Book picks similar to
Pursued by the Rake by Mary Lancaster


historical-romance
romance
historical
historical-fiction

The Earl Not Taken


A.S. Fenichel - 2020
    But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy has a far more vital role—she and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. So when one of them is about to be married off to a duke sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. If only she didn’t require the aid of London’s most unsuitable rake. Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl naïve to the ways of men. To her eternal chagrin—and to his vague amusement—they have been at odds over the memory of their embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings. If the two do not tread carefully, they may end up in a most agreeably compromising position...

Lord Holt Takes a Bride


Vivienne Lorret - 2020
    She’ll marry for love or not at all. But how does a woman know a man truly loves her? Needing answers, she sets out to discover the marriage habits of London’s aristocrats. Yet when her friends kidnap a lord for research, Winn knows they’ve gone too far. Now she’s facing a wickedly handsome scoundrel who wants revenge.Lord Asher Holt has the perfect plan to free himself of his father’s debts. But when a trio of foolish debutantes abducts him, their scheme ruins everything! Fuming and tied to a chair, Holt overhears that one of them is an heiress. Perhaps he isn’t above a little kidnapping either.Yet, when the heiress runs away from her own wedding and straight into his waiting carriage, Holt finds himself on an adventure he’ll never forget, falling in love with a woman worth more than any treasure. But will Winn ever believe his heart only desires her... and not her fortune?

Of Noble Birth


Brenda Novak - 1999
    Thinking Alexandra is his half-sister, pirate captain Nathaniel Kent takes her hostage on his ship to exact revenge on his cold-hearted father. But the pirate and the beautiful seamstress can barely contain their strong desire for each other.

Cross her Heart


Jo Noelle - 2020
    The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a cowboy. Oops!Ida Turner was supposed to pass along her father’s directions to the trail boss. Instead, she packs her wagon with silk dresses and joins the cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail from Windward, Texas, to the railhead in Kansas. Contrary to what she thought would be a grand adventure, the trail is fraught with dangers, threatening her life.Robert Conley only learned about the change of plans for the cattle drive two days before they were to leave. Now, half his crew is new, he’ll be on the trail for months instead of weeks, and the beautiful, infuriating woman who is an albatross around his neck doesn’t know she’s riding with an outlaw—and he has to keep it that way.How can Ida overcome Robert’s secretiveness and earn his respect and trust? Will Robert risk opening his heart and his past to gain Ida’s love?

The Highwayman of Tanglewood


Marcia Lynn McClure - 2008
    Be still. The Highwayman of Tanglewood owns ya now. Faris smiled...as he whispered, Do not struggle. Ill not harm ya, lass Come away with me, sweet Faris, the highwayman whispered. What say ye? I say, who are you, highwayman? Faris breathed...All romantic thoughts of knights riding to win the fair lady were driven from her mind. A rogue's manner was vastly more delightful! Aye! But that ye should know, sweet Faris, the highwayman whispered. I know you not, sir, Faris said in a whisper. Surely I would remember such a shape of a man. "Indeed, would ya, lass? he asked. I would, sir, she answered. Tis well ya know who I am, fair Faris, he whispered, kissing her neck again. I am the Highwayman of Tanglewood. A chambermaid in the house of Tremeshton, Faris Shayhan well knew torment, despair and trepidation. To Faris it seemed the future stretched long and desolate before her -- bleak and as dark as a lonesome midnight path. Still, the moon oft casts hopeful luminosity to light ones way. So it was that Lady Maranda Rockrimmon cast hope upon Farisset Faris upon a different path -- a path of happiness, serenity and love. Faris abandoned the tainted air of Tremeshton in favor of the amethyst sunsets of Loch Loland Castle and her new mistress Lady Rockrimmon. Further, it was on the very night of her emancipation that Faris first met the man of her dreams -- the man of every woman's dreams -- the rogue Highwayman of Tanglewood. Dressed in black and astride his mighty steed, the brave, heroic and dashing rogue Highwayman of Tanglewood stole Faris's heart as easily as he stole her kiss. Yet the Highwayman of Tanglewood was encircled in mystery -- mystery as thick and as secretive as time itself. Could Faris truly own the heart of a man so entirely enveloped in twilight shadows and dangerous secrets?

