Books with category 🎎 Historical Romance
Displaying books 49-96 of 147 in total

Head in the Clouds

2010

by Karen Witemeyer

Adelaide Proctor is a young woman with her head in the clouds, longing for a real-life storybook hero to claim as her own. But when a husband-hunting debacle leaves her humiliated, she interviews for a staid governess position on a central Texas sheep ranch and vows to leave her romantic yearnings behind.

When Gideon Westcott left his privileged life in England to make a name for himself in America's wool industry, he never expected to become a father overnight. And five-year-old Isabella hasn't uttered a word since she lost her mother. The unconventionality of the new governess concerns Gideon—and intrigues him at the same time. But he can't afford distractions. He has a ranch to run, a shearing to oversee, and a suspicious fence-cutting to investigate.

When Isabella's uncle comes to claim the child—and her inheritance—Gideon and Adelaide must work together to protect Isabella from the man's evil schemes. And soon neither can deny their growing attraction. But after so many heartbreaks, will Adelaide be willing to get her head out of the clouds and put her heart on the line?

The Healer's Apprentice

Two Hearts. One Hope.
Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

A Hope Undaunted

2010

by Julie Lessman

What happens when the boy she loved to hate becomes the man she hates to love?

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman—smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband—good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face-to-face with a choice.

Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

Le Lys dans la vallée

Longue confession, Le Lys dans la vallée dépeint l’amour passionné et quasi incestueux d’un jeune homme au sortir de l’adolescence, Félix de Vandenesse, pour une femme mûre, Madame de Mortsauf. À travers elle, Balzac dresse le portrait d’une aristocratie décadente : héritiers de la maladie suspecte de leur père, ses enfants sont condamnés à une vie fébrile, tandis qu’elle leur sacrifie son bonheur.

Félix n’a jamais connu ni l’amour maternel ni celui des femmes : attiré par l’entrave qui pèse sur le corps et la vie de cette mère, il s’ouvre à un érotisme étrange et morbide. Félix et Henriette, ces deux êtres qui souffrent, s’unissent pour opposer à la violence du monde le refuge d’un amour impossible.

Parfois comparée à la princesse de Clèves, en raison de son refus de se donner à celui qu’elle aime, Henriette de Mortsauf en constitue véritablement l’envers monstrueux. Chasteté ne rime pas toujours avec vertu : alors que Félix épuise son ardeur à dérober cette volupté oppressée, le jeune homme est la proie du désir rapace que nourrit la maladie pour la santé, la mort pour la vie.

Pourchassant l’odeur obsédante du lys, Balzac débusque le désir jusqu’en cette vallée qu’on ne traverse qu’au prix d’une fièvre d’amour et d’agonie.

The Protector

2010

by Carla Capshaw

Quintus Ambustus is a slave, while Adiona Leonia is a wealthy socialite. He fights for his life in the gladiator's ring, and she plays cutthroat politics in Rome's high society. He's sacrificed everything for his Christian faith; she believes in nothing and no one.

But when Adiona's life is threatened, Quintus is chosen as her bodyguard, and their fascination with one another shocks them both. Neither thought to find joy in a match society would condemn, but their feelings cannot be denied. Have they lost too much to believe in happiness? Or will their growing love let them leave the past behind and build a new future together?

Love in the Afternoon

2010

by Lisa Kleypas

She harbors a secret yearning. As a lover of animals and nature, Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. Even though she participated in the London season in the past, the classic beauty and free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted... and she has resigned herself to the fate of never finding love. Has the time come for the most unconventional of the Hathaway sisters to settle for an ordinary man—just to avoid spinsterhood?


He is a world-weary cynic. Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix's friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul—and it's becoming clear that Christopher won't come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru's disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru's letters to Christopher for her. Soon the correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep... and when Christopher comes home, he's determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as Beatrix's innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love—and a passion that can't be denied.

A Tailor-Made Bride

2010

by Karen Witemeyer

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with Coventry, Texas's new dressmaker. He's all too familiar with her kind—shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothing, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.

Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?

When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau—leading to uproarious consequences for the whole town—will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

Married By Morning

2010

by Lisa Kleypas

He is everything she wants to avoid...

