Book picks similar to
The Hired Wife by Cari Hislop


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karen-s-challenge
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Awkward


Gurpreet Kaur - 2020
    This book could make you cringe with awkwardness or it could melt your heart. The chances of the latter happening are minute. Read at your own risk.** Comedy topped with a whole lot of awkwardness and a tiny-winy bit of romance.**

Persuasion: The Wild and Wanton Edition


Micah Persell - 2013
    A very young Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliot are broken-hearted when their hasty engagement is dissolved due to Frederick’s lack of prestige and lack of money. Eight years later, they are still healing when they are thrust into the same social circle once more—however, in a brilliant turn, now Frederick is Captain Wentworth, a prosperous naval officer, and the Elliot family finds themselves on the brink of financial ruin. Austen, who suffered her own broken engagement, pens a beautiful tale of the redeeming power of love, and the passion between Frederick and Anne sizzles on the page, even by the standards of 1816. In this wild and wanton edition of Persuasion, read the entire classic and discover the steamy untold portions of Austen’s story that have been lying dormant in the subtext. Who knows, Austen may have included these bits herself 200 years ago—if only she dared.

Rosemary's Glove


Shirley Raye Redmond - 2009
    But when Rosemary's widowed mother confides that she plans to marry Mr. Nevin at the end of the Season and wants to see her daughter promptly and properly wed, Rosemary realizes she must force the reluctant earl's hand.She convinces her childhood friend, Broderick Loren--a handsome amateur botanist--to agree to a 'temporary engagement.' When the announcement appears in the Gazette, no one is more surprised than the conceited Lord Beverly. Rosemary soon finds herself consumed by conflicting emotions. Will she cry off her engagement to Broderick and throw herself into Lord Beverley's arms, or will she realize she loves Broderick with all her heart?

Lawfully Courted


Laura Beers - 2019
    many secrets. But when they are unexpectedly attacked, she must fight her way to the only man her father says she can trust… Lord Harington. Edwin, the Earl of Harington, is one of the best spies the Crown has. When his partner’s infuriating daughter shows up injured on his doorstep, he's forced to ensure her protection while he searches for Lord Rawlings. As Marianne stumbles into his world of espionage, Edwin struggles with his growing attraction towards her, while still maintaining his own secrets. As traitors are revealed, can they learn to trust each other before it's too late?

Summer of Discontent (Kindle Single)


M.C. Beaton - 2015
     Cassandra, or Cassie to her friends, sticks out like a redheaded weed amidst her family of tidy blooms. At Bramfield Park, Cassie’s prim parents and attractive older sister, Sophia, wish for nothing but an advantageous marriage for their eldest and prettiest—and for Cassie to stay out of the way. But when the surprisingly charming Lord Peter Courtney pays Bramfield a visit to take in Cassie’s father’s renowned collection of art—and, if the Earl of Wychhaven has anything to say about it, to add his daughter Sophia to Courtney’s own collection—fate throws Cassie and the Lord together under most extraordinary circumstances. What began with a simple ruse to aid a friend grows more complex as Cassie’s feelings for Lord Peter grow stronger, and soon she finds herself in over her head. From the beloved author of the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series, M.C. Beaton’s Regency Romance novella, The Summer of Discontent, delivers an enchanting summertime tale of mistaken identities, unlikely friendships, and unexpected love. About the Author M. C. Beaton is the pen name of bestselling novelist Marion Chesney. She is a prolific writer of historical romances and small village mysteries. Born in Scotland, the author began her writing career as a fiction buyer for a Glasgow bookstore and has worked as a theater critic, newspaper reporter, and editor. The author has written under various names, most notably as M. C. Beaton for her Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series. She also has written under the names Sarah Chester, Helen Crampton, Ann Fairfax, Marion Gibbons, Jennie Tremaine, and Charlotte Ward. The author lived in the United States, but now splits her time between the Cotswolds, England and Paris, France.

Follow Your Star: An Australian Outback Romance


Lucy Walker - 1963
    She had to make a new life for herself when she suddenly fund she was without home, parents or guardian. So she decided to take a post as companion to Brad's mother.Installed at Rock Hill, Kylie fell deeper and deeper in love with Brad. Like many a girl before her she discovered that the man she loved wan an enigma-yet Kylie was compelled to follow her star-wherever it might lead...

