Book picks similar to
Master of Ransome by Lucy Walker


romance
vintage
ow-letoff-too-easily-by-hero
angst-by-jealousy

The Little Dragon


Betty Neels - 1977
    Jeroen van der Giessen, though, was only a poor overworked GP, so when she found herself stranded in Delft without money or a passport, and Jeroen offered marriage, Constantia accepted. At first she was quite happy with her loveless marriage, even though Jeroen was being recklessly extravagant. Then she began to discover things, about herself and him, that took away all her newfound happiness . . .

A Companion in Joy


Dorothy Mack - 1980
     Can a feckless rake become the ideal husband? Regency London With her family in dire straits, Kate Harmon agrees to marry the rakish Viscount Nicholas Dunston in return for a generous settlement from his father. But before she even meets her fiancé, she overhears him promising to continue his affair with his mistress. Horrified, Kate enters the marriage with an air of coldness and distance. Determined to overcome her dislike, Nicholas attempts to endear himself to his new wife. And though she has resolved not to fall in love, Kate soon finds it difficult to resist her husband’s charms… A Companion in Joy by Dorothy Mack is a charming Regency romance from a master of the genre.

The Bannister Girls


Jean Saunders - 1990
     Louise, Ellen, and Angel Bannister have enjoyed the comforts of a wealthy upbringing, but yearn for something more exciting than their anticipated lots in life. As the times begin to change and the war rumbles through London, the Bannister girls face challenges that will test their resolve and strip them of their innocence. In a London full of speakeasies and suffragettes, will the war bring the Bannister girls closer together, or end up tearing them apart? The Bannister Girls is a poignant tale of desire, loss, and fervent love in a war-torn country set within a vital age of progress, change, and upheaval.

An Early Engagement


Barbara Metzger - 1990
    As for Major Lord Stokely, anxious to return to Bonaparte's battlefields, he saw no reason not to marry the scrawny, wide-eyed chit, settle her at his estate with a list of mandates that, being an officer, he expected her to follow.Lady Em, however, never one to be leg-shackled, took to running the estate with her usual spirit and independence, blossoming from ragamuffin to beauty and becoming the toast of the town.So upon his return from the wars, her husband discovered he had yet another battle to win: the heart of his lovely wife!

Lessons From a Courtesan


Jenna Petersen - 2008
    Every gentleman in London desires her; every woman envies her. And they are all desperate to know the secrets of the tantalizing, seductively beautiful courtesan. All except Justin, the Earl of Baybary. He knows all about Ria. He learned every inch of her tender skin, every taste of her luscious lips...on their wedding night.Lesson #2: No man can make you lose control...unless you let himThough theirs was an arranged marrige, still Victoria surrendered to passion and gave herself to Justin completely. When he left her alone the next morning, she swore she would never again let him into her bed. Now, though she has other reasons for returning to the city, she enjoys tormenting Justin, letting him see the way other men lust for her. But keeping herself from him is such exquisite torture...and forgiveness will lead to an ecstasy unbelievably divine.

Taming a Duke's Reckless Heart


Tammy Andresen - 2016
    Time and money dwindle to naught, and marriage is Piper’s lone option. Although potential suitors circle her skirts, none but Barrett Maddox, Duke of Manchester, captures her heart, after he saves her from a band of thieves. It is just her luck that the man Piper wants is the only one she cannot have.For wealthy, titled bachelor Barrett Maddox, the first rule in life is to avoid marriageable virgins, at all costs, and he has been successful thus far. That is, until he rescues the delectable, auburn-haired Piper Baker. For some unfathomable reason, or in a temporary fit of insanity, he agrees to broker a match for the unfortunate lady, in the target rich New York society. While he easily thwarts inept suitors, can Barrett keep his hands to himself?Entangled in a web they conspired to create, Piper and Barrett are left to wonder if there is anything more reckless than love.

Lord Livesey's Bluestocking: A Regency Romance


Audrey Harrison - 2018
    He needs a wife for his motherless children. Surely nothing would go amiss in their quest to find true love? Miss Phoebe Westbrook wishes she was anywhere other than at Lord Livesey's House Party. Family loyalty and duty forced her to accept the invitation. When she overhears Lord Livesey's opinion of her, she knows he wishes her as far away from him as she does. Determined to make the most of his library whilst visiting, she soon finds herself being drawn into the lives of Lord Livesey and his children, whether she likes it or not...Lord Livesey has lived a lie. His marriage was not the love match everyone presumed. His children are strangers to him. After the death of his wife, he hid from the world. Persuaded to host a house party in which he's now trapped he scorns the women in attendance. After dismissing Phoebe cruelly, it seems that a future with her may be just the thing he's looking for...An unconventional marriage proposal causes everything to be called into question. Misplaced values and hidden emotions will test any chance of a relationship they might have. Both will face hurdles they never anticipated but one thing's for sure - life won't ever be the same again....Lord Livesey's Bluestocking is a Regency romance topped with a generous dose of humour, action, and tears. If you like simmering chemistry, troubled heroes, and feisty women, then you'll love Audrey Harrison's Regency tale.

Ballyflynn


Lynne Graham - 2007
    Forget London, her failing career and her unfaithful fiance --an unexpected legacy of a cottage and stables in an Irish village beckons! Her fresh start on the Emerald Isle is soon threatened: her new neighbor is ruthless businessman Rafael Cavaliere. It was Rafael's asset-stripping activities that cost Harriet her job and now it seems he's entitled to half her inheritance.But Rafael has a way with him: always on hand to smooth Harriet's path as she handles livestock and the locals, he oozes sex and charm. Though at risk of becoming just another notch on Rafael's bedpost, Harriet decides that she'll let him sweep her up in a heady affair... .

