Book picks similar to
A Dangerous Affection by Wanda Luce


historical-fiction
romance
regency
regency-romance

Death Comes to Pemberley


P.D. James - 2011
    D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem. It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball. Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery. Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation


Lauren Willig - 2004
    What she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: a secret history that begins with a letter dated 1803. Eloise has found the secret history of the Pink Carnation the most elusive spy of all time, the spy who single-handedly saved England from Napoleon's invasion.The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a wildly imaginative and highly adventurous debut, opens with the story of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a book within a book. Eloise Kelly settles in to read the secret history hoping to unmask the Pink Carnation's identity, but before she can make this discovery, she uncovers a passionate romance within the pages of the secret history that almost threw off the course of world events. How did the Pink Carnation save England? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly find a hero of her own?

Stone Devil Duke


K.J. Jackson - 2014
    To protect her family, to protect herself, she is determined to find the men before they find her. The last thing she wanted was an entanglement with a duke that threatens her very survival... Hardened long ago, the last thing the Duke of Dunway wanted was an entanglement with a chit of the ton. But in the flash of a pistol, his fate is altered as he finds himself honor-bound to protect Lady Augustine from, of all things, herself.

Lucy and the Duke of Secrets


Sofi Laporte - 2021
    A duke in disguise. A compromising situation.Penniless and seeking a new start, Lucy Bell sets out to visit her childhood friend at Ashmore Hall. When she finds herself stranded in a barn with a handsome gardener, Lucy thinks her luck may be finally turning. Henry is everything she has ever wanted: charming, caring, and kind.Arriving at the estate, Lucy is devastated to discover her beloved gardener is actually the duke of Ashmore - a man she despises. She puts her talent for mischief to good use, cheerfully upending the Duke's life at every turn. Lucy is certain of one thing: she loves the gardener, not the duke. But as they match wits, she discovers that the duke may not be the arrogant aristocrat she thought.When scandal strikes and her past catches up with her, Lucy faces an impossible dilemma. She must decide if love means protecting the people she cares about or risking everything to fight for her happiness......for the Duke of Secrets is not the only one wearing a disguise.♥♥♥Lucy and the Duke of Secrets is a sweet, light-hearted Regency romp full of witty banter, mischief, and heart-tugging happily ever after.The Wishing Well Series are standalone novels, though you'll encounter cameos from earlier stories.

The Devereaux Affair


Adele Clee - 2021
    As a child, her own heart was broken the night her mother dragged her from the Marquess Devereaux’s mansion and forced her into a stranger’s carriage. It was not the fear of meeting her mother’s new lover that had Julianna sobbing, but the fact she was leaving Bennet Devereaux—the marquess’ young son and Julianna’s only friend. Their parting words became a mantra she recited every night before bed.Promise you’ll find me when you’re old enough.Promise you’ll return if you can.Two promises made and broken.Someone is trying to kill Bennet Devereaux. The twenty-seven-year-old marquess has received copies of his obituary, witnessed two staged murder scenes and fears the third might be his last. Desperate to uncover the culprit, he seeks to hire an enquiry agent. Imagine his surprise when the only available agent is a woman—a woman who was once his childhood friend and confidante.Two people thrown together by fate.Bennet and Julianna must find the villain before it’s too late. But the deep bond they forged as children quickly develops into an intense attraction. How will they navigate these uncharted waters when Julianna refuses to be any man’s mistress? What options are left for Bennet when he can’t make a courtesan’s daughter his wife?Find out in The Devereaux Affair - Ladies of the Order Book 1

Marriage Most Scandalous


Johanna Lindsey - 2005
     When Sebastian Townshend, son of the eighth Earl of Edgewood, was banished from his family due to the tragic results of a duel, he vowed never to return to England. Now living on the continent, Sebastian has forged a new identity as a deadly mercenary, The Raven. But his former neighbor, Lady Margaret Landor, has different plans for him. Back in England, Sebastian's father has had several accidents and Margaret suspects foul play and deception that reach as far back as the infamous duel. Convinced that only Sebastian can set the situation to rights, Margaret arranges a scandalous bargain with him that includes Sebastian's returning home as her husband. As the newlyweds uncover a deadly scheme, a fierce passion blossoms between them, which neither anticipated -- and neither can resist.

