Bøker av Sandra Sookoo

Nothing ushers in the holidays like mistletoe... and murder. Widow Mary Tomlinson isn't looking for romance. At four and thirty, she's content enough to keep house for her brother in London, but when the opportunity to act as chaperone for her niece at a Christmastide house party comes her way, she jumps at it. Even more when she discovers the party is hosted by Viscount Stanwick, a man she used to fancy in her youth. The fly in the ointment is his brother and the troubling attraction for him she can't quite ignore. Inspector Gabriel Bright is attending his brother's house party in the countryside to help his son enter society. He cares not for ton life or for settling down; he feels most vital while working cases for Bow Street, but when the butler turns up dead shortly before dinner one night and Gabriel's son is found with the murder weapon, he's thrown into action. This plus an impromptu kiss with a woman in the stables that excites his imagination in fires his libido might prove the company not as dull as he thought. Possessed with organizational skills and an affinity for broken things, Mary soon is recruited to act as the inspector's assistant as they investigate. Heat and desire simmer between them, but the two have more in common than they think when secrets from their pasts come to light during the case. If they wish to explore a life together beyond the boundaries of their torrid Christmastide affair-as well as solve the case-they'll need to stay one step ahead of the killer.

Love can heal all wounds... if the demons of the past stay buried. The Honorable Hugh Ridgeway is the third son of an earl, but he's made a complete wreck of his life and hasn't cared about his reputation despite having a nearly grown daughter to care for. After never aspiring to be anything other than a wastrel, a case of ennui strikes, but when he meets a woman who refuses to fall for his charm and good looks, he might need to change his approach-on everything. At the very least, perhaps she'll have some advice. A former Diamond of the First Water, Miss Felicity Hixton has been disappointed by life in seemingly every way, so she's hidden behind a wall of prickles. No more will she offer her heart to a man, for she's done being hurt. Yet when a conversation with Mr. Ridgeway regarding launching his daughter into society becomes what the beau monde considers a compromising situation with one of London's most notorious rogues, she is shoved into a complicated coil. When exasperated parents demand an engagement, the pair has no choice but to spend February days in forced proximity. Finding common ground with her heart locked away behind thorns and a less than a respectable life on Hugh's part seems an impossible task, but if one of them takes the first step toward understanding and chance, new avenues will open. Only then can the obstacles in their path lead to a love neither of them expected... ... and when a rogue falls, it might be the most wonderful antidote to long winter nights.

When presented with an opportunity to change, never doubt the serendipity of that boon. Cecil Pettijohn Fitzwilliam, Viscount Rockwell, is tired of living his life in shame. He was a deserter during the war with Napoleon because he couldn't bear to kill his fellow man, couldn't stomach the gruesome carnage, and he's refused to take up a weapon since. Now that rumors his ducal brother has started a nursery have reached his ears, longing for forgiveness from his brothers-in-arms at the Rogue's Arcade and a pardon from the Regent might pull him back to London. Miss Lucy Chappell is the pampered daughter of one of London's most celebrated jewelers. Her father has made pieces for lofty members of the beau monde who are willing to pay for his creations. After wearing a necklace featuring exquisite pink diamonds to a ball, it makes her an easy target. When she's kidnapped and left for dead in the Buckinghamshire countryside, she is suddenly found by an unknown but slightly tipsy gentleman, life grows infinitely stranger. Not to mention the necklace isn't what she thought. Needing to dodge scrutiny, Cecil is ready to run again but his damned honor kicks in. He vows to help even if he can't abide her spoiled attitude, especially when he hears of the pink diamonds. Finally out of her gilded prison, Lucy enthusiastically agrees to his madcap plan to track the men responsible for their current plight, for it's an adventure. But when heated attraction between them becomes much more, they'll need to stay ahead of the thieves as well as out of prison if they want a chance at a normal life.