Red Rose for Love


Carole Mortimer - 1982
    Her trusting young heart was now safely buried. Never again would she love--least of all a rich man who thought his money could buy him everything, including her. So, despite his persistence, Bart Jordan didn't stand a chance with Eve. She was allowing stubborn bitterness and fear to ruin her life, but if Bart were to treat her as Carl had done, the result would be the same anyway.

Letty


Clare Darcy - 1980
    Sludge, high-spirited Letty runs straight into the arms of dashing, slightly disreputable Harry Tyne. The two of them have an adventurous winter in Vienna, during which time Letty falls madly in love with Harry and almost inadvertently sets him on the path to regaining his place in London society.

The Shifting Light


Alice Campion - 2017
    She’s transformed her rundown outback property, The Springs, into a successful artists’ retreat; she’s won a distinguished art prize, and she’s living with her soulmate, trail-blazing grazier Heath Blackett.But the chance discovery of a portrait of her father, renowned artist Jim Larkin, makes her question everything. How could it have been drawn just weeks ago when Jim has been dead for years . . . Or so she thought.Could her father still be alive? Can she track down the man in the picture? And is this connected to the missing gold buried by her ancestor over a century ago?Her search for answers will draw Nina into a maze of family secrets – just as the man who stepped out of a portrait arrives at her door . . .Alice Campion is the pseudonym for four members of a Sydney book club. Their first novel, The Painted Sky, also features Nina, Heath and the captivating landscape of outback Wangalla.

To Warm a Wintered Heart


Deborah M. Hathaway - 2016
    Their expected guest, Mrs. Worthington, has promised that her son will be accompanying her, and as Charlotte has only ever heard stories of the gentleman who rarely leaves his Yorkshire estate, she is most pleased to meet him. However, when her warm welcome is returned with a fierce frown from the handsome man, she cannot help but long to be free of him and his blue-eyed glare.Despite his mother’s protests, Mr. Gabriel Worthington had made the decision long ago to remain unmarried, but when he meets Charlotte, doubts about his decision creep into his fearful mind, and he wishes for nothing more than to flee from the woman and never return.For weeks, the two are forced to live within the same home, and though they provoke one another with teasing and stolen glances, an unlikely friendship blossoms between them, a friendship that grows stronger than either of them had expected. Will Gabriel concede to the choices binding his heart, or can Charlotte’s warmth be just the thing to strengthen their love and, at last, end their fears?

The Boss's Baby


Miranda Lee - 1999
    She went to the office party and seduced her handsome boss!Not that Lewis protested. His once prim and proper PA had turned into a wild, wanton woman and soon he and Olivia had more than just a working relationship — top of their agenda was making love!But Olivia had a secret that she dared not tell Lewis — their first reckless encounter had led to more than just an affair: she was expecting his child!

The Devil You Know


Sophia Holloway - 2017
    Here we are, riding in the Park, and you are calmly discussing whether it would be advisable to seduce me, your wife. I should also say it does not sound very impulsive.' 'I do not know about “advisable”, I was thinking more “desirable”. I have the advantage of you, my dear. You have no experience of seduction, and I have a lot.' The Honourable Catherine Elford – Kitty – is presented with an awful choice. Either she is cast off, penniless, by her penny-pinching step-brother, or she marries the handsome Earl of Ledbury, who would be perfect were he not a serial womaniser, and the very man Kitty idolised when she made her debut in Society; idolised right up until she found him in a compromising situation with a married lady. Ledbury has only ever courted other men’s wives, and does not want a wife of his own. However, Kitty’s generous dowry, which will keep him from selling his beloved racehorses, proves too tempting. Following a swift ceremony and a disastrous wedding night, Kitty believes her only chance of survival is to make her head rule her treacherous heart. If she doesn’t fall in love with Ledbury, his waywardness cannot hurt her. For his part, Ledbury has spotted a spark in his ‘dab of a wife’, especially when he discovers their mutual love of horses, and sets out to woo her in the only way he knows. As Kitty begins to succumb to his seduction and believe that they have a chance of happiness together, Ledbury’s past starts to catch up with them. Kitty feels that all of London is watching her, gossiping about her, pitying her. Meanwhile, as Fate conspires to keep the couple from love and a proper consummation, Lord Ledbury becomes ever more frustrated and desperate, and his temper worsens. It’s a recipe for disaster. This witty and spirited romance casts an historical light on Regency Society life, and reveals that, despite the changes in social protocol, love and desire – and what they do to us – has not changed. Praise for The Devil You Know... 'The Devil You Know is an immensely satisfying read. Everyone loves a Georgian rake and Sophia’s hero doesn’t disappoint. Lord Ledbury’s as naughty as they come – enough George Wickham to set the pulse racing, with a civilising measure of Mr Darcy’s nobility to ensure you fall in love for all the right reasons…' - Annie Holder, author of Against All Odds Sophia Holloway is a military historian turned novelist, whose first interest was the Peninsular War, and who ‘grew up on Georgette Heyer’, so writing Regency feels very natural to her. She also writes medieval crime, and alternates between the two genres to keep both fresh.

Friday Dreaming


Elizabeth Bailey - 1994
    Caught between love and loyalty.Friday is bookish and plain, but she has secretly loved her childhood friend for years. The impossible happens when gorgeous Nick proposes, making her dreams come true. Only he isn’t behaving like a man in love.Disaster strikes when Friday learns Nick was forced into offering for her to save him from an unsuitable liaison. Her happiness in tatters, she breaks off the engagement. Can Friday’s true worth oust the attraction of her rival’s incomparable beauty? And will Nick learn to value what he’s lost before it’s too late?