Highlander's Burned Heart


Alisa Adams - 2020
    But she is the only one who can salvage his soul. Fiona Malloch feels completely lost. Only weeks after her forced marriage, the husband she hated dies of old age, and before she can feel relief, another man tries to prey on her! Fiona decides to risk everything and run away, seeking refuge in the nearby Ormond Castle, home of the infamous Laird Bhaltair Douglas.The young Laird has never been the same after the tragic loss of his brother in a fire. The scars on his body remind him daily of the tragedy and his failure to save his own blood. A failure that has alienated him from his family and spread rumors that the once-powerful clan is now weak.When the young lass arrives and asks for shelter, Bhaltair knows that helping her will mean war with the enemy clan she escaped from. They have been waiting for an opportunity, and Fiona has given them the perfect one.Her untamed character brings them into collision, but in an unexpected turn of events, Bhaltair decides to protect her. While staying in Douglas lands, Fiona seems to be the only one who is not afraid to defy the Laird and finds a way to penetrate his soul’s defenses. Bhaltair’s heart begins to heal, and he rediscovers emotions he thought he would never feel again.But by keeping Fiona, Bhaltair is losing the trust of his clan, and with his enemies at the doorstep, it seems that the girl who can save him is about to destroy his clan…

Love Us Both (A Calendar of Love Novel Book 5)


Lexy Parker - 2019
    Start over. Easy words for everyone else, but not me. My wife died on my operating table, and moving on just isn’t going to happen. Not until I decided to go back to the small town where I grew up. My boy and I needed different scenery to try to reboot life. And we did. Until one day, a beautiful woman walked into my office and everything changed. She was from one of the oldest families in Tennessee and needed my help. With the way she made me and my son feel, I was more than happy to offer it. Love wasn’t supposed to show up again, and certainly not this soon. But it did. It has. I just hope she knows that she has to love us both. Forever.

The Virgin Who Seduced the Duke


Scarlett Osborne - 2021
    When it’s announced she has to meet with an alluring Duke, she does everything in her power to delay this fate…Anthony De Clare, the Duke of Kingham, hides great pain. After losing his parents in a terrible accident, he has vowed to only marry for love and morals. When a peculiar’s Lady father insists that he meets with her, he comes face to face with passion itself.When a mysterious maid appears on Anthony’s doorsteps, complications arise: she’s identical to his betrothed, with no recollection of where she came from. But the more he investigates, the closer he comes to the truth. A truth that is too dangerous to tell, too deadly to expose...

The Good Deed


Renee Perrault - 2013
    When he leaves for America in 1924 to make his fortune for their future, Lydia is heartbroken, and her ruthless younger sister Myra, is still determined to have Edward at any cost. Edward finds life in America difficult. Immigrants, especially Irish Catholics, are shunned, and the influence of the Ku Klux Klan has spread like an epidemic throughout America. When Edward is critically injured in a logging accident, Lydia immediately leaves Ireland for America. Her voyage in steerage is arduous, and an incident aboard ship, changes her and Edward’s life forever. A mentally unbalanced Myra follows Lydia to America. When her plan of revenge is derailed by her own greed, she finds herself in danger, and in need of Lydia’s help to survive. Bringing life to the struggles of Irish immigrants in the 1920’s, “The Good Deed” will captivate readers who enjoyed Andriana Trigiani's, “The Shoemaker's Wife”. "An intriguing book, and an enjoyable read." -S.J.S. Stanton for Chanticleer Book

The Murmur of Masks: Love and Heartbreak in Regency England


Catherine Kullmann - 2017
    Desperately in need of security and safety, a distraught Olivia accepts Jack Rembleton's offer of a marriage of convenience, hoping that love will grow between them. She does not know that Jack's affections are elsewhere engaged. Ten years later, Olivia has made the best of her situation. She loves her children and has found her place in the ton. An unexpected encounter at a masquerade with the intriguing Luke Fitzmaurice leads to a second chance at love. Dare she grasp it? Before she can decide, Napoleon escapes from Elba and Luke joins Wellington's army in Brussels. Will war once again dash Olivia's hopes of happiness? A thrilling and touching story about love and war-an eternal triangle with a difference. Shortlisted for Best Novel, Carousel Aware Prize (CAP Awards) 2017.

