Book picks similar to
Texas Conquest by Holly Castillo


romance
western
historical
historical-fiction

An Unexpected Mail Order Bride


Blythe Carver - 2021
    She wants a man. Not some silly boy who plays pranks. She’s not one to wait for life to come to her. She’ll seize it by the horns. And she does just that, ending up in the wild west with nothing but her money and her companion.Nate Winchester and his two boys were abandoned by his wife. She simply up and left them. Who does that? Now, Nate’s had to figure out how to be mother and father to his sons. Lucky for him, he’s got siblings who have helped him. But that’s not enough. Children need a mama.When his sister comes up with a plan for getting him a bride, he’s not interested. Yet, his sister Melissa is persistent.Lo and behold, here comes Theresa Baldwin. A ray of sunshine in his otherwise bleak life.Theresa has no idea that her appearance has been orchestrated by Nate’s sister. She’s thrilled to have found this woodworking, ranching man’s man in the wild west. Until she learns the truth…

An Improper Situation


Sydney Jane Baily - 2012
    He's not prepared for Miss Charlotte Sanborn, who wears her independence like a suit of armor, cloaks her identity behind her pen name, and flat out refuses to raise her kin!Of all the gall! How dare this man stride into her home and expect her to rearrange her life?Charlotte won’t risk any more heartache. After raising her brother by herself, and watching him leave, it’s her time to enjoy some peace—and use her new typewriter! So why do these children and this handsome stranger awaken a yearning for something more than the life she has painstakingly created?One letter changes everything…When Charlotte forsakes all that’s familiar and enters Reed’s world of Boston high society, concealed malice abounds in the glittering Beacon Hill mansions. Facing sinister forces and scorned women—and with passions ablaze—can Reed and Charlotte escape An Improper Situation?An Improper Situation is Book 1 in the Victorian-American series Defiant Hearts. Engaging, believable characters, attention to period detail, and sensual romance, you’ll find it all in this series by highly acclaimed writer Sydney Jane Baily."…the ending was perfect... Many wonderful characters including nasty villains and villainesses. I had a hard time putting it down!"~ Lady McNeill, Mrs. Condit, Friends Read Books“Delicately crafted, deliciously told. A book that transports you to a time and place from which you won’t want to return.”~ Award-winning, bestselling author, Marliss Melton

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.

Pioneer Dream


Ramona Flightner - 2020
    Instead, he is convinced only hard work, dedication to family, and self-sacrifice will bring contentment. When he meets Aileen O’Keefe on the steamboat trip from Saint Louis to Fort Benton, Montana Territory, his world is turned upside down as quickly as she nearly tumbles into the Missouri River. After spending only a few moments in her company, he knows his life will never be the same. Although warned to guard his heart, he is drawn to Aileen, enthralled by her joy and the future he envisions with her. Aileen O’Keefe knows she is not the sort of woman to captivate handsome Kevin O’Rourke. Charmed by his attentiveness, she is unable to hide her mutual attraction to him, although she knows it is disastrous. For Aileen has a secret. One that will forever separate them. Due to a bargain made by her aunt, their time on the steamboat must be all they can ever share. Upon arriving in Fort Benton, Kevin discovers that ghosts can return from the dead, love can endure years of hardship, and that his hope for a future with the woman he loves is worth every sacrifice. Aileen must adjust to the rough frontier town as she reconciles herself to the betrayal of one who she had trusted. She must learn to believe in herself so that she can have the confidence to have faith in Kevin’s love. Can Kevin convince Aileen to trust in the strength of their love or will Aileen turn to another for the fulfillment of her dreams? Discover the O’Rourke Family Montana Saga set in the frontier town of Fort, Benton, Montana Territory! Follow as each sibling forgives childhood heartbreak, discovers love, and finds their happily ever after! The O’Rourke Family Montana Saga Pioneer Dream Pioneer Desire –Coming April 2020 Pioneer Yearning –Coming May 2020 Pioneer Longing—Coming Soon! Pioneer Bliss—Coming Soon!

Escaping the Duke


Melanie Rose Clarke - 2021
    Under the guise of a lord, she sends messages to Edmund Hawkins, the powerful Duke of Bradenton. He doesn’t know his informant is a lady, even as he investigates to uncover her identity. When her father demands she find a husband, she cannot choose Edmund, who would demand total surrender. But when he catches her spying, she may not have a choice. Edmund is intrigued by the beautiful lady caught snooping through a dangerous lord’s home. Lady Priscilla may act the perfect duke’s daughter, but fiery mystery burns beneath the flawless façade. He sees the passion she cannot hide, the spirited woman who would make the perfect duchess. He will discover her every secret. Then, he will make her his.

