Book picks similar to
The Coach to Hell by Rachel Cosgrove Payes


historical-romance
2-stars-and-a-half
love-triangle
old-skool-bodicerippers

The Ring and the Crown


Melissa de la Cruz - 2014
    But who will rule, and who will serve? Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

Love: A Forgotten Art


Ivy Symone - 2019
    What should have been a single encounter turned into several. There was something about Prime that magnetized her to him…Egotistical, vain, and pompous, but confident, beautiful, charming, and eccentric. Prime didn’t have to exert his dominance for her to know who he was. Her submission to his energy came naturally. He was what she needed. Prime was the perfect name for someone like him; it was truly befitting. He carried himself as if he was of main importance and considered himself to be the best in quality. And yes, he was at the most successful peak of his life, and he exuded great strength and maturity. Now it was time to settle and findeth a wife. Unable to change the mistakes of the past, he looked forward to another chance at love and family. He believed he found it in Dasani. She was divine and breathtaking. A chocolate goddess. A priceless piece of sculpted art. Dasani was quiet, hardworking, loving, nurturing, and a successful business owner. Prime admired her drive and passion, but he loathed the pain and hurt in her eyes. All he desired to do was be the man to remove her out of the darkness and place her in the light where she belonged. She was what he wanted. Sometimes, what we want, and need isn’t what’s best for us; nor is it best for the people in our lives that depend on us. After Prime learns that he and Dasani share a mutual loved one in their lives, Prime must make a choice: Dasani or the “loved” one. But Prime is used to having his way, and not having Dasani will be a problem. Will he be able to abandon the idea of love in order to salvage the broken relationship that stands in their way, or will he forfeit the opportunity to make amends and hold on to his Dasani?

Lucien's Fall


Barbara Samuel - 1995
    Against her better judgment, however, she is powerfully drawn to the elusive and dangerous Lucien, whose hard-hearted façade hides a tragedy that is slowly devouring him from within.As Lucien and Madeline circle each other in a magnetic play of desire and denial, their passion will rise to a crescendo of longing and sacrifice that will change their fates forever.

A Hollywood Ever After (Ryder & Paige #3) (Billionaires' Brides of Convenience Book 9)


Nadia Lee - 2019
     Paige is about to have her baby. Ryder's parents are not going to miss the opportunity to humiliate each other. Paige's ex isn't about to go quietly. And Ryder's enemy sends a special gift... Note: This is a series of epilogues. If you haven't at least read A Hollywood Deal and A Hollywood Bride, please do not read.

Possession


Jessica Hawkins - 2014
    Wealthy businessman Beau Olivier wants Lola for a night, and in order to get her, he’s willing to make her dreams come true.But Beau’s conditions are explicit. From sunset to sunrise, Lola must submit all of herself to him—body, mind, and soul. Because nothing is more important to Beau than maintaining control...especially over his possessions.Sometimes, though, things don’t go according to plan. What if one night isn't enough? What if come sunrise, Beau isn’t ready to say goodbye?

Becoming a Highlander


Ann Marie Scott - 2020
    When the beloved Laird Malcolm Mackintosh died, no one expected him to leave his fortune and title to a man that does not have a drop of Scottish blood in his veins. Adam Cameron, the nephew of Laird Mackintosh’s late English wife, is an educated and intelligent man but not even he can believe that his Uncle chose him as an heir.Adam travels to the Highlands to see his new property but feels like a sheep among wolves. The only exception is Emilia, a stunningly beautiful lass that appears to be the only one able to speak common English and communicate with him. Never the less, Adam has no interest in becoming a Laird in a place he is unwanted, and is tricked by an enemy Laird called McElwee to sell the land and give up his title. Emilia can not let her people fall into McElwee’s hands, so she decides to seduce the Englishman and make him fall in love with her and the Highlands. Emilia has get Adam on her side quickly as McElwee is secretly arming his men and will not hesitate to destroy anyone that stands in his way! "Becoming a Highlander" is a standalone story by best selling author Ann Marie Scott, packed with emotion, action and romance, set on the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.

