Members’ Regency Fiction Releases for 03/2022

One cannot force love, but must wait for the perfect moment to make their match.

The love she held for him was a burden she carried in her heart. His family’s legacy kept him from opening his heart to her love. Can they overcome their doubts and share a lifetime of love?

Abigail Cason was a dreamer. When she met her knight in shining armor, her heart only bowed to him. The friendship she shared with him led her to believe he would ask her to become his bride. With each stolen kiss, she eagerly anticipated his proposal. However, his request turned out to be an offer of obligation. She spent a lifetime as an obligation and she refused to spend her marriage in the same fashion. No matter how much she loved him. Will she ever be worthy enough for his love?

Lucas Gray felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. His heart pulled him in the opposite direction of where he must stand. But the tempting lure of sweet kisses drew him to seduce the lady who haunted his every desire. Abigail made him dream of the impossible. Can he form a new legacy with the love he holds for her?

Destiny demanded for their two souls to intertwine. A family who risked everything to make the match a success. Will Abigail and Lucas allow their doubts to keep them apart? Or will they make their dreams a reality?

Lady Sophia Hampton is an imposter. Deception and pretense have ruled her social interactions with gentlemen after she made a life-altering decision at sixteen. Outraged by the scarcity of suitors, her parents insist she visit her aunt in Berkshire.

Upon the death of his father, Sir Edward Collins takes the responsibility of land ownership seriously, planning to adopt new methods to improve crop production. Refusing to trust his judgement, his mother advises him to instead concentrate on finding a suitable lady to marry. Could an unfortunate accident provide Sophia and Edward the opportunity to develop a relationship that brings them both confidence and happiness?

True love doesn’t come from position or status but by the whispers of the heart.
Miss Lavinia Thompson’s life hasn’t been a bed of roses. Being born on the wrong side of the blanket ensures she’s not welcome within the glittering, respectable world of the London ton. Left with little choice, she embraced her status in the demi-monde, content to remain a mistress to whoever would pay the highest price. Until that life dimmed, and she wanted acceptance for herself.
Percival Hughes, the 12th Earl of Laughton is a powerful man who takes great pride in his title and position within society. Until one night of drunken revelry when he accidentally weds his mistress thinking her his real bride-to-be. As the repercussions of his ill-fated decision rock the ton and shift the foundation of his life, he struggles to make peace with the fact he married a highly unsuitable woman.
As the days go by, Lavinia and Percival grow close in their marriage of inconvenience. Outings in London with his young daughter form lasting bonds. While the new countess isn’t readily accepted into the beau monde, Percival’s determination to see her legitimate increases, but when forced proximity has romance blooming from desire, they retreat to keep their hearts aloof. To move forward together, they’ll need to rely on trust and love, and perhaps a bit of faith, regardless of what viper-tongued society gossips say.

What’s a woman to do when trapped in a storm with a handsome scoundrel?

Weary from dodging wandering hands, Yvette Valiant escapes yet another scandalous house party and her brother’s dubious protection, fleeing into a snowy landscape, intent on returning home to Bath for Christmas. One stranded coach later, she’s rescued by the biggest rogue of them all—her brother’s best friend.

A scoundrel he may be, but even Luc Ayles is capable of love. What else would have him chasing a woman who seemingly detests the very sight of him? When Yvette foolishly puts her safety and reputation in jeopardy, Luc rushes to her aid, despite knowing his affection is the last gift Yvette could ever want for Christmas.

Then again, it’s the season of giving…and if Yvette would only give him her heart, it could be the happiest holiday ever.

A man wronged.

Revenge disguised as robbery.

An unexpectedly romantic ruse.

Determined to right the wrongs against him, Arie Hondros hones the perfect plan. But to succeed, he must have the perfect wife. When his brother’s wife suggests her friend, Annabelle, he immediately refuses.

The woman — who clearly has nothing but disdain for him — has already captured his affection, something he vowed he’d never permit. Imagine his surprise then, when she assents to the union, and his scheme prepares to unfold.

For Arie’s ploy to steal priceless Greek artefacts to work, he and Annabelle must convince the museum Board of Trustees that they are husband and wife. But when true love blooms from counterfeit sentiment, there is more than only the greatest robbery in London history at stake —

There is the matter of his heart.

Nine full-length Regency romance novels written by nine bestselling and award winning authors. You’ll meet our very own versions of Robin Hood, Mulan, Cuchulainn and Emer, Vlad Dracula, Odysseus and Penelope, Romulus and Remus, Beowulf, Tristan and Iseault, and Dick Whittington and his cat. Heat levels vary from kisses only to spicy.

