Book picks similar to
Once Upon a Page by Jessie Clever


mystery
historical-romance
historical
tbr

Don't Tie the Knot


Bianca Blythe - 2018
    Never mind that his brother is already engaged, and they’ll lose their family’s estate if he marries someone else. Hamish will just have to find a way to stop the wedding. Georgiana Butterworth is startled when a handsome Scotsman breaks into her bedroom and brandishes money. Evidently he’s mistaken her for her newly engaged sister and is trying to bribe her into not marrying his brother. Georgiana knows one thing: she won’t permit this man to ruin her sister’s chance for everlasting happiness. Hamish may be determined to stop the wedding, but Georgiana is intent to make certain the wedding happens, no matter what she has to do to distract him.

Ascension


A.S. Fenichel - 2014
    She’s grown from a sweet girl into a mysterious woman who guards her dark secrets well. When he sees her sneaking away from a ball, he’s convinced it’s for a lover’s rendezvous. Following her to London’s slums, Gabriel watches in horror as his fiancée ruthlessly slays a man.Lady Belinda Clayton’s only concern was her dress for the next ball—until demons nearly killed her, and a group of Demon Hunters saved her life. Now, a lady by day, and a demon hunter by night, she knows where her duty lies. Ending her betrothal is the best way to protect Gabriel from death at a demon’s hands.Gabriel soon realizes, like him, Belinda has been fighting for her country. He joins in the fight, determined to show her that their love can endure—even at the gates of Hell.

A Wedding in Springtime


Amanda Forester - 2013
    Now Eugenia is ruined and had better marry—someone, anyone—at once...And His Couldn't Be Better...Roguish William Grant has never taken anything seriously in his life. Until he meets Eugenia Talbot, who makes him feel and do thing he never thought he would.Now Eugenia's great sense of humor and kindheartedness may be her undoing, unless William can help her find a husband. To his surprise, that's the last thing he wants to do...

My Sister's Secret


Bianca Bloom - 2017
    Henrietta is the brave one, the renowned beauty who was engaged at seventeen to a handsome and rich young man. But when Henrietta’s fiancé is suddenly killed in a cholera outbreak, the twins and their cousin Brook are sent back to England. Joanna starts noticing herself blushing around her cousin Brook, who suddenly seems an excessively handsome young man with a new awkwardness around her. But even thinking of marriage would be impossible for the two cousins, as they are both impoverished and quite busy chasing Henrietta. Henri, still grief-stricken over the loss of the man she was to marry, has chosen to throw herself at every married man and rake in sight. When yet more tragic news reaches the three cousins, Brook takes comfort in the arms of a woman who seems to be Henrietta, his experienced and wild cousin. In fact, the woman who spends the night with him is Joanna, and Brook makes her question her desires, her character, and her resolution not to follow a path of passion. When Joanna discovers that she is with child, the twins are faced with a harsh choice – to be penniless and helpless little ladies trying to make their way in society, or to put a dangerous scheme in place and provide for both their futures. And Brook, Joanna’s beloved, is the only person standing in the way.

In His Eyes


Peggy L. Henderson - 2015
    When a tragic accident claims her father’s life, Katherine is left to deal with an overbearing mother whose agenda does not include a young daughter. Fate deals her another devastating blow, leaving her to face an uncertain future far away from everything and everyone she’s loved. Trace Hawley used to push the limits of the law, and no one was going to plan his future for him. The death of the man who always had his back leaves him to finally face responsibility. The promises he made a decade ago have shaped him into the man he is today, and will bring him face to face with the one girl from his past he always tried to avoid. After a ten year absence, Katherine returns to the ranch she once loved to discover the shocking reason her mother summoned her home. Surprised to find Trace still at the ranch, her childhood infatuation grows into something far stronger as he challenges her to lead the life she once wanted, but seems to have forgotten. When Katherine is forced to make a choice between saving her father’s dreams or following her own, Trace might be the only one who holds the key to both. ***Content Warning: This book contains mild language, mild violence, and adult situations including physical intimacy, and is intended for mature readers.

