It wasn’t until years later when Nick introduced her to fencing that they finally had a proper outlet for their frequent arguments.Having just emerged from mourning following her mother’s death, Eleanor is exactly where she wishes to be at the age of four-and-twenty: an on-the-shelf spinster and unofficial companion to her aunt. Unfortunately, her ambitious uncle has other plans for her future. On the eve of his house party, he lays down his ultimatum: either Eleanor marries the man of his choosing, or he'll force her seventeen-year-old sister to do so instead.When Nick unexpectedly arrives on their doorstep after a two year absence, Eleanor is in no mood for their normal banter. Seeming to know exactly what she needs, Nick challenges her to pick up the foil once more. During their pre-dawn matches, he shows her just how strong she can be . . . and exactly how much he’s changed since leaving. But when her old adversary becomes her only ally, she may very well find herself . . . Ruined by a Rake.

    Being a wallflower, dedicated to philanthropy, was her choice and she was happy with it.When her father sells her hand to settle his debts, Eleanor is shocked. Mainly because she has met her betrothed before. All alone, in secret, in the dark.Captain Nathan Reynolds, Earl of Brixton, was a soldier, who didn't need a bride. Upon his return to England, he is thrust, by his mother, into an arranged engagement to a heavenly creature who has never seen before. What confuses him more is that his intended seems to know him already.Despite their attraction and his sinister thoughts for Eleanor, Nathan cannot go through with the marriage until he discovers why his future was orchestrated behind his back. What begins as harmless research, quickly turns to a dangerous path.For a man with the same face as Nathan may destroy their lives before they ever walk down the aisle…Torn between light and dark, she must choose the side she belongs to…

    A mere Baron’s daughter will find herself saddled with the title of Duchess and a husband she barely knows…Laurence Webbs knows he should marry and produce an heir to his Duchy, but he cannot help postponing the inevitable as he is so used to living alone. When a random act of kindness backs him into a corner, he must do the honorable thing and push his misgivings aside…Henrietta and Laurence must find a way to coexist, thinking that a loveless marriage is all the future holds for them. But when love comes knocking on their door a whole new world opens up ahead…Though, it’s still not happily ever after for the two of them…

     This box set includes:- Westward Winds (Montana Mail Order Brides: Book 1) Tessa O’Connor lives in a world of privilege and excess. Her doting parents want her to make a good match with a worthy gentleman and live a respectable life. She is beautiful and intelligent and she comes with a hefty dowry. There is no reason that she shouldn’t be able to find an eligible man and settle down. Tessa herself is the reason. The men who are attempting to court her are, in her opinion, boring and conceited. Not only that, Tessa craves excitement and adventure, of which there is little in her social circles. By chance, she comes across an advertisement for a bride brokerage company seeking eligible women of good breeding to go west and find husbands. One man on the list catches her eye and she begins corresponding with him, eventually agreeing to go to Montana to meet him. She can’t resist the possibility of finding someone different and even if she doesn’t, the adventure itself would be worth her time. Tessa makes a successful escape and sets out to make a new life in Montana. Dean Samuels is a Montana rancher who is in over his head. His ranch is struggling and his two children are unruly and in need of a caretaker. It’s clear to his younger brother, Marcus, that he needs help. He tells Dean about a mail order bride service and convinces him that he should utilize it to find a wife. After his wife, Sarah, had passed away, Dean never intended to marry again. His ranch and his children became his life. However, it becomes apparent that Sadie, his daughter, and his son, Jack, need stability and love. The demands of raising his children and keeping his head above water financially have taken a toll and Dean grudgingly gives in to Marcus’ idea. Sarah had been the love of his life and Dean doesn’t intend to let any other woman into his heart. He’s locked those kinds of emotions deep inside, not wanting to take the chance of getting hurt like that again. Because Dean has trouble expressing his feelings in writing, his younger brother Marcus agrees to help write the letters to Tessa. Dean is happy to leave that part up to him. When Dean and Tessa meet, sparks fly between the two strong willed people. Tessa is disappointed that Dean isn’t the romantic, sophisticated man she was lead to believe he was in the letters she received. Dean is aggravated that she isn’t a meek woman who is easily managed. Never mind the fact that she has no idea of how to take care of children and keep a home. Dean and Tessa struggle to find common ground and make their marriage work. Will they each take the risk and open their hearts to one another? Can their marriage survive and will they find love and contentment in each other? Their future happiness hangs in the balance under the Montana skies. Violet's Mail Order Husband (Montana Brides: Book 1) This first episode of The Montana Brides introduces Violet, Iris and Rose Kilburn, Heiresses to the Kilburn family cattle fortune. Rocking Horse Ranch runs five thousand head of cattle but all the ranch hands are getting old. The sisters need someone to run the ranch, so the eldest sister Violet hatches the idea of getting mail order husbands for the three of them. There’s only one problem. Cornell Pollard, the sisters’ guardian and the executor of their estate, doesn’t approve. Violet must challenge Pollard and her own role as his ally to find love and gain control over her own life.

