Question Wednesday: From the Heart

Phineas Blanchard, the Earl of Delacourt, feels restless and he can’t place why. It’s like there’s some itch he can’t scratch as he goes through the motions of his duties to his title and the dissipated pleasures he finds as a rake in hells all over London. Until, that is, he encounters a mysterious woman one night. One who bewitches and challenges him in ways that keep him dreaming of her. Imagine his surprise when he later realizes she is the infamous masked female boxing champion only known as The Hellion.

Esme Crawford is the daughter of a marquess and ran from her life in Society when her father died under mysterious circumstances, leaving her in grave danger. Becoming The Hellion was a way to survive and retake control of her existence. But now Finn is dancing around the edges of her deceptions and if she plays too close to his fire, she will surely be revealed and possibly burned.

Neither can stay away from the other and eventually Finn discovers both her true identity and the fact that she believes her father was murdered. Now a passionate affair rages between them, and a treacherous investigation brings them closer and closer to a man more than willing to kill. Will they be able to overcome the scandal of their passion is one question. Will they survive is quite another.

Lady Marianne has been a wallflower since her disastrous debut, but because since she always had a friend, Claudia, along the wall, she never minded much. But when Claudia dies and leaves her a beautiful jewelry box, and a hidden list of things her friend wanted to do in her life, everything is turned on its head. Marianne begins to question what she knows about herself, her dreams and what could be possible for her future. It all inspires her to try to complete her dear friend’s bucket list. If only she could find someone more experienced to help her…

Sebastian, Earl of Ramsbury, has been best friends with Marianne’s brother for almost his entire life, and the two men have seen each other through it all. His friend’s edict never to turn his wicked ways on Marianne has always been easy to follow, she’s the only woman he’s ever considered a true friend and not a conquest. But when she starts acting strangely, asking for his help with the most unexpected and shocking things, he begins to see her in a different light…and want her in ways he never could have thought possible.

As Marianne grows closer to completing Claudia’s list, she also continues to spiral toward to a passion with Sebastian that neither of them could ever see coming. But will an old promise to a dear friend stop a growing connection before it can come to fruition? Or will the last item on Marianne’s bucket list be to fall head over heels in love with a wicked rake?

CW: Grief, death of child (described)

From the time they were teenagers, Emilia, Wren and Aiden knew they desired and loved each other, but their disparate classes and her father’s intention to wed her to a title separated them cruelly for years. They had all accepted that they would likely never be together again until a shocking truth pulls them into each other’s orbit once more.

Emilia’s marriage to a viscount was anything but happy, and it has turned dangerous. She believes he’s trying to kill her and in desperation she reaches out to Aiden to steal her away and save her. Meanwhile, her husband has also hired Wren, now an investigator, to find his wayward wife and bring her back home. Of course he has no intention to do so, but he takes the case and finds his quarry.

Reunited at last, with the terrible truth out, the three must work together to find a way to save Emilia, and themselves, from ruin and potential death. Along the way, the passions they felt for each other all those years ago are sparked like dry tinder until they can no longer be denied. Will they find a way to love each other for all time, or will the danger that stalks them have its way in the end?

CW: Domestic Violence, Attempted Murder

When gentlemen of the haute ton want discreet assistance with finding a new mistress, they turn to celebrated courtesan Vivien Manning. This collection of the three books in The Mistress Matchmaker series involve a gentleman tapped to train an innocent lady in the ways of passion before she’s matched with a lover, two old friends who have always wanted more and the mistress matchmaker herself, finding love with the man she lost years ago.

An Introduction to Pleasure:

Lysandra Keates is running out of options. Her father is dead, her mother is ill, and her efforts to find respectable employment have ended in failure. With her small savings bleeding away, she swallows her pride—and her terror—and turns to Vivien Manning, an infamous courtesan, to match her with a wealthy protector.

For years, Viscount Andrew Callis has lived a monastic existence at his country estate, hardening his body against the snobbish, lazy young man he once was, hardening his heart against grief over the deaths of his wife and infant son. When Vivien asks him to spend one month training a young woman in the ways of a mistress, his mind resists…but his body responds with an ache he thought long dead.

As Andrew begins his gentle tutelage, he finds himself falling under the spell of Lysandra’s innocent charms. And as they give in to the powerful hunger, the last thing Andrew ever expected, or wanted, forms between them. An emotional connection that could carry them well past the training period—if only Andrew can open his heart to the possibility of love.

For Desire Alone:

A mistress should never be foolish enough to fall in love with her protector, nor trust him with her financial future. Mariah Desmond did both, and now her dearly departed lover has left her with nothing. Forced to seek another protector, she’s determined that this time, she’ll lead with her survival instinct-not her heart. But when she attends one of Vivien Manning’s infamous parties, the familiar face of her late lover’s best friend throws her for a loop.

A painful past taught John Rycroft that he’s not fit to be anyone’s knight in shining armor. His soft spot-make that a hard spot-for Mariah is precisely why he’s kept his distance. Yet the sight of her flirting with a bevy of men vying to become her next lover makes something inside him snap.

As John hauls her bodily away from her suitors, Mariah’s indignation melts away in the heat of the sizzling sexual chemistry. She quickly finds it isn’t easy to navigate John’s stormy emotional waters. Especially when his abusive father’s quest to get his son back under his thumb puts her life in danger.

Her Perfect Match:

Vivien Manning, the notorious Mistress Matchmaker, is tired. Tired of the parties, tired of the lovers, tired of being her. So she decides to leave London behind once and for all and start a whole new life. But before she goes, she must tie up some loose ends, and makes a list that includes a man she’s never been fully able to let go—Benedict Greystone.

Benedict was broken when Vivien broke off their affair years ago and has never gotten over his love for her. When she comes back into his life…and his bed…he isn’t certain of anything except the power of their desire.

But as Vivien moves closer to disappearing forever, both of them begin to question if the past can be overcome and if love might be the one loose end that cannot be neatly tied up.

Old friends and sometimes secret lovers, Benedict Norfolk and Darrius Warwick have a fraught relationship. Benedict wants more, Darrius always resists. But they are thrown together when Darrius’s brother, the Viscount Warwick, abandons his intended bride, Vanessa Gardner, not an hour before their wedding. They both know a marriage to one of them will be the only answer to save her from the consequences of the viscount’s bitter actions.

Vanessa was rejected before and she knows that this abandonment means utter ruination, and yet she cannot be sad. She never felt desire for the viscount…only a confusing and forbidden attraction to both Darrius and Benedict. So when the men offer her a chance to choose between them, and to indulge herself in every pleasure before she does so…she cannot refuse.

Tangled desires, long-repressed passion and the knowledge that they must soon decide the future collide between these three. But when the unthinkable happens, they will have to determine whether three hearts can make one lifetime, or if one of them will be shut out forever.

Blackmailed into a marriage five years ago, and forced by their overbearing families to consummate that union so it could never be legally questioned, Victoria and Justin Talbot have been more than happy to live apart ever since, although neither one has quite forgotten the one night they shared. But now Victoria has been forced to come to London in the disguise of London’s most talented and sought after courtesan.

Invading Justin’s world, she is on a desperate search to find a missing friend and stay clear of her very angry, suddenly possessive husband. Only this time, one taste is not going to be enough for Justin. He is determined not only to uncover Victoria’s secrets, but to claim her, body and soul.

When Cecilia Warden finds Julian Blake standing on her terrace, getting ready to jump to his death, she is filled with both empathy and desire. Julian’s wife passed away months before and some say he’s gone mad with grief. After convincing him to come down from his dangerous perch, the two fall into an intensely passionate affair while they wait out a storm that leaves them snowbound. But can Cecilia’s loving arms convince Julian that life is still worth living? And can Cecilia ever trust she isn’t just a substitute for the wife Julian loved and lost?

CW: Attempted Suicide

Simon Crathorne has never felt quite ‘right’ in his own life. Even with his friends, he never fit. But now his father is dead and he has inherited the Dukedom, and all the responsibility that goes with it. And since his father was always known as a highly moral, upstanding man, Simon has big shoes to fill. Lillian Mayhew doesn’t buy the late Duke’s exalted reputation one bit. A lifetime of hearing her father talk about the man’s sins and seeing the torment her family endured at his hands has made her bitter and a final secret she discovered as her father lay dying has turned her bitterness to a drive to destroy the good name of the man she feels wronged her. No matter the price.

But when Simon and Lillian meet, sparks fly and passion erupts, leaving Lillian with an ugly choice. Can she abandon her quest for revenge, just as she is on the cusp of fulfilling her duty? Or will she betray a man whose past turns out to be a murky sea of lies and betrayals neither one could have ever anticipated? A man whose kiss could change her life forever.

An omnibus of Jenna Petersen’s wildly popular “You Tell Me the Story” online interactive novellas.

In “Her Every Desire” Lady Jane asks her old friend Wesley to do a favor for her, seduce the fiancée of the man she believes she loves. Instead he proposes that they pretend to be engaged to make the other man jealous and please Wesley’s “dying” grandmother. But what starts as a pretended engagement leads to true feelings. And a choice that must be made that could change both their lives forever.

In “A Scandal to Keep”, Felicity Ellis made a terrible decision that ruined her when she gave her innocence to a scoundrel. But after his death, his younger brother Gabriel inherits the title… and the sins of his brother and father. Felicity cannot believe the two brothers could be so different, but after they kiss, she finds herself entertaining more than just Gabriel’s offer to make amends with a marriage of convenience.

Finally, in “A Woman Scorned”, Madeline was humiliated and ruined after her engagement was broken. Now she is in the country helping her aunt with a difficult pregnancy when she is nearly run down by Nathan and his horse. He believes she is a servant and Maddie lets him continue that misconception. But they are from very different worlds, and by the time he realizes her deception, it may be too late.

After a lifetime of unrequited love with her arranged fiancé, Anne Danvers has finally become the Duchess of Waverly. But just a few days into her marriage, her husband vanishes. Rhys Carlisle, Duke of Waverly has spent his life knowing he was better than everyone else because of his impeccable bloodline.

But when he finds out everything he was told was a lie and he is in actually a bastard son of the late Duke of Billingham, his world is destroyed. He never expects his new wife to chase after him or demand she not be written out of his life. Nor does he expect the passion he feels for her to transform into love. But even as the two grow closer, Rhys’s dark secret looms in the distance, along with a blackmailer who could destroy any future Rhys and Anne have dared to dream.

Shy, intelligent widow Anastasia Whittig is really a Lady Spy in name only. Though she invents important items and decodes evidence, she’s hardly ventured into the field and keeps herself wrapped in a shroud of mourning for her late husband. She’s perfectly content to continue her sheltered life, but when one of her best friends is shot, she is forced into service at the side of Lucas Tyler.

Lucas is a daring, talented spy, driven to solve the case of attacks on his fellow agents. He doesn’t want any help, and certainly not from Ana. But as the two edge ever closer to the disturbing truth, they cannot keep from developing a grudging respect for each other. And they cannot ignore the undeniable desire that threatens to change both their worlds.

Meredith Sinclair is everything a lady of society should be. She sparkles at every party, men fall at her feet and every woman longs to be like her. But beneath that popular exterior lurks a serious spy. And her newest assignment is very personal.

She is sent to investigate Tristan Archer’s involvement in the robbery of a painting that may have hidden secret information about the British Army’s movements in France. Meredith knows she shouldn’t grow to close to a potential traitor, but many years ago Tristan saved her life. And it’s harder and harder to believe he could be so wrong when his kisses are so right.

Will the evidence break her heart… or will her heart set them both free?