The Duke's Daughter


Isabella Thorne - 2017
    A strange twist of Fate brought the unlikely pair together… now nothing will keep them apart.Lady Amelia Atherton is not a woman to be trifled with. Known as the diamond of the Ton, she is beautiful, witty, and the only daughter of the Duke of Ely. The men of the Peerage see her as a prize to be won, and perhaps a way to obtain her father’s influence. Commander Samuel Beresford is the brash, sometimes rude, younger son, of the Earl of Blackburn. A Royal Navy Commander who has little time for the affectations of Society.Two people have never been so mismatched, but when Amelia’s father, The Duke of Ely, dies under mysterious circumstances, and Samuel’s elder brother is poisoned within a mere day of the Duke’s death, both Lady Amelia and Commander Beresford find themselves forced to work together in a desperate search for the culprit.Amelia was always careful to guard her feelings, that is until she met Samuel Beresford. Now everything Lady Amelia once took for granted has been shattered, and with the Dukedom in the hands of her odious Uncle Declan, Amelia and Samuel plan an elaborate ruse, in the hope of drawing out the murderer. Lady Amelia Atherton considered herself as tough as a diamond, but somehow Samuel Beresford has found his way into her heart…Neither could imagine falling in love … now it seems they cannot imagine loving anyone else.

Duke of Knight


Elizabeth Johns - 2020
    Enjoy the extraordinary tale of four Knight brothers, and one little sister in the Gentlemen of Knights.Can a sharp-tongued governess become indispensable to a duke?Rowley Knight, Duke of Knighton, is too busy being a duke to bother with such nonsense as love. With three heirs, he is in no hurry whatsoever to succumb to the lures of the leg-shackles. He is content managing his siblings and estates, and avoiding Society whenever possible. If he can only find someone to manage his young sister, life can go back to its proper order.Emma Lancaster’s father gambled away her family’s fortune leaving her hopes for a respectable marriage shattered. Destitute and near desperate, she accepts a position as a governess to a young lady at the recommendation of her godmother. Little does she know that her charge is the brother of the man she despises. Can she humble herself to become his employee? Or will her temper get the best of her—and him?

Before the Season Ends


Linore Rose Burkard - 2005
    High society, the gentry, the working classes-they all knew their place. From coaches and curricles to Almack's and Regent's Park, from lorgnettes and quizzing glasses to Drury Lane and Pall Mall, it's all here, from chambermaids to the Prince Regent himself! Add Miss Ariana Forsythe to the intoxicating mix of fun and inspiration, and what do you have? The first Christian Inspirational Regency on the market today! Welcome to this delightful world, and prepare to fall in love with Ariana and her cohorts. From her home in the village of Chesterton to the very ballroom of Carlton House, you will follow her adventures and journey of faith to the edge-of-your-seat ending!

The Harlow Hoyden


Lynn Messina - 2014
    It is Emma who is amazed. She has naturally concluded that the man reading in the conservatory must be the country cousin (who else in London would actually read?) and is quite vexed to discover that he is the Duke of Trent himself—imagine, stealing the duke’s prize Rhyncholaelia digbyana under his very nose! But her vexation doesn’t last long. For Emma is a practical young lady with a mission: to end her dear sister Lavinia’s engagement to the villainous (and dreadfully dull!) Sir Waldo Windbourne, and she thinks that the famous libertine is just the man for the job. If he would only seduce her sister away from Sir Waldo…. Well, not seduce exactly, but flirt mercilessly and engage her interest. Perhaps then Lavinia would jilt the baron. The Duke of Trent is resistant, of course. Despite his reputation, he does not toy with the affections of innocents. And besides, it’s not her sister he longs to seduce.

