Book picks similar to
Champion of the Heart by Laurel O'Donnell


historical-romance
romance
historical-fiction
medieval-romance

Masques of Gold


Roberta Gellis - 1988
    From the flames of the bitter struggle came the men and women who dared to forge their own unique destinies...Lissa de FlaelWillful, bold and beautiful, she as a burgher's daughter, married and widowed in a nobleman's cynical conspiracy of power. Yet her independent heart remained untouched--until one man fired her senses in a single glorious night of desire...Sir Justin FitzAilwinWellborn and feared, the warden of London's peace in a ruthless age of war, he waged a desperate private struggle for Lissa's love--his life, his hope, his destiny.Their joining was a shining, embattled alliance, menaced by an unseen enemy, yet fated by the passion that stirred deep within their souls.

Angel of Fire


Tanya Anne Crosby - 1992
    but the Silver Wolf has come knocking on their door and treachery is at hand. King Henry's blue-eyed champion has been sent to quell a nation's rebellion. He plans to seal their peace by wedding Gilbert de Lontaine's beautiful daughter, but though the girl with smoky eyes holds his heart in peril, the real danger lurks in unexpected quarters.This digital release of Angel of Fire is a special author's cut, with an extensive new edit and all new scenes.

Heart of a Knight


Barbara Samuel - 1997
    After an arduous exile to flee the darkness and danger sweeping her lands, Lady Elizabeth D'Auvers returns home to Woodell Castle, yearning only for her looms and her quiet life. To her astonishment, she finds the castle and farmlands thriving, thanks to Lord Thomas of Roxburgh, a knight errant whose size and strength offer protection to Elizabeth's castle and its people. Yet chilling thoughts trouble her mind--for there is something mysterious about this man.

My Gallant Enemy


Rexanne Becnel - 1990
    Years later, Corbett unexpectedly turns up to claim his beautiful bride and, by contract, her valuable dowry: Castle Orrick. Suspecting some royal intrigue lies behind Corbett’s sudden desire for this marriage, Lilliane vows she will never lie in his bed. But what fate awaits Lilliane—and all England—if she resists him? And what darker fate if she surrenders?

A Rose in Winter


Shana Abe - 1998
    Her father is determined to wed her off to his enemy, the Earl of Redmond, to broker peace. Redmond, however, wants her for a much darker purpose.Forced to pretend an aversion to the man she loves, Solange is finally reunited with Damon in the most unexpected of ways. She is now a widow, a haunting version of the girl he once knew, and seems to be hiding something that Damon cannot discover. All he knows is that she is determined to flee the estate of her dead husband, and he is helplessly drawn with her on the journey.Along the way each rediscovers the flame that once united them, slowly, reluctantly, until once again they admit their love for each other. All cannot be well, however, until the secret of Solange's past is uncovered and banished.

The Rose at Twilight


Amanda Scott - 1992
    After she returns to England, following the bloody War of the Roses, Lady Alys Wolveston is dismayed to learn that she is to be given in marriage to Welshman Sir Nicholas Merion. But after the two rebellious hearts are united, their fascination with each other blossoms into true love.

My Lord's Desire


Margaret Moore - 2007
    Nevertheless, Lady Adelaide fended off fortune hunters aplenty when she arrived at the king's court. Yet when dark whispers in castle corridors threw her into the arms of a valiant knight seeking a wife, the beautiful heiress began to rethink her solemn vow.To ransom his captive brother, Armand de Boisbaston had great need of a wealthy--and willing--wife. Fate sent him the lady Adelaide instead. A woman who claimed she wished to avoid the marriage bed, yet whose lips told a different tale. Now dangerous intrigues forced them into a match as inescapable as the burgeoning passion that grew between them.

The Holding


Claudia Dain - 2001
    Winter 1155. Cathryn and Greneforde are as one; to possess the woman is to possess the land. William, a knight under King Henry, has been gifted Greneforde Tower as a reward for his service to the king. Greneforde, and Cathryn, are now William's. They marry within the hour of his arrival, and Cathryn is outwardly obedient to the combined wills of God, King, and husband. But is she truly so? William thinks not. He begins to believe that some treachery is brewing in his beautiful wife's heart, that she plans to resist consummating their marriage, thereby nullifying it and denying him Greneforde, the home he has fought for through long years. He is determined that Cathryn will deny him nothing; not her land, and not her body.