Master spy Emily Redgrave hasn’t been the same since a night six months ago when she was cut down by a would-be assassin’s bullet. Though she is physically recovered, she’s still haunted by memories of the trauma and regrets for what almost happened. She’s desperate to re-enter the field and regain her confidence. When she’s assigned to follow and protect Grant Ashbury, the Earl of Westfield, she reluctantly accepts, knowing this babysitting duty could very well lead to more advanced cases.

What she doesn’t know is that Grant is a troubled spy in his own right. And he’s just been assigned to follow her by his own superior officers. But as the two chase each other around London, they inadvertently uncover a real case and a magnetic desire that draws them together in shocking, scandalous ways. Can Grant and Emily overcome their past traumas and work together?

And just who is the mysterious Lady M?

Jane Fenton is certain that her brother is lost in London’s notorious underground, not dead as he has been declared. The infamous Viscount Nicholas Stoneworth has just returned from that dangerous world, where he lived for many years as a fighter. When the innocent Jane approaches the dissolute Viscount for help finding her sibling, he offers her a bargain. If she helps him relearn the niceties of Society, he will use his questionable connections to locate her brother.

Though each believes their part of the bargain is an impossible task, they agree for their own sakes. But as the two begin to work closely together, Jane discovers there is much more to the angry ex-pugilist than Society believes. And Nicholas finds a pillar of strength beneath Jane’s soft exterior.

But Nicholas’s drive to withhold the truth about Jane’s brother may threaten the fragile bond between beauty and her beast. And his triumphant return to society may end any chance they have of ever being together.

Ronan “Rage” Riley first met Lucinda Stoneworth when she was the wife of his best friend’s brother and knew she was out of reach, no matter how bewitching she was. But now she’s been a widow for two years and they find themselves at the same country party.

Attraction leads to a wicked affair, but could a proper lady of the ton really find a happily ever after with a former underground boxer? Or will Society end their love forever?

Caleb Talbot has been lost since the moment he found out he was a bastard. He ran from everything in his life, including Marah Farnsworth, a woman who tempted and terrified him. But now he’s back in London as the man he called father his whole life is dying. And Marah is back, too…with a new beau. Can Caleb overcome his demons and Marah’s resistance too late? Or will they discover it’s never too late for second chances?

There is only one word for a passion this sizzling…Scandalous!

Katherine Fleming has lived her life without even a hint of indiscretion. So she is devastated to discover the nobleman she’s engaged to has a secret he’s kept from her: a wife! Suddenly Katherine’s enmeshed in a scandal that has the ton buzzing–and forced to accept a most unconventional proposal from the notorious seducer Dominic Mallory, her faithless fiancé’s brother…and precisely the sort of rake she has sworn to avoid!

Charming and dangerously sensual, Dominic has desired the stunning beauty from the first moment he spied her. Now, with Katherine’s reputation in tatters, it’s the ideal opportunity to bed her–though it will take wedding vows to do so. But can a rogue be reformed by the unleashed passion of a normally reserved lady? And can a marriage made for all the wrong reasons flame into the love match of the season?

Three stories of sin are in this compilation of the popular “Sin” series of novellas.

Wager of Sin – Wicked Hawk proposes a novel way for sensual Bianca to work off her gambling debts.

The Sweetest Sin –  Staid Landon rediscovers the wife who abandoned him, but will his thirst for revenge against Juliana overcome their second chance?

Sin’s Mistress – Sin has admired innocent Evie from afar, but now that he can possess her for ten delicious days, he finds he wants more than mere pleasure.

One fateful weekend at a country estate, a beautiful, well-bred widow is caught between a rock and a very hard place when she must choose between two deliciously irresistible lovers…in Lacy Danes’s seductive tale of courtship à la mode, Torn Desires.

Long-distance lovers Edie and Ty are counting the hours until their scorching Valentine’s Day reunion, each titillating the other with steamy letters describing their erotic journeys. And getting there is definitely half the fun in Megan Hart’s wickedly wild Get There.

Eternal damnation has its perks—especially for a voluptuous succubus who is about to receive a very special, very hot Valentine’s Day “gift” from her demon lover…in Jackie Kessler’s ode to paranormal passion, Hell Is Where the Heart Is.

London’s most irresistible rake has only one short week to prevent the woman he loves from marrying another, thus losing her forever. And he plans to do so by adeptly employing his most well-practiced arts—seduction…sensation…and erotic love—in Jess Michaels’s sumptuous feast of juicy Regency romance, By Valentine’s Day.

London’s greatest beauty and most notorious madam employs the services of a disgraced Bow Street Runner to keep her safe from a stalker . . . and satisfied after dark.

Five years ago Leah Prescott left her fiancé Sean Dalton’s ring on their kitchen table with only a note of goodbye. Now a travel writer, she has just penned a scathing report on the false promise of fantasy resorts and the entire travel industry wants her head. She gets roped into spending a week at the newest of these kinds of resorts, only to find her former fiancé is the owner. Now trapped on an exotic island for seven nights with a man she loved and left, Leah is bombarded by his fantasies, surrounded by his presence… And left wondering if there could be a second chance for first love.

Tessa Drew has a successful comic strip that just got national syndication, but she’s not that happy with her life. Until private investigator Jason Wilcox comes into it. But he’s been hired to check out why she’s been using a credit card for a sex-fueled trek through Seattle. After a sexy night, he realizes her identity has been stolen.

Tessa is fascinated by the idea of an Other Tessa with a life so different from her own. She blackmails Jason into helping her follow the Other Tessa and change her own life. But as her eyes are opened to a much more sensual side of the world, she begins to realize that the biggest and best change she’s made is Jason. And he might just be out of her reach.

Lady Waverly and her husband host a very special party every year. A few days of passion, surrender and utter debauchery for them and their friends. What pleasures will the lady write about in her diary this year?

Entering her seventh unsuccessful season, Beatrice Albright is beginning to realize that her beauty cannot compensate for her shrewish ways. A desperate woman whom no one wants, she must seek a man whom no one else will marry: the despised and mysterious Marquis of Highcroft, Gareth Berenger. Rumor has it he is a killer, but Beatrice is far more terrified of spinsterhood and the company of her mother than she is of Berenger’s dark reputation.

But Gareth, while intrigued by the alluring hellion’s proposal, has a proposition of his own. A man of particular tastes, he will wed no woman unwilling to satisfy them. His bride must be adventurous, afraid of nothing, and eager to experience any passion and pleasure he can devise, no matter how shocking and taboo. If Beatrice agrees to a trial affair if she can happily shed all her inhibitions in the end they will be wed.

And so the die is cast as Beatrice and Gareth embark on an erotic path where danger awaits them at every turn, en route to a world of exquisite ecstasy where there is nothing forbidden…nothing denied.

Cassandra Willows has made a name for herself as one of London’s most sought-after seamstresses—and as the creator of intimate “toys” much beloved in the bed chambers of elite ladies and lords. But her success cannot soothe her guilt and pain over a most devastating betrayal.

Nathan Manning, Earl of Blackhearth, will never forgive the exquisite Cassandra for abandoning him without a word on the day they were to elope. Now he is back in London and hungry for revenge. Armed with scandalous, provocative memories, the handsome, vengeful nobleman blackmails his former lover into a most illicit affair…and reignites the raging fire that once consumed them both.

But by losing themselves in the throes of erotic ecstasy reborn, Nathan and Cassandra are courting gravest danger—vulnerable to a past that threatens to destroy their lives and passion still; at risk from dark, unspoken secrets that are shockingly, perilously…taboo.

Prim, headstrong, and beautiful Penelope is determined to expose the licentious affairs of the ton‘s randiest rakes. Now one of their powerful number—the unrepentant libertine Jeremy Vaughn, Duke of Kilgrath—has been selected to put an end to the prudish lady’s interference.

Jeremy’s plan is devilishly clever: He will join Penelope’s war against immorality, fighting passionately by her side, all the while showering her with anonymous erotic missives designed to titillate even the coldest, most unwilling maid. He will break down her defenses and inflame her repressed desires by escorting her (in the interests of their “noble campaign”) to London’s most notorious pleasure palaces. And he will visit her boudoir—masked—during the night to school her in the deliciously sinful arts she wishes to abolish. Then he will expose her hypocrisy to the world.

But the handsome rogue’s scheme is doomed to go awry, even as the lovely Penelope sheds her every inhibition and freely gives in to his every whim. For in this sensuous game of hearts, it’s the seducer who becomes seduced . . .

For summers Miranda Albright has watched—aghast, yet shamefully titillated—as her wicked neighbor Ethan Hamon, the notorious Earl of Rothschild, “entertained” a succession of lovers on the grounds of his estate. Now that her father has passed on, leaving behind a mountain of debt, Miranda must do the unthinkable. For Ethan has promised to sponsor her younger sisters, financially and socially, at a scandalously dear price: Miranda must offer herself to him completely for three full months, with no remorse and no restraints.

Ninety days and nights of unbridled sensuality await her in the arms of a rogue who views her submission as no more than a grand erotic game. But neither Miranda nor Ethan realize that fire blazes behind her innocent blush. And once her passion is unleashed by his lips and his touch, it is the student who will school the teacher in the ways of forbidden pleasure . . . and love.

Jess Michaels wrote the Jordan’s books under the Jenna Petersen pen name. Now you can have the whole collection for a discounted price! This set includes 3 full length sensual, seductive historical romance novels.

 The Secrets of a Lady

Audrey Jordan isn’t your typical Regency lady. To escape unrequited feelings for her brother’s best friend Griffin Berenger, she entered a life of a spy. But her current case has brought her back to the man she once loved and lost, a man who is now a broken widower. Audrey and her brother are stalking his neighbor, a man who may be plotting to kill the Prince. Staying in Griffin’s home, Audrey is reminded of all the desires and feelings he once stirred in her. As for Griffin, he finds himself obsessed with Audrey, and driven to protect her even if it threatens her case.

But as their desire for each other grows, the case Audrey and her brother are investigating heats up. And if she cannot arrest the blackguard in her sights, she may not live, let alone get to live happily ever after with the man of her dreams.

The Temptation of a Gentleman

Noah Jordan misses the life he once led as a spy so when he’s asked by his former superior to head to the countryside and investigate a potential murder, he jumps at the chance. He doesn’t expect to meet Marion Hawthorne, a young woman his suspected murderer is interested in taking as his wife. In an effort to help her… and to get closer to the fascinating lady, Noah asks for her help in his investigation.

But as they grow closer, their desire grows and suddenly Noah has a harder and harder time remembering any duty, any promise or any future he ever imagined without her.

The Desires of a Countess

After Ginny Blanchard’s abusive husband died, she looked forward to a more independent life where she could raise her young son as she pleased. But when Simon Webber is assigned as trustee to her estate and her son’s fortune, she feels she must come up with a plan to force him from her life. But she doesn’t count on sensual Simon’s insistence that he not only take a role in her son’s life but in her own.

But Ginny has dark and terrible secrets that she must hide. Even from the man she loves. And even if it puts her own life in terrible danger.

After Ginny Blanchard’s abusive husband died, she looked forward to a more independent life where she could raise her young son as she pleased. But when Simon Webber is assigned as trustee to her estate and her son’s fortune, she feels she must come up with a plan to force him from her life. But she doesn’t count on sensual Simon’s insistence that he not only take a role in her son’s life but in her own.

Simon didn’t really want the duty to his late cousin’s estate, but he is trying to do his best to fulfill it. That Ginny is working so hard to get rid of him only makes him more and more interested in her reasons why. And more and more drawn to her beauty, her strength and the warmth hidden beneath her chilly exterior.

But Ginny has dark and terrible secrets that she must hide. Even from the man she loves. And even if it puts her own life in terrible danger.

