Taming Beauty


Lynne Barron - 2016
     The daughter of an infamous courtesan and a notorious rake, Miss Lilith Aberdeen has fashioned a perfectly lovely life for herself on the fringes of London Society. She’ll not risk her independence or her heart on anything as fickle and frivolous as love. Or even familial affection, for that matter. So how is it she winds up journeying to the wilds of Cornwall to deliver the Earl of Dunaway’s pampered, petulant daughter into the hands of a reclusive baron rumored to be a bit mad? Jasper Grimley, Baron Malleville, has spent more than a decade living in self-imposed exile, tending his lands and waiting for his chosen bride to come of age. When his betrothed is plucked from his grasp mere months before the wedding, he sets in motion a plan to turn the Earl of Dunaway’s plethora of debts and profusion of daughters to his advantage. But even the best laid plans have a tendency to fall to ruin, and Jasper soon finds himself beguiled by the wrong woman. This novel is a frolicsome romp loosely based upon the original French fairy tale written in the eighteenth century rather than the animated version we’ve all come to know and adore. There are naughty bits sprinkled throughout the story, though nothing likely to make the average romance reader blush.

Gentleman of Her Dreams


Jen Turano - 2012
    Hamilton Beckett, the catch of the season. The only problem? She's never actually met Hamilton. Fortunately, one of her oldest and dearest friends, Mr. Henry St. James—who has returned to New York after a two-year absence—does know Hamilton. Much to Henry's chagrin, Charlotte immediately ropes him into helping her meet Hamilton. However, none of her plans to catch Hamilton's eye go as she expected, and she is even more confused when her old feelings for Henry begin to resurrect themselves. In the midst of the mayhem Charlotte always seems to cause, she wonders if the gentleman of her dreams might be an entirely different man than she thought.

Immigrant Bride


Jean Dunstan - 2021
    Devastated, Sophia, a naïve farm girl, is forced to marry a young man named Domenic and leave for the United States. As part of a large Italian exodus heading to the United States looking for a better life, Sophia must adjust to being in a strange country and build a life as a young immigrant bride in New York City. Can Sophia overcome her fears and learn to build a life for herself and the ones she loves when fate steps in and steals her happiness away once more? And will she be strong enough to move forward when destiny hands her a new adventure?

Lawfully Courted


Laura Beers - 2019
    many secrets. But when they are unexpectedly attacked, she must fight her way to the only man her father says she can trust… Lord Harington. Edwin, the Earl of Harington, is one of the best spies the Crown has. When his partner’s infuriating daughter shows up injured on his doorstep, he's forced to ensure her protection while he searches for Lord Rawlings. As Marianne stumbles into his world of espionage, Edwin struggles with his growing attraction towards her, while still maintaining his own secrets. As traitors are revealed, can they learn to trust each other before it's too late?

Mr Cavell's Diamond


Kathleen McGurl - 2014
    He is in possession of a large diamond, given to him in India, which he vows he will give to the woman he loves – when he finds her, that is. Jemima Brown, sixteen, good-hearted and hard-working, comes to work for him as a general maidservant. When Mr Cavell stands up for her against the unwanted attentions of some tradesmen working in his house, she sees at once that here is a man of high morals and integrity. But it is Caroline Simpson, daughter of Henry’s house-painter, who catches his eye. She may be socially his inferior, but she is good-looking, flirtatious and knows how to use her charms. She manipulates Henry into marrying her, and only the loyal Jemima knows he’s been tricked. How can Jemima fight her growing feelings for her master, maintain her morals and stay in Mr Cavell’s employment, despite her mistress’s increasingly erratic behaviour?

Her Sudden Groom


Rose Gordon - 2011
    With a loophole that allows him to marry another without consequence before the thirtieth anniversary of his birth, he has only four weeks to find another woman and make her his wife. Being the logical scientist he is, Alex decides to take his friend's advice and treat his quest for a bride just like a science experiment... Caroline Sinclair is still trying to scrape her jaw off the floor after hearing her cousin, Lady Olivia's, latest announcement when the object of their conversation, Alex Banks, Olivia's intended, arrives for what Caroline assumes is a bout of drawing room chitchat with his betrothed. But when an experiment is mentioned, Caroline, who cannot resist a science experiment any more than she can deny her lungs air, volunteers to help before she even knows what his latest experiment is!

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.

Bella's Band


Alina K. Field - 2014
    His brother’s murder has forced Steven into a new and completely unwanted role, and worse, he has no idea how to salvage his family’s depleted estate. A rumor that his brother had a son by a woman who may be a) the murderer, and b) his brother’s secret wife, sets Steven on a mission to find her, the boy, and—Steven ardently hopes—the proof of a marriage that will set him free. Confirmed spinster Annabelle Harris is a country heiress with a penchant for taking in orphans and helping the downtrodden. Her philanthropy hides her desperate search for her disgraced sister, the mistress to the Earl of Hackwell. When the Earl is murdered, her sister thrusts her child into Annabelle’s care and disappears. Now, with suspicion pointing at the sister, Annabelle has begun a new quest, to find the woman, and clear her name. When their paths converge, the reluctant Earl and the independent spinster find themselves rethinking their goals, and battling the real murderer together.