For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters—a pleasant position, with one caveat. Her charges' older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. Cat can hardly believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction. But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her powerful response—and even more so when Leo proposes a dangerous liaison.

She is not at all what she seems...

Leo must marry and produce an heir within a year to save his family home. Catherine's respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her. But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and infernally tempting, even to a man resolved never to love again. The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever—unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires...

Ten Things I Love About You

2010

by Julia Quinn

Ten Things You Should Know About This Book:

  1. Sebastian Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.
  2. Annabel Winslow's family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind and The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.
  3. Sebastian's uncle is the Earl of Newbury, and if he dies without siring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.
  4. Lord Newbury detests Sebastian and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.
  5. Lord Newbury has decided that Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.
  6. Annabel does not want to marry Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.
  7. Is shocking,
  8. Is delicious,
  9. Is downright wicked, all of which lead the way to
  10. Happily. Ever. After.

Annabel Winslow is in a pickle. Having newly arrived in London for her first season and being in possession of a voluptuous figure, she is being openly courted by the Earl of Newbury, who is at least 75 and a nasty brute to boot. Annabel does not want to marry him, of course, but feels that she has no choice since her father has recently died and left the whole family, including Annabel's mother and her 7 siblings, almost destitute.

Then, while attending a party in the countryside, Annabel meets Sebastian Grey, the Earl of Newbury's nephew. Suddenly, she finds herself not only courted by the lecherous uncle but also the charming young nephew. Should she follow her heart so that she can be with the one she loves, or should she marry the loathsome earl just so she can put food on the table for her family and ensure that her brothers get to stay in school?

The Invisible Bridge

2010

by Julie Orringer

The Invisible Bridge is a grand love story and an epic tale of three brothers whose lives are torn apart by war.

Paris, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he has promised to deliver to C. Morgenstern on the rue de Sévigné. As he becomes involved with the letter’s recipient, his elder brother takes up medical studies in Modena, and their younger brother leaves school for the stage. Meanwhile, Europe’s unfolding tragedy sends each of their lives into terrifying uncertainty.

From the Hungarian village of Konyár to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris, from the lonely chill of Andras’s garret to the enduring passion he discovers on the rue de Sévigné, from the despair of a Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in forced labor camps and beyond, The Invisible Bridge tells the unforgettable story of brothers bound by history and love, of a marriage tested by disaster, of a Jewish family’s struggle against annihilation, and of the dangerous power of art in a time of war.

The Chief

2010

by Monica McCarty

An elite fighting force unlike the world has ever seen... Scouring the darkest corners of the Highlands and Western Isles, Robert the Bruce handpicks ten warriors to help him in his quest to free Scotland from English rule. They are the best of the best, chosen for their superior skills in each discipline of warfare. And to lead his secret Highland Guard, Bruce chooses the greatest warrior of all.

The ultimate Highland warlord and a swordsman without equal, Tor MacLeod has no intention of being drawn into Scotland’s war against the English. Dedicated to his clan, the fiercely independent chief answers to no one—especially not to his alluring new bride, bartered to him in a bid to secure his command of the deadliest fighting force the world has ever seen. The treacherous chit who made her way to Tor’s bed may have won his hand, but she will never claim his heart.

Although her husband’s reputation is as fierce as his manner, Christina Fraser believes that something softer hides beneath his brutal shell. But the only warmth she feels is in their bed, in glorious moments of white-hot desire that disappear with the dawn. When Christina’s reckless bid to win her husband’s love goes awry and thrusts them into danger on the eve of war, Tor will face his ultimate battle: to save his wife and to open his heart—before it’s too late.

The Silent Governess

2010

by Julie Klassen

Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems.

Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate.

As Olivia and Lord Bradley's secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?

The Gladiator

2009

by Carla Capshaw

He won his fame—and his freedom—in the gory pits of Rome's Colosseum. Yet the greatest challenge for the once-legendary gladiator Caros Viriathos comes to him through a slave. His slave, the beautiful and mysterious Pelonia Valeria.

Her secret brings danger to his household but offers Caros a love like he's never known. Should anyone learn she is a Christian, Pelonia will be executed. Her faith threatens not only herself, but her master. Can she convince a man who found fame through unforgiving brutality to show mercy?

And when she's ultimately given the choice, will Pelonia choose freedom or the love of a gladiator?

