His insolence was infuriating. How dare he deem her a Long Meg with unremarkable eyes! She wouldn't go to his ball if he got on his knees and begged.But the duke was not to be bested by this brazen hoyden. No, he had a few ideas of his own....

    Sludge, high-spirited Letty runs straight into the arms of dashing, slightly disreputable Harry Tyne. The two of them have an adventurous winter in Vienna, during which time Letty falls madly in love with Harry and almost inadvertently sets him on the path to regaining his place in London society.

    Her carriage smashed into that of Sir Edmund Blount, and someone stole her diamonds. Between Lizzie and Sir Edmund it was hate at first sight. He was an irascible tyrant and she was a spirited nag. But for reasons not even understood, Sir Edmund undertook to find Lizzie's stolen necklace—and found he was also looking for her heart.

    That she would have to travel all the way to Hungary sent nerves twisting inside her gut, as would meeting the mysterious count who would now be her employer. Unable to speak the language or with much to guide her, she found her new home nestled in remote mountains where hungry wolves prowled outside a dark and drafty castle scared by a long history and recent tragedies.

    Three rare, historical romance novellas by acclaimed writers Patricia Rice, Mary Jo Putney, and Susan King are collected together here for the first time in this exclusive eBook, Christmas Roses. "The Snow Rose", "The Black Beast of Belleterre", and "The Kissing Bough" weave tales of the joy of unexpected Love, at a special time of year, Christmas - as only these talented writers can. Discovery in the midst of a clash of clans, hidden desires from an unexpected suitor, and a love once lost and found combine for a truly romantic journey through history. This tantalizing collection of historical romances also includes all-new introductions and recipes to add to the delight of the season. Authors: Patricia Rice With several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice is one of romance's hottest authors. Her emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards. Her books have been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories. A firm believer in happily-ever-after, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and Novelists, Inc. Mary Jo Putney A New York Times bestselling author, Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition with no known cure. Her entire writing career is an accidental byproduct of buying a computer for other purposes. Most of her books contain history, romance, and cats. Her current Lost Lords series include No Longer a Gentleman, May 2012, and Sometimes a Rogue, September 2013. October sees the release of the mass market edition of Mischief and Mistletoe, a Christmas anthology by the eight authors of the Word Wenches blog. She has had ten RWA RITA nominations, two RITA wins, and in 2013 is the recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Susan King Susan King is the bestselling, award-winning author of 22 historical novels and novellas praised for historical accuracy and lyrical writing. Writing as Susan King and Sarah Gabriel, she is the author of several historical romances for major publishing houses; as Susan Fraser King, she writes highly acclaimed historical fiction, including Lady Macbeth and Queen Hereafter, published by Random House. Her backlist novels are now being released in e-book form and she is currently working on new fiction. A founding member of the successful author blog Word Wenches, Susan holds a B.A. in fine arts and an M.A. in art history, and did her Ph.D. work in medieval art history. She lives in Maryland with her family.

    Stepping into the wrong carriage at a Sussex village, Elinor Rochdale is swept up in a thrilling and dangerous adventure. Elinor is rather surprised that her prospective employer is quite rich, and more so at tile decayed grandeur of the house to which she is transported. Elinor thought she was entering Highnoons as a governess, but Edward Carlyon, the handsomely fashionable gentleman who carefully interviewed her obviously needed no governess. Carlyon was seeking a wife-not for himself, but for his young cousin, Eustace Cheviot, the dissipated and profligate owner of the ruined estate, who now lay on his deathbed. Surprised and repulsed as she was by this strange proposal, Elinor was nevertheless unable to resist Carlyon and his mystifying plans. Ned persuades Elinor to marry his cousin as a simple business arrangement.A momentous decision... And so in the short span of a few hours would-be governess became a bride - and a widow almost as soon as the ring is on her finger. Even as she assumed the duties of mistress of Highnoons, even as she tried to solve the puzzle that placed her in this unusual situation, Elinor found herself inextricably- drawn to Ned Carlyon, the aloof, caustic man who treated her with nothing more than cousinly respect - the last thing that spirited Elinor wanted.... As partner in a secret conspiracy to save a family's name she finds herself embroiled with uninvited guests, housebreakers, missing government papers, a Napoleonic spy ring, and a shocking murder. And mysterious conspirator Lord Carlyon won't let her leave....

    Her name is Serenity Adams. She’s Timothy Crawford’s fiancée, and he’s going to present her to his grandfather in less than twenty-four hours. The only problem is, she doesn’t exist. Now the desperate nobleman must find a willing woman to play the role of his affianced or risk being disinherited. Providence steps in when he stumbles across an overturned carriage. The injured beauty he rescues has no memory of the accident—or of who she is.   “Serenity” remembers nothing except awaking to the magnificent sight of a dashing, golden-haired stranger. When he asks her to take part in a risky act of deception, she has no choice but to accept. At Timothy’s ancestral estate, she starts to fall for the nobleman who woos her passionately but whom she can never wed. As the truth about her past emerges amid preparations for the annual Christmas Ball, will it cost Serenity her new life—and the man she loves? From the “truly talented author” featured in One Winter’s Night: A Regency Yuletide, this is a delightful historical romance filled with mystery, adventure, and plenty of Christmas spirit (Romantic Times).