He's heat and sin. She's ice and proper. Between them, a storm of passion is brewing.On the shelf Miss Amelia Hasting has no time for frivolity. Companion to a willful nineteen-year-old nouveau riche heiress seeking a match with a titled gentleman, Mia's only task is steering her charge away from rogues and scoundrels, but when it's her peace of mind that is threatened by an overly handsome and very wicked viscount, she must do something, and fast, to keep both herself and her charge out of his bed, even if she's curiously tempted by him.Rakish Nicholas Devlin, Viscount Wycliffe, is suffering from ennui. Now that the war is over and there's no need for his smuggling services, he requires a fortune, which means sacrificing himself to parson's mousetrap with a young woman who has more bosom than brains. Despite his protests, when he meets a stubborn, companion indifferent to his charm, he forgets the heiress into order to knock Amelia from her icy pedestal and discover her fire.Though Mia's protective of her charge, it's obvious his attention has been on her all along. The more she fights the forbidden attraction, the more he teases. Knowing he's met his match in all the ways that matter, forced proximity ensures Nicholas' seduction attempts with the fascinating companion, thinking his insistent pursuit will wane once he beds her, yet that act only brings more complications for the enemies to lovers. Passion grows, threatening to shatter them both, unless they accept the truth-they're in love......despite the scandal that will surely follow.The Hasting SistersBook 1 - The Devil's GameBook 2 - A Second Summertime CourtshipBook 3 - An Impossible Match

In need of redemption... Thomas Prestwick, Viscount of Ashbury, has left the thought of love and romance behind. Never again will he allow himself that vulnerability and has, instead, kept himself busy with various vices every fine gentleman of the beau monde indulges in. If only he'd stayed away from the tables at the famed Lyon's Den gaming hell that night, he might not have been caught up in fate's unfortunate web, which brought him face-to-face with the past. In want of vengeance...Miss Olivia Rose Jameson wants nothing to do with men-whether related to her or not. With her parents dead and her worthless brother losing everything of value at the gambling tables, she's incensed when her hand is bartered for his freedom. That complication will not help her cause of having revenge on the man who killed her best friend, until chance matches her with the object of her ire. Forgiveness has a way of changing everything... With no choice but to wed at the order of the mysterious Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the pair ushers in the Christmastide season as a married couple. No matter that Ashbury's heart is locked away and Olivia wishes to carve it from his chest, more than compassion and secrets are shared between the enemies-to-lovers one snowy evening in the viscount's library. As desire gives way to romance, fate once more intervenes. For one terrible night, everything hangs in the balance, and nothing short of a miracle-or love-can save them. Because doesn't the house-and Mrs. Dove-Lyon-always win?

When two disillusioned people accidentally meet, finding a common bond in scandal will give them back hope. The Honorable Laurence Bannerman lingers in London to avoid joining his family at his father's country estate in Surrey to celebrate Christmastide. As the third son and a fourth sibling, nothing was ever expected of him, so his behavior has been quite scandalous. That is until he meets a woman who makes him long for a wife and wish for a change... but dogs don't change their spots, do they? Miss Eleanor Comerford hasn't exactly been a darling of the beau monde. Though Christmastide brings with it naught but guilt and regret, there is the glimmering hope her family might forgive her past transgressions and take her back into their fold. Pretending to be someone she's not is tiring, but when her path crosses that of a stranger, a plan begins to form... for she still dreams of belonging. Forced to share the same traveling coach, when Eleanor asks Laurence to enter into a fake engagement with her to lend legitimacy, he agrees merely to protect her and see her safely home. Perhaps a friendship would stave off loneliness during the journey north. As they come to know each other, hurts and secrets from their pasts bubble to the surface, and with acceptance comes a budding romance. Only with a holiday miracle will they have the chance to realize they never needed lies or proper images to grasp love... for they were worthy of it all along.

When a lady snubs love and romance in favor of being ruined, all hell will break loose. Lady Katharine "Kitty" Gibson is the youngest child of the Earl of Armestead. At six and twenty, she wants no part of living a fairytale and desires love even less. She has dreams for her life that do not include romance, but tolerating a man long enough to see herself ruined would be a lovely addition to her existence and might allow her past society's dictates that domestication and a good match is all she should aspire toward. Mr. Reginald Healy made his first fortune with the East India Company and his second importing beautiful silk fabric and selling it to ladies of the beau monde. All he has ever wanted in his life is to be respected as a gentleman instead of the "earl's fool" he's been nicknamed. But when he purchases a rundown manor house in the countryside and meets a winsome blonde who is not in his usual style, his dream shifts to include a wife and possible family. While Reginald isn't exactly the typical hero type, he tries his best to be more to Kitty than a gentleman with benefits. She thinks him endearing and a tad embarrassing, but the longer his clumsy attempt at wooing continues, romance creeps in to mar her lovely no-strings-attached affair. Terrified and confused, she sets out one night to flee into obscurity, but as Reginald gives chase, unexpected peril on the road makes them both face their biggest fears and has the capacity to show them both that falling in love can be whatever they need it to be... ...unless society-and her brother-say otherwise.