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

2009

by Jamie Ford

In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol. This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.

Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.

Tempt Me at Twilight

2009

by Lisa Kleypas

He was everything she'd sworn to avoid.

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

And she was everything he needed.

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm’s length…but the sharp, beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all.

Bright Star: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne

2009

by John Keats

I have two luxuries to brood over...
Your Loveliness and the hour of my death

Though John Keats (1795-1821) died when he was just twenty-five years old, he left behind some of the most exquisite and moving poetry ever written. He also left an incredibly beautiful and tender collection of love letters, inspired by his great love for Fanny Brawne. Although they knew each other for just a few short years and spent a great deal of that time apart due to Keats' worsening illness, which forced him to live abroad, Keats wrote again and again about Fanny—his very last poem is called simply "To Fanny"—and wrote love letters to her constantly. She, in turn, would wear the ring he had given her until her death.

This remarkable volume contains the love poems and correspondence composed by Keats in the heat of his passion, and is a dazzling display of a talent cruelly cut short.

The Day the Falls Stood Still

Tom Cole, the grandson of a legendary local hero, has inherited an uncanny knack for reading the Niagara River's whims and performing daring feats of rescue at the mighty falls. A chance encounter between Tom and 17-year-old Bess Heath has an explosive effect. When they first meet on a trolley platform, Bess immediately recognizes the chemistry between them, and the feeling is mutual.

But the hopes of young love are constrained by the 1915 conventions of Niagara Falls, Ontario. Tom's working-class pedigree doesn't suit Bess's family, despite their recent fall from grace. Bess's father has been sacked from his position at a hydroelectric power company and has taken to drink, forcing her mother to take in sewing for the society women who were once her peers. Bess pitches in as she pines for Tom, but at her young age, she's unable to fully realize how drastically her world is about to change.

Set against the resounding backdrop of the falls, Cathy Marie Buchanan's carefully researched, capaciously imagined debut novel entwines the romantic trials of a young couple with the historical drama of the exploitation of the river's natural resources. The current of the river, like that of the human heart, is under threat: "Sometimes it seems like the river is being made into this measly thing," says Tom, bemoaning the shortsighted schemes of the power companies. "The river's been bound up with cables and concrete and steel, like a turkey at Christmastime."

Skillfully portraying individuals, families, a community, and an environment imperiled by progress and the devastations of the Great War, The Day the Falls Stood Still beautifully evokes the wild wonder of its setting, a wonder that always overcomes any attempt to tame it. But at the same time, Buchanan's tale never loses hold of the gripping emotions of Tom and Bess's intimate drama.

To Sir Phillip, With Love

2009

by Julia Quinn

Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife's distant cousin that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her.

Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decidedly unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife.

What Happens in London

2009

by Julia Quinn

Rumors and Gossip: The lifeblood of London!

When Olivia Bevelstoke is told that her new neighbor may have killed his fiancée, she doesn't believe it for a second. However, curiosity gets the better of her, and she can't help but spy on him, just to be sure. Cleverly concealed by curtains, she stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, watches, and waits... only to discover a most intriguing man who is definitely up to something.

Sir Harry Valentine works for the boring branch of the War Office, translating documents vital to national security. He's not a spy, but he's had all the training. When a gorgeous blonde begins to watch him from her window, he is instantly suspicious. Just when he decides that she's nothing more than an annoyingly nosy debutante, he discovers that she might be engaged to a foreign prince, who might be plotting against England.

As Harry is roped into spying on Olivia, he discovers that he might be falling for her himself...

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

2009

by Jennifer Ashley

The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family—rich, powerful, dangerous, and eccentric. A lady couldn't be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them—of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz.

The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he is decidedly odd. He's also hard and handsome and has a penchant for Ming pottery and beautiful women.

Beth Ackerley, widow, has recently come into a fortune. She has decided that she wants no more drama in her life. She was raised in drama—an alcoholic father who drove them into the workhouse, a frail mother she had to nurse until her death, a fussy old lady she became constant companion to. No, she wants to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband.

And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her.

This is the first of a new historical series.