After his retirement from his life as a spy, Noah Jordan finds himself at loose ends. He doesn’t wish to marry the lady he’s been courting, he doesn’t want a staid existence in London, flitting from party to party and talking about the weather. He misses the dangerous life that once kept him on his toes and occupied his sharp mind.  So when he’s asked by his former superior to head to the countryside and investigate a potential murder, he jumps at the chance, hoping this will get him out of his funk and back on the path that’s been laid before him.

He doesn’t expect to meet Marion Hawthorne, a young woman his suspected murderer is interested in taking as his wife. Marion definitely doesn’t want to marry the man her father is throwing her at, he makes he entirely ill at ease. When Noah shows up, she’s taken by him, and when she realizes what he’s in the countryside doing, she wants to help. And get closer to the handsome spy whose kisses are so drugging.

But as they grow closer, not only their desire grows, but their connection and the feelings between them. Suddenly Noah has a harder and harder time remembering any duty, any promise or any future he ever imagined without her.

Audrey Jordan isn’t your typical Regency lady. To escape unrequited feelings for her brother’s best friend Griffin Berenger, she entered a life of a spy. But her current case has brought her back to the man she once loved and lost, a man who is now a broken widower. Audrey and her brother are stalking his neighbor, a man who may be plotting to kill the Prince. Staying in Griffin’s home, Audrey is reminded of all the desires and feelings he once stirred in her. As for Griffin, he finds himself obsessed with Audrey, and driven to protect her even if it threatens her case.

But as their desire for each other grows, the case Audrey and her brother are investigating heats up. And if she cannot arrest the blackguard in her sights, she may not live, let alone get to live happily ever after with the man of her dreams.

Vivien Manning, the notorious Mistress Matchmaker, is tired. Tired of the parties, tired of the lovers, tired of being her. So she decides to leave London behind once and for all and start a whole new life. But before she goes, she must tie up some loose ends, and makes a list that includes a man she’s never been fully able to let go—Benedict Greystone.

Benedict was broken when Vivien broke off their affair years ago and has never gotten over his love for her. When she comes back into his life…and his bed…he isn’t certain of anything except the power of their desire.

But as Vivien moves closer to disappearing forever, both of them begin to question if the past can be overcome and if love might be the one loose end that cannot be neatly tied up.

A mistress should never be foolish enough to fall in love with her protector, nor trust him with her financial future. Mariah Desmond did both, and now her dearly departed lover has left her with nothing. Forced to seek another protector, she’s determined that this time, she’ll lead with her survival instinct-not her heart. But when she attends one of Vivien Manning’s infamous parties, the familiar face of her late lover’s best friend throws her for a loop.

A painful past taught John Rycroft that he’s not fit to be anyone’s knight in shining armor. His soft spot-make that a hard spot-for Mariah is precisely why he’s kept his distance. Yet the sight of her flirting with a bevy of men vying to become her next lover makes something inside him snap.

As John hauls her bodily away from her suitors, Mariah’s indignation melts away in the heat of the sizzling sexual chemistry. She quickly finds it isn’t easy to navigate John’s stormy emotional waters. Especially when his abusive father’s quest to get his son back under his thumb puts her life in danger.

Lysandra Keates is running out of options. Her father is dead, her mother is ill, and her efforts to find respectable employment have ended in failure. With her small savings bleeding away, she swallows her pride—and her terror—and turns to Vivien Manning, an infamous courtesan, to match her with a wealthy protector.

For years, Viscount Andrew Callis has lived a monastic existence at his country estate, hardening his body against the snobbish, lazy young man he once was, hardening his heart against grief over the deaths of his wife and infant son. When Vivien asks him to spend one month training a young woman in the ways of a mistress, his mind resists…but his body responds with an ache he thought long dead.

As Andrew begins his gentle tutelage, he finds himself falling under the spell of Lysandra’s innocent charms. And as they give in to the powerful hunger, the last thing Andrew ever expected, or wanted, forms between them. An emotional connection that could carry them well past the training period—if only Andrew can open his heart to the possibility of love.

It has been a particularly trying day for Olivia Cranfield. Despite her impeccable manners, stylish clothing and posh accent, another protector has detected her lowborn status and rejected her out of hand. The idea of starting all over finding a new man is exhausting, so when fellow courtesan Violet invites her to come to Bath to help with the wicked seduction of the scarred, reclusive Earl of Windbury, Olivia jumps at the offer. She’s eager for some excitement and a change of scenery to reset.

The moment Malcolm Graham lays eyes on the delectable woman lurking in the bathhouse alley, he knows she’s a decoy to keep him busy while her friend seduces the earl inside. For a moment, he allows her to play her game…but one searing touch and all he can think about is ending the two years of self-denial he’s endured in the name of friendship.

Instant attraction quickly turns into a decidedly erotic affair that makes Olivia question all she’s ever known about passion. But when the truth behind Violet’s assignment comes to light, betrayal threatens to bring everything they’ve built crashing down around Olivia’s broken heart.

CW: Past abuse.

Be aware: This book overlaps with Beauty and the Earl, so some passages may seem familiar to readers of both.

Liam, the Earl of Windbury, had everything when he held his secret lover in his arms. Until a feud between their families left her dead, his body broken, and his sister married to his bitter enemy. Racked with guilt, simmering with rage, he’s spent years in seclusion, seeing no one except a few servants as he does his best to forget the past and patently refuses to think about any kind of future.

When courtesan Violet Milford enters Liam’s lair, she’s on a secret mission to gather information for Liam’s desperate sister, who fears for his sanity, even his life. What she finds is a man scarred inside and out, whose dark, controlling sensuality hides the kind, wounded man within. Violet awakens a desire more powerful than Liam has ever known, and her stories weave a spell that begins to work its way past his defenses. But when the truth inevitably comes out, it could well destroy the love that is saving them both.

Her mother’s madness and her father’s and brother’s irresponsibility have relegated Lady Portia to the life of a wallflower. The only shining light in her life is her best friend, Ava, who is suffering a rift with her own brother. Portia’s quest to help takes her to the notorious Donville Masquerade in the hells, where-behind the safety of a mask-she witnesses shocking public acts of sin. And succumbs to the touch of Marquis Miles Weatherfield.

Unfortunately, they’re discovered. And now, tainted by scandal, she and Miles are destined for a marriage neither of them want. But Portia makes a bargain that raises even Miles’s eyebrows. In return for saving her mother from the asylum, Portia will do anything Miles wants in bed. Shocked by his driving desire for Portia, Miles agrees.

As they explore every wicked desire, every forbidden act that pleases them, they discover something that goes far deeper than flesh. But the lies that brought them together could be the very wedge that drives them apart.

CW: Elder Abuse, Mental Illness, Assault, Child Abuse

Amid all the lies and scandals that fuel Society’s gossip mill, one truth has stood out: House Rothcastle and House Windbury have always hated each other.

Lady Ava Windbury prays the feud will someday end, to no avail. One dreadful night, her brother accidentally causes the death of Christian Rothcastle’s sister, a tragedy that leaves both men maimed.

Consumed by grief, Christian makes a grim decision. He will kidnap Lady Ava so that her family will feel the pain of loss as keenly as he feels the loss of his own sister. But once he has Ava in his clutches, desire takes unexpected hold. Even more surprising, she willingly surrenders to his every whim—after haggling over the terms of giving up her virginity.

Too late, he realizes she is using her body for peace, not war. But just as their affair of revenge turns into an affair of the heart, the past rears its ugly head to take matters into its own hands…

CW: Violent accident (on page), abuse (described)

The Ladies Book of Pleasures, now credited with two marriages and countless other affairs and liaisons, has Society all aflutter. The one person not benefitting from its scandalous advice? The author herself.

From the safety of her anonymity, Lady Grace Hollis, Duchess of Jameswood, enjoys the blissful results of her handiwork—and pretends she does not miss the passionate proclivities she wrote about in such detail. But when her handsome editor begins making the rounds of Society parties, she wonders how long her secret will be safe.

Connor Sheridan wants—needs—to know the answer to the one burning question on everyone’s lips: the mystery writer’s identity. And it’s not just because their correspondence, delivered via untraceable couriers, have made him smile, frown, or imagine her engaged in erotic escapades—with him.

Other letters have begun landing on his desk, letters written by a decidedly unfriendly hand. And though it may well threaten her reputation, the safest place for her could very well be his arms. Whether she likes it or not.

CW: Grief, Violence

When Lady Jacinda unwraps a scandalous birthday gift, she’s sure the anonymous giver is playing a cruel joke. The Ladies Book of Pleasures may be responsible for one gossiped-about marriage, but for a lady ruined by a rogue and shunned by society, Jacinda knows she’s doomed to a lonely, loveless future. She’s made her peace with it. Or…at least she thought she did. But as she pages through the volume of passionate promises, she is observed by the wicked and dangerous Duke of Carnthorn—and now he is stalking her as a possible willing victim of his shocking preferences.

Jason, Earl of Northfield, is having none of it. Jacinda, keeper of his most painful secret, is a friend he will not abandon to a wolf like Carnthorn. As they embark on a pretend courtship—for her own protection, of course—their proper decorum meant to fool the public melts into wicked passion in the bedroom.

But even as real feelings begin to develop between them, Carnthorn is watching. He is not convinced. And he is determined to possess Jacinda, no matter whom he has to destroy…

CW: Violence/Abuse

The widowed Lady Isabel Avenbury was thrown into the role of caregiver to her siblings at far too young an age, and though she loved taking care of them, she also lost out on the opportunity to have fun and frivolity. Now she has one remaining sister to shepherd into an advantageous marriage, and then she will be free. Free to take a lover to fill her lonely nights—the only option left for a woman on the delicate edge of a certain age.

Except when she chaperones her sister to a country house party, she is taken aback by her sudden, undeniable attraction to its host. And deliciously scandalized when she finds a copy of the notorious, much-gossiped-about Ladies Book of Pleasures in his library.

When Seth Rowland, Marquess Lyndham, notices his book is missing, his interest is piqued as to which of the potential young brides at his party has absconded with it—and he’s shocked to discover it’s Isabel. Though older than the women he’d planned to court, the alluring beauty exudes a powerful sensuality he cannot ignore.

The book inspires them to begin a desperate, passionate affair. But their time together is running out and they must choose. Follow society’s rules, or take a chance at love.

CW: Infertility

A new duke with an inherited bride, a lady with a secret desire and a notorious gentleman determined to destroy himself. Along with their friends, the Flynns are not your average family. Pick up the bundle of the bestselling series readers are raving about.

The Other Duke: Rafe Flynn has just inherited an unexpected dukedom and an unwilling bride. Can he overcome Serafina McPhee’s troubled past and prove to her that love is worth fighting for?

The Scoundrel’s Lover: Annabelle Flynn needs a proper husband to combat the bad reputations of her brothers. What she wants is Marcus Rivers, proprietor of an erotic club and the most improper man of all.

The Widow Wager: Crispin Flynn has been riding a dangerous path to ruin since he lost the woman he loved. But when he wakes up with widow Gemma Quinn in his bed, he just might have to change his way of life to win her.

No Gentleman for Georgina: Georgina Hickson has lived a life of utter propriety without any success in the marriage mart. But she has a secret, she has been in love with Paul Abbot, the manager of an erotic club, for years. Can one stolen night give her everything she ever wanted?

A Marquis for Mary: Mary Quinn is almost out of time. If she cannot find a proper husband before the end of the Season, she will have to return to her father’s home and his dangerous plans. But a stolen kiss in the garden with the handsome and troubled Edward, Marquis of Woodley, may solve all her problems and put her on the path to the love of her life.

This collection contains books 4 and 5 from The Notorious Flynns series – No Gentleman for Georgina and A Marquis for Mary 

No Gentleman for Georgina

Georgina Hickson has lived her life doing everything she is supposed to do in order to land the titled husband her family requires. When she met Paul Abbot at a gathering at a friend’s, it was the first time she ever wanted more. But more is something she knows she cannot have.

