Book picks similar to
One Bright Morning by Alice Duncan


historical
romance
historical-western-romance
widow

Black-Eyed Susan


Deborah Camp - 1990
    Ever since she could remember, dark-eyed Susan Armitage had longed for Logan Vance — the only man who could never be hers. Then one day an unexpected twist of fate brought the virile adventurer into her life. Driven by a reckless desire she could no longer deny, Susan scandalized St. Louis society by agreeing to accompany Logan and his two young children on their long, perilous journey west through Indian Territory. In the rugged Oklahoma wilderness, what had begun as a marriage of convenience soon erupted in a raging tempest of sensuous union. Logan and Susan found their dreams threatened by the dangerous realities of frontier life — and a desperate struggle for survival that would test the very limits of their bold and searing love.

A Bargain Struck


Liz Harris - 2013
    Ellen O’Sullivan longs for a home, a husband and a family. On paper, she is everything Connor needs in a wife. However, it soon becomes clear that Ellen has not been entirely truthful.Will Connor be able to overlook Ellen’s dishonesty and keep to his side of the bargain? Or will Bridget’s resentment, the attentions of the beautiful Miss Quinn, and the arrival of an unwelcome visitor, combine to prevent the couple from starting anew.As their personal feelings blur the boundaries of their deal, they begin to wonder if a bargain struck makes a marriage worth keeping.Set in Wyoming in 1887, a story of a man and a woman brought together through need, not love …

One Real Man


Janette Kenny - 2008
    She robbed Gil blind out of sheer desperation, and years later, Josie still has something of his - but that's not her only secret.

Texas Tall


Kaki Warner - 2016
    Now he’s found a woman he could love, but she deserves more than a man who makes a living getting shot at. If Ty were honorable, he’d leave her alone. But he can’t seem to stay away....   Orphaned at fourteen, Charlotte Weyland has used her talent for numbers to build enough of a fortune to fund Ty’s dream of owning a ranch…if he’s not too stubborn to accept her help. But when Charlotte’s past catches up to her, she finds herself on one side of the law with Ty on the other. To keep their dreams alive, they’ll have to make compromises, but doing so might cost them everything they have...

The Vow


Linda Lael Miller - 1998
    Back to face the husband she left behind ... the son she never saw grow to manhood ... and the home where her heart broke when she lost a beloved daughter. But her intentions regarding their marriage are soon clear --- even if her motives are not.Gabe McKeige loved Annabel too fiercely to let a chance like this slip away. But the iron-willed rancher is also too proud to beg --- he didn't twelve years ago, and he won't now. So, Gabe sets out to woo Annabel the only way he knows ... with passion-filled kisses and sensual touches that conjure the sweet firestorm of their marriage bed. And Annabel is finding that the man she once left is unbearably hard to resist ...

The Colorado Bride


Mary Burton - 2001
    But the town was hiding something, and he had a feeling he knew who was behind whatever was going on.The Widow's Secret...Rebecca's heart stopped when Cole McGuire walked back into town, his green eyes blazing with passion. And the longer he stayed, the more she wished for the love she'd never had. But would Cole ever forgive her for hiding the truth – that the son she claimed for her own was the child he'd been searching for?

Where Dreams Begin


Lisa Kleypas - 2000
    Now, he is seeking a wife to help secure his position in the ton... as well as warm his bed in private. But not just any woman will do for one of London's most notorious rakes. When he meets Lady Holly Taylor, he surrenders to the temptation to take her in his arms and kiss her. Yet, he's pleasantly surprised to discover her fierce passions match his own.Lady Holly Taylor is destined to spend her life playing by society's rules, even when they go against her bolder instincts. But Zachary's kiss arouses her, and though his shocking offer doesn't include marriage, she is compelled to risk everything for the most forbidden passion.

The Marriage Agreement


Ruth Ann Nordin - 2016
    When his wife dies in childbirth, his mother-in-law blames him. And worse, she refuses to let him take care of his son. In order to get his son back, he needs to marry someone–and fast. And who better than the one who makes the offer? Laura Rufus volunteers to marry Jesse so he can have his son, knowing full well he’s still mourning the loss of his first wife. The last thing she plans on is falling in love with him, but day by day, his tenderness toward his son makes her wish she hadn’t been so quick to propose a marriage of convenience. Will there ever be something more between them, or will she be stuck with the marriage agreement they made?

