A teen girl seeking retribution against her backstabbing former best friend finds her plans slightly derailed once she catches the eye of a familiar, handsome marquess. Bestselling author Amalie Howard delivers a delightful, anti-historical Regency-era romp that's Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo!
Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed-when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined.
Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.
With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London's elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she's ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.
In this complicated game of real-life chess, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or capture the king's heart?
Pretty Woman meets the Bridgertons in this witty, vivacious historical take on 90s romcoms by USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard:
"Refreshing, steamy, and stocked with characters you don't normally get to see in the genre-a must-read author."
-Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Fabulous writing . . . such a delicious escape. Utterly delightful!"
-Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author
"Amalie Howard tells a story with self-assured style, wit, and energy . . . her writing sparkles!" -Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author
Lord Lysander Blackstone, the stern Duke of Montcroix, has only one interest: increasing his considerable fortune. After a series of betrayals, he keeps his emotions buried deep. Money, after all, can't break a man's heart-or make promises it can't keep. But when his reputation for being heartless jeopardizes a new business deal, he finds himself seeking a most unusual-and alluring-solution . . .
Once an up-and-coming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery is now hopelessly out of work. After refusing to become a wealthy patron's mistress, Nève was promptly shown the door to the streets. When she accidentally saves the life of a handsome duke, she doubts the encounter will go any better than her last brush with nobility. But instead of propositioning her, Montcroix makes Nève an offer she would be a fool to refuse: act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to start over.
Only neither is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them. They both stand to win . . . but only if they're willing to risk their hearts.
Lord Nathaniel Harte, Duke of Beswick, verbringt seine Tage damit, Porzellan zu zerschlagen, seine Diener zu schikanieren und jeden zu beleidigen, der ihm zu nahekommt. Zurückgezogen und allein lebt er auf seinem Anwesen, immer bemüht, sein verunstaltetes Gesicht vor der Außenwelt zu verbergen. Niemanden lässt er an sich heran, schon gar nicht die unzähligen Mitgiftjägerinnen, die es auf sein Vermögen abgesehen haben. Denn wer könnte ein Monster wie ihn schon wirklich wahrhaftig lieben?
Lady Astrid Everleigh ist fest entschlossen, sich weder von Gerüchten noch von Gerede von ihrem Plan abbringen zu lassen. Um ihre jüngere Schwester vor der Heirat mit einem berüchtigten Schurken zu bewahren, würde sie alles tun. Auch, wenn das bedeutet, dass sie sich Lord Nathaniel Harte, dem Biest von Beswick, auf dem Silbertablett anbieten muss und zwar als seine Braut ...
Born to a life of privilege, Lady Ravenna Huntley rues the day that she must marry. She's refused dozens of suitors and cried off multiple betrothals, but running away-even if brash and foolhardy-is the only option left to secure her independence. Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashvale, was driven from England at the behest of his cruel stepmother. Scorned and shunned, he swore never to return to the land of his birth. But when a twist of bad luck throws a rebellious heiress into his arms at the very moment he finds out he's the new Duke, marriage is the only alternative to massive scandal. Both are quick to deny it, but a wedding might be the only way out for each of them. And the attraction that burns between them makes Ravenna and Courtland wonder if it'll truly only be a marriage of convenience after all...
Princess Sarani Rao has it all: beauty, riches, and a crown. But with her father an Indian maharajah and her late mother a British noblewoman, her mixed blood makes her a pariah and a target. When her father is murdered, her only hope of survival is to escape on the next ship out?captained by the man she once loved...and spurned.Captain Rhystan Huntley, the reluctant Duke of Embry, has a place in the English fleet, which he's loath to give up. But duty is calling him home, and this is his final voyage. Leave it to fate that the only woman he's ever loved must stow away on his ship.
SCOTLAND, 1819. Brandt Montgomery Pierce is a bastard-and proud of it. Raised by the Duke of Bradburne, Brandt enjoys an uncommon life of privilege. Despite the mystery surrounding his birth, he has wealth and opportunity, and wants nothing more. Especially not a wife.
Lady Sorcha Maclaren, the fiery and scarred daughter of Laird Maclaren, the Duke of Dunrannoch, is desperate to avoid marriage to a loathsome marquess at any cost . . . even if it means risking a kiss with a handsome stranger at a Scottish border festival.