Masks of Desire


Fenna Edgewood - 2021
    Her childhood sweetheart, Henry Gardner, is handsome, kind, and passionately in love with her. Or so she believes, until one day she is told everything she knows about Henry is a lie. In an instant, their long-time engagement is broken and Caroline's world is shattered.Henry Gardner has been told that the girl he's loved all his life has cruelly betrayed him. But no matter what she may have done, his love for her will not dim. The only problem? She's about to marry someone else. Less than twenty-four hours until he’ll lose her for good... Stealing an earl's bride on the eve of her wedding might be an insurmountable challenge for some men, but Henry is determined to make sure Caroline knows that forever is a promise he means to keep. Even if doing so comes at a perilous price. One boy. One girl. One future they must fight for together. Her one true love may have returned, but after all he's put her through, Caroline has no intention of falling back into his arms. But when she stumbles onto a terrible family secret, Caroline must make a leap of faith and put her heart in the hands of the one man she swore she'd never trust again. Book Details Please Note: Masks of Desire was previously released as a free short story of five-thousand words. This fifty-thousand-word-plus novel contains many revisions as well as new revelations and insights for readers of the Gardner Girls series. It may be read as a prequel or a final sequel to the series.

Cross her Heart


Jo Noelle - 2020
    The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a cowboy. Oops!Ida Turner was supposed to pass along her father’s directions to the trail boss. Instead, she packs her wagon with silk dresses and joins the cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail from Windward, Texas, to the railhead in Kansas. Contrary to what she thought would be a grand adventure, the trail is fraught with dangers, threatening her life.Robert Conley only learned about the change of plans for the cattle drive two days before they were to leave. Now, half his crew is new, he’ll be on the trail for months instead of weeks, and the beautiful, infuriating woman who is an albatross around his neck doesn’t know she’s riding with an outlaw—and he has to keep it that way.How can Ida overcome Robert’s secretiveness and earn his respect and trust? Will Robert risk opening his heart and his past to gain Ida’s love?

Kisses and Rogues: Four Regency Stories


Anthea Lawson - 2012
    but she never suspects how delicious each kiss will be.MAID FOR SCANDALMiss Anna Harcourt disguises herself as a maid to be near the man she think she loves, but little does she know how far this charade will lead her ... or how close to scandal.THE PIANO TUTOR Encouraged by her scandalous friend to take a lover, Lady Diana Waverly finds that the new piano tutor is more than he seems - especially when it comes to passion.TO WED THE EARLMiss Miranda Price detests her neighbor Edward Havens, the rakish Earl of Edgerton--but when he catches her breaking into his library at midnight, secrets are revealed that will change the course of their lives... forever.

Last Chance for the Charming Ladies


Fanny Finch - 2018
    Until these men appear and they change their lives forever. The first arrives from the Colonies, needing to find a husband before this Season’s end and her ailing father’s passing. But London’s society proves daunting and cruel to a lively girl who’s been raised away from its rules. Will a bitter Duke and his wise sister be enough to protect and guide her? Or will he be the one to endanger her heart most of all? The second still mourns a love lost but never forgotten. On the verge of spinsterhood, she needs to decide her future, fast. When fate makes it so her path crosses that of her former suitor, will she be brave enough to seize that second chance? Or is their love condemned to be lost forever? The third doesn’t think about marriage at all, until her parents demand her to do so. A secret admirer sends her unsigned letters that make her heart shiver – a secret admirer who is, in fact, her long-time friend. Will he finally win her heart before another one does? Will he find the courage to reveal the truth before it’s too late? Maria, Georgiana, Julia. Three young women, three enthralling stories about love, forgiveness, and courage. If you like engaging characters, heart- wrenching twists and turns, and lots of romance, then you’ll love “Last Chance for the Charming Ladies!” Buy “Last Chance for the Charming Ladies” and unlock the exciting stories of Maria, Georgiana & Julia's today!This Box Set includes the following three books:1. A Forthright Courtship2. A Love Worth Saving3. Love Letters to a Lady