Angel


Danielle Carriere - 2019
    However, Angel’s plans are disrupted when she becomes stranded in an unfamiliar town. With no means to leave and no place to stay, Angel finds aid in an unexpected place: Nathan, a childhood acquaintance with scars of his own.All nineteen-year-old Nathan wants is to leave every memory of his father far, far behind. But when Nathan’s path leads him to Angel, he begins to realize that his father’s influence has reached further than he could ever have imagined.As Nathan and Angel face the prejudices of the townspeople together, their tenuous friendship begins to grow into something more. However, when Nathan’s father returns, Angel and Nathan must decide whether they are willing fight for the life they’ve created for themselves, or whether they will once again leave everything they love—including each other—behind.

The Langley Sisters Collection


Wendy Vella - 2020
    Enjoy this collection of unconventional heroines, and dashing heroes who will keep you turning the page right to the end!THE LADY PLAYS HER ACEOliver (Ace) Dillinger is a man who has made his fortune the hard way, first with his fists, then by learning to be both a gentleman and a businessman, before entering the fringes of London society. He is ruthless, determined and trusts only a select few. Only one person unsettles his world, Lady Althea Ryder. She is feisty, opinionated and beautiful, and as a duke's daughter, far above his reach. Determined to put distance between them, he pushes her away, but Thea pushes right back, not willing to be set aside and Ace soon realizes that walking away from her is going to be the hardest challenge he has ever faced.THE LADY SEALS HER FATEThings were not going to plan for Miss Hannah Wooller. There was the small matter of a blackmailer to contend with, her father increasing her dowry so he could marry her off, and of course there was Alexander Heatherington. Titled and handsome, he had society at his feet, and she had recklessly coerced him into playing the part of fake beau. Things had rapidly gone downhill from there, and she was soon in over her head, trapped in a web of deceit. When someone was murdered before her eyes, she was forced to flee London to keep Alex safe, but Hannah soon realized that in doing so she has left behind the only man she will ever love.THE LADYS DANGEROUS LOVEDetermined and dashing, Benjamin Hetherington vowed that he would never give a woman the power to hurt him again. So far, he’s succeeded, but then Miss Primrose Ainsley comes stomping into his life. She has too much to say, is nothing like any debutante he’s ever met, and seems not to give a fig about proprietary. Ben fights the emotion she provokes in him by pushing her away, but too late he realizes that in Primrose he has found someone that may heal the dark stain on his soul.

A Winter's Vow


Kate Condie - 2021
    A haunted man. Can a fake marriage save them both, or will their secrets tear them apart?Della Hampton barely escaped her first marriage with her life. Desperate to outrun the wanted posters proclaiming her a murderess, she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride in the isolated mining town of Kirwin, Wyoming. Her hasty decision turns desperate when she arrives to find her intended dead. Della is determined to do whatever it takes to remain in Kirwin and find a new name for herself—even if it means a fake marriage to the new foreman.Before Bastien Graham’s father will allow him to run the family mine in Montana, there is one final job he must tackle here in Wyoming: foreman. When his predecessor dies in a mining collapse, Bastien is promoted and ready to prove himself. Within days of stepping into the position, a mail-order bride is abandoned in town. Bastien, now assigned to take her down the mountain and into town, soon discovers the lady has other plans. But Bastien chose this lonely mountain for a reason and helping one woman doesn’t change the past. And for Della, a few months of kindness can’t replace a lifetime of hurt. Can they part ways when the winter is over? Or will their lies bind them tighter than they expected?A Winter’s Vow is first in the Aster Ridge Ranch series. It is a clean romance and can be read as a standalone or check out A Cowboy’s Vow to continue the series.

Marblestone Mansion Book 1


Marti Talbott - 2011
    Later, he sold the mine, became one of the wealthiest men in Colorado and built Marblestone Mansion on a bluff overlooking Colorado Springs. His hopes were high when he sent for his wife, but something was amiss - his wife was not what she pretended to be.Coming soon - Watch for book 10 and see how this series ends.

