Showing results by narrator "Ashford MacNab" in All Categories

Kept on a tight rein by her guardian ever since a failed elopement, Lady Beatrice Thorpe has no intention of falling in love again—until she meets a widower with kind eyes and a gentle touch. Augustus, the Earl of Hardwick, was widowed when his unfaithful wife died giving birth to her lover's child. On his return from exile abroad, he re-enters London society in search of the perfect, biddable bride. Beatrice catches his eye with her air of innocence, and her sorrowful gaze touches his heart.

Nicholas Delmore, the earl of Hawksley, was not expecting a snowstorm-sieged London evening to end with a dagger held to his throat. Nor did he anticipate his spirited attacker to have glossy black tresses and lush red lips that might invite a lesser gentleman to steal a kiss. But before he can demand his beautiful assailant to identify herself, she faints dead away in his arms.

New York Times bestselling author Shirlee Busbee sweeps you into a breathtaking romance where a bold lady and a mysterious heir put their wits-and lives-to passion's ultimate test…An irresistible danger. To save her village and what's left of her family fortune from her wastrel cousin, gently bred Emily Townsend secretly leads a ring of smugglers. With the king's forces and deadly rivals closing in, she has but one last dangerous shipment to acquire.

Henrietta Redford wishes she were a boy—after all, boys are masters of their own fate. Casting her dolls aside, she climbs trees, plays at swordfighting, and indulges in practical jokes. Once she's had her come-out, Henrietta has promised her father that she'll settle down and marry. Any eligible man might do, but it certainly won't be Giles Thorpe—the older boy from the estate next door, whose arrogant disdain of her tomboyish ways only increased as he grew into a man.

Miss Frances Cherrington has long been criticized as independent and prickly. And she's fine with it. Truth be told, she'd prefer to be a spinster—damn her family's desires. But it's a conversation with the devilishly handsome yet highly infuriating Earl of Winthrop that inspires the perfect escape from her nuptial troubles. Frances could ensure that no one will marry her—by happily ruining her own reputation.

The first kiss occurred in a dimly lit hallway on the upper floor of Elwin Hastings's grand house. Louisa Bryce never saw it coming. Of course, handsome, wealthy Anthony Stalbridge couldn't possibly have had romantic intentions. The kiss was merely meant to distract the armed guard about to catch the two unlikely sleuths. After all, the only thing these two interlopers have in common is a passionate interest in uncovering the dastardly secrets of Mr. Hastings—a prominent member of society whom they suspect of murder.

Joanna Porter loves being one of London's hottest up-and-coming matchmakers. But her heavenly vocation is about to turn into a nuptial nightmare—thanks to the Duke of Crestmont. He's as handsome as he is insufferable and obsessed with all things proper. Matching him would cement Jo's status as England's greatest matchmaker. Except, of course, the impossible-to-please duke refuses all of her most eligible ladies...confirming his status as a complete and utter pain in her petticoats.

Some might call Princess Anja of Ivermere brave for offering herself up as a bride to Kael the Conqueror, a barbarian warlord who'd won his crown by the bloodied edge of his sword. It was not courage that drove Anja from her magic-wielding family's enchanted palace, however, but a desperate attempt to secure a kingdom of her own—even if she has to kill the Conqueror to do it. She expects pain beneath his brutal touch as she awaits her chance. She expects death if he discovers the truth of her intentions.

In Regency London, a woman escapes from a burning warehouse only to realize she doesn't know her own identity. Although the locket around her neck bears the name Miranda, she has no recollection of her past. Nor does she know why two very different men want her - the devilishly handsome Scotsman, Ian MacVane, and Lord Lucas Chesney, the nobleman who claims to be her betrothed. In a race against time to discover who she is and which man she can trust, Miranda embarks on a soul-stirring journey that takes her from the dazzling salons of London to the craggy Highlands of Scotland.

Beautiful heiress Briar Rose longs to find a man whom she can love. Then she meets the dashing but disgraced Lord Gareth Hawke, who has fallen on hard times. But there are those who seek to do anything they can to thwart such a union, including her spiteful stepmother and Hawke's arch enemy.

Bane should have been king . . . But he was born four minutes too late. Though it was Bane who'd led armies to victory against the scourge of the undying, now he must watch as his undeserving twin claims yet another throne through marriage to a princess of a neighboring kingdom. A kingdom that Bane had saved. That throne should be his. So he'll take it. All Bane must do is deceive his twin's innocent bride.

To save her family from a tyrant king, Mara of Aremond must win a tournament—and she won't let anyone stop her from claiming the prize. Especially not Strax, the barbarian warrior who has tormented her every step of the way. But when a sorcerer's trap binds them together, Mara must decide whether Strax is her greatest enemy, or if everything she seeks can only be found in the barbarian's arms . . .

Pining for her lost love within the confines of fairy-tale Emerald Manor, Lady Brandice Townsend is reunited with Lord Quentin Steel when the latter returns from the military to investigate the murders of his parents.

Step into a world of secret appetites, carnal longing, and dark cravings with this erotic collection set in the Victorian era. From achingly tender to utterly taboo, these ten historical stories will stir and entice every desire . . .

Nell Anslowe and Julian, Earl of Wyndham, are an unlikely couple in every respect. Injured in a riding accident ten years ago, Nell was left with a fiance who abandoned their engagement and the firm belief that she will never marry. The abrupt end of Julian's unhappy marriage formed his resolve to remain a bachelor until the end of his days.

Wanton. . .Leo Roberts is next in line for an earldom and the power and fortune that come with it, but he is uncultured, unrefined - and completely untamed. . .until governess Ella Finch arrives upon the scene. Can so young and inexperienced a woman tutor him in the manners and mores of his class? Leo's mysterious past has rendered him an outsider, too wild for polite society. But he finds her innocence most intriguing. . .

Colin Fitch cannot deny he's drawn to Beatrice - but lust is all he could possibly feel for the sharp-tongued minx. Still, if there's a chance she can help him stop the madman he pursues, he must withstand her obvious disapproval. Yet withstanding the longing he feels for her is growing more troublesome by the second. And Colin has never been terribly good at staying out of trouble.

Reliable. Trustworthy. Dignified. A few of the characteristics supporting Marcus Sherbrook’s reputation as the perfect gentleman. Or almost perfect, as there is one significant smirch on his record: The rebellion of one Miss Isabel Dunham who, at the age of seventeen, defied Marcus’s guardianship, eloped, and fled to India. The widowed Isabel returned to England ten years ago, and has been making Marcus’s cool gray eyes flash ever since...

As guardian to her two young siblings after her parents' death, Daphne Beaumont struggles to keep the family together. But when Daphne's brother suddenly inherits a sizable estate from a distant relative, they are able to leave London behind for a prosperous new life in Cornwall. Devoted to her charges, Daphne doesn't believe marriage is in her future, despite her newfound wealth and striking beauty - until she meets the intriguing Charles Weston...

Raised as the youngest daughter of the Duke of Kendal, Elizabeth learns a devastating truth on his deathbed: he wasn't her father at all. And because the Duke had no sons, his title and fortune must go to his only male heir: a distant cousin who left England for America long ago. Anticipating the man's imminent occupation of her home, Elizabeth anxiously searches for her mother's diary, and the secret of her paternity.