Paul has been in love with Georgina since the moment he laid eyes on her two years before, but he knows he isn’t good enough for her and it can never be. But when he finds out she desperately wants to see a special exhibit in London, he agrees to take her. But can a stolen moment, a stolen kiss and a whispered confession lead to happiness or heartache?

A Marquis For Mary

Mary Quinn is almost at the end of her rope. After two years under her sister and brother-in-law’s protection she may soon have to return to her terrible father’s house if she cannot find a husband. In her desperation, she bumps into Edward, Marquis Woodley. Drawn to each other, they are soon thrown into a scandal that leads to an engagement.

But as the pair grow closer and their wedding looms, Woodley’s past and the horrific circumstances of his first wife’s death may keep them from the happy ending that will save them both.

A USA Today Bestseller

Mary Quinn is almost at the end of her rope. After two years under her sister and brother-in-law’s protection she may soon have to return to her terrible father’s house if she cannot find a husband. But it’s been a fruitless search so far and she cannot imagine it will get better. In her increasing desperation, she bumps into Edward, Marquis Woodley and finds a man who is pulled almost from her every fantasy. Even better, he seems to be just as interested in her. So much so that they are soon thrown into a scandal that leads to an engagement.

It should be the happiest time of their lives, with a future that is shining as gold. But as the pair grow closer and their wedding looms, Woodley’s past and the horrific circumstances of his first wife’s death may keep them from the happy ending that will save them both.

CW: Suicide, Death of a child, Narcissistic Abuse

Georgina Hickson has lived her life doing everything she is supposed to do in order to land the titled gentleman her family requires. When she met Paul Abbot at a gathering at a friend’s, she was drawn to his handsome face and his serious nature so well-matched with her own. It was the first time she ever wanted more than what her parents demanded. But more is something she knows she will never have.

Paul has been desperately in love with Georgina since the moment he laid eyes on her two years before, but he knows he isn’t good enough for her. His scandalous profession, his lower status in Society…none of it will ever allow him to have what he wants more than anything.

But when he finds out she desperately wants to see a special exhibit in London, he agrees to take her. Can a stolen moment, a passionate kiss and a whispered confession lead to ultimate happiness or the deepest heartache?

A USA Today Bestseller

Crispin Flynn has been on a downward spiral ever since he lost the woman he loved and watched his brother forced into a life he never would have chosen. His response has been drinking and gambling his way to utter ruin, trying to forget all he’s lost and pushing away anyone who cares for him. One night, deep in his cups, he places a dangerous bet that results in him being forced to marry Gemma, the widow of the Earl of Laurelcross.

Gemma once had a passionate side, but has been suppressing it ever since her much older husband died during the act of making love. Now she finds herself the much unwanted wife of one of the biggest libertines in London and the subject of even more gossip than ever. All she wants to do is escape, even if Crispin is dangerously attractive.

Once they determine they cannot undo the marriage, the two begin a slow circling of each other, trying to determine how they will move forward. With their natures, they find passion to be easy, but can they overcome mistrust and secrets in order to turn the worst night of their lives into one of their best? Or are they bound to lose each other before their love can take root?

CW: Abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual Assault, Grief, Suicide

Annabelle Flynn is the sister of London’s two biggest libertines, and her reaction has been to become the picture of purity. But the sensual nature of her family has not been lost on her and she is troubled by urges she dare not follow. She ignores the demands of her body and instead throws herself into two different activities. One is pursuing a proper marriage in Society that will settle her once and for all. The other is trying to save her broken brother by following him into the shocking Donville Masquerade, part of a hell run by the mysterious scoundrel, Marcus Rivers. By day, Annabelle pursues ladylike endeavors and seeks a staid husband to combat the wild reputations of her brothers. By night, she inserts herself into Marcus’s business… and eventually she finds herself seduced into his bed.

Marcus cannot deny that he has always wanted Annabelle, and the idea of her running around his club is maddening on too many levels. He wants to help her, and the fact that he can be her lover is just a bonus. But what she’s doing is dangerous and at some point he knows he’ll have to let her go…if he can.

Can a not-quite-proper lady and an entirely unsuitable cad find anything in common outside of the bedroom? And will Annabelle be willing to trade passion for cold, calculated ‘perfection’?

For years Serafina McPhee has been engaged to marry the heir to the Duke of Hartholm and for almost as long, she has been struggling to find a way out of that engagement. When he suddenly dies, she does not mourn but thrills at the idea that she will be free. Unfortunately, best laid plans go awry when the next in line for the title, her intended’s cousin, Raphael “Rafe” Flynn is forced to take over the engagement. But Serafina knows Rafe’s reputation as a libertine and wants nothing to do with him, either, even if he is devastatingly handsome.

She proposes an arrangement: she will agree to the marriage and provide Rafe with his heir and spare. Once she has done her duty, he will let her go. Rafe is intrigued both by her beauty and by her utter disgust with the idea of being his bride. Women normally fall at his feet, not cringe away from him. However, since their arranged marriage is not something he can escape, he agrees to her terms.

But when he finds out on their wedding night the truth about her torture at the hands of his predecessor, he finds himself driven not just to fulfill his bargain with his new bride, but to introduce her to desire. While they move closer together, surrendering to wicked pleasures, dangerous emotions may violate every agreement they’ve made.

CW: Rape, Abuse, Violence

It’s been over a decade since Aaron Condit’s lover, Viscount Noah Seagate died. While he has had temporary diversions since, he hasn’t had a real relationship in that time. He hasn’t truly wanted one. But now he’s been invited to the home of his best friend, Leticia Blackwood and he’ll be faced with deep temptation in the form of her brother, Griffin Merrick.

Griffin has seen Aaron at certain clubs where men can vent their desires for a long time. He cannot deny that he wants the handsome solicitor, but secrets from far in the past and a desire not to hurt someone they both love stand between them. Time spent alone at the country party leads to a passionate affair, but only time will tell if they can overcome all that keeps them apart. And if they’re willing to risk losing everything in order to find love.

CW: Suicidal Thoughts (recalled not in story)

Criminal Jack Blackwood has plenty of problems, from his complicated relationship with his brother to the plethora of men coming to dethrone him as king of the underground. What he doesn’t need is a rich, bored gentleman showing up to try to join his gang. Worse, he doesn’t need that gentleman’s sister, Lady Letitia Seagate, chasing after him demanding he keep her brother safe. If only the lady weren’t so damned intriguing.

When Claire found out a devastating secret about her family, the famous Woodley clan, she ran straight into the arms of a criminal and disappeared for years, utterly ruined in the eyes of Society and leaving her family terrified for her safety. But now she’s desperate to escape his clutches and get back what he’s stolen from her: her child. She turns to longtime family horse master Warrick Blackwood, knowing his secrets can get her close to her target.

War doesn’t want to return to the dangerous life he left behind, even to help Claire, but he has no choice. Not only does she know the truth about his past, but he’s never been able to resist her. Her frantic attempt to save her daughter will bring them close, revealing both War’s dominant nature and his heart, but it may also destroy any hope at the future both secretly long for.

CW: Domestic Abuse (described), Assault/Violence

The youngest son of the Woodley clan, Gabriel has been obsessed with bringing his missing twin sister home since she disappeared over two years ago and can be tempted to do nothing else. His drive has forced him to block out everything around him, including any feelings he may have begun to develop for the beautiful healer who saved his mother’s life, Juliet Gray. But when she is brought to London by Gabriel’s mother as a way to thank her for her service, avoiding the desire she inspires becomes impossible.

Juliet never wanted to come to London in the first place, especially since she knows she won’t be able to avoid Gabriel, who has been both confusing and drawing her from the moment they met. But to give her father a chance at happiness, she’ll stay in town. When Gabriel asks for her help in finding his sister, explosive secrets will be spilled and long suppressed longings will overflow. But will their search bring them love or expose them to a danger that could destroy all they’ve built?

CW: Violence

Josie Westfall spent a lifetime feeling alone and bullied and an unfortunate incident involving her best friend’s brother, Evan, only made things worse. Still, when she and her mother are invited to the wedding he will be attending, they can’t exactly refuse. She hopes to avoid him, but instead they are thrown together and she is shocked to find that she actually begins to like the man she’s thought of as an enemy for years.

Evan has always felt terrible about what he said to Josie years before, but he’s never quite been able to make it up to her. Once they spend time together, he realizes the woman she’s become is far more alluring than he ever thought possible. But he also discovers she may have a few secrets and some information about his missing sister. Information he needs and would do almost anything to uncover.

Now he must decide, should he betray her by trading on the unexpected attraction between them and discover what she knows? Or could the possibility of love be worth more than anything else?

CW: Bullying

Jude Samson has worked for the Woodley family for such a long time that he is seen as a brother. But he has very unbrotherly feelings toward the youngest of the clan, Lady Audrey. Feelings he’s fought hard to keep at bay because he knows he cannot ever pursue them. However, when they find themselves spending more and more time together off at the family’s country estate, long simmering desires will come to the forefront and Jude won’t be able to stop himself from taking that one, oh-so-forbidden taste.

After seeing what it has done to her family, Audrey is afraid of passion. But the moment Jude touches her, fear is washed away by intense and powerful lust. She gives in, almost because she has no choice and realizes that these feelings are anything but negative. But when she reaches for more, Jude still pushes her away, never giving her his heart and making her fear that this affair will always exist only in the dark.

Jude has a secret that could destroy everything that is beginning to develop between them. And when it comes out, it will change everything.

CW: Implied Sexual Abuse

This is a bundle of all four books in the Seasons series by USA Today Bestseller Jess Michaels!

An Affair in Winter

Widow Rosalinde Wilde is on her way to her beloved sister’s wedding when an unexpected storm waylays her at an overcrowded inn. There she meets a tempting stranger who sweeps her into a night of unforgettable passion.

Grayson Danford never expected a night with the irresistible Mrs. Wilde, but she was a welcome distraction from the unpleasant duty of breaking up his brother’s impending nuptials. He’s shocked when he discovers his passionate lover is none other than the sister of his brother’s intended.

Now Rosalinde and Gray will butt heads, even as their simmering desire for each other threatens to boil over. Who will win? And who might lose it all?

A Spring Deception
Miss Celia Fitzgilbert’s grandfather has decreed she must marry a man with a title or he’ll never reveal her mysterious father’s identity. But her engagement to an Earl was already broken, leaving her steeped in scandal. She has all but given up until the reclusive Duke of Clairemont returns to Society and sweeps her off her feet, a potential solution to all her problems.

But things are not so simple for the duke. Aiden is not comfortable with his position in Society, perhaps because he is a fraud. In truth, Clairemont died months ago and the man playing him is a spy, bent on uncovering a dangerous secret. A flirtation with Celia, meant to help him fit in, quickly turns very real. But can Celia recover when the lies come out? Ad can Aiden keep them both alive long enough to even consider a future?

One Summer of Surrender
Lucien, the Earl of Stenfax has been engaged twice, but only in love once. That was with his childhood sweetheart, Elise. When she threw him over for a man with more money and a higher ranking title, it broke him. Now she’s widowed and he finds himself drawn to her again, like a moth to her flame.

Elise had her reasons for walking away from Lucien, reasons he doesn’t understand. Back in Society, she’s now financially desperate and is even considering becoming someone’s mistress. But Lucien keeps appearing at the most inopportune moments and it’s only a matter of time before the desire between them explodes.

Time will tell if Lucien will be able to see past his lusty drive for revenge. And if Elise can convince him she’s worthy of more, despite the past.

Adored in Autumn
Viscountess Felicity Barbridge escaped a violent marriage with her life because she was willing to make desperate choices. Now those choices are back to haunt her, as is the object of her girlhood obsession, Asher Seyton.

