Book picks similar to
An Improper Companion by Karla Hocker


historical-romance
regency
romance
historical

Seductive Secrets


Carrie James Haynes - 2012
    Shunned from London society for being the daughter of England’s most notorious spy, Alyce Hythe desires only to clear her father’s name. For years, she has been hidden away from all prying eyes, given a new identity and told to forget who she was. But strange things have been happening causing old rumors to once more be whispered.Long has Lord Julian Casvelyn lived with guilt brought on when his brother was murdered by England’s most infamous traitor. But one eventful night has changed everything Lord Julian believed about his brother’s death. Never did he suspect the woman he has just saved from certain harm is the daughter of that man. Now Julian is caught in midst of a conspiracy and desire for that woman.Thrown together by fate, the two search for answers long denied them and along the way discover a love that can free them both.Previously published as Daughter of Deceit under Carrie James Haynes

A Pirate's Promise


Gabriela Lawson - 2012
    She is terrified that his lordship might positively ruin her reputation by exposing her poor behaviour. But when she learns that he has a secret of his own, she throws caution to the wind and sneaks aboard his ship in the middle of the night, intent on using that knowledge to seal his lips … Anton's secret -- that he is a gentleman pirate -- takes on new meaning when he sails for Barbados, to escape his father’s heavy hand, and realizes he has a stowaway on board. By the time Elizabeth’s presence is discovered, it is too late to turn back. As they are thrown together for weeks at sea, their stormy passions will grow, perhaps into something more…

What Not to Bare


Megan Frampton - 2013
    Lady Charlotte Jepstow certainly knows how to make an impression—a terrible one. Each one of her ball gowns is more ostentatiously ugly than the one before. Even she has been forced to wonder: Is she unmarried because of her abysmal wardrobe, or does she wear clashing clothing because she doesn’t want to be pursued in the first place? But when Charlotte meets Lord David Marchston, suddenly a little courtship doesn’t sound so bad after all. David will be the first to admit he’s made some mistakes. But when he gets yanked from his post by his superiors, he is ordered to do the unthinkable to win back his position: woo his commander’s niece. If David wants his life back, he must use his skills as a negotiator to persuade society that Charlotte is a woman worth pursuing, despite her rather unusual “flair” for color. But David does such a terrific job that he develops an unexpected problem, one that violates both his rakish mentality and his marching orders: He’s starting to fall in love. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Hero of My Heart, Baring It All, and After the Kiss.

How to Deceive a Duke


Lecia Cornwall - 2012
    . .When her stubborn sister runs off the night before her arranged marriage, Meg Lynton hardly hesitates before donning the wedding veil and walking down the aisle herself. It's the only way to save her family from sure destitution. By the time her wealthy groom discovers he has married the wrong sister, it will be too late to annul their vows. And too late for Meg to escape her wifely duty to a man reputed to be a devil in battle and the bedroom . . .A bride is the last thing Nicholas Hartley, Duke of Temberlay, wants. Then he sees Meg and realizes that his wedding night will be a great pleasure indeed. But aside from the agreeable business of begetting an heir, Temberlay will never change his wicked ways for a wedding vow—until he discovers Meg's deception, and decides to teach the scheming beauty how to be a proper duchess, kiss by devastating kiss . . .

A Dash of Scandal


Amelia Grey - 2002
    Outraged, he believes she's connected to the mysterious "Mad Ton Thief " and vows to expose her. Millicent must stop him before they are both plunged into scandal. If only he weren't so irresistibly attractive...

It's Getting Scot in Here


Suzanne Enoch - 2019
    Her parents may want her to catch a title, but she will never change who she is for the promise of marriage. Her husband will be a man who can appreciate her sharp mind as well as her body. A sophisticated man who loves life in London. A man who considers her his equal―and won’t try to tame her wild heart...IN THE HIGHLANDSRough, rugged Highlander Niall MacTaggert and his brothers know the rules: the eldest must marry or lose the ancestral estate, period. But Niall’s eldest brother just isn’t interested in the lady his mother selected. Is it because Amelia-Rose is just too. . . Free-spirited? Yes. Brazen? Aye. Surely Niall can find a way to soften up the whip-smart lass and make her the perfect match for his brother for the sake of the family.JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT HOTTER.Instead it’s Niall who tempts Amelia-Rose, despite her reservations about barbarian Highlanders. Niall finds the lass nigh irresistible as well, but he won’t make the mistake his father did in marrying an Englishwoman who doesn’t like the Highlands. Does he have what it takes to win her heart? There is only one way to find out...