Fire Dance


Delle Jacobs - 2001
    But that means marriage to the king's handsome knight, Alain de Crency, and certain death for her. For if he doesn't kill her, his priests will. Written by multiple time RITA Award winner Dell Jacobs

The Bride Hunt


Margo Maguire - 2005
    . . Lady Isabel Louvet is a woman of noble birth, wit, courage, and beauty. But though these qualities make her an excellent bride, they cannot save her when, on the night she was meant to choose a groom, wild Scottish brigands storm the walls of her father's castle. As what should be a celebration turns to terror and bloodshed, Isabel is carried away from her family to be offered to a Scottish chieftain as a slave . . . or worse.But unbeknownst to Isabel, she has a champion, a feared warrior and knight of legend named Anvrai d'Arques. His visage bears the scars of battle, but his heart remains pure in its devotion to country and king - that is, until he sets out to rescue Isabel. Her fierce spirit of survival stirs his passion more than combat ever could, and with her touch his world forever shifts. Now, with the Scottish on their heels and a country on the brink of war, they must go forth in battle together to save themselves, to protect their countrymen, and to find a love that can set them both forever free.

Desired


Virginia Henley - 1995
    Mesmerized by the dark knight's turquoise gaze, Lady Brianna of Bedford tried to turn away.  After all, she was betrothed to Robert de Beauchamp.  And now this total stranger, Christian Hawksblood, de Beauchamp's bastard brother, claimed her with a soul-searing look.  What was his mystical power that compelled her to abandon herself to this man she dare not even trust...Christian Hawksblood, Prince and Knight Templar, burned with memories of the beauty he first saw in a vision, clad only in a nimbus of red-gold hair.  Brianna of Bedford was his, ordained by fate.  But first he had to deal with his jealous brother.  And then with Brianna, the innocent temptress who branded him with passion even as she compelled him to listen with his heart...

Midnight Eyes


Sarah Brophy - 2007
    . . The bastard son of a Norman nobleman, Robert Beaumont has blossomed into one of England's fiercest killers--and has found himself well paid for his talents. But now the time has come for him to set aside his sword. The king has agreed to reward him for his last service with an estate. . .on one condition: Robert must marry the sitting tenant--the infamous Lady Deformed. For years, Imogen Colebrook has lived in the ramshackle Saxon keep, the virtual prisoner of her cruel, sadistic brother, the man responsible for her deformity--and for wedding her to a dangerous man. Yet, on Robert's arrival, Imogen nearly brings the hardened warrior to his knees. For she is a vision of unparalleled beauty--living in a world without sight. Drawn to her courageous spirit, Robert gently draws Imogen out of her tortured past. But with her brother always lurking in the shadows, Imogen's newfound sanctuary in Robert's arms is in danger of being destroyed--unless her salvaged heart can find a way out of the darkness. . .

One Knight Enchanted


Claire Delacroix - 1997
    When her brother conspires to see her wed against her will, she insists upon returning to the convent instead. En route, their party is attacked by wolves and divided. Annelise finds herself before the gates of a mysterious palace, hungry predators at her heels, only to learn that the price of admission is marriage to the palace's lord, sight unseen. A knight and younger son, Rolfe de Viandin hopes his older brother rewards him on his return from crusade with a small holding of his own. But on his way home, Rolfe opens the gift he bought for his brother in Outremer, releasing a djinn from captivity. He is granted a magical palace, but also cursed to be a wolf by day and man by night—unless love breaks the curse and sets him free. Could lovely, impulsive Annelise be his salvation? Or will she be the one to bring treachery to his gates instead? An earlier version of this story was published with the title Enchanted.

Caprice


Laura Parker - 1994
    Thought to have been killed at Waterloo, he soon wishes he were, instead bored to tears by his unruly family and his role as Lord. He misses the spy games of Persia, where he was a master of intrigue. His attention is snared by a ravishing, veiled beauty who has swept into London’s Regency society on a cloud of exotic mystery.Who is this Princess Sultana el Djemal? Hadrian must know, even if playing the game of love could cost him body and soul.Clarissa Willoughby’s harmless deception was designed to open doors for a widow ready to shed her weeds. Once Hadrian begins his pursuit of “Sultana,” his passionate seduction makes Clarissa jealous of the exotic temptress she herself created. The game of love becomes more perilous than way when Clarissa sets out to win Hadrian’s heart, battling again his suspicions and her alter ego.

The Brides of Christmas


Jo Beverley - 1999
    In the age of chivalry and the season of hope three marriages are forged...In The Wise Virgin by Jo Beverly, a lord from a rival clan steals the wrong holiday bride for his brother, and discovers his own true love in the witty and wise captive maiden!In The Vagabond Knight by Margaret Moore two wounded souls, a roguish mercenary and a stern beauty, teach each other how to live and love again during a yuletide blizzard...In The Unexpected Guest by Deborah Simmons the head of the mighty de Burgh family finds his quiet reserve shattered by the seductive young widow who stays at his keep for the twelve days of Christmas!