Asher was never anything more than a servant’s son, but he’s elevated himself through an education and is now a respected solicitor. He only returns to his childhood home to help with a financial issue, but when he realizes Felicity is being threatened, he’s driven to stay and help. Even if he must now face all the feelings for her he tried to repress over the years.

Will Felicity be able to trust Asher enough to share more than passion? And will Asher’s own secrets unravel all they’ve built?

Viscountess Felicity Barbridge escaped a violent marriage with her life only because she was willing to make desperate choices. Now those choices are back to haunt her, and the only person who might be able to save her life is the object of her girlhood obsession, Asher Seyton.

Asher was never anything more than a servant’s son to Felicity’s family. He was close to the children, especially Felicity, but he knew he didn’t belong in their world. Over the years since he left, he’s elevated himself through an education and is now a respected solicitor. He only returns to his childhood home to help with a financial issue, but when he realizes Felicity is being threatened, he’s driven to stay and help. Even if he must now face all the feelings for her he tried to repress over the years they are parted.

Will Felicity be able to trust Asher enough to share more than passion? And will Asher’s own secrets unravel all they’ve built?

CW: Domestic Abuse, Attempted Sexual Assault, Violence

Lucien, the Earl of Stenfax has been engaged twice, but only in love once. That was with his childhood sweetheart, Elise. When she threw him over for a man with more money and a higher ranking title, it broke everything about him and he became a shell of who he once was. He swore he would never love again, and he’s stuck with that. However, now Elise is widowed, available…and he finds himself drawn to her again, like a foolish moth to her powerful flame.

Elise had her reasons for walking away from Lucien, reasons he doesn’t understand and she cannot tell him, for fear of hurting someone they both love. Back in Society, she’s now financially desperate and is even considering becoming someone’s mistress. But Lucien keeps appearing at the most inopportune moments and it’s only a matter of time before the powerful desire that still simmers between them explodes into a passion that will sweep them both away.

Time will tell if Lucien will be able to see past his lusty drive for revenge. And if Elise can convince him she’s worthy of more than just his body, despite the past.

CW: Attempted Suicide, Attempted Rape, Assault

Miss Celia Fitzgilbert’s grandfather has decreed she must marry a man with a title or he’ll never reveal the identity of her mysterious father. But her engagement to an Earl was already broken, leaving her steeped in scandal. She has all but given up on her future until the reclusive Duke of Clairemont returns to Society and sweeps her off her feet. Not only does she feel drawn to him in ways she’s never felt before, but he is a potential solution to all her problems.

But things are not so simple for the duke. Aiden is not comfortable with his position in Society, perhaps because he is a fraud. In truth, Clairemont died months ago and the man playing him is a spy, bent on uncovering a dangerous secret. A flirtation with Celia, meant to help him fit in, quickly turns very real. But can Celia recover when the lies come out? And can Aiden keep them both alive long enough to even consider a future?

CW: Violence, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Child Abuse (recalled)

Widow Rosalinde Wilde wants only to protect her beloved sister and find out the truth about her mysterious father. It seems she can do both when her sister becomes engaged to an earl, fulfilling their wicked grandfather’s desire to see one of them wed above her station. Now Rosalinde is on her way to the wedding when an unexpected storm waylays her at an overcrowded inn. There she meets a tempting stranger who sweeps her into a night of unforgettable passion. But when morning comes, they both walk away, certain they’ll never see each other again.

Grayson Danford never expected a night with the irresistible Mrs. Wilde, but she was a welcome distraction from the unpleasant duty of breaking up his brother’s impending nuptials.  He’s shocked when he discovers his passionate lover is none other than the sister of his brother’s intended and she is just as determined to see this wedding go forward.

Now Rosalinde and Gray will butt heads, even as their simmering desire for each other threatens to boil over. Who will win? And who might lose it all?

CW: Emotional abuse, assault, suicide (discussed), child abuse

A Special Edition of the 3rd Book in the 1797 Club

This amazing edition features photographs from the amazing Jenn LeBlanc, enhancing the original story of Graham and Adelaide’s journey to each other.  Each chapter contains 2-3 images. 

Adelaide Longford is London’s most overlooked bluestocking wallflower and that is fine by her. Being ignored gives her the perfect opportunity to sneak out and secretly take on the persona of the most celebrated actress of the day, Lydia Ford. The thrill of walking the boards and hearing the applause of those who watch her is the most exciting experience of her life.

Until Graham Everly, Duke of Northfield comes into her life. He is broken after the humiliating loss of his longtime fiancé to his supposed best friend and they enter into a lusty affair which sets her body on fire. Graham has no idea why he’s so attracted to both the bespectacled, prickly Adelaide and the passionate Lydia, but soon he is caught in a dance with them both and torn between which future he wants to pursue.

When Graham finds out Adelaide’s secret identity will he be able to accept both parts of her? And will he be able to save her from a lurking danger that neither of them could have ever foreseen?

CW: Abuse (described and on page), attempted rape

A USA Today Bestseller

When Christopher “Kit” Collins’ father dies, he is devastated, but he must swiftly take on the title of Duke of Kingsacre and all the responsibility that comes with it. Including the care of his very young illegitimate half-sister, who is now his ward.  He is very upset when he discovers the governess his father hired for the child just before his death is Sarah Carlton.

Sarah is equally disturbed by the arrival of her new employer, as she and Kit once had an unpleasant encounter when she was at her lowest point. But since she has no other place to go, she can only hope he will not sack her and send her into the dark unknown future. Thanks to the adoration of his sister, he does not and the two enter into a wary truce because they both care for the child.

A truce that explodes one passionate night after a nearly tragic accident. Comfort leads to more and soon the two are engaged in an affair. But when danger comes to threaten the child they both love, they must overcome their deeply rooted mistrust and work together to keep her safe. And perhaps find a way to make a family together.

CW: On page parental death, near-drowning, assault

Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford is known for his lusty appetites and his cold, cold heart. Still thanks to his title and his fortune, everyone wants him and he’s bored of it all. He wants something, but he cannot place what exactly that is. Until he meets Katherine, the Countess of Gainsworth.

Married for six months to an old man who died when they were making love, Katherine is just returning to Society. Although scandal follows her, so does interest, as the men of Society wonder about her prowess if it could kill a man. When Robert begins to pursue her, she is horrified. After all, she blames him for the circumstances that sent her into her loveless marriage in the first place.

When Katherine ignores him, Robert only pushes harder and ultimately she begins to wonder if revenge is a dish best served through desire. What she finds when she touches him at last is pleasure unlike any she’s ever known, and a connection she does not wish to feel. Now she must decide if she wants revenge or happiness and Robert must determine if love is worth fighting for.

CW: abuse, suicide (described, not in story)

A USA Today Bestseller

Hugh Margolis, Duke of Brighthollow, has been keeping a secret that eats him up inside. His beloved sister was seduced and nearly destroyed by a wicked man. The trauma sent her into exile and to protect her reputation, he never did anything about it. But now the ‘gentleman’ is back in Society and recently engaged to another lady.

Lady Amelia Quinton cannot believe her luck. After a whirlwind courtship, she has just become engaged and now she’s looking forward to what she hopes will be a true love match. Only all her plans come to a screeching halt when her father announces she is now to marry the Duke of Brighthollow because he owns her father’s debts.

Amelia is horrified, for Hugh is nothing like the sweet and gentle boy she wanted to marry. But once their vows are said, passions flare and she begins to know the man better. Little by little, both their walls come down and feelings grow. Until she finds out he lied to win her. Will Hugh ever tell her the truth and will it even matter by the time it’s all said and done?

CW: abuse, assault

Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale, once loved a woman, but she died in a tragic accident he felt responsible for. Since then, he’s been playing pretend that he isn’t broken inside, even as he’s seen as London’s most sought after bachelor. He decides to drown his sorrows at the notorious Donville Masquerade where he encounters an alluring stranger who he spends the night with.

Mrs. Isabel Hayes was married once to a man who did not inspire passion and she’s been curious ever since. She has no intention of taking a lover at the Donville Masquerade, but to watch the activities there, just as she has been for weeks. But once the masked stranger pursues her, she is swept away.

Soon Isabel recognizes her lover for who he really is and realizes a terrible truth. She is the cousin of the woman he once loved and lost, and her family blames him for what happened. Driven by the passion they’ve shared, but also repelled by the stories she’s heard, Isabel continues the affair, trying to find the truth. But once Matthew realizes her identity, will he pursue her for what they’ve built, or only because she reminds him of what he lost? And will he survive to share a life with her at all?

CW: Grief, abuse

Lucas Vincent may be the Duke of Willowby but he’s never acted as such. He’s been too busy working undercover for the War Department as a spy. But years of dangerous work has finally caught up to him and he was involved in a violent attack that nearly killed him. Forced home, his angry, aggressive desire to get back in the field and find out to who betrayed him is keeping him from healing.

Diana Oakford was raised by a physician who served the King’s War Department and she knows better than most the dangers that job entails. She was also trained in healing, so when she’s asked to come and assist with Lucas’s recovery she has a hard time refusing.

Once they’re alone together an unexpected connection begins to grow between these two people who have fought their emotions all their lives and more begins to heal than just Lucas’s broken body. But just when they start to believe they could find some kind of happiness, the past rears its ugly head and Lucas will have to choose between the life he once led and the woman who has changed his world.

CW: Violence. Death of a child (described, not on page)

A USA Today Bestseller

Baldwin Undercross, Duke of Sheffield, has a secret he’s keeping from almost everyone he knows and loves. He is destitute, thanks to gambling by his late father that was multiplied by his own bad decisions. There is only one option now: marry for money and do it soon. An opportunity presents itself when a rich American woman arrives in Society hunting for a title in trade for a huge dowry.

After a scandal destroyed her life back home, Helena Monroe is the companion to her spoiled, entitled cousin. She has trailed after her to England and she is miserable. But once she encounters Baldwin on a terrace, her time in London starts to look up. She and the duke share a flirtatious moment that gives her the first bright spot in her life for years. However, she quickly realizes he believes she is her cousin and everything starts to fall apart.

Baldwin is now torn between a future that will save his family legacy and one with a woman he is growing increasingly attached to. Will he choose safety or passion, obligation or love?

CW: rape (described not on screen), abuse

A USA Today Bestseller

Born mute, Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow was abused by his wicked father and wretched younger brothers until an uncle swept in to save the day. Still, he carries the scars of his past with him, including a terrible belief that perhaps a “person like him” truly doesn’t deserve the title his uncle fought so hard for him to earn.

Recently widowed Charlotte may be the proper Countess of Portsmith to Society, but when she is around Ewan, she still feels like the enraptured little girl who met him decades before when her brother was best friends with him and his cousin.

A planned trip to spend Christmas with their families at Ewan’s estate reunites the old friends. But when a storm keeps the others from arriving on time, Charlotte decides to stop living in fear and pursue the man she has desired and loved her entire life. Ewan cannot resist her seduction, but he fears giving in to his heart. Especially when the family that disposed of him returns and threatens not only his life, but that of the woman he loves.

CW: Child abuse, consent boundary pushed (heroine to hero)

A USA Today Bestseller

Adelaide Longford is London’s most overlooked bluestocking wallflower and that is fine by her. Being ignored gives her the perfect opportunity to sneak out and secretly take on the persona of the most celebrated actress of the day, Lydia Ford. The thrill of walking the boards and hearing the applause of those who watch her is the most exciting experience of her life.

Until Graham Everly, Duke of Northfield comes into her life. He is broken after the humiliating loss of his longtime fiancé to his supposed best friend and they enter into a lusty affair which sets her body on fire. Graham has no idea why he’s so attracted to both the bespectacled, prickly Adelaide and the passionate Lydia, but soon he is caught in a dance with them both and torn between which future he wants to pursue.