But after an innocent kiss turns into a scandalously public embrace, Sorcha and Brandt get more than they bargained for-a swift trip to the altar. When danger chases them into the Highlands, and deceit threatens to tear them apart, their only hope will be to surrender . . . to each other.
Contains mature themes.
Lord Henry Radcliffe, the scarred but sinfully sexy Earl of Langlevit, is a beast. The only way Henry can exorcise the demons of his war-ravaged past is through intense physicality. In and out of bed. An endeavor that has no shortage of willing participants.
Intent on scandalizing London, Princess Irina Volkonsky is a hellion and every gentleman's deepest desire . . . except for one. Irina knows better than to provoke the wickedly forbidding earl, but she will stop at nothing short of ruination to win the heart of the only man she's ever loved.
But when one scandalous kiss makes dangerous passions ignite, neither of them can fight their sizzling attraction. When a sinister plot emerges to threaten them both, they will have to fight one last battle, this time for the ultimate prize . . . love.
Contains mature themes.
Highlander Ronan Maclaren must marry, but he's in no particular hurry. He's perfectly happy as the laird of his clan, running the Maclaren Whisky Distillery, and besides, he just hasn't found the right woman.
Lady Imogen Kinley has cleverly avoided wedlock for years. Men, she has learned from painful experience, are not to be trusted. Determined to remain independent, she takes an indecent amount of pleasure in making herself as unattractive to potential suitors as possible.
When desperate measures are taken by their parents and a betrothal contract is signed, it's loathing at first sight. They each vow to make the other cry off-by any means necessary. But what starts out as a battle of wits . . . quickly dissolves into a battle of wills.
Contains mature themes.
Lord Winter Vance, a notorious scoundrel and the Marquess of Roth, must marry to save his inheritance, but a wife is the last thing he needs. Determined to carry on his rakish ways provoking his straitlaced duke of a father and scandalizing the ton, the minute Winter ties the knot, he dumps his starry-eyed debutante of a bride at his country estate and hies back to London.But three years later, forgotten in slumbering Chelmsford while her husband gallivants in town, Lady Isobel Vance decides enough is enough and she's ready to take matters into her own hands. When a case of mistaken identity leads to a devilish dance of seduction and an indelicate wager is made, this marchioness will show her marauding marquess just who he married.
Lady Makenna Maclaren Brodie is on the run from her clan for the death of her husband and laird. Even though she is innocent, she and her maid run to the only safe place she knows . . . and right into the arms of the handsome French lord she'd met a year ago. But another man in her life is the last thing she wants or needs.
An unapologetic rake, Lord Julien Leclerc is focused on one thing-expanding his empire and increasing his fortune. Everything else is a distraction, including women. However, when the widowed Makenna arrives on his doorstep in the Highlands, all bets are off.
She wants nothing to do with men. He's sworn off all women. But with danger looming, the only safe haven may be each other's arms.
Contains mature themes.
Lord Graham Findlay, the shamelessly virile Viscount Northridge, has a disgraceful secret, one he'll do anything to hide. Holding his passions at bay, Gray has sworn off the fairer sex. But when temptation comes in the form of an intriguing woman he cannot easily avoid, Gray's integrity-and his most depraved desires-are put to the ultimate test.
Self-assured and carefree Princess Svetlanka Volkonsky never dreamed she would one day become a lady's maid to avoid a dangerous traitor. But danger also comes in many guises, especially in the sinful and devastatingly attractive lord of the manor who introduces her to a world of singular pleasure.
When Lana's past emerges to threaten the life and the false identity she's built in England, she and Gray find themselves falling into a tangled web of lies and intrigue . . . and the last place either of them expected to fall . . . in love.
Contains mature themes.
Lady Aisla Montgomery has a perfectly tolerable marriage . . . as long as her husband stays in Scotland and she in Paris. But now, years later, she wants only one thing-a divorce.
Niall Stuart Maclaren, the rugged Laird of Tarbendale rues the day he met his beautiful, conniving wife. Though the thought of her incites a bitter and biting fury, no other woman has ever stirred his blood as hotly.
When Aisla returns to Scotland to sever ties, Niall agrees on one condition-one week with him for every year of desertion. Six weeks as his wife in his castle . . . in his bed . . . in exchange for her freedom.
Contains mature themes.