One hasty decision on a summer evening will change the course of their lives forever. Augustus Michael Notley-Baron Twinsfield-has reformed from scandalous activity-mostly. Though he's still fond of gambling, drinking, and taking beautiful ladies to bed, he has grown bored with his lifestyle. Since the war ended years ago, there simply isn't any more excitement left, until he agrees to steal a valuable diamond necklace on a dare for a duke... and runs into a woman who captivates his imagination, for she is everything he is not. Miss Diana Fortescue is more than just an unwanted spinster. She's been dispatched by her brother at the Home Office to slip a rope of diamonds from the neck of a visiting heiress, for that same piece is slated to be sold to fund distasteful shipping ventures in Kent. In memory of her younger brother, she won't fail this mission like her last... except being tempted into scandal with a dashing stranger might prove too much of a distraction. After that one summer night of pleasure in a garden, the baron and Diana are pitted against each other on opposite sides of a much larger issue than ownership of a diamond necklace. But the longer the pair skulk about in the hopes of stealing the gemstones, the greater the risk of detection grows, and once the man who orchestrated the theft is apprised of the delay, Augustus and Diana are in his sights. If the two enemies to lovers can't manage to work together toward a common goal, they might be forced to forfeit the most valuable discovery of all-a love they never knew they needed.

When duty and honor call, the heart must decide if love is stronger. Three months have passed since Lady Emmaline Darling left her lover and fellow adventurer, Miles. Not certain she's in love with him, they're bonded in a miraculous way-she's enceinte. Yet, despite his promises to write and make plans, there's been nothing but silence. When she discovers he's lied and has been out of pocket on a secret mission for the Crown, she's convinced she can go it alone despite the scandal-and he can't be trusted enough to know her secret hope. Watching Emmaline slip from his life with his daughter broke his heart, but as fifth Earl of Archewyne, Miles Lawrence Hawkins' responsibility to England called louder than his heartstrings, as does the lingering hope to bring Lord Leventhorpe's killer to light. While chasing a faction of Bonaparte sympathizers intent on starting war anew using an obscure relic of great power, his fate crosses Emmaline's-and she's as volatile as the earthquake that puts them both in peril. They strike a tentative peace, for the opportunity to adventure-and to survive-together is stronger than their hurt feelings. Mutual need collides in the course of duty, but before the state of their hearts can be realized, fate, with danger as a companion, intervenes. With betrayal, insidious peril and a killer lurking, finding their happy ending will be a harrowing prospect indeed, but adventure-and love-doesn't come without risk.

Christmastide brings about nostalgia as well as romance, even if it didn't work the first time. Stephen Alexander Ivy-Viscount Tilbury-has no interest in finding romance again, especially during a Christmastide house party his parents have thrown at Ivy Castle. Being jilted years ago sent wounds deep into his heart, so he's content to watch the antics of his siblings with a hearty dose of sarcastic skepticism... and envy. Widow Lynette Hodgins-daughter of a baron whose property neighbors Ivy Castle-is back in the Warwickshire countryside to help save her mother from becoming so destitute that she'll lose the family home-Birch House. It's the last thing she wants to, for after her husband died, she's been existing merely for the good of her son... and she certainly doesn't wish to see the man she left all those years ago. However, fate has a way of picking at past wounds. When both Stephen and Lynette are thrown together through holiday events, sparks thought long dead flare anew. The hope of a family captures his notices, and he sets out to woo her vowing that with three mistletoe kisses he can win her permanently this time. But Lynette is stubborn, so if the pair wishes to grasp a second chance at romance, they'll have to hope the magic of the season will send a miracle... and understanding.

Finding love on Valentine's Day is an impossible feat without a little scandal to start things off.It's the year 1819, and as Valentine's Day approaches, Lady Grace Norrington is still unwed at nearly thirty. Tired of the pitying glances, she means to have a husband before her upcoming birthday by hook or by crook, and she's expected to make a good ton match. Except all her plans are thwarted by the handsome new butler and her disturbing attraction for him.Mr. Harrison Conrad's livelihood wins him respect in whatever household he manages. His references are impeccable, as are his manners and sense of duty, and he takes his position as seriously as the rules. What he doesn't need is scandal in the form of an enchanting daughter of the house, who is bound to fall in trouble and take him with her, especially if he can't control his budding awareness of her.As the annual Valentine's Day birthday masquerade approaches, an ill-advised and equally illicit romance springs between Grace and Harrison. While she's curious and determined, he's cautious and wondering, but neither can ignore the heat or desire between them. When a premature unmasking goes awry and scandal is the order of the night, they'll both have to decide what's more valuable-reputation, status, or love.