The Woman with No Name


Kelly Nelson - 2016
    Sworn bachelor Colton Murdock gets more than he bargained for on the elk hunt when he finds an injured woman in Utah’s high country. She must have a history, but she wakes up to towering pines and the clap of a thunderstorm with no recollection of her name or how she came to be there. Colt brings her to the safety of his camp, trying to ignore the first stirrings of his heart since the tragic death of his fiancée six years ago. The young woman can’t help falling for her ruggedly handsome rescuer, who calls her Skye for her blue eyes. But her life goes into a tailspin when she is recognized as Lily Vanasche, fiancée of a popular TV news anchorman, and Colt is arrested for a series of crimes—including her abduction. After the real kidnapper leaves a death threat in Lily’s ransacked house, the clock starts ticking. Can she remember her past before it catches up with her?

The Thief and the Noble


Dana LeCheminant - 2022
    She is young, beautiful, and wealthy—but catching an eligible husband is the last thing on her mind. Marian is disillusioned with how the upper class lives while the poor of London suffer, and she is determined to right this imbalance. When she comes face-to-face with a mysterious man who steals from arrogant aristocrats and redistributes the spoils to the poor, Marian recognizes a motivation that mirrors her own. She is determined to discover the true identity of the unscrupulous hero and offer her assistance. When she unmasks the bandit Robin, he begrudgingly agrees to train the lovely Marian in the art of thievery in exchange for her silence, quickly realizing that his heart may be stolen next. But when they discover a copycat thief operating in London, they are faced with a foe whose purpose is far from noble. Amid distracting suitors, becoming a champion of the poor, and a growing attraction Marian can’t ignore, can she and Robin expose the renegade pilferer without risking themselves.

The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen


Syrie James - 2012
    There was no mistaking it: the salutation, the tiny, precise handwriting, the date, the content itself, all confirmed its ancient status and authorship…Samantha McDonough cannot believe her eyes--or her luck. Tucked in an uncut page of a two-hundred-year old poetry book is a letter she believes was written by Jane Austen, mentioning with regret a manuscript that "went missing at Greenbriar in Devonshire."Could there really be an undiscovered Jane Austen novel waiting to be found? Could anyone resist the temptation to go looking for it?Making her way to the beautiful, centuries-old Greenbriar estate, Samantha finds it no easy task to sell its owner, the handsome yet uncompromising Anthony Whitaker, on her wild idea of searching for a lost Austen work--until she mentions its possible million dollar value.After discovering the unattributed manuscript, Samantha and Anthony are immediately absorbed in the story of Rebecca Stanhope, daughter of a small town rector, who is about to encounter some bittersweet truths about life and love. As they continue to read the newly discovered tale from the past, a new one unfolds in the present--a story that just might change both of their lives forever.

Ransome's Honor


Kaye Dacus - 2009
    They go their separate ways—she returns to her family’s Caribbean plantation, and he returns to the Royal Navy. Now, twelve years later, Julia is about to receive a substantial inheritance, including her beloved plantation. When unscrupulous relatives try to gain the inheritance by forcing her into a marriage, she turns to the only eligible man to whom her father, Admiral Sir Edward Witherington, will not object—his most trusted captain and the man who broke Julia’s heart, William Ransome. Julia offers William her thirty-thousand-pound dowry to feign marriage for one year, but then something she never imagined happens: She starts to fall in love with him again. Can two people overcome their hurt, reconcile their conflicting desires, and find a way to be happy together? Duty and honor, faith and love are intertwined in this intriguing tale from the Regency era.