Young widow Annabel Chalfont, Countess of Fellbridge, has two small sons to raise, a mountain of her late husband’s debts to pay off, and a secret: she’s a shadow-shaper, able to manipulate shadow as anyone else might clay. She and six other high-born ladies with equally extraordinary abilities defend England against supernatural crime—but the world knows them only as the Lady Patronesses of Almack’s, Regency London’s most exclusive social venue.

The social season of 1810 starts out like any other year, but a sudden influx of strangers to Almack’s exclusive balls means only one thing: someone is forging vouchers, and the evidence points to Annabel. And if finding the forger and clearing her name aren’t challenging enough, there’s dealing with her husband’s old crony, the Marquess of Quinceton, and his hungry wolf stare…

The first installment in The Ladies of Almack’s series!

Storms are oftentimes disruptive, but they can also clear a path and bring perspective.

The Honorable Isobel Storme is a lady adrift. Her family is broken, loud, emotional, and busy with other pursuits. As the youngest in the Storme connection, she’s always fought for attention, but now that change is imminent and inevitable, she craves a distraction in the form of a scandal, and if there’s a handsome man involved, all the better as long as he doesn’t come with a title, for she despises the ton.

Doctor Royce Marsden is a surgeon of small acclaim. He’s the oldest son to the Earl of Worchester, but his calling and his passion are running a clinic for wounded and rejected soldiers. Though he has no plans to do the pretty in society or to court a woman, he can’t avoid that reality when his father unexpectedly dies and plunges him into the title. Too bad the one woman who’s caught his eye is wildly and inappropriately improper.

As a passionately intense affair develops between Isobel and Royce, the pair embraces the heated attraction with enthusiasm. Free from commitment, they dance perilously close to creating the sensation Isobel has always wanted. But when life—and death—catch them into its swirling vortex, responsibilities intrude, as do expectations tied to the beau monde. Though fear and pressure hold them back, if they don’t fight for a happily ever after, it will never be theirs.

Looking for a blissful sleepless night? For lovers of historical romance, get ready to stay up late reading with this introductory collection of Georgian, Regency, and Victorian pieces by a group of highly acclaimed, award-winning authors! From gaming hells to ballroom belles, these standalone stories—including many first-in-series—will have you wishing for a time machine! This collection includes stories from Tracy Sumner, Tabetha Waite, Charlie Lane, Sadie Bosque, Cara Maxwell, Diana Bold, Courtney McCaskill, and Fenna Edgewood.

P.S. Make sure you have a fan with you! This is a STEAMY romance collection (various steam levels), so there will be heat! Happy endings guaranteed.

A polished, passionate and entirely original “take” on Jane Austen’s immortal Emma, by Publishers Weekly’s 2021 BookLife Quarterfinalist, Alice McVeigh.

As the Indie Reader put it, “Remarkably fresh: a dialogue-driven story that breezes by. Readers will rarely find the words ‘page-turner’ and ‘Jane Austen’ in the same sentence, but McVeigh’s latest novel certainly fits the bill!”

This is an Emma with a downplayed Emma, an Emma featuring instead the ingenious Harriet and the charismatic Jane Fairfax – and an EMMA with a shocking – but believable – twist in its tail.

This novel is the second in the six-book Warleigh Hall Jane Austen Series.

Social justice crusader Sophia Hawkins will do anything to protect her family. When Kenneth Macleod, the new Duke of Foxworth, forges a feud against her brother, she doesn’t care how powerful he is – or that neither man wants her involvement. If he won’t abandon his revenge, she’ll take matters into her own hands.

Perhaps a little kidnapping is in order.

Kenneth would much rather be in Scotland, the gorgeous country of his mother’s ancestors, than in prim and proper England. Only the father he never knew leaves him a title, wealth, lands and the responsibility to care for it all. It’s the life he never wanted, and there’s one man to blame: the Duke of Bradenton. Now he will exact his revenge. Only something lovely, vibrant and entirely delectable stops him.

Lady Sophia is everything he wants in a woman, and the only woman he can’t have. She is beautiful, brave and brilliant, and the more she defends her brother, the more he wants her. Yet how can he forgo his revenge? He is a man accustomed to getting what he wants.

Perhaps it’s time for a little kidnapping of his own.

Poppy St George’s sharp tongue has done nothing for her except find trouble. When her dearest friend and childhood companion marries, she is suddenly alone and adrift in a society that prefers ladies to be meek and mild. Poppy seizes a chance to escape her melancholy by summering on the Cornish coast, never dreaming she will come face-to-face with a particular gentleman from her past, a man she secretly loved before he broke her heart.