How to Tame a Rake


Maggi Andersen - 2009
    Did his father hate him that much? Wilhelmina Corbet is a hoyden, not long out of the schoolroom, who hails from a farm in Northumberland. The last time Blake saw her she wore braids and climbed a tree to rescue a kitten. Wilhelmina Corbet has dreamed of Blake since she was twelve. But the thought of marrying the handsome earl terrifies her. She comes to his estate, Hawkeswood, determined to measure up to his expectations for a wife. But after time spent with him in London, Mina begins to wonder if the rake is the man she wants to marry. Can they find happiness when a handsome heir to a dukedom, unruly pets, and a young chimney sweep are thrown into the mix? Refreshed edition.

Bella's Band


Alina K. Field - 2014
    His brother’s murder has forced Steven into a new and completely unwanted role, and worse, he has no idea how to salvage his family’s depleted estate. A rumor that his brother had a son by a woman who may be a) the murderer, and b) his brother’s secret wife, sets Steven on a mission to find her, the boy, and—Steven ardently hopes—the proof of a marriage that will set him free. Confirmed spinster Annabelle Harris is a country heiress with a penchant for taking in orphans and helping the downtrodden. Her philanthropy hides her desperate search for her disgraced sister, the mistress to the Earl of Hackwell. When the Earl is murdered, her sister thrusts her child into Annabelle’s care and disappears. Now, with suspicion pointing at the sister, Annabelle has begun a new quest, to find the woman, and clear her name. When their paths converge, the reluctant Earl and the independent spinster find themselves rethinking their goals, and battling the real murderer together.

Ask Me to Marry You


Heather Blanton - 2016
    Her father has passed away and her hands are abandoning her like rats from a sinking ship. Worse, neighboring cattle baron Jess Fairbanks is making a play for the Diamond D and Audra, whichever he can get his hands on first. Audra grudgingly accepts that the mere presence of a husband will keep her men working, and Fairbanks under control. It seems a perfectly reasonable idea, then, to ask her uncle, who is the town attorney and a matchmaker of sorts, to find her a groom—a “proxy” who will take her orders and dish them out to the men. Dillon Pine is in jail for a conspiracy charge, but because of certain mitigating factors he’s deemed a good risk for an unusual form of probation: serving as Audra’s husband. After a year, he can abandon her and she won’t tell. By then, she will have proven to the cowboys she’s a competent rancher, and the cattle man next door will be looking elsewhere for a wife. But when word gets out that Dillon came to Audra via Evergreen’s matchmaker, he’s dubbed a “male order bride.” The resulting jokes at his expense are constant and brutal. Just how much abuse can Dillon’s pride stand? When Audra discovers her father’s death was no accident, she realizes her new husband is in danger, too. And she cares . . . quite a lot, it turns out. To save Dillon, she may have to let go of the one thing she’s fought her whole life to keep.

The Rake's Challenge


Beth Elliott - 2011
    Anna Lawrence, nineteen and inspired by Lord Byron’s poems, is determined to seek a life of travel and adventure. Both decide to flee society. They meet when Giles rescues Anna from her first escapade. Anna is resolute in demonstrating her independence but, somehow, she always ends up in trouble. His own pleasures forgotten, Giles rescues her from one potential disaster after another. He knows he cannot live without her, but he meets an unexpected obstacle, for Anna has a secret that means she can never be more than a friend to the man she has come to love with all her heart... Is there any way for their love to prevail? Beth Elliott was born in Lancashire, but fell in love with books during many childhood visits to her Welsh grandparents, whose bookshelves were always well stocked. Her greatest discovery was the novels of Jane Austen, which have fascinated her ever since. Having first taught languages in various countries across the globe, Beth eventually decided to write her own novels. Her previous books The Wild Card, In All Honour and April and May were also published by Robert Hale and you can learn more about her on her website: www.bethelliott.webs.com.