She needs to ferret out his secrets. He's doing his level best to keep them. Miss Honor Winslow wants revenge. Her father has been missing since the war with Napoleon ended. Then a week ago, a letter arrived from him asking for help, but it wasn't signed, and no address had been included. Needing answers, she enlists the help of one of her friends, who has connections to the Home Office. If the old, pompous windbags there won't listen, she will do the job herself, despite her physical difficulties following a minor apoplexy. All Mr. Gideon McGarrett wants out of life is peace, and nearly forty, it's finally within reach. Ready to close his last mission, the only thing he needs to do is extract a man of high military rank from where he's hiding after being wounded. The one thing that stands in the way of a spotless career is the damned interference of a clever and vulnerable woman who insists on joining his mission. As Honor and Gideon bicker during the journey north, heated awareness springs from forced proximity, and all too soon that desire becomes distracting, especially when a faux engagement is offered out of necessity. Once in the Lake District, when they locate her father, the woman who wants him dead has also arrived. It will take some smart negotiating and perhaps a fight to unravel the mess. Only then can the pair make a go at a life together-if they can stop hiding their emotions and let down their guards to enjoy the ride.

When old flames don't die, sparks will fly. Mr. Jasper Winslow, the once meek and mild second son of a viscount, is a chocolatier who specializes in fine French chocolates, which helped him put the pain of his lost love behind him. He'd made peace with his life... until a chance meeting with the woman he would have wed reminds him that his heart hasn't forgotten. Strong-willed and independent, Miss Evangeline Bradenwilde wants to be seen in Victorian-era ton society as more than the connections she can make through marriage. Though the trade she works selling underpinnings isn't exactly the pinnacle of success she'd wished, she still has dreams... until those are shattered when she unexpectedly encounters the man she ran from on the eve of her engagement. Thrown together by a fierce rainstorm, Jasper and Evangeline are forced to confront their past and mend a broken relationship if they want to move forward. Exploring the people they've become is key, understanding hidden desires is paramount... and a little hanky panky involving chocolate and corsets won't hurt either.

When the quest for power threatens to put an end to adventuring, only belief in each other can save them. Two weeks after nearly losing her scandalous earl to a fire, Lady Emmaline Darling is finally marrying him. Almost six months pregnant, all she wants is to enjoy London with her soon-to-be husband and their growing family. Yet this morning isn't just the dawn of a new adventure in wedded bliss, Miles has pledged to be a second in a duel, which might compromise the new union. Bad timing, perhaps, but the fifth Earl of Archewyne, Miles Lawrence Hawkins has always been an honorable man, so when his best friend, Viscount Trewellain asked him to stand up as his second after the powerful Duke of Litton challenged him to a duel, how could he refuse? Threats made in the Hyde Park fog chills his blood, especially since an old foe deliberately names his soon-to-be-wife as a target. Emmaline and Miles are able to say their vows, but dire events overshadow their joy. A woman with ties to Litton comes to them with a clever plan to finally close the murder of Lord Leventhorpe and enact revenge on those previously untouchable. When secrets threaten to destroy the earl and his new countess, the little band of thieves must put aside their differences and fight to survive the vile plot at play within the ton... but death might be the only option.

Sometimes, the road to romance is littered with intrigue, harrowing danger, and wild shock. The year is 1818 and Theodosia Netherton-Lady Ballantyne-is wintering in the sunny climes of Italy in an effort to protect her health as well as to visit her brother. Widowed for three years, she has no interest in a new romance, but when a horrific emergency leads her to the doorstep of a handsome, former Bow Street Runner with wide shoulders and a mysterious scar, she might just change her mind. Mr. Hudson Ridley is in Rome for the warmth and relative obscurity. Retired at the age of eight and thirty, the last thing he wants is to become embroiled in a kidnapping plot that involves an attractive widow and her missing son. Yet he was the best in the retrieval business in his prime, and she did have hauntingly unforgettable eyes as well as a smile that could make a man do wicked, stupid things. In the quest to hunt the people who nabbed the boy and heir to a viscounty, Theodosia and Hudson dance about mutual desire until passion gets the better of them one star-lit evening amidst some of the country's finest ruins. But tracking the criminals turns deadly when shots are fired at them. Time is running out to rescue the young heir, keep a valuable jewel safe, and somehow discover if love is the ultimate reward despite the risk. Can two fearful hearts feel less broken together? Find out in My Dear Mr. Ridley, the first book in the exciting new Diamonds of London series.