Seductive Silence


Larissa Lyons - 2021
    He just hopes she can hear what’s in his heart.Lord Tremayne has a problem. He stammers like a fool—at least that’s what he learned from his father’s constant criticism and punishing hand. Daniel now hides his troubles, limiting his speech and getting by with a few close friends. His well-fought privacy is all for naught when he goes looking for a new mistress and finds a delightful young woman who makes him, of all people, want to spout poetry. He thought he had a problem before? Avoiding meaningless dinner prattle is nothing compared to the challenge of winning the heart of his new lady lust.Recently widowed and increasingly poor, Thea’s been reduced to sharing her rented room with rodents and arguing over every morsel (the mice usually win). When a friend suggests an alliance of the most intimate sort, Thea’s reluctantly intrigued. But given her lackluster marriage, she doubts her ability to entice an experienced man. The considerate, if quiet, Lord Tremayne attracts her mightily, so she sets aside her misgivings. That is, until Thea realizes she’s about to break the cardinal rule of mistressing—that of falling for her new protector.A fun, emotionally satisfying, steamy tale told in three parts: Seductive Silence, Lusty Letters, and Daring Declarations.

The Highlander's Lady (Highlands Forever Book 1)


Aileen Adams - 2019
     Olivia Smythe is the daughter an English earl and a Scottish woman. He has decided that his half-Scottish daughter should go to the Highlands for her own safety to avoid the border skirmishes that plague their area. He’s also pleaded her hand to a cruel Englishman. Laird Boyd MacPherson has no idea the Englishwoman he’s saved from cutthroats is the cousin of a Highland laird. He has no idea the courage and wherewithal that this young half-Scot can muster. He is quick to find out when she runs away and seeks to hide from her betrothed and the rest of the world. Boyd turns the Highlands upside down looking for her, only to find her in the least likely of places.

London Temptations: Historical Regency Romance Collection


Joyce Alec - 2020
    Can she risk telling the truth?Prudence's MysteryA marquess and a lady must avoid rumors and scandal while solving a great mystery.Josephine's TruthIs there a chance of reconciliation between Lady Josephine and Lord Farrington?Lucinda's FreedomMiss Williams is in great danger. But, what can Lord Wiltshire do to help her when she is so determined to stay away from him?If you love sweet, Regency romances with strong heroines, suspense, and cozy mysteries, then you will love the London Temptations romance collection.

Pride of Honor


Andrea K. Stein - 2020
    She must ensure her marriage to a “suitable gentleman of the ton” before her twenty-first birthday or she’ll be destitute, per the terms of her ducal grandmother’s will. Close to having her own poems published, Sophia has her hopes dashed each time by someone revealing her secrets. That same someone so desperately wants her to fail the terms of the will, they’re willing to commit violent acts to ruin her reputation. Captain Arnaud Bellingham has ascended the ranks of the Royal Navy in spite of his half-French heritage by proving himself at the Battle of Algiers and with the West African Squadron. He seeks a simple marriage of convenience to a mature woman, a widow who has been his sometime mistress the last several years. The very thing he does not want, an exotic Italian innocent, literally falls into his life when he rescues her from kidnappers, although she disputes she needed saving. And now, honor and duty dictate he has to waste the rest of his leave guarding her through the mad whirl of the Season.

Where He Leads


Angela Castillo - 2019
     Compared to an arranged marriage to the odious Bernard Regent, a prairie schooner on the Oregon Trail doesn't seem like such a bad trade to Amethyst Kent. When desperate Martha Davis reveals her need for a mother's helper on the trail, Ami decides to up and leave the pampered life she's always known for a land of freedom. But trail life is hardly a tea party, and Ami must draw from the deepest wells of her faith to survive. With the sunset always before her, and Shiloh Talon, a handsome trail scout, guiding the way, she might just make it through.

The King's League


Lucy Adams - 2020
    Six Regency Spy Romances of lords and ladies falling in love as they solve the mysteries that befall them.The men of The King’s League dedicate every moment towards doing what they can to prevent the enemies of the Crown from infiltrating England and setting a course against the Royal Family.That is… until they are distracted by the lovely ladies in the following stories:Protecting Lady Esther, Book OneThe Viscount’s First Love, Book TwoThe Captured Lord, Book ThreeTrusting Lady Hemmingway, Book FourThe Lady’s Secret Love, Book FiveA Truth Revealed, Book SixCome discover these captivating Regency-era stories of love, mystery and suspense! Each book is 50,000 words long, clean reading and has happily-ever-after endings.