Book picks similar to
From Ruin to Riches by Louise Allen


historical-romance
romance
regency
historical

In for a Penny


Rose Lerner - 2010
     Young Lord Nevinstoke enjoys every moment of his deep-gaming, hard-drinking, womanizing life. Then his father is killed in a drunken duel, and Nev inherits a mountain of debts and responsibilities. He vows to leave his wild friends and his mistress behind, start acting respectable—and marry a rich girl. Penelope Brown, a manufacturing heiress, seems the perfect choice. She’s pretty, ladylike, good at accounting, and looking for a marriage based on companionship and mutual esteem, not love. In fact, the only rash thing she’s ever done in her life is accept Nev’s proposal. When the newlyweds arrive at Nev’s family estate, they discover that all the respectability and reason in the world won't be enough to handle a hostile next-door neighbor, mutinous tenants, and Nev’s family's propensity for scandal. In way over their heads, Nev and Penelope have no one to turn to but each other—but to their surprise, that just might be enough.

The Wicked Wyckerly


Patricia Rice - 2010
    Determined to do right, he reclaims his illegitimate daughter Penelope and heads to London in search of a very rich wife. Abigail Merriweather's farm has been quiet since she lost custody of her four young half-siblings-until a roguish gentleman named Fitz stops for a rest, his rebellious daughter in tow. His etiquette is questionable, his parenting deplorable-so why does Abby delight in his flirtations? And when she seeks a suitor to help her regain the children, why does Fitz keep popping up?

How to Tempt a Duke


Madeline Martin - 2019
    Secret lessons with Charles, the dashing, infuriating—and devastatingly charming—Duke of Somersville, should help Eleanor shake off her shameful Ice Queen moniker. But how can she tempt a prospective husband when it’s the duke who ignites her desire?

Silver Angel


Johanna Lindsey - 1988
    But she was stunned by the magnificently handsome man who awaited her amid the silk and splendor. His piercing emerald eyes held her in their power; his muscular embrace made her weak with desire even as she defied him. She was his to do with as he would. Yet this mysterious stranger - whose eastern garb concealed his true identity - touched her only with tenderness, driving her wild with new sensation, his scorching kisses igniting the fires of her very soul... and sweeping her beyond the harem walls into a palace of love's eternal dream.

Mystique


Amanda Quick - 1995
    When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone cowered-except Lady Alice. Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame haired beauty believed Sir Hugh was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams. She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession. Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight: In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would recover his treasured stone. But even as Hugh accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothal-one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance at love.

The Penniless Bride


Nicola Cornick - 2003
    TO WEDDED BLISS?Lord Robert Selborne intended to kiss the chimney sweep's daughter for luck at his cousin's wedding ... not marry her! But of all the ladies assembled, she was the only one who captured his interest. And unless she became his wife in name only, he would forfeit his inheritance ...Having been raised by a brutal father on the London streets, Jemima Jewell had few illusions about life and love. Until Rob's lips met hers in a soul-stirring kiss and he impulsively made her his wife.And his penniless bride now hoped her love would provide Rob with a fortune far greater than the one he sought ...

His Majesty, the Prince of Toads


Delle Jacobs - 2006
    But even before he learns the circumstances of his inheritance, he encounters her at a New Year's gala. Shock sets in as he realizes the most beautiful woman in England is the same gangly, calf-eyed chit who tricked him into marriage six years before. That's not how Sophie remembers it. She wishes fervently she'd had the sense not to scream when the drunken scapegrace crawled into her bed at her Uncle Harry's house party. True, she'd had a secret tendre for the handsome wastrel, until his scathing denunciation of her after their forced wedding. Then he went off to war without even consummating their union, and for six years she heard nothing from him. Now the toad offers her forgiveness in exchange for his presence in her bed? Revenge comes more to mind.And so the battle of wits begins. And the harder they fight it, the more they fall in love.

The Viscount’s Vow


Collette Cameron - 2013
     Ian’s a vengeful lord… Notorious for his stern demeanor and inflexible honor, he journeys to London for one purpose—the permanent and irreversible downfall of the siren who caused his brother’s death. Instead of an immoral seductress, he discovers a soft-spoken, raven-haired beauty. Against all reason, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the last woman in England he could ever love. Evangeline’s a spirited gypsy lady… She endures the bon ton’s disdain and numerous indecent propositions with grace and poise. But when a dastardly lord plots her ruination, she’s finished with propriety and politeness. To make matters worse, he becomes caught in his own snare, forcing them into a marriage neither wants…or do they? A love that transcends betrayal… When their lives are suddenly in danger, Ian and Vangie must trust each other and their love. But can she forgive Him? Will his regrets keep them from finding the happiness they both crave?

Lady Sarah's Son (Historical Romance)


Gayle Wilson - 1999
    She thought then that Justin Tolbert, dressed in his regimental uniform, was the most handsome man there. Now Justin was a war hero - and the new Earl of Wynfield. But he was not the same man Sarah had once known...