Jonathan Banshire, Viscount Trewellain, has become a bitter, sarcastic lord and against anything remotely smacking of romance. Though engaged to a woman whose hand he'd won in a game of cards years ago, he hasn't thought of her in years. But he's also a king's agent, and as his duty to the Crown, he's being sent to Spain to track down a missing peer. He goes to escape his personal life. Miss Sophia Wickham is tired of men deciding her future. She's on a mission to live her life on her terms, but can't due to an ambiguous engagement to the Viscount Trewellain. Determined to gain her freedom, she sneaks onboard the ship intent to have Jonathan release her from that old promise. When he refuses in a fit of pique, she's stuck as a stowaway, bound to the one man she can't stand. In Madrid, they search for not only the missing lord, but also stolen Spanish crown jewels and an ancient relic. Through crashing a glittering ball to hunting down clues to exploring the hidden catacombs and caves beneath Barcelona, the unlikely pair comes to an understanding. Vulnerable and trapped, truths are revealed as well as the fragile state of their hearts. But machinations of a madman bent on revenge could destroy a budding romance, and when the specter of death makes an appearance, Jonathan must finally decide what it is he desires the most.

An unexpected romance at Christmastide proves it's never too late to realize the secret dreams of the heart. Recently retired from the Royal Navy, much acclaimed Captain Bartholomew Grayson has come home to London. He's looking forward to the Christmastide season, especially now that he's adopted a ten-year-old former cabin boy. The waif needs a family and Bartholomew wants to recapture the joy of his own childhood. Too bad the fly in the ointment is a strong-willed harridan with a tart mouth intent on stealing his cargo. On the shelf and well past the first and second blooms of youth, Miss Felicity Cowan has made peace with the fact she'll never know love or have a family of her own. The daughter of a shipping merchant, she keeps inventory for her father's imports. The remainder of her time is spent as companion to a cantankerous elderly widow, but she's determined to enjoy herself this holiday season. If only a foul-mouthed, bad-tempered ship captain hadn't got her dander up at first meeting. Immediate loathing turns into attraction, even more so when Bartholomew discovers Felicity is part of his household. Though all hell breaks loose for the first few days, there's magic and mischief afoot that works to throw him and Felicity together at every turn. When a surprise romance comes about, they do everything they can to circumvent the fall, but if they can stop clinging to old excuses, they might just find what they've wanted all along.

When a scandalous rumor sweeps society, what's a girl to do except behave even more improperly to match her tattered reputation? Edward Marlowe, 5th Duke of Lockwood, has struggled to put his time in the war behind him. Tired of hiding within the halls of the Rogue's Arcade club, when he attends a society event with the intention of perhaps charming a lady into his bed, he's caught off guard as a petite beauty in a hurry, plows into him, tumbling them both to the floor, seconds before she begs for his help. When Miss Juliet Gillingham finds a diamond brooch the size of a pigeon's egg in a hollowed-out book at her father's book shop, she's curious. Though her mind spins a few tales about its origin, three days later, she's branded as a brazen jewel thief in the papers. She didn't commit the crime, and she certainly won't pay the penalty, especially if she can enlist the assistance of a handsome war hero who happens to be a duke... and a former thief himself. They attempt to discover the rightful owner of the bauble while dodging the mysterious party who wants it-and them dead. With desire simmering between them, they're forced to keep to the shadows throughout London in order to evade detection and danger. Only by taunting the original thief by bringing the diamond into the open will they have a chance at removing themselves from scandal, but by then, even love might not be able to save them.