The Legend of the Betrayed Duchess


Hanna Hamilton - 2018
    Her stay with her new family quickly turns into a nightmare, with writing becoming her only escape and George, the Duke’s son, being her only friend. Growing up developing a deep love for the arts instead of the family business, as well as a secret infatuation for Lucy, George Grayson suffers his parent’s continuous disapproval. Along with the sudden arrival of a mysterious man, claiming to be Lucy’s lost brother, a series of unexpected events start to take place, that bring chaos into the Grayson home, having everyone’s fates hanging by a thread. *The Legend of the Betrayed Duchess is a historical Regency romance of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after. Get this book for free with Kindle Unlimited!

This Earl of Mine


Kate Bateman - 2019
    . .and wed?WILL A FALSE MARRIAGEShipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed is done with men who covet her purse more than her person. Even worse than the ton’s lecherous fortune hunters, however, is the cruel cousin determined to force Georgie into marriage. If only she could find a way to be . . . widowed? Georgie hatches a madcap scheme to wed a condemned criminal before he’s set to be executed. All she has to do is find an eligible bachelor in prison to marry her, and she’ll be free. What could possibly go wrong?LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?Benedict William Henry Wylde, scapegrace second son of the late Earl of Morcott and well-known rake, is in Newgate prison undercover, working for Bow Street. Georgie doesn’t realize who he is when she marries him―and she most certainly never expects to bump into her very-much-alive, and very handsome, husband of convenience at a society gathering weeks later. Soon Wylde finds himself courting his own wife, hoping to win her heart since he already has her hand. But how can this seductive rogue convince brazen, beautiful Georgie that he wants to be together…until actual death do they part?

The Marriage Mart


Elizabeth Chater - 1983
    Her grandmother would like nothing more than to pull Athenas nose out of those useless books and marry her off to the first eligible bachelor around. When they arrive in London to fulfill the grandmothers plan of transforming Athena from a pauper to a princess, they are both in for a surprise: the only man Athena has eyes for is a man she loathes. After she shamelessly offends the Duke, Athena wants nothing more than to repairthe damage of their first meeting. But the Duke has already begun his campaign of slander against the ugly ducking. Soon Athena realizes she has blossomed into a swan. Will the belligerent Duke acknowledge her newfound beauty and the burning desire inside him or will he destroy her only chance of marriage?

The Runaway Countess


Leigh LaValle - 2012
    Once the darling of high society, Mazie Chetwyn knows firsthand how quickly the rich and powerful turn their backs on the less fortunate. Orphaned, penniless and determined to defy their ruthless whims, she joins forces with a local highwayman who steals from the rich to give to the poor. Then the pawn broker snitches, and Mazie is captured by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. A man who is far too handsome, far too observant…and surely as corrupt as his father once was.Sensible, rule-driven Trent Carthwick, twelfth Earl of Radford, is certain the threat of the gallows will prompt the villagers’ beloved Angel of Kindness to reveal the highwayman’s identity. But his bewitching captive volunteers nothing—except a sultry, bewildering kiss. And so the games begin. Trent feints, Mazie parries. He threatens, she pretends nonchalance. He cajoles, she rebuffs. Thwarted at every turn, Trent probes deep into her one vulnerability—her past. There he finds the leverage he needs and a searing truth that challenges all he believes about right and wrong.Warning: The delicious, if left-brained, hero might forever change all you think you know about the Robin Hood legend. Contains razor-sharp wordplay, skinny dipping and tortured hearts.

The Hidden Duchess


Bree Verity - 2021
    Set in 1789 in the years leading up to the French Revolution, it is full of intrigue, romance and adventure.────Celeste, Duchesse de Saint Tours, is forced into hiding when she is falsely accused of the murder of her husband. She flees to the south of France, where her distant cousin, Marcel Daunou reluctantly agrees to hide her in plain sight on his farm. However, she must learn to live as a peasant farmer to complete the deception, a feat which appears next to impossible to the haughty Duchess. Especially knowing that the unsettling Marcel is watching over her at every turn. She can’t wait to return to her beloved Paris, and the exquisite, hedonistic lifestyle she has left behind.Marcel knows that he places his loved ones in danger when he agrees to hide Celeste. However, his committee has agreed to hide her in exchange for a large sum of money that will assist their gravely poor community, and since she is his family, he takes responsibility for her. But Republican fervor is running high and Marcel knows if the Duchess is found out, she will be marched back to Paris, and to the guillotine. And his family will face harsh retribution from the agitating revolutionaries for hiding a member of the despised nobility.Forced to work together, Celeste and Marcel discover a passion that they cannot resist. And Celeste discovers a feeling of belonging and acceptance from the people of the village that she has never felt before. She begins to dream about a future with Marcel.When her well-meaning lawyer appears in the village and gives her identity away, it isn’t only Marcel that Celeste stands to lose – it’s her life as well.How can a noble Duchess and a peasant farmer find their happily ever after?

