Showing results by narrator "Gabrielle Baker" in All Categories

One should never judge a duke by his cover. As far as London society knows, Giles Drew, the Duke of Basingstoke, is everything a proper aristocrat ought to be. But when a notorious scandal sheet publishes details of Giles's questionable bedroom antics, only one bride can salvage his reputation. Prim and penniless, Francesca Stanhope has resigned herself to a season full of the ton's snickering—until the Duke of Basingstoke's dizzying courtship transforms her fate. Yet wedded bliss quickly turns into a clash of wills as Franny realizes her handsome duke is a devil in disguise.

Lady Ludmilla Windmere is mortified. The spinster extraordinaire has fallen in love with her best friend, and that cannot be. The problem? She hasn't met him. Not once. For they have only ever corresponded by letter. When she sets out to uncover his identity, her world shatters. For Addy turns out to be none other but London's worst rake. Adrian St. Addington is perturbed. The rakehell extraordinaire is developing a marked tendre for a spinster, and that cannot be. The problem? She might be mistaking him for someone he is not. Or, what is worse, know precisely who he is.

When the local Banned Book Club loses their meeting room, Mina volunteers to host the group at Nevermore Bookshop (against Heathcliff's muttered protests, of course). Little does she know this old biddies book club is about to turn murderous. First, someone poisons Mrs. Scarlett, then members of the book club start dropping like flies. Who in the village will turn to murder just to stop people reading a few dusty old books? Mina's got to figure it out quick, or her beloved teacher Mrs. Ellis is next to die. Luckily, she's got Moriarty, Heathcliff, and Quoth to help.

Seven years ago a woman with too many secrets and a man with too many lies fell in love. Then she left him. Isabel's quiet life as an assistant to one of London's famous apothecaries hides a deadly secret. A secret that could see her put on trial for witchcraft if the authorities uncover the truth. But when the authority figure who turns up at her shop is Sir Nicholas Merritt, she's at risk of losing more than her life. She could lose her heart and soul, and the man she loves.

Oxford—celebrated city of dreaming spires and class warfare—is an ambition come true for geeky upper-middle-class lesbian Charlotte and charismatic working-class straight Millie. Against the odds, theirs is an instant best friendship. Forever. Exuberant Millie is a breath of fresh air for polite Charlotte and a force of nature within the university's hallowed walls. And they are going to be the best lawyers of their year and change the world. But their world changes instead when things go queerly sideways, and they haven't seen each other since.

News reporter Penny doesn't believe in spirits, so she's unimpressed with the young medium who claims to communicate with the dead. Is it harmless entertainment or something more sinister? When the spiritualist's performance is interrupted by a protestor, Penny finds an ally. Two days later, her new friend is dead. As Penny investigates, the mystery deepens. Could family money lie behind the murder? Or an affair?

Jasper enjoys London's illicit delights too much to wed. Too bad his grandfather has decided that a woman with the nerve to blackmail might be exactly the sort of wife to tame him. Pressed into a marriage neither wanted—and fighting a desire neither expected—Prue and Jasper torment and tempt each other beyond reason. Surely a proper duchess should be subdued, obedient, and dignified? Yet just as he begins to get his wish, Jasper realizes how much he wants his unconventional wife—and only her—if it's not too late to win her . . .

The Bellamy family has four months before they'll lose the roof over their heads. While Phoebe's older sisters venture out into the world to earn the necessary funds, Phoebe herself stays home to care for her younger siblings and parents. But then she meets Viscount Needham, a wealthy new peer, and everything changes.

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

Alarmed by the sound of an intruder, Rose St. Claire fetches her pistol. She's shocked to discover that the trespasser is a handsome gentleman—one who states that the house, which Rose recently inherited from her late benefactor, was stolen from his father decades ago. He claims it is now his. And it is—but not entirely. As it turns out, Hammond Court has been left to them both—and neither can evict the other without forfeiting their right to the property.

After being fired from her fashion internship in New York City, Mina Wilde decides it's time to reevaluate her life. She returns to the quaint English village where she grew up to take a job at the local bookshop, hoping that being surrounded by great literature will help her heal from a devastating blow. But Mina soon discovers her life is stranger than fiction - a mysterious curse on the bookshop brings fictional characters to life in lust-worthy bodies.

She is a shy spinster by day and a celebrated opera singer by night. He is an earl in dire need of a wife—and desperately in love with this season's opera star. Can love blossom out of this tangled web of deception? This is a sweet, cheeky Regency romp where spinsters are merry, rogues are charming, and nothing is at it seems.

Lady Avery Heywood has never been kissed. She's never had a Season, danced the waltz at a ball, or been in love. The staunch spinster has resigned herself to a loveless existence, where she dutifully raises her brother's four children and cares for an ageing aunt. But Avery yearns to break free from the shackles of her humdrum existence. Determined to check off each item on her list of unfulfilled dreams, she turns to her butler for assistance. Little does she know that beneath her butler's unassuming demeanor lies a secret that could forever alter their destinies.

Movie star Jessica Lambert is in danger of burning out. Returning to London for the premiere of her latest film, she's recognized everywhere she goes. When she runs away through the streets of London, she's taken in by the beautiful and more mature Anna. The two hide in the sanctuary of Anna's roof-top flat, a haven away from the crowds, but why has Anna removed herself from the world?

Romance isn't for the plain, shy, and awkward—a painful truth that Hyacinth knows better than anyone. But Hy refuses to let anything or anyone stop her from living life on her own terms. Independence—and the opportunity to secure her family's future—is finally within her grasp. But then Hy crosses paths with a meddling duke and everything changes.

It's one thing to wake up outside in the middle of the night with a decapitated man for company. It's another to have no memory of how you got there—or who you are. She might not know her own name but she knows that several people are out to get her. It could be because she has strange magical powers seemingly at her fingertips and is some kind of fabulous hero. But then why does she appear to inspire fear in so many? And who on earth is the sexy, green-eyed barman who apparently despises her? So many questions . . . and so few answers.

As one of the first female reporters on 1880s Fleet Street, Penny Green has her work cut out. Whether it's investigating the mysterious death of a friend or reporting on a serial killer in the slums, Penny must rely on her wits and determination to discover the truth. Fortunately she can rely on the help of Inspector James Blakely of Scotland Yard, but will their relationship remain professional?

With grudging permission from Heathcliff, Mina Wilde has transformed Nevermore Bookshop. She's running author events, hosting Quoth's art show, and using her creative flair to attract more customers. But when crime writer Danny Sledge is murdered moments before his writing workshop, the bookshop goes from bustling to broke. No one in the village will set foot inside Nevermore.

Egyptologist Charles Hamilton is found dead in his hotel room, but then his body vanishes. With his wife missing too, Penny is perplexed. Can Mr. Hamilton really be dead? Or is it an elaborate ruse? Evidence is thin on the ground and to complicate matters, not everyone is who they claim to be. Penny must navigate her way through false identities and misleading information to solve the puzzle of the missing Egyptologists. Meanwhile, the investigation brings her into conflict with family and friends.

Mina's excited to attend the annual Argleton Jane Austen Experience at the stately Baddesley Hall. It's just what she needs after all the recent murders - a whole weekend of dancing with Morrie, attending poetry readings with Quoth, and helping Heathcliff field marriage proposals from adoring fans. But murder and intrigue follow Mina everywhere. When an eminent Austen scholar is run through with his own sword, Mina and her boys must solve the mystery before the killer claims another victim.