My Lady Vixen


Connie Mason - 1987
    Abducted by his men, held prisoner aboard a notorious privateering ship, she succumbed to Adam's masterful seduction--only to learn she had been nothing but a pawn in his game of revenge.Driven by despair, Alexa made a new name for herself as the boldly seductive mistress of a rival ship, and dared to challenge her lover at his own game...Stroke by stroke, kiss by kiss, she would teach Adam just how sweet revenge could be!

The Notorious Flynns Bundle


Jess Michaels - 2015
    * * *The Notorious Flynns Bundle:A new duke with an inherited bride, a lady with a secret desire and a gentleman determined to destroy himself. Along with their friends, the Flynns are not your average family. Pick up the bestselling series readers are raving about.The Other Duke: Rafe Flynn has just inherited an unexpected dukedom and an unwilling bride. Can he overcome Serafina McPhee's troubled past and prove to her that love is worth fighting for?The Scoundrel's Lover: Annabelle Flynn needs a proper husband to combat the bad reputations of her brothers. What she wants is Marcus Rivers, proprietor of an erotic club and the most improper man of all.The Widow Wager: Crispin Flynn has been riding a dangerous path to ruin since he lost the woman he loved. But when he wakes up with widow Gemma Quinn in his bed, he just might have to change his way of life to win her.No Gentleman for Georgina: Georgina Hickson has lived a life of utter propriety without any success in the marriage mart. But she has a secret, she has been in love with Paul Abbot, the manager of an erotic club, for years. Can one stolen night give her everything she ever wanted?A Marquis for Mary: Mary Quinn is almost out of time. If she cannot find a proper husband before the end of the Season, she will have to return to her father's home and his dangerous plans. But a stolen kiss in the garden with the handsome and troubled Edward, Marquis of Woodley, may solve all her problems and put her on the path to the love of her life.

Venom


Fiona Paul - 2012
    Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

Hellion


Bertrice Small - 1996
    . . .As fierce and indomitable as any man, Isabelle of Langston rules the family lands with an iron hand after her father's death. But the brazen beauty meets her match in Hugh Fauconier, bold knight and rightful Saxon heir to Langston Keep. By the king's hand, he is made her husband. Hugh's virile prowess reveals to Belle the delicious pleasures of the flesh, as their turbulent days of verbal sparring melt into nights of erotic abandon.But a treacherous plot enslaves Hugh to the evil Vivienne d' Bretagne, a sorceress whose sexual magic is as powerful as it is dark. Discovering the castle lair where her husband is enchanted, Belle is caught and rendered helpless by the twisted passion of Vivienne's brother, Guy. But not even her captor's devious ecstasy can destroy her will to free her beloved Hugh. . . ."The plot is cleverly woven into the history of the times in such a way as to make the era come to life on the written page. . . . Ms. Small once again delights and thrills."*RendezvousAn Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild(c) and Doubleday Book Club(c)

A Most Eligible Rake of a Duke


Harriet Caves - 2021
    Even if that means literally throwing herself at the Duke and risking her own ruination.No man is arguably more broken and debauched than Timothy Burton, the Duke of Marfront. But, according to his father’s will, he needs to wed and produce an heir. Only, he never sleeps with the same woman twice.When Diana finds herself bound to the same man she wanted to frame, she starts discovering not only his tender, guarded heart, but the big secret surrounding his mother’s death. For, she is about to follow her cold trail...