The Apothecary's Daughter

2009

by Julie Klassen

Lilly Haswell remembers everything — whether she wants to, or not... As Lilly toils in her father's apothecary shop, preparing herbs and remedies by rote, she is haunted by memories of her mother's disappearance. Villagers whisper the tale, but her father refuses to discuss it. All the while, she dreams of the world beyond — of travel, adventure, and romance.

When a relative offers to host her in London, Lilly discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of fashionable society and suitors, as well as clues about her mother. But will Lilly find what she is searching for — the truth of the past and a love for the future?

Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance—as well as clues about her mother—Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart.

Mistress of Mellyn

2008

by Victoria Holt

Mount Mellyn stood as proud and magnificent as she had envisioned... But what about its master—Connan TreMellyn? Was Martha Leigh's new employer as romantic as his name sounded? As she approached the sprawling mansion towering above the cliffs of Cornwall, an odd chill of apprehension overcame her.

TreMellyn's young daughter, Alvean, proved as spoiled and difficult as the three governesses before Martha had discovered. But it was the girl's father whose cool, arrogant demeanor unleashed unfamiliar sensations and turmoil—even as whispers of past tragedy and present danger begin to insinuate themselves into Martha's life.

Powerless against her growing desire for the enigmatic Connan, she is drawn deeper into family secrets—as passion overpowers reason, sending her head and heart spinning. But though evil lurks in the shadows, so does love—and the freedom to find a golden promise forever...

The Last Concubine

2008

by Lesley Downer

How do you fall in love when your society has no word for it? The Last Concubine is an epic love story closely based on historical events, chronicling 19th century Japan's extraordinary change from a medieval to a modern country.

This is the story of a shogun, a princess, and the three thousand women of the women's palace—all of whom really existed—and of the civil war that brought their way of life to an end.

Japan, 1865: The women's palace in the great city of Edo is a sprawling complex much like a Middle-Eastern harem. Bristling with intrigue and erotic rivalries, the palace is home to three thousand women and only one man—the young shogun. Sachi, a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl, is chosen as his concubine. But Japan is changing.

Black Ships have arrived from the West, bringing foreigners eager to add Japan to their colonial empires. As civil war erupts, Sachi flees for her life. Rescued by a rebel warrior, she finds unknown feelings stirring within her; but this is a world in which private passions have no place and there is not even a word for 'love'.

Before she dares dream of a life with him, Sachi must unravel the mystery of her own origins—a mystery that encompasses a wrong so terrible that it threatens to destroy her.

From the timeless beauty of the Women's Palace in Edo to bloody battles fought outside its walls, The Last Concubine is an epic evocation of a country in revolution, and of a young woman's quest to find out who she really is.

Dawn on a Distant Shore

2008

by Sara Donati

Settler Elizabeth Bonner must cross the frozen wilderness of New York State in the winter of 1794 in a desperate bid to save her husband from being hanged as an American spy. This thrilling narrative is the exciting sequel to Into the Wilderness.

Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have settled into their life together at the edge of the New-York wilderness when Elizabeth gives birth to healthy twins. But soon, events in Canada draw Nathaniel far away from his new family. Word reaches them that Nathaniel's father has been arrested by crown officials in British Canada. Nathaniel reluctantly leaves Hidden Wolf Mountain to set out for the distant city, determined to see his father freed. Instead, Nathaniel is imprisoned and finds himself in imminent danger of being hanged as an American spy.

In a desperate bid to save her husband, Elizabeth bundles her infants and sets out on the long trek to Montreal. Accompanied by her stepdaughter, Hannah, their wise friend Curiosity Freeman, and Runs-from-Bears, a Mohawk warrior and lifelong friend of Nathaniel's, Elizabeth journeys through the snowy wilderness and across treacherous waterways. But she soon discovers that freeing Nathaniel will take every ounce of her courage and inventiveness. It is a struggle that threatens her with the loss of what she loves most: her children.

Torn apart, the Bonners must embark on yet another perilous voyage...this time all the way across the ocean to the heart of Scotland, where a destiny they could never have imagined awaits them.

A sweeping epic of romance and adventure, Dawn on a Distant Shore establishes Sara Donati as one of today's most gifted storytellers. With well-drawn characters and an evocative love story intricately woven into the rich history of the past, this extraordinary novel will enthrall readers and sweep them away to another time and place.