Bonding in grief can bring about a whole new perspective. Lady Lettice Jonesboro-formerly Ivy-doesn't enjoy Christmastide activities, for they make her remember the loss of her husband too much. Though she remains cheerful for the sake of her small daughter, she wishes she could hide away until after Twelfth Night, but her ducal parents are having none of it. The one thing that makes the holiday bearable is becoming reacquainted with a neighbor and a former chum from her youth. Courtland Beckwith-Baron Henshaw-has returned to his country estate in the Warwickshire countryside to grieve the death of his father in relative privacy. It's taken him by surprise, and though his sister wishes to join the holiday house party at nearby Ivy Castle, he'd rather remain alone. But when his childhood crush twists her ankle on his driveway as she pays an impromptu visit, he might change his mind. They each find comfort and understanding regarding the loneliness and muddle of grief; it's made better when an endearing friendship is revived. As Letty and Courtland are thrown together on a sleigh ride, the romance they never had years ago blooms. When they find themselves locked in an attic on Christmas Eve night, long held secrets and hopes in their hearts are revealed, and if the two are brave enough to see past grief and family posturing, they might just grasp a love they've always wanted.

When being a rake wears thin...Edmund Ashdowne-Viscount Evermore-has been accustomed to getting by on his handsome face and his scandalous reputation, but now that he's been ordered to reform by his brother, he's rebelling. Tired of the games and restrictions of the beau monde, he needs an escape. When he meets a woman who isn't charmed by his looks, his interest is piqued, and a new idea takes hold.One doesn't need sight to see it's time for a change...Miss Theodosia Standish is an heiress in her own right. As the only living child to a wealthy baronet, her existence has been lonely, but what she longs for is love. Much in demand of fortune hunters, the fact she was born mostly blind puts many potential suitors off. In order to meet the goals she has for her own life, she will take a chance on an unconventional offer.When marrying in haste doesn't exactly go to plan... As their Christmastide nuptial trip to Brighton gets underway, Edmund realizes that his marriage of convenience won't be as easy-or as convenient-as he thought. Challenges arise between the unlikely pair that go deeper than initial attraction, and when Theodosia wants more than he gives, she fears she might have made a mistake.Unless they both truly listen to each other and are honest about expectations, they'll never discover their potential for change-together.Willful WinterbournesRomancing Miss QuillPursuing Mr. MattinglyCourting Lady YeardlyTeasing Miss Atherby - NovellaGuarding the Widow PellinghamBedeviling Major KentonCharming Miss Standish

When destiny calls, you can run, or stand and fight for what you've always wanted. Either way you'll have no choice but to change.Mrs. Ava Southerly, apothecary assistant and widow, lives in fear. She's become an expert at hiding to keep second sight visions at bay. In the year 1885, such things as witches surely don't exist anymore, regardless of her ancestry. If she doesn't emotionally engage her heart, those otherworldly powers will stay dormant and the people she cares for won't be hurt, but she longs for acceptance and romance. Douglas Wallace, an American doctor and descendant of a Scottish witch hunter, is in London to deliver a series of lectures on new medical advancements and techniques. As he meets the passing glance of a blonde beauty in a restaurant window, he's compelled to follow her, as if their lives are linked on a supernatural level. Though he believes in logic and the evidence of his own eyes, spending time in Ava's company shows him how wrong his thinking is.When a three-hundred-year-old evil spirit possesses Douglas in an effort to kill Ava due to her witch status, she and the doctor must find a way to thwart the threat from beyond the grave despite personal peril. As their relationship evolves into something deep and abiding, they'll discover just how powerful a force love truly is.

It's the year 1776 and Captain Caleb Haslet has come home to Portsmouth, Rhode Island after two years at sea chasing pirates and keeping British ships from the fledgling American nation. He wants nothing more than to settle into domestic life and finally claim the new bride duty had forced him to leave behind. Though she now has her own life defending her property from British soldiers, as well as doing charity work which provides prisoners with basic creature comforts, Abigail Haslet is both excited and anxious that Caleb thinks to take up where they left off. But, how can she give her heart to a man who'll leave again when his country calls? A marriage of convenience is no longer an option and neither is it practical. When plying Abigail with kisses and spending time with her fails, Caleb decides to take advantage of her being captured by the British to make her see the truth-he's in love with her-and he'll waste no time in claiming his wife to show her he chooses her this time around.

