Showing results by narrator "Ashford MacNab" in All Categories

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

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

When a prideful queen comes to his prison cell with an unbelievable proposal of marriage, Warrick of the Dead Lands is quick to accept. Because he recognizes the powerful jewels the queen wears—jewels pilfered from the temple of a goddess, who unleashed her wrath upon a kingdom. His plan? Pretend to go along with Queen Elina until he can steal the jewels back, then use them to lift the goddess's curse.

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

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

Brash, beautiful Jessica Darling preferred to forget what she'd done to survive her destitute childhood. Now, her shameful past safely behind her, she found contentment as the governess of two motherless children - until their long-lost father returned unexpectedly to take them. Fletcher Danforth, imprisoned for five years in the colonies, felt little love for anyone - except his son and daughter. He would take any risk to claim them from their guardians - even blackmail Jessica into marrying him!

After losing everything to a curse that struck the kingdom of Galoth, Sarya just wants the world to leave her alone. Yet when a demon begins hunting the people in the forest near her village, staying hidden isn't an option. Neither is avoiding the warrior who helped saved all of Galoth. Bannin the Blowhard has never said a serious word in his life . . . and yet the warrior claims that he intends to marry Sarya. Now she's about to discover how serious Bannin can be when her happiness is at stake—and how completely devoted to her pleasure . . .

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

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

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

Forced to resort to a life of crime in order to support his siblings, Asher Cordell is now ready to walk the straight and narrow path. But when an old rival, the Marquis of Ormsby, infuriates him with his insipid arrogance, Asher cannot resist stealing his famous diamond. However, he's shocked to discover his beautiful neighbour, Juliana Greeley, is already lurking in Ormsby's library. Asher has known Juliana since childhood and always harboured a secret affection for her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For ten years, Anthony Westfield, Viscount Somerton, hasn't been able to forget the woman with whom he spent one scandalous night. When their paths cross again, he's shocked to discover Victoria Seaton is an accomplished pickpocket. But Somerton leads a double life of his own. Working on an undercover assignment, he makes Victoria a proposition: pretend to be his mistress or risk ruin. Yet soon he's tempted to turn their charade into reality - and surrender to an explosive passion.