Seduce Me at Sunrise

2008

by Lisa Kleypas

Keev Merripen has tried hard to forget her. He has longed for the beautiful, well-bred Winnifred Hathaway ever since her family rescued him from the brink of death when he was just a boy. But this handsome Gypsy is a man of mysterious origins—and he fears that the darkness of his past could crush delicate, luminous Win. So Kev refuses to submit to temptation…

Before long, Win is torn from him by a devastating twist of fate. Can she remember the man he once was? Then, Win returns to England… only to find that Kev has hardened into a man who will deny love at all costs. Meanwhile, an attractive, seductive suitor has set his sights on Win. It’s now or never for Kev to make his move.

But first, he must confront a dangerous secret about his destiny—or risk losing the only woman he has lived for.

The Duke of Shadows

2008

by Meredith Duran

In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything... and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them.

From exotic sandstone palaces...

Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin vows to settle quietly into British Indian society. But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé's betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn.

To the marble halls of London...

In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous—and that a single decision can alter one's life forever.

Destiny follows wherever you run.

A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned... and some passions never die.

Cotillion

2007

by Georgette Heyer

"One of you shall have her, and my fortune into the bargain"

Such was the whimsical, some would say outrageous, statement of the ageing Mr. Penicuik, to the three of his great-nephews gathered around him. The future of his vivacious step-daughter, Miss Kitty Charing, was thus assured, provided she married one of the handsome beaux now seeking her hand. But Kitty was in no hurry to conclude such a contract. By hook or by crook, she meant to go to London, where anything might happen and very often did...

The three great-nephews of irascible Mr. Matthew Penicuik know better than to ignore his summons, especially when it concerns the bestowal of his fortune. The wily old gentleman has hatched a freakish plan for his country-bred stepdaughter's future: his fortune will be lovely Catherine Charing's dowry if she marries one of his great-nephews.

To spirited Kitty, the conditions of her guardian's will before she could inherit a tuppence were intolerable. In spite of the unwelcome attentions of greedy suitors, who are scrambling for her hand, Kitty is not wholly averse, but only if the right cousin proposes. Unfortunately, Kitty during her secluded life pining, has set her heart on handsome and virile Jack Westruther, a confirmed rake. Jack, who is well aware of her attachment, however, made it quite clear that he would marry her only when he had sown his last wild oat and seems to have no inclination to marry her anytime soon.

But Kitty has other ideas... and anxious to hasten matters, she devises a plan. Kitty convinces modest and carefree cousin Frederick Standen to pose as her fiancé, hoping thereby to make Jack jealous and to see a little more of the world than her isolated life on her great-uncle's estate has afforded her.

Her plan takes her to visit Freddy's family in London, where her kith and kin embroil her in their romantic troubles, sprinkling witty banter with Parisian phrases. Cousin Lord Foster Dolphinton has fallen for a merchant's daughter in conflict with his mother. Meanwhile, her French cousin, Camille, a professional gambler, tries to win the heart of beautiful Olivia Broughty, in turn the object of cousin Jack's dishonorable intentions. Resourceful cousin Freddie turned out to be more of a man than Kitty anticipated. And when Kitty's generous heart leads to all sorts of unintended troubles, there is only one man who can rescue her from more than one dreadful fix and pick up the pieces of her plotting.

Now, Kitty herself wonders who is really right for her....

The Flame and the Flower

Doomed to a life of unending toil, Heather Simmons fears for her innocence — until a shocking, desperate act forces her to flee... and to seek refuge in the arms of a virile and dangerous stranger.

A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts the beautiful fugitive from the tumultuous London dockside. But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize. For he is determined to make the sapphire-eyed lovely his woman... and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love.

The Wolf and the Dove

The Wolf: Noble Aislinn grieves as the Iron Wolf and his minions storm through her beloved Darkenwald. She burns with malice for the handsome Norman savage who would enslave her, even as she aches to know the rapture of the conqueror's kiss.

The Dove: For the first time ever, mighty Wulfgar has been vanquished by a bold and beautiful princess of Saxon blood. He must have the chaste, sensuous enchantress who is sworn to his destruction. He will risk life itself to nurture with tender passion a glorious union born in the blistering heat of hatred and war.

Beyond the Highland Mist

He would sell his warrior soul to possess her...