Not Quite a Duchess (The Boston Heiresses #1)


Ava Rose - 2020
    One broken hero. With danger looming, will they uncover more than they bargained for?A determined Duchess...Lady Anna Trevallyn, Duchess Wrexford, does not possess the typical qualities of the Boston elite. Confident and strong, she refuses to accept her place as a second-class citizen in a man's world--especially when her best friend, Libby, unexpectedly disappears without a trace. Unwilling to leave it to the men to uncover, she's determined to get answers.A damaged Prince...His Royal Highness, Prince Penforth Armstrong-Leeds, will do anything to locate his sister, Libby. Sharing resources, knowledge, and time with the beautiful and intelligent Lady Anna is an added advantage. Pen has secretly admired Anna from afar for years, but his war wound forces him to remain at bay.An unlikely pair...As Pen and Anna delve for answers beneath high society's gilded exterior, their feelings for one another intensify. Now, they must navigate their strong feelings while locating Libby before her reputation is permanently destroyed. With time running out, will they uncover the truth before lives are lost and hearts broken?This is the first in a Victorian Romance series featuring strong and feisty heroines at the forefront of the new age in 1890s America.Read each story as a stand-alone, or read the series in order.If you enjoy Gothic Victorian historical romantic suspense stories, such as those made popular by Victoria Holt, Deanna Raybourn, Anna Lee Huber, Christi Caldwell or Dorothy Eden, you'll love this series by historical romance author, Ava Rose.The Boston Heiresses series:1 - Not Quite a Duchess2 - Not Quite a Baroness3 - Not Quite a Lady4 - Not Quite a Princess

The Reluctant Duke


Christine Donovan - 2012
    Society is pulling them apart. She can't become his wife and won't become his mistress.The last thing wounded veteran Major Thomas Marshal wanted was a title. It wasn’t supposed to happen. But duty has a way of pulling a man into things he doesn’t want and away from the things he needs.The only thing Miss Guinevere Harding needs is a safe place to hide. A job as the downstairs maid at Brookshire is the perfect refuge from a frightening past. Or at least it was until the arrival of the new Duke.

The Fairy Tale Bride


Kelly McClymer - 2000
    But when her brother's love match is thwarted by the impossibly proper Duke of Kerstone, Miranda sets off to convince the duke to champion her brother's cause for love. Unfortunately, he is too proper to consider love a suitable reason for marriage, and too proper not to marry Miranda when they find themselves compromised. Now, Miranda has a second chance for happily-ever-after, if she can uncover her new husband's darkest secret.

Mad for Love


Elizabeth Essex - 2016
     Set a thief… Rory Cathcart’s appreciation of the exquisite makes him the perfect man to expose forgeries and root out fraud in London’s tempestuous art world. But when his latest investigation into forged paintings puts him squarely in Mignon du Blois’ shaky sights, he finds himself deep in trouble, and captured by something more powerful than mere beauty. To catch a thief… The moment Mignon stops a rakish thief from making off with one of her father’s brilliant forgeries, she knows she’s found the perfect man to help her steal back a priceless statue, and save her family from unspeakable scandal. She has no intention of falling for Rory’s Caledonian charms, nor his seductive Scottish persuasions. From the drawing rooms of the ton to the auction rooms of the art world, the pair embark on a madcap adventure to save them both from ruin. But will the love they uncover be most priceless treasure of all?

The Baron's Blunder


Susan M. Baganz - 2017
    It wouldn't do for her to know a member of the peerage is secretly in pursuit of the infamous Black Diamond. Instead, he claims to be a mere mister who happened along perchance at an opportune moment.Despite the fact she's a woman, the Honorable Henrietta Allendale doesn't need a man to fight her battles, especially one whom she suspects is hiding things of import. So why can she not stop thinking about the gallant Mister Percy and his selfless act of heroism on her behalf?Meeting again in London, Charles begins to enjoy verbally sparring with the intrepid young woman, and his heart is soon captivated as well. But he's playing a deep game, and Henrietta's presence in his life puts hers at risk. When a successful rescue results in possible scandal, the baron's biggest challenge will be to convince the marriage-adverse young woman that his love is true.

Lord Jasper's Angel


Maggie Jagger - 2013
    She saves his life and tries to keep it secret, because he is such a wicked rake that she fears what people will think if they know she spent the night with him. As far as she is concerned being forced to marry him is a poor reward for her kindness.Lord Jasper is handsome, cold, and self-controlled. Eleanor only likes him insane, when he adores her and thinks her an angel sent to save him. But Jasper is sure he ravished her that night on the moor and his brother, the duke, insists they must marry.