When two people stop trying to hide from the things that might break them, life falls into place. Emma St. Clare -the Duchess of Winthrop-has lived the last ten years of her life hidden in a crumbling manor house in England's Lake District, essentially as a ghost. Close enough to the Highlands of Scotland that she could be forgotten, she has been safe from her horrid husband and has enjoyed the solitude she shares with her ailing younger sister and a handful of servants. Now, her life is once more irrevocably changing with the advent of a rugged, handsome stranger, but she must risk it. Mr. Alexander Burgess just wants peace and quiet. Retired from Bow Street, he means to travel to old family holdings whose ownership has now passed to him with the intent to disappear and relax, but when he arrives, he finds tales of a ghostly lady and a haunted manor. He doesn't put much stock in the stories, especially knowing a missing duchess might have finally been located. And he is certainly not happy about having a troublesome-if beguiling-female underfoot. As they both claim the property as home, tensions rise between them, but all is not what it seems. The duchess has been keeping secrets, and when he stumbles upon her sister whose health is failing, and hears her history, he thaws toward her, for they need protection. Forced proximity ignites the attraction between Alex and Emma, yet when an unexpected foe tied to his mission threatens them both, they have to work together and protect the dreams they never knew they wanted.

Can a marriage arranged in childhood survive the earl's infamous reputation? The Honorable Miss Evangeline Rigsby has been engaged from the age of five to a man about whom she has only heard improper tales. On her twenty-fifth birthday, she is sent to the wild Cornish coast to wed her reclusive betrothed, sight unseen, and with no choice in the matter, for he holds her father's vowels and the mortgage to his townhouse in London. Beyond annoyed, she is more than ready for a challenge of thwarting the wicked earl at every turn. Sebastian Hamilton, unrepentantly corrupted Earl of Reddingham, has been rejected from the London ton for a myriad of reasons. As duties and responsibilities press in, he's compelled to put his life in order, and since he has been engaged since a young man of fifteen, it's time to make the sacrifice. The one saving grace of being leg-shackled is introducing his innocent bride to forbidden carnal pleasures. Perhaps she might help him regain his rightful place in society and respectability. Following a rather tempestuous nuptial ceremony, the earl sets out to initiate Evangeline into the world of scandal and sin. As each sensual night passes, confidences are exchanged that provide a closeness physical intimacy doesn't. Emotions fly from them both, enhanced by mutual heat and attraction, but as an unexpected romance grows, fears creep in to stall their union. When a vicious squall blows in on the coast, they'll need to decide that vulnerability and wanting love isn't as horrid as they previously thought. But will three wicked nights be enough...

When a kiss at a masquerade ball leads a roguish lord to Lady Peacock-London's most curious member of the beau monde-will he have what it takes to keep her for more than a midnight tryst? If she were honest with herself, Lady Nora Riley is done with marriage and romance. They only proved a disappointment. Having suffered through a lukewarm union of eighteen years, the last thing she wants is another husband. However, after a sensual dance with a stranger, she wouldn't mind entering into a torrid affair. Giles Billingsley-11th Viscount of Hadley-is an unrepentant rogue. He's prided himself on never falling in love, entering parson's mousetrap, or being with a woman for more than one night. But the moment he meets a mysteriously fascinating woman while at a summer masquerade ball, all of those things start to lose their luster. What was supposed to be a midnight tryst proves too tempting. Over the course of a month, the two conduct a passionate relationship where they discover truths about each other and themselves that throw their current thinking into jeopardy. But when an innocent stroll through Hyde Park one evening becomes harrowing, only they can decide what their futures will hold and whether love will feature into those plans.

When two people are too shy to give romance a chance, a little ducal interference is needed. It's Christmastide, and Griffin Ivy, Earl of Hollingsworth, has been summoned by his ducal parents to Ivy Castle, a monstrosity of an estate deep in the heart of Warwickshire County. He's terrified of taking the title of duke soon, and instead of mingling with society, he'd rather bury himself in books or walk the acreage, for then anxiety can't touch him... until he meets his father's nurse, Nora. When Miss Nora Ridley is told to draw the earl out of his shell during the holiday season so he'll feel more comfortable at social events, she balks at the odd request. Not only would it mean she'd need to circulate within the duke's family in public, but the order also comes with a borrowed wardrobe making her into someone she isn't... but then she meets Griffin and her perspective changes. They're both ill-at-ease within company, but Ivy Castle is big enough to provide a respite from responsibilities and an opportunity for quiet talking. As they're pushed into traditional holiday activities and entertainments, an unlikely and surprising romance blooms between them. The magic of Christmastide helps to usher in love, but a little white lie and societal differences threaten to tear the couple apart... unless they both take a leap of faith together.