An alluring laird... He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart—until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue.

Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length—but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.

A prisoner in time... She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side.

If You Deceive

2007

by Kresley Cole

Burning vengeance... Ethan MacCarrick was a heartbreakingly handsome rake until a powerful nobleman ordered him brutally beaten and his face scarred for a crime he didn't commit. Ethan's reprisal—bankrupting the nobleman and forcing his exile—does little to appease his wrath. Ten years later, a haughty, mysterious beauty enchants Ethan—the daughter of his enemy. At last, Ethan will have the revenge he's craved; he'll promise her marriage, seduce her, then cast her aside.

Bitter hardships... When Madeleine van Rowen's family was suddenly plunged into destitution and dishonor, she steeled herself against further heartache. She never weakened, never trusted, until a towering, scarred Highlander relentlessly pursues her, breaking down her defenses.

At what price forgiveness? The passion between them burns hotter than Ethan's fury, and soon he finds he can't let her go. But when Madeleine uncovers the truth about him, can Ethan convince her to accept all he now offers—when he once destroyed everything she had?

Song of the Sparrow

The year is 490 AD. Fiery 16-year-old Elaine of Ascolat, the daughter of one of King Arthur's supporters, lives with her father on Arthur's base camp, the sole girl in a militaristic world of men.

Elaine's only girl companion is the mysterious Morgan, Arthur's older sister, but Elaine cannot tell Morgan her deepest secret: She is in love with Lancelot, Arthur's second-in-command. However, when yet another girl -- the lovely Gwynivere -- joins their world, Elaine is confronted with startling emotions of jealousy and rivalry.

But can her love for Lancelot survive the birth of an empire?

If You Desire

2007

by Kresley Cole

How much temptation can a Highlander resist? Fierce Scottish brothers shadowed by a dark curse face steamy new adventures in the second book in Kresley Cole's thrilling new trilogy.


He tried to run.... In his youth, Hugh MacCarrick foolishly fell in love with a beautiful English lass who delighted in teasing him with her flirtatious ways. Yet he knew he could never marry her because he was shadowed by an accursed family legacy. To avoid temptation, Hugh left home, ultimately becoming an assassin.


She tried to forget him.... Jane Weyland was devastated when the Highlander she believed would marry her abandoned her instead. Years later, when Hugh MacCarrick is summoned to protect her from her father's enemies, her heartache has turned to fury — but her desire for him has not waned.


Will passion overwhelm them? In hiding, Jane torments Hugh with seductive play. He struggles to resist her because of deadly secrets that could endanger her further. But Hugh is no longer a gentle young man — and toying with the fever-pitched desires of a hardened warrior will either get Jane burned...or enflame a love that never died.

Mr. Darcy's Diary

2007

by Amanda Grange

Mr. Darcy's Diary presents the story of the unlikely courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Darcy's point of view. Sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings, this graceful imagining and sequel to Pride and Prejudice explains Darcy's moodiness and the difficulties of his reluctant relationship as he struggles to avoid falling in love with Miss Bennet.

Though seemingly stiff and stubborn at times, Darcy's words prove him also to be quite devoted and endearing—qualities that eventually win over Miss Bennet's heart. This continuation of a classic romantic novel is charming and elegant, much like Darcy himself.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

2007

by Eva Rice

Set in 1950s London, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets centers around Penelope, the wide-eyed daughter of a legendary beauty, Talitha, who lost her husband to the war. Penelope, with her mother and brother, struggles to maintain their vast and crumbling ancestral home while postwar London spins toward the next decade's cultural revolution.

Penelope wants nothing more than to fall in love, and when her new best friend Charlotte, a free spirit in the young society set, drags Penelope into London with all of its grand parties, she sets in motion great change for them all. Charlotte's mysterious and attractive brother Harry uses Penelope to make his American ex-girlfriend jealous, with unforeseen consequences, and a dashing, wealthy American movie producer arrives with what might be the key to Penelope's—and her family's—future happiness.

Vibrant, witty, and filled with vivid historical detail, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is an utterly unique debut novel about a time and place just slipping into history.

The Ship of Brides

2007

by Jojo Moyes

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, comes an earlier work available in the U.S. for the first time. This is a post-WWII story of the war brides who crossed the seas by the thousands to face their unknown futures.