When Graham finds out Adelaide’s secret identity will he be able to accept both parts of her? And will he be able to save her from a lurking danger that neither of them could have ever foreseen?

CW: Abuse (described and on page), attempted rape, rape (described), child abuse

Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood has been in love with Margaret Rylon for years, since they were barely more than children. There is only one thing standing between them: her fiancé, who also happens to be his best friend. He is desperate not to destroy everything in his life by giving in to his desires, but when Meg and Simon are trapped alone together overnight during a storm, the resulting scandal not only breaks Meg’s existing engagement, but forces Simon to offer for her instead.

Margaret is sorry to have hurt her family and her former fiancé, but all she’s ever wanted was Simon…and now she has him. Her determination to make a happy life with him is only heightened once they fully submit to the passions that have long dwelled beneath the surface. But once they’re married, Simon may give her his body, but he continues to withhold his heart out of intense guilt and deep fear of what a connection to her may expose.

And if he doesn’t learn to fight for her soon, they both may lose a chance at happiness.

CW: Parental neglect, parental death, alcoholism

The wild and charismatic Duke of Abernathe is the kind of friend anyone would wish to have. He even formed the 1797 Club, consisting of ten men who would all be dukes so they could help each other. But James has full-throatedly declared he will never marry and no one understands why.

Miss Emma Liston doesn’t care why. A longtime wallflower with an absentee father who is a scandal waiting to happen, she needs to marry. Now. She decides to take a wild chance and ask the help of her friend Meg’s brother James. She asks him to pretend he’s interested in her just long enough to gain the attention of others. He agrees but is quickly taken aback by how easy everything is with Emma.

When her father returns, threatening her with a terrible future, their courtship swiftly becomes all too real. Will James ever reveal the true man beneath the outer shell? And can Emma discover her own worthiness before it’s too late?

CW: Attempted assault, child abuse (described but not on scene), parental alcoholism

A collection of the second 3 scandal sheet stories from 10 time USA Today Bestselling author Jess Michaels

The most wicked secrets in Society are being revealed in a weekly newsletter sent only to the elite of the ton. These are the stories behind those scandals. Love and passion, betrayal and forgiveness, sin and seduction are all to be found in The Scandal Sheet, Volume 2.

My Fair Viscount
Raised in the rookeries, David Shaw has just inherited his father’s fortune…and his title. With his rough manners, he will certainly never be accepted by Society, but his cousin offers a solution. One David doesn’t like.

Miss Rose Higgins has a successful reputation as a comportment teacher to ladies of the Upper Ten Thousand. When she’s approached to help the now-infamous new Viscount Shaw, she has no interest in putting herself on the line…until she’s made an offer she can’t refuse.

Neither Rose nor David expect the instant connection which flares between them. Nor the feelings which come from their attraction. But in the end, they are both bound to propriety and there are obstacles in the way that may not be overcome unless they risk everything.

Guarding The Countess
Naomi Barnaby’s husband, the Earl of Walridge, just died under mysterious circumstances. Her third husband to do so in just a handful of years. She wants to know if the men in her life were murdered and hires investigators Captain Marcus Ridgeway and Everett Bryant, Marquis of Glenmarrow to look into the matter.

When the alluring Naomi is attacked in their driveway, Marcus and Everett decide to take a far more personal interest in protecting her and uncovering who killed the men in her life. Soon the three are involved in an intense affair that challenges feelings between each member of their triad.

But the shared history between Marcus and Everett is something that cannot be ignored. And those threatening Naomi may destroy everything the three could mean to each other and the unique future they long to build.

The House of Pleasure
Miss Hannah Blankenship’s awful father has finally done what he’s threatened to do for years: arrange a marriage for her. And she’s certain she knows the man he’s chosen, a disgusting viscount even older than he is! She only knows one way to end this horrible engagement and that is to get rid of the innocence that has been the bartering point. So she goes to a hell, looking for trouble.

Duncan Cavendish is at the hell trying to drink his own trouble away. As the second son of an earl, he has very little control over his future. His brother has demanded he settle down in order to inherit and now Duncan is stuck. But the alluring stranger who takes him to her bed helps him forget…and makes him want.

But when Hannah realized it is Duncan, himself, who is her intended, she is shocked. The two decide to marry so that Duncan may get his money and Hannah her freedom. But their searing attraction may lead to feelings neither prepared for. And leave them both wondering if their mutual insistence to stay at arm’s length is truly the best course of action.

A collection of the first 3 Scandal Sheet books from 10 time USA Today Bestselling author Jess Michaels

The most wicked secrets in Society are being revealed in a weekly newsletter sent only to the elite of the ton. These are the stories behind those scandals. Love and passion, betrayal and forgiveness, sin and seduction are all to be found in The Scandal Sheet, Volume 1.

The Return of Lady Jane
After a surprisingly passionate wedding day, Viscount Colin Wharton begins to believe he could overcome a painful betrayal in his past and truly make a future with his new wife Jane. But a shocking betrayal crushes his heart. He sends her away, determined to forget her.

Viscountess Jane Wharton has no idea what hardened her husband’s heart to her, but she is trying to make the best of her banishment. When she returns to London, she hopes to simply avoid Colin. But that is not to be. As the couple reunites in a clash of harsh words and heated passions, both begin to wonder if they could overcome the past.

Only a secret lurks that is darker than anything either could have imagined. And they will have to fight to survive, as well as fight for the love they both deserve.

Stealing the Duke
When the Earl of Martingale died, his daughter Marianne discovered he had been stealing. When she tried to return the items, it only created a scandal that could destroy her and her beloved younger sister. Now she’s found one more item and decides to just sneak it back to the victim in the hopes to keep her disgrace from growing.

Alexander Wittingham, the Duke of Avondale, has isolated himself since his sister died. But when he catches the fetching Marianne trying to return his sister’s stolen broach, her presence awakens desires in him, longings he hasn’t allowed himself to feel in years. When he realizes her dire straits, he makes her a shocking offer that could save her…if she’s willing to surrender her body.

Their affair draws them close physically…and emotionally. But will Alexander ever accept Marianne to be more than his lover? If he does, will it be too late?

Lady No Says Yes
Stunning heiress Sophie is known in Society as Lady No because she’s spent the past few years refusing the advances of every suitor. But when her beloved aunt challenges her to say yes for just one Season, she can’t refuse.

Rowan Sinclair has just had his inheritance stripped and is in dire straights. When he discovers Sophie’s secret reason for suddenly saying yes, he knows he can use it to his advantage, even if he doesn’t feel good about it.

Their unexpected connection quickly turns passionate and grows into something deeper than either ever could have expected. But can Sophie overcome her reasons for saying no in the first place? And when she finds out the truth about his courtship, will she ever forgive him?

Miss Hannah Blankenship’s awful father has finally done what he’s threatened to do for years: arranged an unwanted marriage for her. And she’s certain she knows the man he’s chosen, a disgusting viscount even older than he is! She knows only one way to end this horrible engagement and that is to get rid of her innocence so it can no longer be a prize for her intended. Terrified but resolved, she goes to the notorious Donville Masquerade, looking for trouble. 

Duncan Cavendish is at the hell trying to drink his own troubles away. As the second son of an earl, he has very little control over his future. His brother has demanded he settle down at last in order to inherit and now Duncan is stuck and frustrated. But the alluring stranger who takes him to her bed helps him forget for a few hours…and makes him want even more from her.

But when the next days dawns and Hannah realizes it is Duncan, himself, who is her intended, she is shocked…and filled with a secret thrill she never expected. The two decide to follow through on the marriage so that Duncan may get his money and Hannah her freedom. But their searing attraction may lead to deeper feelings neither prepared for. And leave them both wondering if their mutual insistence to stay at arm’s length is truly the best course of action.

CW: Abuse

Naomi Barnaby’s husband, the Earl of Walridge, just died under mysterious circumstances. Worse, this is her third husband to do so in just a handful of years. Uneasy with what that could mean, she wants to know if the men in her life were murdered or if she’s simply desperately unlucky. She hires renowned (and entirely too handsome) investigators Captain Marcus Ridgeway and Everett Bryant, Marquess of Glenmarrow to look into the matter on her behalf.

When the alluring Naomi is attacked in their very driveway, Marcus and Everett decide to take a far more personal interest in protecting her and uncovering who killed the men in her life. With danger and high emotions at their peak, desire becomes undeniable. Soon the three are involved in an intense affair that challenges feelings between each member of their steamy triad.

But the intense shared history between Marcus and Everett is something that cannot be ignored if they are to build anything of value with the countess. And those threatening Naomi’s life may not be satisfied with only killing her husbands anymore. Will everything the three could mean to each other and the unique future they long to build in each other’s arms be destroyed before it has a chance to come to fruition?

CW: Abuse, Murder

Raised in the rookeries to rabble-rouse and steal, David Shaw never cared about the life of those in the upper crust unless he was lightening their pockets. But now he has just unexpectedly inherited his estranged father’s fortune…and his title. He has no idea how to handle it, for with his rough manners, he will certainly never be accepted by Society. But his cousin offers a solution. One David doesn’t like.

Miss Rose Higgins has a successful reputation as a comportment teacher to ladies of the Upper Ten Thousand and has quietly built herself a small fortune that she wishes to use for a new life. When she’s approached to help the now-infamous new Viscount Shaw become ready for his formal debut later in the Season, she has no interest in putting that reputation on the line…until she’s made an offer she can’t refuse.

Neither Rose nor David expect the instant connection which flares between them from the first moment they lay eyes on each other. Nor are they ready for the intense feelings which bloom from their initial attraction as they get to know each other better. But in the end, they are both bound to propriety and futures that cannot be connected. And there are obstacles in the way that may not be overcome unless they are willing to risk everything.

CW: Alcoholism

After crushing disappointments made her bitter, stunning heiress Sophie became known in Society as Lady No because she’s spent the past few years refusing the advances of every suitor. Even though she is sometimes lonely, she tells herself she’s perfectly happy with this arrangement and could live without attachment forever. But when her beloved maiden aunt challenges her to say yes for just one Season, if only to give herself a chance for something different, she can’t refuse even though she doubts the prudence of such an action.

Rowan Sinclair has just had his inheritance unexpectedly stripped and is in dire financial straights. Fearing he might have to give up his budding art career, he is desperate for any solution. When he discovers Sophie’s secret agreement to say yes, he knows he can turn this to his advantage and perhaps save himself, even if he doesn’t feel good about lying to someone he’s always admired.

Their unexpected connection quickly turns passionate and eventually grows into something deeper than either of them ever could have expected. But can Sophie overcome her reasons for saying no in the first place? And when she finds out the truth and manipulations behind Rowan’s courtship, will he ever find a way to prove his heart to her and earn her forgiveness?

When the Earl of Martingale died, his daughter Marianne discovered a shocking secret. He had been stealing from friend and foe alike all through Society’s highest and mightiest. When she tried to return the items, the backlash only created a bigger misunderstanding and scandal that could destroy both her and her beloved younger sister. Now she’s found one more item and decides to just sneak it back to the victim in the hopes she can keep her disgrace from getting even more out of control.

Alexander Wittingham, the Duke of Avondale, has isolated himself from everyone who once cared for him since his beloved sister died. But when he catches the fetching Marianne trying to return his sister’s stolen broach, her presence awakens desires in him, longings he hasn’t allowed himself to feel in years. When he realizes her dire straits, he realizes he could have everything he wants and truly become the villain he believes himself to be. He makes her a shocking offer that could save her…if she’s willing to surrender her body to him in every wicked way.