Carlos de la Guerra is a man who has always chosen duty over desire. He always knew Poppy was special, but he lost his chance to court her when he had to defend his family’s interests abroad. Now he has returned to England, and Carlos is determined to correct his mistake, if only Poppy will let him.

Just as the two are brought together again, they are drawn into an intriguing and generous mystery that threatens them both. Caught between smugglers and social climbers, Carlos and Poppy discover that the course of true love never runs smooth…

When the man you desire won’t take the hint, you need to become creative in your pursuit despite the danger.

Lady Phoebe Mountjoy, daughter of the Earl of Sunderland is in trouble. After being violated without her consent at a ball, two months later she discovers she’s increasing. Eight and twenty, unwed and without offers, she’s quite desperate to hide the evidence of the looming disgrace. So, she calls upon a childhood friend in the hopes she can persuade him to marry her for convenience’s sake as well as to save her reputation.

The Honorable Quentin Arkwright, first son of Viscount Tarleton, is no stranger to courting scandal. However, when a woman from his past drops by with a shocking proposition, he’s intrigued and then ultimately enraged as she shares her horrible story. He agrees to the marriage in name only with alacrity, for she doesn’t deserve her situation, and he is in need of a match so he can avoid the Marriage Mart.

As the months slip past and Phoebe’s pregnancy grows more advanced, the two strike up an endearing friendship. Despite the roots of their union, romance blooms, but when the man who put her in the compromising position makes a reappearance and threatens everything she and Quentin have built, they’ll have to make some difficult choices that will scandalize the ton. If they’re lucky, love will be a reward neither of them thought possible.

Pretending to be engaged to the most dashing lord in London isn’t all fun and games.
Lady Calantha, middle daughter of the Duke of Wey, has the unique ability to turn invisible in company. Well, not entirely invisible, or the eligible Frederick, Count Montalban, wouldn’t have noticed her at all. But Callie’s shy nature and plain features tend to make people overlook her. And they say the most outrageous things around her as a result, which is why she accidentally overhears strangers plotting to harm the count and his royal brother and father. What can a lady do but warn him?
Fritz, Count Montalban, is determined to keep his family safe. But he can’t drag Callie all over London to identify those plotting against them unless she has a reason to be alone with him. Pretending an engagement sounds like the perfect plan. After all, his dashing demeanor hides a wounded soul that demands he hold a true fiancée at a distance. But there’s something about Callie that pulls him closer.
As the danger grows along with their attraction, Fritz and Callie must work together to protect both their families, and Fritz finds his heart cracking open. Can he prove to the sweet Callie that she will never be invisible, to him?

Love conquers even the most unlikely lord in USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s delightful Lords of London series, as a reformed rogue endeavors to prove himself worthy of his chosen bride . . .

Mistakes happen, to be sure. Rarely are those mistakes as unfortunate as the one made by Nathanael, Viscount Fotherby, when he abducted the now Lady Merton to save his friend from marriage. Nate has been trying to make amends ever since, leaving behind his self-centered ways to fulfill his duties—and that includes finding a wife of his own. One woman sparks his interest above all others—a lady he helped when she was rescuing a child. Alas, there is a devilish complication . . .

Miss Henrietta Stern, Lady Merton’s younger sister, is intrigued by the stranger who comes to her aid—until she learns his identity. Nate’s stunt could have ruined her sister’s reputation, and her family may never forgive him. With beauty, connections, and a sizeable dowry, Henrietta has plenty of admirers. Yet no other suitor quickens her pulse quite like Nate does. Her heart insists that the gentleman has changed for the better. But can a renowned scoundrel possibly prove himself to be the perfect husband?

A dutiful army officer who shuns intimacy. A selfless beauty ready to start living for herself. A chance meeting in the street that leads to love . . .

When Major Spencer Haddock’s father dies, he returns to England as the Earl of Middlefield. He seeks a typical ton marriage, where his wife will provide him with an heir and possibly other children and then they go their separate ways. He intends to find his countess quickly and not waste time at boring social affairs.

Lady Tessa Foster delays her come-out for several years in order to care for her ill parents. Now out of mourning, Tessa is eager to be introduced in Polite Society so she can find a husband and start a family of her own.

When Spence attempts to save Tessa from a thief brandishing a knife, she turns and attacks Spence. He quickly learns that instead of the pliant woman he thought he wanted as his countess, he desires Tessa—a woman of beauty and valor who stands up for herself and those she cherishes.

Can Spence change Tessa’s poor opinion of him and win the heart of the woman he has come to love?