Love lessons have never gone so awry...Miss Ruth Hawthorn helps support her fatherless family the only way she can: Doling out love advice in a local newspaper column under an assumed name, The Swan. When she receives a lucrative request for an in-person consultation from someone signed "O", her brother persuades her to go to London with him, teaching him what he needs to know in order to survive the short appointment. But when "O" moves up the time of the rendez-vous and Ruth's brother is nowhere to be found, she is forced to take matters into her own hands.

Mercy Marcotte doesn't deserve a second chance at love. At least, that's what she's believed since jilting Solomon Kennett, the man she loved, when his fortunes took a turn for the worse. Whatever the past, Solomon Kennett is taking control of the future. He is certain he will get what he wants now that he has proven himself worthy of consideration by even the most fastidious of fathers. When the woman he is supposed to propose to is kidnapped by another man, he feels honor-bound to go after them - only to be followed by Mercy, the woman who spurned him years ago.

Isla Findlay belongs nowhere. The daughter of a disgraced woman and the Highlander who abandoned them both, she tries to be a dutiful niece to the uncle who has taken her in, blending into the Lowland village of Craigmuir as best she can. But when a young Highlander's arrival in the area coincides with an outbreak of dreaded smallpox, it stirs up questions about Isla's past and forces her to confront her feelings that run counter to those accepted in her community. 

Newton Hughes has long dreamed of pursuing a career in law, an acceptable choice for a gentleman of status and wealth. His parents, however, disapprove of his ambition, urging him instead to take his rightful place as a gentleman of leisure - with a suitable wife of their choosing, of course. Ellie Napper would like nothing more than for her parents to abandon their incessant efforts to marry her off to the greatest possible advantage. Her lack of matrimonial enthusiasm drives her family mad.

Mabel Sheffield is too tall, or so she believes. It's one of the reasons she has given up on finding a husband and instead, embraces her role as a spinster, dedicating her days to managing her grandmother's estate and her seven-year-old sister. But when Liam MacKenzie shows up at her house to stay for the summer, she's unsure if she can keep her resolve. The problem: He's the other reason she's a spinster.

It started as a marriage of convenience, but falling in love has made it anything but convenient. Fresh from the humiliating annulment of the love match she always wanted, Lady Anne Vincent meekly agrees to the marriage of convenience her father has arranged. She feels hopeful that this marriage can be one of cordial indifference, protecting her from the hurt she knows so well. Tobias Cosgrove isn’t meant for marriage, free spirit that he is. And yet, as the only son, marry he must.

Nothing will keep Louisa from her great-aunt's fortune. Except perhaps a phantom who turns out to be a most eligible bachelor. Although Louisa Banner insists she is not the least bit superstitious, she cannot help her misgivings when her family announces she must spend October with her great aunt in a rundown Welsh castle riddled with tales of ghosts. The family hopes Louisa will endear herself to her aunt enough to win a grand inheritance. Louisa’s only wish is to avoid a run-in with any of the phantoms spoken of by the local villagers.

Phoebe Kimball grew up believing in love, but after failing to find a gentleman capable of capturing her heart, she has turned more practical than romantic. She is determined to find a husband in London this season. If only the annoying Mr. Fenwick would stop appearing every time she sets her cap at someone! When an anonymous letter arrives warning her that her current target is unsuitable marital material, Phoebe begins a relationship with the letter writer that promises something more than a practical alliance.

Kitty Stokes never imagined she’d be so weak as to sacrifice herself on the altar of family obligations, but when the only alternative to marriage with Lord Hayworth is to play nursemaid to her brother’s children, Kitty reluctantly agrees. On her wedding day, she’s certain she has made a grave error, but it’s too late to back out.

When a cryptic invitation brings Giulia Pepper to her uncle's remote estate in Devon, she arrives in dire need of a benefactor, only to discover that her uncle never sent her any invitation — nor does he want her there. Forced into a corner, Giulia must contrive a way to convince him to allow her to remain, just long enough to figure out where to go next.

A gentleman‘s impulsive wager to marry a stranger. A young woman’s determination not to marry the man she wants. When Isabel Cosgrove is informed by her father that he lost her hand in marriage while playing cards with Charles Galbraith - the gentleman she’s been admiring from a distance for years - she is filled with dismay. How can she agree to wed a man whose reason for marriage is part-revenge, part-indifference? Intent on avoiding a painful union where her regard cannot be returned, she concocts a plan.

Seven years ago, Miss Hayes’ world was turned upside down when she lost her father, her betrothed, and any prospect of a comfortable future. Too proud to live upon the charity of others, she became a teacher at Miss Wolfraston’s Seminary for Young Ladies. She has no wish to reenter the society that turned its back on her. But she has spent five years nurturing her pupil, Miss Charlotte Fletcher, and when she is asked to be her companion for the summer, her affection for the young lady overcomes her reservations.

Kate Kingston wants nothing more than to instill her love of art into the hearts of her pupils, but when a solicitor arrives to inform her that her uncle died and she inherited his estate, she is hesitant to leave the comfortable life she has developed. Encouraged by her friends to embrace the new adventure, Kate uproots her life and travels to Larkfield where she must face the demons from her past - and work to replace the spoiled memories from her childhood with happier ones. The only problem: She doesn't know the first thing about running a large country estate. 

Lady Georgianna Voss bids adieu to her friend Marianne with a heavy heart. Before their friendship blossomed, she had been a stranger to affection. She returns to her home uncertain of her reception. She has spurned the advances of the eligible but dull man her mama wished her to marry. Having witnessed the cold, unhappy union between her parents, she is not at all eager to follow their example. Enraged, Lady Westbury sends Georgianna to her impoverished aunt, hoping that she will realize just how much a lady needs a wealthy husband, regardless of her feelings for him. 

Millicent Wedgwood will never obtain her rightful place in the society, which means she will never have an advantageous reputation, marriage, or fortune. All because Millie's sister eloped, years before. But there is a chance to rise above that disgrace if Millie will take part in a dare. If she can win the baronet who insulted Lady Olivia and then shatter his heart, she will earn back her position in the society with Lady Olivia’s sponsorship.