Their passionate, powerful affair draws them close physically…and emotionally, to both their surprise. And it begins to heal both of them in ways they never could have imagined at their troubled start. But will broken Alexander ever accept Marianne to be more than merely his lover? If he finally does, will it be too late?

After a surprisingly passionate wedding day, Viscount Colin Wharton begins to believe he could overcome a painful betrayal in his past and truly make more than a mere marriage of convenience with his beautiful new wife Jane. But what he believes to be a shocking betrayal crushes his heart and turns it to stone against her. Believing she will try to twist the truth to her advantage, he sends her away with no chance for explanation, determined to forget her and move on.

Viscountess Jane Wharton has no idea what suddenly hardened her husband’s heart to her, but she has tried to make the best of her long banishment by tending to his estate and being the best steward to his people that she can be. When she secretly returns to London to visit family, she hopes to simply avoid Colin and the heartbreak he could cause all over again. But that is not to be. As the couple reunites in a clash of harsh words and even more heated passions, both begin to wonder if they could overcome the past and have a second chance.

Only a secret lurks that is darker than anything either could have imagined. And they will have to fight to survive, as well as triumph for the love they both so richly deserve.

CW: Violence

All three books from the The Shelley Sisters Series in one collection!

A set of triplets is a rare thing in the Regency era, so the three Shelley sisters have always been an oddity. But now they are about to be thrown into a wild series of events, kicked off by one of them deciding to become a runaway bride.

Will any of these three remarkable women find her perfect match? And will their bond of sisterhood survive betrayal, loss and danger?

A Reluctant Bride
When the Jasper Kincaid, the Earl of Harcourt, offered to marry one of the infamous Shelley triplets, he was doing it for the dowry to refill his depleted coffers, not for anything so silly as love. But when he realizes it is Thomasina Shelley masquerading as his fiancée at their final engagement ball, not his true intended, a desire for her that he has been ignoring sparks. And when it becomes clear her sister has run away with another, an opportunity arises for a marriage with a much deeper connection.

A Reckless Runaway
Anne Shelley has always been known as the “wild” one of the infamous Shelley triplets and never has that been truer than when she ran away from her engagement with a scandalous man. She expects to be taken to Gretna Green for a hasty marriage, but instead she is dumped off on a remote island in Scotland with his grouchy cousin, Rook Maitland. She isn’t supposed to like him, but as their time together stretches out she can’t help but develop more than a passing interest in her temporary guardian.

A Counterfeit Courtesan
The last of the Shelley triplets to remain unmarried, Juliana Shelley has never felt like she’s recognized as her own person. But now, scarred by a terrible attack, she’s never felt so alone. Or so tired of cleaning up every else’s mess. She longs for something just for herself. A taste of the desire that seems to make her sisters so very happy in their marriages. One desperate night, she goes to the wicked Donville Masquerade, looking for trouble and finds a handsome, masked stranger more than willing to provide it. Only by the light of day, she realizes he’s no stranger at all, but Ellis Maitland, the architect of her destruction.

The last of the Shelley triplets to remain unmarried, Juliana Shelley has never felt like she’s recognized as her own person. But now, scarred by a terrible attack, she’s never felt so alone. Or so tired of cleaning up every else’s mess. She longs for something just for herself. A taste of the desire that seems to make her sisters so very happy in their marriages. One desperate night, she goes to the wicked Donville Masquerade, looking for trouble and finds a handsome, masked stranger more than willing to provide it.

Ellis Maitland’s dangerous desperation caused the injuries Juliana suffered and he has felt guilty about it since. And drawn to her unlike anyone else he’s ever met. When he realizes she’s masquerading as a courtesan his best impulses, rusty as they are, cause him to try to stop her from making a mistake.

Only Juliana isn’t as easily deterred as Ellis believes she will be. And the desire that sparks between them soon cannot be denied. Although they begin a passionate affair, Ellis knows it cannot last. After all, he has a plan to take care of the villain behind all the trouble plaguing his family and it’s one he knows he won’t survive. Will Juliana’s help and faith save him? Or will it be too little, too late.

CW: Violence, Abuse

Imogen Huxley was already questioning her decision to seek out a lover at a notorious brothel in order to secure her future, but never more so than after she witnesses a murder! She flees for her life with villains in hot pursuit and runs right into the strong arms of Oscar Fitzhugh, a mysterious club owner. She has no choice but to take his offer of protection while he tries to save her life from those pursuing her. The passion that comes with that protection is just a bonus.

Oscar Fitzhugh was at the brothel investigating the death of his former mistress. He’s one of the infamous by-blows of the Duke of Roseford, but he cut himself off from his family long ago. Now he lives his life, trying desperately to keep everyone around him at arm’s length. But Imogen is too intriguing not to protect and seduce.

Danger is at every turn, pleasure in each touch. But as they circle ever closer to a future that could be everything they’ve ever needed, the murderer looking for Imogen is also coming closer by the day. If he finds them, all will be lost.

Viscountess Aurora Lovell has been in love with one man her entire life, but life intruded and never allowed her to be with him. She came to accept it, marrying for title rather than love. Now a widow, she’s busy trying to figure out how to manage a scandal about to destroy her world when she is invited to a country party. Desperate to escape the realities of her life, she accepts.

Nicholas Gillingham has always lived his life between two worlds. Raised by a servant, but secretly the bastard son of the infamous Duke of Roseford, he never felt he belonged. Injured saving others, he is now a war hero and improbably in line to be gifted a title for his service. A way to never feel so helpless as he did when he lost Aurora the first time. But to influence the right people, he needs his brother’s help and finds himself at a country party.

Time and distance mean nothing when Aurora and Nicholas meet again. But can they overcome a tangled past filled with bitter betrayal, a scandal that could ruin the future AND a very intrusive dog in order to find their way back to each other? Or will love be just as painful the second time around?

Selina Oliver has always enjoyed all the pleasures life offers. As one of the infamous Roseford By-Blows, why shouldn’t she? But Selina has a secret, one that could tear her world apart. She is also the Faceless Fox, a brazen thief who for years has been stealing the finest jewels of the nastiest women of the ton. Now her brother has invited her to a country party where one of the prizes she craves most will also be at her fingertips. How could a wily fox resist this henhouse?

Derrick Huntington has spent a life maintaining control and discipline. From his years in the army to his current place as an investigator for the ton’s elite, he never wavers from his duty. Now he and his partner are sent to an exclusive country party with one task: catch the Faceless Fox before they strike again and finally unmask the villain who has been intriguing him for years.

Investigator meet criminal in a wild chase that will involve seduction as distraction, unexpected respect and a love that could change both their lives forever. If only they can survive it.

CW: Physical assault, abuse (discussed).

When one of the illegitimate sons of the late Duke of Roseford, Morgan Banfield wakes up in Newgate after a night of debauchery, the last thing he wants to see is the new duke, his estranged brother, waiting for him. He offers help out of this sticky situation, but in exchange Morgan must agree to take on some new responsibilities and try to get his life together by taking on the job of a Man of Affairs for a friend.

Wallflower Lizzie Margolis certainly doesn’t want some illegitimate rogue coming onto her beloved brother’s staff to stir everything up. She’s had enough of heartless rakes after being ruined and abandoned by one years before. But the more she gets to know Morgan, the more drawn to him she becomes. The more she begins to question if he’s all he pretends to be. As well as question what is in her own heart and how to manage her growing desire.

But as the two begin to navigate a tenuous future, Morgan’s past rears its ugly head. If they fight for what they could have, will they win? Or will all that stands between them become an insurmountable wall?

CW: Child Abuse (Heroine was seduced as a teen NOT by the hero), Violence

The debut novel from Veronica Albright, a pseudonym of 10 time USA Today Bestselling Author Jess Michaels.

International pop star Bree Lane needs a break. After a wildly successful album release and a year of grieving her late mother, she just wants to spend the holiday by herself in a friend’s swanky penthouse in New York. But a blow up on a morning show with a pushy host brings up old pains and a topic no one can ever seem to leave alone: her actor ex-boyfriend, Colin Gabriel. Her angry reaction sends the internet wild and her into hiding.

When Colin sees the interview, he can’t resist coming to check on Bree, telling himself it’s just about her welfare. But the results are explosive, passionate and utterly unexpected after hearing her talk about how little the relationship meant for the last eight years. But he’s never been able to resist her and he isn’t about to start now.

Reunited lovers, exploring every desire together as they hide away in a secret world…only there are undercurrents of emotion that are always waiting to change everything…including their future together if Bree can just let him in for Christmas.

Tricked into spending time alone at Christmas with the husband who once made it clear he doesn’t care about her, the Countess of Blackgrove, Amelia, has no idea how to react.

But Stephen only wants seduction…and love.

A FREE short story!

Formerly called A Ladies Gift for Seduction in the collection Betrothed By Christmas. The story has not changed.

Lady Evangeline is a Diamond of the First Water, but she fears her father will match her to his own advantage, not hers. She decides marrying a biddable groom is the only way to salvage her future and chooses her old friend, astronomer Henry Killam.

Henry has only ever wanted to dedicate his mind to astronomy, but his wretched father believes that is beneath him and now he’s threatening to cut him off entirely if he doesn’t come to heel. Enter Evangeline and her intoxicating seduction that turns his life on his head and offers him a chance at a future he never imagined.

As they bond over both holiday and passionate delights, Evangeline soon realizes Henry isn’t quite as manageable as she first believed and her feelings for him are stronger than she ever imagined.

John Cavendish has carried a secret for most of his adult life: he has been in love with the wife of his best friend, Lady Emily Rutledge, since the first time he laid eyes on her. He never acted on it, but it hung in the air every time he was near her. Years have passed, she’s been widowed and they have become the closest of friends, but that deep feeling has remained. However now the holidays have arrived and she has invited him to a country party with a Twelve Days of Christmas theme. A party where she intends to matchmake all her guests.

Emily has leaned on Cavendish during the lonely years since her husband’s death and she will lean on him once more at her party. Only nothing is going to plan. None of the couples like each other, the birds are going wild and who knew drummers drumming would get so repetitive and LOUD? Plus, there is the fact that she and Cav are getting closer by the moment, igniting a desire in her that she never saw coming and feels like it might be a betrayal.

Will twelve days of revelry and seduction be enough to lure these two toward a future that could change their lives? Or will fear and angry geese keep love from blooming?

CW: Loss of a spouse, grief.

When she found out her late husband was a bigamist with three wives just before his untimely death, first wife Abigail Montgomery’s life and heart shattered. She was still reeling when she found out the cad was courting yet another woman, the sister of the Duke of Gilmore. She intervened anonymously and Gilmore’s reaction brought her entire world down around her in a hail of scandal and death. She has seen him as an enemy ever since. An arrogant, interesting, very handsome enemy.

No one can push Gilmore’s buttons more than the fascinating Abigail Montgomery. They constantly butt heads and yet he can’t get her off his mind…or out of his most heated fantasies. But now that her year of mourning for the husband who betrayed them all is over, she is showing up in his life a lot more. When a series of playful wagers leads to a passionate moment, everything changes.

Now forced to marry after being caught together, the two must navigate a tangled past and a cloudy future. Could these enemies ever be more than lovers? Or will their stubborn hesitation to get closer keep them from being truly happy together?

Pippa Montgomery never thought her life would go like this. When she found out her late husband was a bigamist and had been murdered, she thought nothing could ever be the same. When she met his brother Rhys, the Earl of Leighton, she knew it. The serious man makes her feel things she knows are not appropriate and she should stay far away from him for both their sakes.

But it’s not possible. Especially when the illegitimate child her husband fathered behind her back needs them. They return to the house she shared with Rhys’s brother, working together to untangle a web of deceptions. And alone together in the small house, they must also fight, for as long as they can, the simmering desire between them that is bound to explode.