The Mule Tamer


John C. Horst - 2012
    Every night after dinner, I looked forward to the next episode of Larry McMurtry’s novel, and every night I did not want it to end. Indeed, I can see The Mule Tamer’s Arvel Walsh being played by Robert Duvall and Dick Welles being played by Tommy Lee Jones. On the other hand, many of the sharply, crisply written scenes – whether of shoot-outs, killings, drug-induced deliriums, or lust – brought back memories from Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy which began with All the Pretty Horses.Being a painstakingly researched novel, some of its most graphically etched scenes taken right out of the pages of 1890’s newspapers, The Mule Tamer will interest readers of historical novels as well as of American history. Also, all of us who love classic Western movies will be drawn to the challenges facing Walsh and Welles. Yet, author John Horst has set his sights higher than the creating of a stereotypical and rehashed Western plot. Walsh not only embodies the classic traits of a Western hero – he’s stoic, laconic, an excellent marksman, has a mysterious and tragic past, and is desirable by a young, sexy, fast-shooting, hard-riding, free-spirited woman – Walsh is also introspective, a character who changes and develops as he searches for answers to the questions in his life.In a tight situation, Chica – a wonderfully drawn female gunslinger based on a true figure of the West – does not think twice before pulling the trigger, and you shouldn’t either: click instantly on the link to The Mule Tamer and buy this book."Arvel Walsh can tame mules, but can he tame the wild Arizona frontier, and the Mexican girl known as Chica, as wild and unpredictable as the land she roams? Arizona in 1892 is the last of the untamed country in America. Laws are hard to enforce and bad hombres know it. Texas pushed them out of their land with the famous Texas Rangers, can Arizona do the same? Challenged by savage bandits, psychotic serial killers, and anarchists, Arvel Walsh and Dick Welles will have to summon all their knowledge, and all their guts as veterans of the Civil War to make the fledgling Arizona Rangers a force to be reckoned with. Follow the men as they ride across the deserts and through the arroyos of southern Arizona, encountering dangers, a mystical aborigine, a severed head in a bottle, and side show freaks while discovering that heroes may be found in the most unlikely places, and that a certain beautiful and unpredictable woman may very well be the key to their success and their salvation, in more ways than one.

Wild Texas Rose


Christina Dodd - 2012
    “It’s our dance, Rose.” Seated in the old maid row at the country dance, Rose Laura Corey freezes at the sound of that familiar male voice … the voice of the man she once loved, the voice of the man she sent to prison.Now orphaned and alone, Rose raises the finest horses in Presidio County, Texas. Someone is stealing those horses, and Thorn Maxwell’s return arouses her suspicions … and her long-simmering passions. Rose might be able to stop Thorn from stealing her horses, but can she keep him from stealing her heart?WILD TEXAS ROSEA Western historical novella of approximately 120 pages/33,000 words.

Capture My Heart: prequel to A Warrior's Promise


Rosanne Bittner - 2017
    Determined to prove she is capable of running the business on her own, Claire must compete against a wealthy businessman who wants to bring her down. Two Wolves, half Cheyenne, scouts for the U. S. Army. He is determined to prove that white men have been committing raids against their own kind in order to fuel the fires of hatred of Colorado citizens against the Cheyenne. When he rescues Claire from just such an attack, he is struck by her fiery independence and youthful beauty. Most of all, he admires her brave attempt to save her father’s business and to help Two Wolves prove that her attack was by white men, led by the very businessman who is her competitor. Through events that keep forcing these two together and cause Two Wolves to risk his life in Claire’s defense more than once, a bond develops that turns into a steamy attraction between a tiny, red-headed young white woman and a powerful, brave, handsome Indian warrior. This attraction leads to a hot, forbidden romance that develops into a memorable “against-all-odds” love story. Set against the true history of atrocities committed by the Colorado militia against peaceful Cheyenne, CAPTURE MY HEART brings to light the struggle of the southern Cheyenne to survive amid more and more white settlement; and it shows the courage of Indians and certain brave whites alike in trying to keep the peace during one of the most difficult periods in Colorado history.

Last Chance Cowboys: The Drifter


Anna Schmidt - 2015
    But why?""You know me, Maria. I'm the guy trouble follows. Best if you keep your distance."She ran the backs of her fingers along the line of his jaw. "And what if I don't want to keep my distance?" Her voice was barely a whisper."Fair warning," he murmured, and pulled her close.Caught between a greedy corporation and a desperate love of the land, Maria Porterfield barely has time to mourn her father's death. If her family is to survive, it'll be up to her to take charge-but she can't do it alone. When a mysterious drifter rides into town, the handsome cowboy seems like an answer to her prayers. But Chet isn't interested in settling down, no matter how tempting the offer...Chet made his way West looking for a fresh start-the last thing he wants is to get involved in someone else's fight. But something about Maria awakens a powerful need to protect the fierce beauty at all costs. He never thought he'd find love, but as danger presses in, he may find there's more beyond the next horizon than just another long and dusty trail.

