Orphaned at eighteen, Sophia Wilkinson has learned love means loss. Now she must leave her country home to navigate the opulence of the London Season, although she has no desire for romance or a husband. Edward Morduant, the newest Earl of Peterborough, is struggling with the business of his family estate. He has shunned marriage due to a shameful secret, but with his title comes the need for heirs. Despite their misgivings, Sophia and Edward cannot resist their attraction. When she accidentally discovers his penchant for spankings, her curiosity is her undoing. A clandestine meeting risks a scandal. Only marriage to a reluctant bridegroom can save her reputation. But perhaps the School of Enlightenment can give her an education in love.
Griffith Hempstead, an up-and-coming young banker, has received a plum assignment: assessing the value of Linton’s Cross, as part of the financial review of the Linton estate. It means spending Christmas away from home, but since his life isn’t populated with vast numbers of friends and family—Ballinger Bastards tend toward quiet lives—he accepts the commission without demur. He does not, however, expect to find Lady Helen in residence, nor does he expect to find himself thrust into the midst of family conflicts, theatrical performances, or passionate trysts, some of which—to his utter shock—are his own.
On this road trip, one bed is never enough… For Double and Mary Shayler, a road trip to London should be the perfect holiday away from Northfield Hall. Married for 25 years, they are on their way to visit their son and get some much-needed quality time. The only trouble is that Mary is mad at Double. Still. And as much as he tries to apologize, he only seems to make things worse instead of better. As they get farther and farther away from the comfort of their home, Mary and Double have to face the fears swirling behind their every interaction: do they still love each other enough to stay together?
1715. In the glittering world of 18th Century England, Elizabeth Hartwell’s dream of carrying on her beloved father’s medical studies is shattered when King George is crowned and she’s dismissed from Court. She’s out of favor. In danger. Despite misgivings, she accepts protection from Ashton Wentworth, Earl of Haverdale, recently returned from exile and determined to restore his family name and fortune. He is pledged to King George, but in an ironic twist of fate finds himself caught up in the Jacobite Rising to crown the Pretender as King James III. Suddenly, with the future of the country at stake, sides must be chosen.
Only half of Gabriel Sloane’s blood is blue. The other half is black from the coal dust his mother removed daily as a housemaid. Despite his poor upbringing, Gabriel is now a partner in a successful gentlemen’s club, no thanks to his father, the Duke of Rushford, who’s never bothered to acknowledge him. When a fire destroys a warehouse in his old neighborhood, Gabriel is the first to offer aid. But his pockets aren’t that deep, and more donations are needed. Appeals to charities go unanswered, driving him to commit a bold act.
Miss Frances Wharton is far more interested in fighting for the rights of the poor than in marriage, but her mother insists she attend a summer house party—and find herself a husband. Frances would rather wed a goat than the pompous man her mother has in mind, so in order to dissuade the would-be suitor, she vows to behave like a shrew. The only person she can be herself with is the kind, handsome footman she runs into at every turn. Their connection is undeniable, and the divide between them is no match for the passion they feel. But what will happen when Frances learns that the footman she adores is actually the earl she despises?
Struggling to support her family after her husband’s death, Caroline Harding attracts the attention of the ruthless Captain Francis Grafton who offers her a devil’s bargain to pay back her debts to him. Outwitting her enigmatic employer and unwillingly gaining his approval significantly changes her life for the better, but can she win his loyalty and his heart when he appears to care for nothing but profit?
Haughty Lady Helen Radney is one of London’s most beautiful women and the daughter of a duke, but her sharp tongue has frightened away most of her suitors. When her father gambles away his fortune, the duke’s only chance for recouping his losses lies in marrying off Lady Helen to any man wealthy enough to take a bride with nothing to recommend her but a lovely face and an eight-hundred-year-old pedigree. Enter Mr. Ethan Brundy, once an illegitimate workhouse orphan, now owner of a Lancashire textile mill and one of England’s richest men. When he glimpses Lady Helen at Covent Garden Theatre, he is instantly smitten and vows to marry her. But this commonest of commoners will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to win the heart of his aristocratic bride.
Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Kendall, but he’s intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So, while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea—what if the ladies of the ton didn’t know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend’s summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong? May the best footman win.