Book picks similar to
Love's Promise by Cheryl Holt


romance
historical-romance
historical-fiction
historical

The Flame and the Flower


Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - 1972
    and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger.A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed lovely his woman... and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love.

A Talent For Trouble


Anne Barbour - 1992
    Tally became his collaborator so she could gain her financial independence, but she was not immune to Chelmsford’s charm. Could the Viscount be aware of his artist’s attractions despite her country ways? Regency Romance by Anne Barbour; originally published by Signet

One Wicked Season


Greenwriter
    Now, he is back in town, no longer the charmer, but the man forced to find Victoria Ashdown a husband.Good friends...They thought they are until their first kiss.

Susanna and the Spy


Anna Elliott - 2011
    She certainly has no intention of contacting her family, who cast off her father and scorned her mother years ago. But a chance encounter with a figure from her past suggests that her estranged grandfather was murdered, and that his death was connected to a local ring of smugglers, led by a mysterious figure who calls himself Captain Clark.When Captain Clark himself appears at her door, wounded and in need of her help, Susanna must decide where her true loyalties lie. And she must also discover the truth of her grandfather's death. Otherwise the man she is rapidly falling in love with may be hanged for treason and murder.

The Governess 1


Ellise C. Weaver - 2013
    But her biggest challenge will be their father; masterful and strong in everything—especially his kiss. Poor and without dowry—and even worse—now orphaned, Miss Carly Blakemore is thrown into the Victorian world without aid. Carly is forced to seek a position as governess in the house of Lord Huntington, the Earl of Dunfordshire—a man alone in his own right—and under suspicion for the tragic murder of his well-known and adulteress wife. His governess’s honesty and forthrightness quickly offend his noble person, finding himself reeling from her constant evaluation of his lack of parenting skills. However, in the midst of his resentments, he finds himself strangely drawn in by her very no-nonsense ways that drive him to madness. Carly stands her ground in head-to-head battles of will that take her to the brink of dismissal. Carly and the earl continually fight the feelings growing between them. Both are oblivious to the clouds of deceit and intrigue that are growing around the manor house, some bent upon removing the beautiful, headstrong governess permanently. A final desperate chase leads to an interception of a ship upon the high seas headed for the Mediterranean and a secret society of white-slave traders, opening the way for this book’s sequel.

A Well Pleasured Lady


Christina Dodd - 1997
    In the ten years since, she had abandoned her youthful impetuousness and transformed herself into a housekeeper -- disguising her beauty beneath a servant's dour clothing determined to conquer the passions of the past.But Sebastian Durant, Viscount Whitfield, did recognize her as a Fairchild, one of his family's bitter enemies. When he demanded her help recovering a stolen diary, she dared not refuse him. When he proposed they masquerade as a betrothed couple, loyalty forced her to agree. And when the restraint between them shattered and pleasure became an obsession, Mary had to trust a powerful man who could send her to the gallows ... or love her through eternity.

Virtue and Vice


Kimberly Brody - 2015
    Believing her only recourse is to break the terms of the betrothal agreement, Izzy plans to sacrifice her virginity before her wedding day dawns. Her scheme is simple enough. She’ll join the villagers in their May Day celebrations, and there she will choose the man who will take her virtue.Ramsay Maitland is on a crusade to prove his betrothed an unsuitable bride. Despite the political advantages of the match, he has no intention of taking a royalist courtier as his wife. His objective is diverted when, at a May Day festival, he meets an alluring woman who appears more than willing to fall into his arms… and into his bed. Passion ignites when Ram discovers his mystery maiden is the one woman he swore he’d never desire… his betrothed.Determined to master the woman who has stolen his heart, Ram will chase his elusive bride from the lush landscapes of Cornwall to the debauched court of Charles II. In a bid to claim her as his own, he vows to bind her to him with sensuality and desire. But can enemies become lovers when past secrets and court intrigue threaten to destroy their new-found love?

The Reluctant Duchess


Sharon Cullen - 2015
    Now that the killer seems to be targeting her, Sara seeks help from the man who was once her cousin’s fiancé, Gabriel Ferguson, Duke of Rossmoyne. With his towering frame and fiery personality, Ross cuts an intimidating figure. Living under his protection, however, has its own hazards—like the sudden urge Sara feels to take their relationship in new, exquisitely inappropriate directions.Dazzled by the social graces of his betrothed, Ross never noticed her shy, blushing cousin. Looking at Sara now, though, he’s drawn to her lovely eyes and calm disposition. Funny how a year away from the hustle and bustle of the ton changes a man. But Ross has no intention of allowing a woman to interfere with his plan to return overseas. He will simply capture the murderer and set sail once again. The problem is, with her beguiling lips and heavenly touch, Sara makes him never want to leave home—or his bed—again.