The Reluctant Bride


Donna Hatch - 2011
    Fleeing a looming marriage with a terrifying man, Abby meets a mysterious stranger who makes her a startling proposition.

An Agreeable Arrangement


Shirley Marks - 2008
    However, if Cassie refuses to comply, she will lose everything she has come to know and treasure as her own.Julian, the elder brother of the estimable Stewart family, which Cassie’s father had mandated she will marry into, values family duty and honor above all else. He can wield a pen in business matters and keep his respected, long-established family financially secure but he knows nothing of love. He will ensure that Cassie adheres to the marriage agreement proposed by their fathers, though it means uniting her with his capricious younger brother, Edward. Dashing Edward Stewart, the younger brother, has charm and talent to win the heart of any woman he chooses. The arrangement between the two families seems happily settled, but Cassie’s misplaced affection makes her believe that it will be impossible to have both her heart’s desire and the man she loves.

Lord Basingstoke's Downfall


G.G. Vandagriff - 2015
    His childhood sweetheart broke his heart for good when she married another while he was serving on the Peninsula, and now that he is home he must see to putting a dilapidated estate in order. The animated Lady Leticia Lindsay has just had her heart bruised by a careless suitor and is looking forward to leaving London for her idyllic home in Lincolnshire. When Basingstoke and Lady Leticia meet, they have an odd conversation that leads to a surprising correspondence. Is it possible for two jaded people to fall in love through letters? And will such a tenuous relationship prevail when their previous loves reenter their lives?

Wait For Me


Barb A. Hart - 2016
    She prefers breeches to dresses, and spends her time riding horses, fishing, and climbing trees. When Emily is fourteen, she meets Cameron, the Duke of Templeton’s grandson. Their friendship deepens over the years, until Cameron is called to fight against Napoleon. They express their devotion to each other and make love for the first time before Cameron heads off to war. When Emily’s father discovers she’s pregnant, he’s livid. He had no idea his tomboy daughter has fallen in love, and her predicament threatens to destroy their family’s honor. He sends Emily to live with Cameron's eccentric great aunt, and, to avoid shame, insists that she claims she is married. Upon return from the battlefield, Cameron hears that Emily has wed and was pregnant. She writes him to explain the situation, but the letters never arrive, and the misunderstanding sends Cameron into a spiral of rage and despair. Their paths will cross again, but will their love be enough to overcome the fates at work to keep them apart?

Nocturne


Elaine Corvidae - 2007
    After the king she loves sets her aside for another woman, Anne Greensward must submit to an arranged marriage in a barony far from the court. On the way to meet her new husband, she encounters a masked highwayman known only as Nocturne, who first saves her life—then promptly steals her dowry.The king and court consider the dashing bandit to be nothing more than a villain and a traitor. But away from the glittering world of the palace, Anne begins to see the truth: the common people are suffering, and Nocturne may be the only man who can bring them justice.When she learns of a plot to capture him, Anne must choose between the chance to regain her place at the king’s side, a quiet life with her new husband, or Nocturne—a man whose face she has never seen.

Claire, After All


Karen J. Hasley - 2014
    Commissioned by her widowed father, she descends on the green Sussex hills with three assignments. Ready Loden Hall for her father's arrival as the new earl. Find the perfect husband for her gorgeous half-sister. Acquire a tutor for her rapscallion twin brothers. At twenty-eight Claire--now Lady Claire--has had years of experience running an orderly household in India and cannot imagine England will be any different. Older. Wiser. That's Claire.But England refuses to cooperate with Claire's well laid plans. How did beautiful Loden Hall become such a ruin and how will she make it right in time? Why is her usually cooperative sister so resistant to Claire's recommendation for a husband? Why are her brothers so unhappy that stowing away on a merchant ship holds more appeal than her loving care at home? Really, if it weren't for the unexpectedly practical advice of her neighbor the Marquis of Symonton, she would feel quite alone.For Claire, focused on the tangled knots of her own family, Symonton is the perfect ally. Who better to offer guidance than a man savvy enough to maneuver his way through society for six and thirty years without being trapped into matrimony? And how fortunate that the man is entertained by her family's exploits! But even with Symonton, Claire manages to get it wrong. It's not her family he's interested in and amusement is not what he feels. The man has other plans entirely. Maturity and experience are all well and good, but Claire will learn that neither is as valuable as love.Book I of The Penwarrens, a series of 3 light-hearted Victorian romances.Claire, After All   ~   Listening to Abby   ~   Jubilee Rose

Seduced by a Pirate


Eloisa James - 2012
    What happens when a pirate decides to come home to his wife — if she is his wife — given that the marriage was never consummated? And what happens when that pirate strolls through his front door and is met by... well, that's a surprise!