My One and Only Duke


Grace Burrowes - 2018
    The next, he's declared the long-lost heir to a dukedom. Quinn has fought his way up from the vilest slums, and now he's ready to use every dirty trick he knows to find the enemy who schemed against him.There was just one tiny problem...Jane Winston, the widowed, pregnant daughter of a meddlesome prison preacher, crosses paths with Quinn in jail. Believing his days are numbered, Quinn offers Jane marriage as a way to guarantee her independence and provide for her child. Neither thinks they'll actually have a future together.They were wrong.He's a wealthy gutter rat out for vengeance. She's a minister's daughter who must turn a marriage of desperation into a proper ducal union. Are they doomed from the start or destined for a happily-ever-after?

Ruthless


Anne Stuart - 2010
    And among this secret society, where exiled Georgian aristocrats gather to indulge their carnal desires, fewer still can match the insatiable appetite of their chief provocateur, the mysterious Viscount Rohan.Pursuit of physical pleasure is both his preferred pastime and his most pressing urge, until he encounters the fascination of a woman who won't be swayed. And while his dark seduction appalls the pure and impoverished Elinor Harriman, she finds herself intrigued...and secretly drawn to the man behind the desire.

A Rogue by Any Other Name


Sarah MacLean - 2012
    Now a partner in London’s most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to such unexplored pleasures.Bourne may be a prince of London’s underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them... even her heart.

Lord Lucifer's Disciple


Sue London - 2014
    His kiss ignites her in ways that nothing else has, but he refuses her pleas to elope. Has she lost her heart to a man who doesn’t exist?John Howards has finally accepted an invitation to one of his cousin’s masque balls. Having always been shy he decides to attend in the guise of his friend from the Congress of Vienna. What he didn’t expect was that playing a role would free him to flirt with a beautiful woman. Or that she would return his regard. After an illicit night in the garden that he regrets, can he convince her to marry as himself?Elisa Jarvis has made it to the age of one and twenty without falling prey to a fortune hunter. Now her guardian is pressuring her to marry before her next birthday – in less than a fortnight! She needs to find the love of her life, not be distracted by the latest dull gentleman who has decided to court her.*previously published in the Scandalous Summer Nights collection in June 2014*

When Strangers Marry


Lisa Kleypas - 1992
    Since then, romance has changed-and so have I—so I decided to give the book a makeover—and a new title, When Strangers Marry. I have two reasons for changing the title. First, it is in keeping with the new spirit of the book; second, no one—including my own mother—found the original one memorable!In When Strangers Marry, I had a great time rediscovering the story of Maximilien Vallerand and his stolen bride, Lysette. The promise of this handsome, though mysterious, man's love proves irresistable to her, but she doesn't know the secrets he hides.I hope you will enjoy revisiting the Vallerand family, or perhaps meeting them for the first time. And, as always thank you for your support and encouragement, as we escape together into the magical world of romance novels.Wishing you love and happiness,Lisa

When a Laird Loves a Lady


Julie Johnstone - 2016
    A longing to forget compels him. Fate may send them into each other’s arms, but only love can mend their hearts. An Outlander Raised by a tyrannical father, Marion de Lacy yearns for the comfort of belonging to a loving family. So when her father announces her betrothal to an evil knight in exchange for his help to overthrow the king, she concocts a desperate scheme to avoid the marriage: feigning her own death and then fleeing England. But when her plan goes terribly awry and she’s captured by the knight, not even her careful preparations could ready her for the Scottish barbarian who rescues her and then informs her that he’s to marry her by edict of her king. Certain her father will defy the king’s orders and wed her to the knight if she refuses the Highlander’s hand, Marion agrees to marry the strangely compelling but obstinate laird of the MacLeod clan. A Highlander After the death of his beloved wife, Iain MacLeod has no desire to marry ever again. Yet when he finds himself obliged to do so to secure the freedom of his childhood friend and king, he reluctantly travels across England to collect his unwanted bride, expecting to find a cold Englishwoman. Instead, he discovers a fiery, bold beauty who is fiercely loyal, protective of those she loves, and defies him at every turn, challenging his certainty that his heart is dead. Ensnared Following a hasty marriage and perilous journey to Scotland, Marion harbors no illusions that her new husband loves her. Still, her heart cannot resist the noble, brave warrior, and she cannot suppress the hope that she has finally found where she belongs. However, the harder she tries to fit in with the clan and gain Iain’s love, the farther away her dreams drift. Iain is more than willing to give his respect to his courageous wife—her kisses and caresses even ignite his blood and demand his passion—but he refuses to give up his heart. That is, until enemies near and far threaten to take Marion from him. Now the demons that haunt him can only be conquered by surrendering body and soul to Marion, if only it’s not too late…