Two people, broken by a desperate scandal. They can only turn to each other, but they know they could never have a future. Will they overcome the obstacles in their way and find a way to love one another? Or will the last consequence of one man’s conduct be the loss of a powerful love that could last the rest of their lives?

Although Celeste Montgomery was forced into a marriage practically at gunpoint a year ago, her husband is more often gone than home and that is just fine with her. She is living a quiet life of her own choosing until investigator Owen Gregory shows up at her home to tell her some outrageous news: her husband has been murdered…and he was also a bigamist, making her the third of three wives.

Owen Gregory was hired to investigate the truth about Celeste’s husband and got caught up in the subsequent murder. He never thought it would lead him here, to this beautiful woman whose life he just shattered with a few words. Once he determines she couldn’t be the murderer, he asks her to join him in London, in the hopes she can help him solve the crime.

Now they must navigate two other wives, a broken-hearted and utterly ruined brother and a duke who keeps poking his nose in where it doesn’t belong as they work together to determine who killed Erasmus Montgomery. All the while they must contend with the intense feelings and explosive desires growing between them.

But will secrets long held endanger them in ways they never imagined? And will they find a way to save each other before it’s too late?

Queen Giabella of Athawick should be happy. Her children are all married and in love, her land is at last at peace and she’s about to have more freedom than she’s experienced in her whole life. And yet she’s…restless. Only one man has been able to settle her during times of trouble: her longtime personal secretary, Dashiell Talbot. So when they’re asked to do a tour of Athawick to celebrate their upcoming democratic elections, she knows she’ll be well taken care of. And she agrees.

Dash has served his queen for a decade and it has been the joy of his life. And the challenge, considering all he ever wants to do is touch her. But that is not his place and he has always been able to control himself before, nothing will be different now.

Except that Gia is starting to have trouble controlling her own desires and everything that has been hidden, suppressed, denied is about to bubble to the surface with an explosion of powerful passion. Will they be able to find a path to a real future? Or will the past keep them apart once again?

CW: Emotional abuse (described)

Since being crowned King of Athawick after the death of his father, Grantham has been struggling. His beloved but frustrating family seems hellbent on defying his every order, his kingdom may be on the verge of a violent uprising and now even his palace has been invaded by a woman. A very frustrating and surprisingly alluring woman who seems entirely unimpressed by his title and position and challenges him at every turn. One who also hellbent on torturing him with her playful sweetness that keeps him up at night with wicked fantasies unbecoming a monarch.

Lady Ophelia may be the special guest of the newest Princess of Athawick, but her attention is continually and frustratingly drawn to the king. The rude, grumpy, forever-frowning king who can be so dismissive of those around him. What he needs is to be brought down a peg and she is just the woman to do it. If only she can avoid any romantic entanglements that she knows from bitter experience cannot end happily, especially with a man like this.

Sunshine meets grumpy in this clash of wits and passion, but when a dangerous revolution comes knocking this king may have to choose between saving his entire kingdom or the love that is slowly thawing his cold heart.

CW: Emotional Abuse (described), physical assault on page.

Prince Remington of Athawick has known one thing his entire life: he is just the spare. His reaction to this fact has always been to go wild and have as much fun as possible. This has given him a reputation as a dissolute rake who is great for a little entertainment, but not exactly dependable. Only now, as his family is changing and expanding, his role is beginning to grate and he isn’t sure what to do next.

Lady Priscilla is in Athawick to attend a royal wedding, but what she really wants is to save herself from a looming future she cannot control and a family who despises her. What better way to fix all her problems than to marry Remi’s brother, King Grantham? After all, the man is perfectly matched with her…at least on paper.

But Priscilla has never been bold, so she needs help to enact her desperate plan. She turns to Remi to teach her how to catch a king’s eye. Except the only eye she seems to be catching is the tempting prince’s and soon they’re caught up in much more desire and connection than either of them ever bargained for. Can a shy wallflower tame a reckless prince? Or will they keep themselves from what could be their own happy ever after?

CW: Emotional Abuse, described and on page.

Thomas, the Earl of Bramwell, has one duty: to repair his family’s fallen fortunes by marrying Princess Ilaria of Athawick. It’s not something he looks forward to, but he is resigned to it and it seems the princess is equally unenthusiastic. Everything changes when he meets her body double, Sasha Killick. His life is immediately turned upside down by the beautiful woman who catches his attention far more than any princess.

Sasha is an adopted daughter of the royal family, but she’s always felt on the outside looking in on her family. Because of how similar they look, she does what is required to help protect the princess, which is how she finds herself out on a terrace with Thomas. Now her head is spinning. This is the man intended for a woman she considers her sister. She cannot betray someone she loves, even if Thomas does make her heart flutter.

An immediate attraction begins to build to a love that can never be. But when Sasha’s life is endangered by people seeking to harm Ilaria, Thomas must decide if he’s willing to lose the woman who has altered his existence in every way that matters.

CW: assault (on page), parental death (described not on page)

All of Society is atwitter about the arrival of the Royal Family of Athawick, a small island country with important ties on a tour to celebrate the coronation of a new king. Or at least…that is the reason on the surface for their Season in London. Princess Ilaria knows the real truth: her family wishes to marry her off to a man of title and influence, in order to strengthen their own “special relationship” with the British Empire. The problem is that only one man has caught her eye and he does not fit any of the criteria required in a husband by her family.

Captain Jonah Crawford was part of the Royal Honor Guard that accompanied the Prince Regent on a visit to Athawick two years ago and it was there he first laid eyes on the princess. Since then, much has changed in his life, including a resignation from the position he loved and the undertaking of responsibilities he never asked for. But seeing Ilaria sparks hungers that he cannot deny.

As they continue to encounter each other, sometimes even in shocking places like infamous hells, their desire grows, but so is the danger lurking around every corner. And when Ilaria requires a bodyguard, Jonah volunteers. Will burning passion turn to love? And will love be enough to save them when the worst comes to pass?

CW: Physical Assault (against heroine, on page)

The 100th Book from 10-Time USA Today Bestselling Author Jess Michaels!

Once upon a time, a handsome duke was madly in love with a beautiful courtesan. But when his wicked grandmother manipulated him into marrying for position, rather than love, they were torn apart. Now Edward, the Duke of Lockhart, is widowed, out of mourning and ready to pursue the love of his life again, at any cost.

But Sophia Russell was brokenhearted when she lost the him before and she sees no way that it can work out this time any more than it did before. Still, Edward’s seduction is something she cannot…will not resist. So she creates elaborate rules of their affair in the hopes that this time she can keep her heart separate and not suffer when it all comes crashing down.

Passion has always been easy for these two, but love will be harder. Especially when a terrible danger becomes clear and their fight for each other becomes one they may die from if they lose.

CW: some abuse (described not on-page), violence against hero

Once a celebrated courtesan known as The Countess, now Zara Cooper is a thief, alongside her partner and longtime lover, Peregrine “Hux” Huxley. One evening at a glittering party amongst society’s elite, they’re secretly caught at their games by a handsome and mysterious gentleman, Richard Fitzroy. His invitation to his country estate offers them an opportunity they cannot refuse and they unknowingly join the man who could destroy them.

After watching Hux and Zara in an intensely passionate moment together, Richard is drawn to both of them in a way he’s not felt for a long time. A way he aches to explore further. When he offers an indecent proposal for pleasure with them both in exchange for his silence on their crimes, they agree to his terms. The three fall into a passion so unexpectedly powerful it overtakes them and throws them into affair that begins to change each of them in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

Hux has protected Zara for years, becoming her lover and hero, even if he avoids allowing himself to feel anything deeper for her. But when their criminal past comes back to disrupt the pleasurable fantasy they’ve built with Richard, it will be up to him to decide if he will trust his two lovers to protect him or sacrifice himself to save the two people he’s beginning to love.

After her loveless marriage comes to an end with the death of her husband, the Duchess of Sedgewick is now heading on a desperate journey to beg the new duke for financial assistance. One she fears will end with requirements she does not wish to fulfill. But when a powerful ice storm strands Anna with her loyal driver, Oliver, and a reclusive painter, Ezra, passions that have long been repressed, as well as new and powerful desires, will come to the surface.

Oliver has been in love with Anna for years, but aside from one anonymous encounter in the darkened hallway of a hell, he’s not been able to be close to her. Nor could he offer her any help, due to his lowly position. So when Ezra offers to pay them to pose for an erotic portrait, he sees an opportunity not only to protect her future, but to experience the passion with her that he’s always secretly longed for.

Ezra has been unable to paint for anything but commission since a terrible personal loss, but Oliver and Anna’s intense connection gives him inspiration…and an intense desire for both of them that quickly becomes undeniable. The threesomes’ powerful passion for each other leads to unexpected deeper emotions and if they can find a way to overcome past hurts and expectations, perhaps they can build a future together on their own terms.

Theo, Duke of Lightmorrow and Bernadette, Dowager Duchess of Tunbridge, grew up together and both experienced the pain of families who didn’t appreciate them. Though they maintained their distance as adults, now that their mutual friends have married, they’ve rekindled a friendship…one that is also highly flirtatious. When one tipsy night Bernadette admits she wishes she could take a lover and experience the desire she sees in her friends, Theo is shocked. Fearing she’ll put herself in danger, at first he tries to put Etta off the idea, but he soon realizes she’s too tenacious. He decides there’s only one way to keep her safe: volunteer to be the man in her bed.

Bernadette’s feelings for Theo are complicated, but so are the ways she views herself. Man after man in her life made her feel unworthy, so it’s hard for her to believe that someone so popular and certain and talented as Theo could actually want her. And if he does, that he could ever desire more than just a few powerfully passionate nights together. But she’s having trouble separating her body from her heart, even if she knows it can only lead to sorrow.

Can a near-tragedy and pleasure like nothing either of them have experienced before lead to forever happiness for these two? Or will one careless night years ago end their future before it can begin?

After losing everything in a series of bad decisions, Roarke Desmond is dependent on his horrible cousins for an allowance. When they ask him to do something horrible: spy on their stepmother, the Duchess of Sidmouth, he doesn’t want to. But what he could provide to his terribly ill mother with what they’ll pay him is impossible to refuse. So he reluctantly agrees, hating himself to the depths of his soul. But once he sees the beautiful duchess, the alluring Flora, everything he wants and needs is turned upside down and something is stoked in him that he never expected.

Flora loved her late husband, despite the vast difference in their ages and the contempt of his adult children. When he died, she resigned herself to the life of a young widow, never looking for love again. But much to her surprise, when Roarke Desmond steps into her life, her thoughts on the subject begin to shift.

The two keep coming into contact, with Roarke more and more captivated by her. But he also feels worse and worse about the lies he’s telling. As for Flora, her own feelings and desire toward him grow deeper with every stolen glance and touch. But when the terrible truth comes out and the cruel lies become desperate danger, they’ll have to overcome the walls now built between them to save each other and maybe even form a life together.

Anne Shelley has always been known as the “wild” one of the infamous Shelley triplets and never has that been truer than when she ran away with a scandalous man from her arranged engagement . She expects to be taken to Gretna Green for a hasty marriage, but instead she is dumped off on a remote island in Scotland with his grouchy cousin, Rook Maitland. She isn’t supposed to like him, but as their time together stretches out she can’t help but develop more than a passing interest in her temporary guardian.

Rook knows all his cousin’s games and he has serious doubts he’ll ever return for the fetching Anne, fool that he is. After all, the woman is fascinating and the more time they spend together, she proves to be irresistible. When she asks him to help her get back to her family, time alone on the road will lead to passions that can no longer be denied.

But Rook’s cousin has an ulterior motive for everything he’s done. And the danger that will be brought down upon their heads could destroy the love they’re beginning to develop and end their future before it has time to begin.

CW: Violence, Child Abuse