1946. World War II has ended, and all over the world, young women are beginning to fulfill the promises made to the men they wed in wartime. In Sydney, Australia, four women join 650 other war brides on an extraordinary voyage to England—aboard HMS Victoria, which still carries not just arms and aircraft, but a thousand naval officers. Rules are strictly enforced, from the aircraft carrier’s captain down to the lowliest young deckhand. But the men and the brides will find their lives intertwined despite the Navy’s ironclad sanctions.

And for Frances Mackenzie, the complicated young woman whose past comes back to haunt her far from home, the journey will change her life in ways she never could have predicted—forever.

Secrets of a Summer Night

2006

by Lisa Kleypas

Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands... no matter what it takes.

Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately, her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.

Annabelle is determined to resist Simon's wicked propositions, but she can't deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle's courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear.

Suddenly You

2006

by Lisa Kleypas

Bestselling author Lisa Kleypas creates a beguiling story, set in a world where appearance means everything, passion simmers just below the surface, and a respectable Englishwoman is willing to risk scandal for one night of love.

Amanda Briars was unmarried, untouched, and almost thirty, but she wasn't about to greet her next birthday without making love to a man. When he appeared at her door, she believed he was her gift to herself, hired for one night of passion. Unforgettably handsome, irresistibly virile, he tempted her in ways she never thought possible, but something stopped him from completely fulfilling her dream.

Jack Devlin's determination to possess Amanda became greater when she discovered his true identity. But gently bred Amanda craved respectability more than she admitted, while Jack, the cast-off son of a nobleman and London's most notorious businessman, refused to live by society's rules. Yet when fate conspired for them to marry, their worlds collided with a passionate force neither had expected... but both soon craved.

The Raven Prince

2006

by Elizabeth Hoyt

Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant male on horseback nearly squashes her, she arrives home to learn that she is in dire financial straits.


When she must do the unthinkable...


The Earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior. And find employment.


When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem that both their problems are solved. Then she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London for his "manly" needs. Well! Anna sees red—and decides to assuage her "womanly" desires...with the earl as her unknowing lover.

Whitney, My Love

2006

by Judith McNaught

Fresh from her triumphs in Paris society, Whitney Stone returns to England determined to win the heart of her childhood love. However, in order to save himself from ruin, her father has come to an arrangement with the arrogant Duke of Claymore, and Whitney is the price.

Characters from the Westmoreland Dynasty Saga universe appear across the novels. From this era, Whitney, Clayton, and Stephen appear in Until You, with Clayton and Stephen's ancestor, Royce Westmoreland, as the main character in A Kingdom of Dreams.

If you'd like to read in order:

  • A Kingdom of Dreams (Westmoreland, #1)
  • Once and Always (Sequels, #1)
  • Something Wonderful (Sequels, #2)
  • Almost Heaven (Sequels, #3)
  • Whitney, My Love (Westmoreland, #2)
  • Until You (Westmoreland, #3)
  • Miracles (Westmoreland, #3.5)

Main Characters include Whitney Stone, Clayton Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore, Paul Sevarin, Whitney's girlhood crush, Nicolas DuVille, Whitney's friend and suitor, Martin Stone, father of Whitney, and many more.

Désirée

The stunning, massively bestselling story of Napoleon's first fiancé

First published in 1953, this riveting true-life tale comes to life in diary form, giving readers an inside glimpse at the young Napoleon and his family. Désirée is enchanted by the young officer, and he asks her to marry him. But he must leave for Paris, where he meets his eventual wife Josephine. A heartbroken Désirée is unsure she'll ever find anyone again.

A love story, but so much more, Désirée is the tale of a simple merchant's daughter who ends up with a kind of royalty she never expected: an unforgettable story just waiting to be reborn.

La vuelta del ranquel

Dicen que los indios jamás olvidan una ofensa, que la venganza entre ellos es cosa sagrada y que todo lo que tienen de agradecidos y humanitarios lo tienen de rencorosos y vengativos. Y aunque Lorenzo Rosas vista a la última moda parisina y hable tres lenguas, en su fuero íntimo sigue siendo Nahueltruz Guor, el ranquel que seis años atrás juró destruir a la culpable de su desdicha: Laura Escalante.