    That was before the gentlemen who won her heart died from mysterious accidents one by one. Now she was shunned by all who valued life above love. Shunned by everyone, that is, except Demetrius Lord Thorverton, as daring as he was dashing, and quite possibly as foolhardy as he was handsome. How could Meribe deny this man who was every girl's dream? Yet how could she yield to his pleas when the first kiss she gave him might be his last?

    His mother prefers entertaining men in her bedroom, while her husband sits downstairs, unable or unwilling to respond to his wife’s inappropriate behaviour. From that day on Tom vows that no woman will hurt him the way his mother hurt his father. For the next seventeen years Tom works hard to become one of the most notorious rakes London society has ever seen, successfully keeping all the women of his acquaintance at a distance. In 1810 twenty-four year old Isabelle Crawford had been brought up hearing stories of how much in love her dead parents were and had expected to find similar happiness when she came out in society. Reality was different to what she had imagined though, instead of love, she found fortune hunters and as a result left London to set up home in Bath. Her two elder brothers had supported her decision, although they would have rather seen their sister married instead of choosing what was seen by the ton as an eccentric decision, a young woman living a single life in Bath with a cousin as chaperone. A potential marriage between Tom's sister and Isabelle’s brother throws the couple together and sets in motion a chain of events that will see Tom fighting for his life and Isabelle being kidnapped by the very man that Tom had found in his mother’s bedchamber all those years ago.

    Could it be that Jamie was finally showing an interest in something other than horseplay with his friends? But when lovely Miss Evalyn Pennington arrived at Gyllford Manor, it was the earl who found himself inexplicably drawn to her winsome beauty. Having been dismissed from her post as a governess, Evalyn would long remember the kindness of being welcomed at Gyllford Manor when she had nowhere else to turn. The elegant home was resplendent with the richness of holiday cheer – the warm glow of the yule log, the sumptuous sights and smells of the Christmas feast, the glittering parties, and the laughter of children at play. But neither Evalyn nor the earl expected the light of love that filled their Christmas with some very special gifts...

    A failed governess, she knows nothing about children and even less about those that are grieving. Thrust into the wilds of Surrey - and the dubious charms of a rundown cottage - she predicts that life will be singularly dull. But that is before she meets her neighbor, a sinfully wicked viscount whose reputation for seduction is legendary. Her well meaning neighbors warn her to stay away and even the man himself seems inclined to think she is a fool to dally with him, but she is convinced that she and Chetwyn have more than just sexual tension in common. What is it about this wicked man that urges her to break the rules? And how can she convince someone who believes himself to be beyond redemption that the heart is always capable of resurrection?

    Though the eldest, Ginnie, is damnably attractive, he finds himself at war with the interlopers. It takes the whole family to teach him the perils of pride and prejudice and to show the way to true love.

    As for Major Lord Stokely, anxious to return to Bonaparte's battlefields, he saw no reason not to marry the scrawny, wide-eyed chit, settle her at his estate with a list of mandates that, being an officer, he expected her to follow.Lady Em, however, never one to be leg-shackled, took to running the estate with her usual spirit and independence, blossoming from ragamuffin to beauty and becoming the toast of the town.So upon his return from the wars, her husband discovered he had yet another battle to win: the heart of his lovely wife!

    She’s lost her grandfather and the bookshop they ran together. If not for the invitation from the Duke of Danby, she would have no place to go.No Christmas festivities for Baron Ellesworth this year. His newly inherited estate is in bad shape—and so is his bank account. He’ll spend the holiday traveling to do a bit of business with Lord Danby, in hopes of bringing Christmas to Elleshaven next year.Traveling during the holiday season doesn’t sound romantic, but a star in the East, an abandoned child and a quest for holiday cheer might just convince these two that love is the best gift of the Season.

     Never judge a book by its cover… 1782, London Alethea Newnham is a young woman with decided literary tastes, to the extent that she is called a Bluestocking by the gossips of Town. Educated in the country by her scholarly father and raised as an equal with her brothers, Alethea finds it difficult to play romantic games when she is invited to her aunt's house in London. In particular, she despises the dashing and notorious Sir James ‘Beau’ Devenish – a young man overly concerned with the latest fashions, and toying with female affections. With her aunt determined to see her wed, Alethea finds herself forced into company. Is Beau determined to make her his next conquest? Can she rebuff his supposedly irresistible charms? Will this Bluestocking be ruled by her head … or her heart? THE BEAU AND THE BLUESTOCKING is a classic historical novel by Alice Chetwynd Ley: a traditional British, pre Regency romance novel set in Georgian England. ‘one of my favourite traditional Regencies’ - The Word Wenches ‘Alice Chetwynd Ley's books were my favourite regency romances. I still have every one of her books on my keeper shelf with The Beau and the Bluestocking and The Jewelled Snuffbox in pride of place’ – Historical and Regency Romance UK ‘These vintage Regency romances hover somewhere between Jane Austen and the genre as we know it today. I really enjoy them.’ - Sonya’s Stuff