     AMBER by Elizabeth Rose Amber de Burgh is a novice of the Sisters of St. Ermengild, in training to take her final vows of becoming a nun. But when the doors to the church slam open one night and a wounded man named Lucifer who everyone thinks is the devil enters, her life changes forever. Lucifer, or Lucas as he prefers to be called, has a very tarnished past and a future that fares no better. And when he lays his eyes on the abbey's new novice, he knows he can never let her become a nun. Having been abandoned as a baby on the steps of the church, Lucas will do anything to live a different lifestyle. And before he knows it, he finds himself right in the middle of church corruption. He is sent to Canterbury on a pilgrimage with Amber, but while she intends to pray, that is the furthest thing from his mind. His mission is to steal the Regale ruby of Canterbury Cathedral at Becket's shrine. Can a pure dove change the morals of a devil or will he change her morals first? FOLLOW YOUR HEART by Ruth Kaufman Joanna Peyntor has two uses for a man: to pose for a stained glass window design or to commission her skills. But when her brother conspires to ruin her reputation, she concedes to a third: a husband to help save her glass-painting workshop. On a quest to redeem his family name and lands, Sir Adrian Bedford must marry without delay. But what woman he’d accept would wed an impoverished former nobleman who insists on an unusual stricture in their marriage contract? Joanna, a woman striving to succeed in a man’s world. When irresistible attraction makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient, will his dangerous secrets keep them from following their hearts? THE HIGHLANDER’S OUTLAW BRIDE by Cathy MacRae Thrust into the role of laird upon his father's unexpected death, Connor MacLaurey returns home to learn his cousin has usurped his lands and title. Furthermore, his betrothed--a lass he barely knows and certainly did not agree to marry--is hunted by the sheriff, accused of stealing cattle. His plan is to petition the king for clemency for the foolish chit, break the betrothal, and take his castle back from his treacherous cousin. Marriage is not in his plans. Brianna Douglas has no use for men. Widowed young, berated daily for failing to give her husband a child, and sent home in subsequent disgrace, she devotes her life to holding her family's land for her young brother as their sotted father drowns his sorrow in whisky over their mother's death. Raiders have hit her clan hard, and to save them, she finds herself betrothed to Laird MacLaurey's absent son to seal a pact of protection with the MacLaurey clan. Forced into a marriage neither wants, it will take a king's edict and sacrifice from both to discover what love means. But can they accept their losses and learn from their mistakes before Brianna marries another? HIGHLAND DAYDREAMS by April Holthaus Forced into a loveless marriage Lara's husband Dermot, wanted more from her than just a docile wife, he wants to claim a treasure her clan secretly has in their possession. After several failed attempts to claim it, Dermot found a way to rid the burden of his defiant bride by having her locked away in the dungeon forever. Lara had almost given up hope until a nameless warrior whose strength and strong-will gave her the courage she needed. Thought to be dead, Bram MacKinnon barely held onto life after battling the English for Scotland’s freedom. Imprisoned with no means of escape, he is rescued by his cellmate, a woman. For saving his life, he vows to protect her and return her to her family, but Bram did not realize it was more than he bargained for.

