she decides to act: go under the guise of a lady, seduce him, and spend one night in his arms. As it turns out, one night isn't enough.The arrangement is supposed to be straightforward: anonymous lovemaking, no attachments. But matters of the heart are a lot more complicated...A Touch Wicked is a novella in the Private Arrangements series. It can be read as a standalone.

    . .Before he died, Patience was the Earl of Worthington’s second wife. So why shouldn’t Patience be allowed a second chance at marriage, too? Of course, finding a new husband was not something the mother of four had ever planned on. But a surprise encounter with her first love has suddenly made the impossible seem possible all over again . . .It seems like a lifetime ago that Richard, Viscount Wolverton, was halfway around the world, looking for adventure . . . while Patience, at her coming-out, was left with no choice but to take old Worthington’s hand. Richard never forgot the woman whose heart he yearned for—and now that he’s back, he’s not going to let her slip away again . . .

    Yet the wickedly handsome proprietor, Lord Stockton, refuses to let a lady enter his establishment. Now Pru needs a Christmas miracle to make her wish come true—and to resist succumbing to Stockton’s charms. Three French Hens Brinna’s life as a scullery maid changes with the arrival of the castle’s newest guest, Lady Joan. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Joan suggests that look-alike Brinna take her place at the Christmas festivities. Suddenly, Brinna finds herself being wooed by a true gentleman, and getting the best Christmas present of all: a new life. The Fairy Godmother Odel is told by her godmother that she must marry by Christmas, and even gives her fairy dust to separate the mice from the men. But Odel has sworn off love…until kind and generous Michel catches her eye. He shows Odel how good it can feel to fall in love, but will it be enough to convince Odel to trust her heart?