Branches of Love Boxed Set, Books 1-3


Sally Britton - 2019
    Thomas Gilbert's finances are in ruin and the only way to save his dream is to find investors for his stables. Together, they can solve both their problems, as long as they don't fall in love.The Gentleman Physician: Five years ago, Julia Devon said goodbye to the man who held her heart, though she had to break his in the process. When Nathaniel Hastings, a physician in Bath, meets hr again, will past regrets keep them apart or will a second chance at love heal them both?His Bluestocking Bride: Marcus Calvert must wed in order to inherit his estate, but he's vowed to never risk his heart in a love match again. Ellen Bringhurst has resigned herself to spinsterhood until her match-making friends contrive to reintroduce Ellen to the man she has secretly loved since childhood. Marcus and Ellen wed, though this marriage of convenience is not what either of them wished for.  All Books in the Branches of Love Series, in Order: Martha's Patience, a prequel novella In This Set:  The Social TutorThe Gentleman PhysicianHis Bluestocking Bride Available Separately:  The Earl and His LadyMiss Devon's Choice Courting the Vicar's Daughter

Viscount Vagabond


Loretta Chase - 1988
    But her escape through the streets of London only seemed to lead her from bad to worse. First, she was robbed. And then, her supposed "rescue" by a kindly old woman stranded Catherine in a bordello -- where the handsome Viscount Rand was intent on sampling her wares! A dire predicament indeed-especially when the dashing aristocrat decided to assume full responsibility for the ravishing runaway by taking her, quite against her will, into his home. But little did Catherine know that her struggle to preserve her virtue had inflamed the debauched gadabout's heart ... and might well net her a husband worth desiring!

Chills


Heather Boyd - 2011
    Bestselling regency romance author, Heather Boyd, brings readers a lively tale of reckless spending, fraudulent correspondence, and the humorous twists and turns of falling for the right rogue…London, 1813Jack, Marquess of Ettington, is at his wits’ end dealing with his twin sister’s distress. Under her name, he’s summoned Constance Grange, his vexing former ward, to London to act as his sister’s companion for the season. Although Pixie’s debt-ridden state comes as a complete surprise, what disturbs him more is his sister’s plan to find her a wealthy husband to pay off her overwhelming debts. And—despite his availability, wealth and title—he’s shocked to be overlooked for the position of Pixie’s husband.With a nickname like Pixie, Constance Grange should be used to disasters, but debt collectors pounding on the Marquess of Ettington’s door demanding payment is beyond mortifying. Given the precarious state of her finances and the previously unknown loss of her family estate, her choices are either incarceration in debtors’ prison or turning fortune hunter to secure a wealthy husband. Yet the man who comes to her rescue more times than she cares to think about is unavailable, betrothed, and her former guardian Jack—the cold-hearted marquess.

The Maidenhead


Parris Afton Bonds - 1995
    Maids must be young, handsome, and honestly educated."Having read this promising broadside, Modesty Brown flees from arrest in London for the safety of married bliss in the New World. At 26, she might not be young, nor handsome, and most certainly not honest. But educated, she is. Upon her arrival in Jamestown, the saucy wench is accused of witchcraft by a ruthless nobleman – and it’s either burn at the stake or wed a savage.In buckskins and a breechclout, Mad Dog Jones is certainly the savage – and he abhors the thought of a wife or family – or anything else that would remind him of his tortured past. In the virgin forests of the newly found colony, Mad Dog regards the tainted pub wench Modesty as the savage. Yet their savage passions for one another cannot be denied by night. And by day each is determined to be rid of the other . . . even if it means for Mad Dog gambling off the indentured contract of his wife, Modesty; even if it means for Modesty killing off her master, Mad Dog.