Trials of Artemis


Sue London - 2013
    Jacqueline “Jack” Walters loves archery and Greek military history. In her third season she has failed to inspire so much as one marriage proposal and is planning to settle into the quiet life of a spinster.Gideon Wolfe, Earl of Harrington, has been avoiding marriage but a case of mistaken identity in the library has left him saddled with an argumentative and unwilling fiancee.

The Duchess and the Highwayman


Beverley Oakley - 2017
    She’s on the run from a murderer, he’s in pursuit of one. Married off at a young age to a brutal nobleman, Phoebe, Lady Cavanaugh, longs for love—and enters into a risky affair. Framed for her husband’s murder, she flees wearing only a blood-stained chemise and is rescued by a handsome ‘highwayman’ who believes she’s Lady Cavanaugh’s maidservant. Hugh Redding has his own reasons for hunting down the man who wants Phoebe tried and hanged for murder. And ‘the maidservant with aspirations above her station’ might prove the very weapon he needs—once he teaches her how to behave like a lady. But when Phoebe mysteriously disappears, Hugh realises his feelings for the spirited wench he’d set out to tame are far deeper than he’d realised—while his search for her reveals a woman very different from the one who’d declared her love for him the night he last saw her. Time is running out as Hugh realises he is the only one who can provide evidence to exonerate the friendless duchess—or the gallows will claim the woman he loves. "The plot is fast-paced and the heat level was to my taste. A good read in my opinion." ~ Amazon reader

A Countess for Christmas


Anthea Lawson - 2013
    Between caring for her elderly father and managing a household barely out of mourning, she has no time for the softer things in life.Liam Barrett, the Earl of Tarrick, is certain he will not accept Marcus Fairfax's invitation to spend Christmas at the Fairfax family's estate - and the man's tales of a family ghost have nothing to do with his decision.Of all the blessings of the season, sometimes the most unexpected is love...Heat level: SWEETOriginally published in the anthology Christmas Ghosts, A Countess for Christmas is a Regency-set short story of 13,000 words (approximately 50 pages).

Susanna and the Spy


Anna Elliott - 2011
    She certainly has no intention of contacting her family, who cast off her father and scorned her mother years ago. But a chance encounter with a figure from her past suggests that her estranged grandfather was murdered, and that his death was connected to a local ring of smugglers, led by a mysterious figure who calls himself Captain Clark.When Captain Clark himself appears at her door, wounded and in need of her help, Susanna must decide where her true loyalties lie. And she must also discover the truth of her grandfather's death. Otherwise the man she is rapidly falling in love with may be hanged for treason and murder.

Chasing Luck


Brinda Berry - 2014
    Especially when you’re a sole survivor...At the age of seven, Malerie walked away from a bombing that left hundreds dead—including her mother. When a crazed gunman kills her guardian on her eighteenth birthday, Malerie suspects there may be more to her survival than luck. A mysterious code holds the key to her future, and a reluctant white knight holds the key to her heart.A loner wearing emotional armor…Ace is a twenty-year-old entrepreneur focusing on two things in life: financial security and a life without ties. A life that doesn't risk losing the ones who matter. When Ace is hired to secretly act as a bodyguard for Malerie, he faces an unwanted attraction that threatens to sabotage his heart. Can Ace find the courage to love a girl with a death wish? 9780991632039 - alternate cover edition

Love Me Always


Marie Higgins - 2012
    Either she wed an elderly man and commit to a marriage without love, or continue living with the father who believes her guilty of murder and one foot outside the asylum. Catherine picks marriage to the Duke of Ashton, Grant Fielding. However, when she stays with the Fielding family before the wedding, she doesn’t plan on falling in love…with Grant’s nephew, Nicholas.Destined for a lonely life – Nicholas Fielding loves his uncle’s soon-to-be bride, and has loved her since they were children. Now Nick must choose between his dying uncle's last wish to marry, and the woman who will make Nick happy for the rest of his life. No matter how hard Nick tries, he cannot stop his love for Catherine.A flurry of accidents begins to happen around the Fielding estate and soon all accusing eyes turn to Catherine. When accidents escalate to murder, suspicions expound and even Catherine’s father believes she’s gone mad. Does Nick love her enough to discover the truth?