Mr. Rochester


Sarah Shoemaker - 2017
    Rochester himself."Reader, she married me."For one hundred seventy years, Edward Fairfax Rochester has stood as one of literature's most romantic, most complex, and most mysterious heroes. Sometimes haughty, sometimes tender-professing his love for Jane Eyre in one breath and denying it in the next-Mr. Rochester has for generations mesmerized, beguiled, and, yes, baffled fans of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece. But his own story has never been told.Now, out of Sarah Shoemaker's rich and vibrant imagination, springs Edward: a vulnerable, brilliant, complicated man whom we first meet as a motherless, lonely little boy roaming the corridors and stable yards of Thornfield Hall. On the morning of Edward's eighth birthday, his father issues a decree: He is to be sent away to get an education, exiled from Thornfield and all he ever loved. As the determined young Edward begins his journey across England, making friends and enemies along the way, a series of eccentric mentors teach him more than he might have wished about the ways of the men-and women-who will someday be his peers.But much as he longs to be accepted-and to return to the home where he was born-his father has made clear that Thornfield is reserved for his older brother, Rowland, and that Edward's inheritance lies instead on the warm, languid shores of faraway Jamaica. That island, however, holds secrets of its own, and not long after his arrival, Edward finds himself entangled in morally dubious business dealings and a passionate, whirlwind love affair with the town's ravishing heiress, Antoinetta Bertha Mason.Eventually, after a devastating betrayal, Edward must return to England with his increasingly unstable wife to take over as master of Thornfield. And it is there, on a twilight ride, that he meets the stubborn, plain, young governess who will teach him how to love again.It is impossible not to watch enthralled as this tender-hearted child grows into the tormented hero Brontë immortalized-and as Jane surprises them both by stealing his heart. Mr. Rochester is a great, sweeping, classic coming-of-age story, and a stirring tale of adventure, romance, and deceit. Faithful in every particular to Brontë's original yet full of unexpected twists and riveting behind-the-scenes drama, this novel will completely, deliciously, and forever change how we read and remember Jane Eyre.

Suitors and Sabotage


Cindy Anstey - 2018
     Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father's approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother. Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother's intended. But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of "accidents," it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .In Suitors and Sabotage, author Cindy Anstey delivers another witty young adult historical fiction novel that is the perfect mix of sweetly romantic and action-packed. Praise for Suitors and Sabotage:A Junior Library Guild Selection"Anstey’s tale embraces a self-reliant main character, a loyal friend, innocent romance, witty conversation, and English country settings, each more splendid than the last. This is a delightful salute to Jane Austen and will be a treat for her fans." —VOYA"Mystery and romance are delightfully intertwined . . . Taking inspiration from Jane Austen novels, Anstey's latest is a lighthearted and romantic read." —Booklist

The Edge of Mercy


Heidi Chiavaroli - 2019
    Though distracted by her own troubles, Sarah is summoned to an elderly friend’s deathbed for an unusual request—find a long-lost daughter and relay a centuries-old family story.Determined not to fail her friend, Sarah pieces together the story of her neighbor’s ancestor, Elizabeth Baker, a young colonist forced into an unwanted betrothal but drawn to a man forbidden by society.While Sarah’s family teeters on the edge of collapse, her world is further shaken by the interest of a caring doctor and a terrible accident that threatens a life more precious than her own.Inspired by the unconditional love she uncovers in Elizabeth’s story, Sarah strives to forgive those who’ve wounded her soul. But when light shines on the dark secrets of her neighbor’s past and the full extent of her husband’s sins, will looking to a power greater than herself rekindle lost hope?

Miss Taygete’s Sweet Sister’s Society


Charlotte Stone - 2018
    Since the moment Taygete Bellenger met the Earl of Edvoy, she knew there would never be another for her... But when he married her eldest sister instead, he broke her heart. .Now...She has devoted her life to helping the soldiers fresh from the war in France,1- deciding to never marry,2- to never confess her love to Hugh,3- and to take an even darker secret to her grave.  . Hugh Vance married the wrong woman, yet even after the passing of his wife, he knows there is little he can do to fix his mistakes.But when opportunity shows itself in the form of escorting the younger Bellenger girls during their first season in London, Hugh finds himself drawn to the one woman who's always held his heart.Taygete Bellenger. .But their match is forbidden by English courts, and Taygete has yet to reveal the wrong she committed years ago.With little hope, it seems two will have to make a decision.Forever apart or together under the shame of Society. .Is love truly worth great sacrifice in the end?Page Count: around 330 pages