     Unaware of the tales of Lord Stacks' wickedness, Freddie Lambeth comes to live with her guardian, and through his caring blossoms from a plain, shabbily dressed girl to a lovely young woman. Freddie and Lord Stacks come to need each other as his flowers need sunshine, but Stacks cannot allow himself to love her. His own wickedness has destroyed any chance for happiness. HIGHLANDER IN HER BED by Allie Mackay Tour guide Mara MacDougall stops at a London antique shop-and spots perhaps the handsomest bed ever. Then she bumps into the handsomest man ever. Soon Mara can't forget the irresistible-if haughty-Highlander. Not even when she learns that she's inherited a Scottish castle. Spectral Sir Alexander Douglas has hated the Clan MacDougall since he was a medieval knight and they tricked him into a curse-the curse of forever haunting the bed (the very one that Mara now owns) that was once intended for his would-be bride. But Mara makes him feel what no other MacDougall has-a passion that he never knew he'd missed. MY HIGHLAND LORD by Tarah Scott London Heiress kidnapped by the Marquess of Ashlund, read the headlines. Yet no one tried to save her. British spy Phoebe Wallington searches for answers to exonerate her father of treason. Her quest veers off course when she's kidnapped by suspected traitor Kiernan MacGregor, the Marquess of Ashlund. But someone wants him dead…and Phoebe stands in the killer's way. The only way to save her reputation and protect Kiernan is to marry him. MY LADY THE SPY by Barbara Devlin Can the mind forget what the eyes have seen? L’araignee, The Spider, is England’s most notorious spy--and Lady Rebecca Wentworth’s alter ego. After her partner in espionage is killed in the line of duty, Rebecca returns to London, only to discover a traitor has compromised the war effort from the highest levels of the vaunted Counterintelligence Corps. To lure the villain into the open, Rebecca embarks on a new mission, acting as prey for a dangerous enemy. But it is the handsome former Navy captain tasked with her safety that presents the greatest threat, when she falls in love. THE WICKED LADY by Brenda Jernigan The Thief When Trevor Claremont was blind-sided by a pickpocket on the docks beside his clipper ship, he tracked down the culprit--only to face a feisty, emerald-eyed beauty who stirred his hungriest desires. Seeing a solution to his pressing problem of finding a bride to please his dying grandmother, he offered her a deal: marriage to him...or prison, never imaging that this little cut-purse would also steal his heart. The Sea Captain Kristen Johnstone realized she’d been outfoxed by this handsome Englishman and reluctantly agreed to a marriage in name only. Soon, she traded rags for resplendent gowns, black alleys for drawing rooms, and fury for fiery passion in the arms of her new husband. But when the scandalous secrets of her past came to light, she would risk everything, including her heart to save a love more precious than gold.

     Dylan Myers is a self-professed womanizing billionaire, with more zeroes on the end of his bank balance than he cares to count, and too many stories of wealthy exuberance to recall. But does this vicarious and charismatic man harbor a secret? Soon their paths collide, and they fall into bed in hot and salacious circumstances! But will Holly be able to solve the riddle that is Dylan Myers? And will their turbulent relationship teach them the true value of enduring love?

    She has never let a man toy with her. An idle, attractive rake, Lord Geoffrey Sparks has had little to do other than enjoy life. He has let Violet play her games for months without complaint, because he likes her company—and admittedly her bed. But in recent months he's found himself gravitating towards her more and more. Things have changed between them. He likes her for who she is and not simply the notorious widow. He thought his feelings were returned, but . . . Why then has she suddenly vanished from town without a word? A couple of months ago, she'd complained about his friend being a heartbreaker, but now Violet is breaking his heart...

    But being born of a single mother in London's working class, she could only dream. Then, scrawled in hasty intensity, Sara receives an invitation to America. Drawn to the possibility of a new beginning, she follows God's whisper and steps forward into the unknown. But more awaits than the realization of her dreams.Sara's benefactor is handsome widower Christopher Lake, a philanthropist dedicated to helping the less fortunate redefine their future. Though devastated by the loss of his wife, he dedicates himself to her last request: To provide Sara the means for a brighter future.Sara's gift of art inspires Christopher's sponsorship, and he is determined to protect her gentle heart while propelling her into artistic society. Even if he must press her forward beyond her shy nature. But when a local paper weaves tales of a romantic entanglement, Sara is stricken by the stark reality of a growing devotion. Caught in the whirlwind of debuts and dinner parties with prospective patrons, she has fallen in love with the one man she cannot attain.Can a servant girl hope to bless such a noble man to happiness?

    If mice in the walls and holes in the roof aren't bad enough, someone wants her to believe the place is haunted. But Portia doesn't scare that easily, even if catching sight of the brooding ghost leaves her strangely breathless. When he was accused of murdering his fiancée a decade ago, Giles Ashburne fled the country to his supposed death. Now he’s returned to the Hall to uncover the evidence that will exonerate him, only to find himself playing a ghost in his own home. Nothing he does drives Portia away, and worse, the stubborn chit is starting to grow on him. The more Portia learns about Giles Ashburne, the more certain she becomes that her ghost is not only innocent, but far from dead. When she sets out to prove it, she puts herself on a crash course with not only Giles, but the real killer. If Giles and Portia don't learn to stop striking sparks off each other and work together, there will soon be two ghosts at Ashburne Hall.