Winter's Touch


Janis Reams Hudson - 1999
    Trapped in the middle is Winter Fawn, a half-breed Arapaho woman torn between loyalty to her white father and her mother's native people. When she comes to the aid of Carson Dulaney, injured in a savage rage, she is swept up by the forces of her own fate.

The Westerfield Trilogy


Renee Rose - 2014
    The Westerfield Trilogy includes: The Westerfield Affair Reserved to the point of being aloof, Lord Westerfield never attended balls or even considered taking a wife... until he met Miss Kitty Stanley and his orderly world turned on end. Determined to have the beautiful and animated sister of his friend from the gambling hall, but doubting his ability to effectively court her, Westerfield strikes a bargain with her brother for her hand.When the gentlemen present Kitty with the deal, she is furious with them both for neglecting to consult her, but her brother insists he will withdraw his support if she does not comply. Angry, she acts out at a ball, causing a scandal that mushrooms further when Lord Westerfield drags her unchaperoned to his home for a firm spanking.Upon baring her for chastisement, Westerfield is swept away by desire, and before he can stop himself he has completed the ruin of her reputation. He offers to release her from the betrothal contract, but her brother insists instead on a hasty marriage. As they attempt to recover from the scandal, their marriage is clouded by his shame and her insecurities. Will they have the courage to move past their rough beginning to kindle the passion they both crave? The Reddington Scandal When Phoebe's brother-in-law catches the notorious rake Lord Fenton in his home late at night, half-dressed and obviously attempting escape, he flies into a rage. In a desperate measure to avert bloodshed, Phoebe claims she is Lord Fenton's lover, thereby forcing him to take her as his wife to avoid a scandal.Knowing full well a philanderer like Teddy Fenton could never remain faithful, Phoebe intends to resist his charm rather than fall in love. Her handsome husband respects her request for a marriage in name only, but his marital dominance manifests itself in other ways. She soon learns that while he will not force her to his bed, Teddy is more than willing to take her over his knee and spank her bare bottom when her behavior warrants it.Teddy had never intended to take a wife, but upon having wed Phoebe, he is perplexed to discover that he now wants nothing more than to win the affection of his new bride. But just when it seems he might succeed, secrets from her past threaten to destroy their chance at happiness. Can this couple come to love one another as befits a man and wife, or will their marriage end in scandal after all? The Darlington Incident When spymaster John Andrews receives word that plans are afoot to sell England's secrets to her enemies during the Ides of March ball at the Westerfield Estate, he is determined to bring an end to this treasonous game. Posing as a gentleman by the name of Lord Darlington to stake out the event, he is ready for anything as he mingles with the members of the ton... except falling for his prime suspect, the lovely wallflower Miss Eliza Hunt, in whose trunk the secret documents are soon found.After new evidence leads him to believe Eliza may be innocent, John cannot wait to catch the traitors, clear her of all suspicion, and then ask for her hand. Though he fears he is not the sort of man worth having as a husband, he knows that if he wants Eliza as his own he will need to face the demons of his past and lay claim to the title and the birthright he abandoned long ago.Eliza knows Lord Darlington is not the gentleman he purports to be, but he is the first man to see beyond the birthmark on her face and treat her like a beautiful woman.

A Hesitant Bride To Soothe His Shattered Heart


Ember Pierce - 2020
    But, nothing good lasts forever...With the sudden increase of outlaws and new settlers during the last few years, her lovely town has become now a shadow of the place her childhood memories.Jenny would do anything to protect her family and their ranch. She never thought that she would answer to a mail-order bride ad. But, when her father is trying to force her marrying a despicable businessman just to pay his debts, she decides to take her chances and run away.Jim survived the horrors of the Civil War, only to find that his fiancée has left him for another man. Deeply heartbroken and betrayed, he promised himself he would never open himself up to the possibility of finding love again.For the past six years, he has been working day and night to make his ranch a success. After finding out that his fiancée is dead, he decides it's time to move on.Will Jenny be able to break through Jim's defenses and help him find love again? She needs all of his courage and help in order to protect herself and her family from the upcoming dangerous of the corrupted town.If you like fast-paced clean romance and action-packed stories, you won't be able to put down this addictive Novel by Ember Pierce."A Hesitant Bride To Soothe His Shattered Heart" is a stand-alone Western Historical Romance Novel of approximately 500 pages.