When all else fails, sometimes it's up to fate to arrange a romance. It's Boxing Day as well as his ducal parents' wedding anniversary, and Graham Ivy-Lord Bonham-is stuck at a Christmastide house party. He hasn't been bothered with settling down or finding a bride, for he's had too much fun playing the rogue in London, but when a mysterious, pretty, stranger arrives at Ivy Castle during a celebration ball, he might just change his mind. Miss Arabella Holly is in a spot of bother. Her travelling coach broke a wheel on the muddy roads, and in desperate need of assistance, she walks a few miles until she reaches the Duke of Whittington's doorstep. Surely the occupants of the castle will assist in her quest to flee the clutches of a horrible man who wishes to claim her hand in marriage thanks to her father losing everything at the gaming tables. A series of events that smack of intrigue or a bit of theatric fiction worthy of Drury Lane catches Graham and Arabella up in its vortex. Staying two steps ahead of the lecherous lord who wants to take her away provides thrills but falling tip over tail into love at first sight is much more exciting. As the Holly and Ivy affair comes to a head, Graham offers the ultimate way to fix the problem, much to the shock and delight of his whole family.

Life isn't always perfect, but the key to living happily is enjoying what you have. Since the peril and danger stalking them has passed, the Hawkins family is at their country estate in Kent to rest. Emmaline, the Countess of Archewyne, is both excited and melancholy when she stumbles upon a note written by her father-the Earl of St. Ives-before he was murdered that outlines a treasure hunt just like he'd done for her when she was a child. Perhaps she can finally tell him goodbye. Miles Lawrence Hawkins, the fifth Earl of Archewyne, has much on his mind now that his friend and mentor has died, leaving the responsibilities of the king's agents to him. First and foremost, he wants to make certain his growing family is still intact after the horrors they'd come through, but how to usher in healing when well-meaning friends and colleagues keep dropping by and shattering the peace? Not to mention the damned geese that won't leave him alone. As Emmaline and Miles follow the clues her father hid about the estate, they make plans for a holiday to Egypt, the country where their love affair first began. Throughout it all, St. Ives' written words bring them closer as a family. With their children and the ever-present geese gathered around, the treasure they seek is found, and serves to make them all delighted on a summer's evening.

Even if the world is falling to pieces, when the treasure of the heart is discovered, a fight is needed to keep it.King's agent, Bentley Courtenay-Lord Castlereagh-has been sent on his first solo mission to rescue a widow, who's been abandoned in the dense jungles of Venezuela. He intends to bring her back to England to answer questions regarding the poisoning death of a peer. Yet what awaits him in the on the Orinoco River has him wondering why the devil he ever signed up to work for the Crown.Widowed Cora, Lady Trammel, is on a quest to locate a deadly orchid and destroy every last bloom before the toxin she accidentally created can fall into the wrong hands. When she encounters a king's agent who fires her imagination, she declines his demand to return to London. The fate of the world is at stake, and she has to fix her mistake, for her discovery has the capacity to kill every human on Earth.In the course of the journey, desire flares between Bentley and the older, more experienced Cora, but she's not looking for love. While he loses his heart, evidence of the fabled city of El Dorado comes to light, and their mission takes a critical turn into dangerous adventure, so matters of love are shelved. Pursued by threats, time is running out to destroy the deadly toxin and protect the world's greatest treasure from men who mean both to use both for their own insidious gain.

Nothing found in the sands of Egypt is as valuable as the treasure of the heart.Crispin Herrick, the newly minted Duke of Litton is anxiously awaiting his first mission as a King's agent. Until then, a dig in the King's Valley he's sponsoring occupies his time... until he chases down a criminal at the Antiquities Museum. Once he catches her, he's shocked and delighted to discover she's the same woman he flirted with in London a year ago, but now she's as skilled in lying as she is in keeping secrets. Miss Juliana Barrington lives under an assumed identity in Cairo, exiled there when her last mission for the Crown went catastrophically awry. All she wants is to redeem herself by finding a powerful relic before her enemies can, but when her path crosses that of the handsome ex-pawn broker, she can't help but panic. No matter how her heart twinges, mixing desire with duty is a horrible idea.Crispin and Juliana join forces to find the pieces of the Staff of the Gods, allegedly belonging to Moses himself. Danger dogs their footsteps while romance flickers to life as the days go by, and when the trail leads to a mysterious tomb in the Valley of the Kings, treasure hunting evolves into running for their lives. Staying ahead of disaster is critical; evildoers and death are powerful foes, but hard-fought victory might bring happy endings... if they can survive long enough.