En la sociedad porteña ella es conocida como la viuda de Riglos, una mujer hermosa, rica, inalcanzable. Dueña de una editorial, se mide ideológicamente con figuras de la talla de Sarmiento y MansÜla y escribe un folletín que mantiene en vilo a muchas lectoras. Se le atribuyen, además, varios affaires, el más resonante con el general Julio Roca, quien se apresta para su conquista del indio. Pero lo cierto es que, detrás de esa imagen de mujer fatal, Laura esconde un alma sensible y un corazón destrozado.

El rencor de Nahueltruz parece tan profundo como el amor que ella siente por él. En medio de esta lucha de voluntades poderosas, los fantasmas del pasado reaparecen para complicar la situación y se interponen nuevos obstáculos y malentendidos. ¿Podrá Nahueltruz vencer el odio que lo domina y perdonarla?

It Happened One Autumn

2005

by Lisa Kleypas

Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

It happened at the ball... Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden... When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed... thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It happened one autumn... Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable... as his bride?

The Secret

2005

by Julie Garwood

Judith Hampton was as beautiful as she was proud, and as purposeful as she was loyal. Her dear Scottish friend from childhood was about to give birth, and Judith had promised to be at her side. But there was another, private reason for her journey from her bleak English home to the Highlands: to meet the father she had never known, the Laird Maclean.

Nothing prepared her for the sight of the Scottish barbarian who was to escort her into his land... Iain Maitland, Laird of his clan, a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered.

In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith reveled in the melting bliss of Iain's searching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprightly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love.

Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan... not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves.

A Bride Most Begrudging

2005

by Deeanne Gist

Any ship arriving from England means good news for Virginia colony farmers. The "tobacco brides" would be on board—eligible women seeking a better life in America, bartered for with barrels of tobacco from the fields.

Drew O'Connor isn't stirred by news of a ship full of brides. Still broken-hearted from the loss of his beloved, he only wants a maid to tend his house and care for his young sister. What he ends up with is a wife—a feisty redhead who claims she is Lady Constance Morrow, daughter of an Earl, brought to America against her will. And she wants to go straight back to England as soon as she can.

She hasn't the foggiest notion how to cook, dares to argue with her poor husband, and spends more time working on mathematical equations than housework. What kind of a wife is that? Drew's Christian forbearance is in for some testing.

Headstrong and intelligent, deeply moral but incredibly enticing, Constance turns what was supposed to be a marriage of convenience into something most inconvenient, indeed.

The Home and the World

Set on a Bengali noble's estate in 1908, this novel is both a love story and a tale of political awakening. The central character, Bimala, finds herself torn between the duties owed to her husband, Nikhil, and the demands made by the radical leader, Sandip. Her attempts to resolve the irreconcilable pressures of the home and the world reflect the conflict in India itself, and the tragic outcome foreshadows the unrest that accompanied Partition in 1947.

This edition provides an engaging narrative that explores the themes of love, loyalty, and national identity in a time of political turmoil.

The Magic of You

2005

by Johanna Lindsey

As wild and reckless as the most incorrigible of her male cousins, Amy Malory has reached a marriageable age and has set her sights on a most inappropriate mate: the straight-laced American ship captain who once nearly had her Uncle James hung for piracy.

Warren Anderson is shocked by the brazen advances of his despised enemy's beautiful niece. Though determined to resist her, he burns for the enchanting British minx. And an impassioned heart implores him to surrender to a love that could stoke the smoldering fires of a family feud into a dangerous, all-consuming blaze.

Keegan's Lady

Only Love Can Heal a Wounded Soul...

Caitlin O'Shannessy's late father left her with many things: a Colorado ranch, enduring memories of pain and sadness, an unshakable mistrust of men... and an adversary.

Ace Keegan has returned to No Name, too late to enact a rightful vengeance on his most hated enemy. The man who put a hole in Ace's life is dead, leaving a daughter behind to run the family enterprise. Though proud and strong as well as beautiful, Caitlin is caught off guard when Ace's calculated anger inadvertently destroys her good name.

But Ace Keegan is a man of honor, determined to make amends by marrying the enchanting lady he wronged—and to nurture with patience and love the light she guards in her damaged heart until it blazes with the power of a thousand suns.

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