Twice a Rake


Catherine Gayle - 2011
    . .When Aurora Hyatt loses her journal in Hyde Park, her ruin is a foregone conclusion. After all, if anyone discovers her writings, they'll find scandalous fantasies involving the newest rake in Town alongside entirely-too-candid thoughts about her typical dreary suitors. Aurora will either be forced into a loveless marriage with the first nodcock to make an offer, or she'll be assigned a permanent position on the shelf. Oh, dear good Lord. What catastrophe will God smote down upon her next?If Niles Thornton, Baron Quinton, desires to maintain any semblance of his current lifestyle, he must fulfill the requirements his grandfather has set for him. First and foremost: he must marry and begin filling his nursery within the year. When he is nearly barreled over by a racing curricle and a journal flies out to land at his feet, his troubles are over. Inside the journals pages, Quin discovers a scandal waiting to happen. Surely a young lady who would write such brazen things in a journal (and then dare to lose it) must recognize the necessity of a hasty marriage, even if the gentleman making the offer is rather less-than-honorable.In a drunken haze, Quin kisses Aurora on a crowded ballroom floor, necessitating their immediate marriage. Quin's troubles are only beginning, however, as Aurora's writings are soon the focus of both gossip rags and drawing room conversation. When word arrives of an even greater scandal following in his wife's wake, will he prove himself a drunken abuser like his father, or will he become the loving husband of Aurora's fantasies?

The Earl's Dilemma


Emily May - 2008
    He’s resigned himself to a marriage of convenience and has even chosen a bride: Kate Honeycourt, his best friend’s sister.Kate has been on the shelf for years. Why, then, does she so firmly turn him down? Surely she can’t be holding out for a love match?But Kate has a proposal of her own: she’ll find James a bride he can fall in love with.Armed with a list of requirements, Kate sets out to find James the perfect wife. But things don’t progress as either of them expect…A Regency romance featuring an earl who needs to marry in a hurry, the spinster he turns to for help, and a list that grows…and grows…and grows.

Wild Angel


Miriam Minger - 1994
    and the last thing he needed was a troublesome woman. Yet this fierce Irish warrior took a deathbed oath to protect a chieftain's rebellious daughter.Triona was a hellion of a woman...who would let no man rule her. Raised in the ways of a warrior, she defied Ronan's every command. So he planned to marry her off, to be rid of the wild lass forever. But in the heat of battle—enflamed by her passionate spirit—Ronan decided he wanted this beautiful, impossible woman for himself!

The Bride Thief


Jacquie D'Alessandro - 2002
    She had no intention of being betrothed–especially against her will–to a man she did not love. She had a plan...and it didn’t include being swept into a pair of powerful arms and spirited away by a masked rider. News of Sammie’s heroic rescue from undesired wedlock turned her into the toast of the ton, wooed by suitors far and wide. But she couldn’t forget the swashbuckling brigand who’d abducted her–something about him intrigued her completely. Then she met Eric Landsdowne, the dashing and seductive Earl of Wesley.His exploits were legendary, his life filled with danger. He was the elusive Bride Thief, who had his own reasons for helping young women escape the unhappy fate of arranged marriages, and whose true identity was a scrupulously guarded secret. But from the moment he rescued Sammie–only to discover she’d already managed to get herself un-betrothed–Eric knew he couldn’t lose her a second time. Marriage was out of the question. Which left only one option: A clandestine affair that might lead to scandal, social ruin, and the unmasking of a love-bested legend. . .

Tempt Me at Midnight


Lauren Royal - 2014
    But when the man she's loved since her girlhood returns from a long spell abroad, she quite suddenly finds herself hoping the fine lord her brother has picked for her won't propose. She decides that if he does, she'll quite improperly turn him down—that is, until the man of her hopes and dreams informs her he has no intention of marrying her.The last time Tristan Nesbitt saw Alexandra, he was a common man with no hope of ever wedding the daughter of a marquess. Seven years later, he's now Lord Hawkridge, which should make him eminently suitable for the woman who long ago captured his heart. But a dreadful scandal has tarnished his name in England—a scandal so horrid that marrying Alexandra would ruin not only her flawless reputation but her whole family. For Alexandra's own good, he must fight his relentless desires and stay far away…

Love According to Lily


Julianne MacLean - 2005
    Now that her brother the duke's completely malleable best friend Edward Wallis has been brutally (and luckily) rebuffed by his intended, Lily knows her chance for a very permissive and entirely convenient husband is here. In fact, he is staying in her very own home for a house party.But this promising party's tone is quickly changed by a horrible twist of fate that threatens Edward's very life. Nothing but luck can save Edward, but Lily's heart is lost for good when she sees what a strong and devoted man he can be in times of trouble. Lily has set her cap on a man who should be unlovable and fallen more in love than she ever thought possible. Their passion brings great risk, but when a man and a woman prove to be so much more together than they were apart, is there anything that their love cannot overcome?

Mistaken Mistress


Margaret McPhee - 2006
    That's about to change, when Kathryn accidentally falls into the arms of the most notorious rake of them all, Lord Ravensmede.