Members’ Regency Fiction Releases for 07/2022

Young widow Annabel Chalfont, Countess of Fellbridge, has two small sons to raise, a mountain of her late husband’s debts to pay off, and a secret: she’s a shadow-shaper, able to manipulate shadow as anyone else might clay. She and six other high-born ladies with equally extraordinary abilities defend England against supernatural crime—but the world knows them only as the Lady Patronesses of Almack’s, Regency London’s most exclusive social venue.

Annabel is off to Eton to visit her sons for the annual celebration of the King’s birthday, observed with a picnic and boat race on the Thames–neither of which happen in quite the way they should. Thanks to Annabel and the Marquis of Quinceton, tragedy is averted, but the Ladies of Almack’s are worried about what happened on the river, and what else might occur…

She’s through with love.

Lady Laurel Devereaux prided herself on her sterling reputation, even as she overlooked her two younger sisters’ foibles and their ailing grandfather’s little peccadilloes. She always adored frolicking in fountains and dancing before breakfast. But those were innocent delights compared to the one night she left a ballroom to play the piano alone—and a charming man joined her to play a duet that became a mad love affair. He quickly proposed and just as quickly jilted her. Now she’ll marry only for friendship or security or children.

He’ll never give her up again.

Now Hadley, Viscount Grey, arrives in Brighton and vows to win Laurel back. But this time, his greatest problem is not overcoming his competition or challenging Laurel’s vow to remain a proper lady, but her decision to never love another man.

How can he convince her that she simply never stopped loving him?

A reticent army officer who loses a beloved brother. A personable beauty eager to make up for lost time. And one magical kiss that changes everything . . .

When Percival Perry’s brother drowns, the retiring Percy becomes the Marquess of Kingston. He longs for companionship even as he hides the nightmares he suffers from.

Araminta Nicholls’ come-out was delayed and the personable beauty is ready to make up for lost time. When she is meets a shy marquess—and kisses him—she knows he is the one.

Percy grows to love Minta but believes he’s damaged goods. But Minta is a fighter—and she isn’t going anywhere.

Can Minta convince Percy that opposites can make for a wonderful marriage—and that love can conquer any problem they face?

“So tell me, Miss Beaujeu, why should I employ you as governess?”

A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess but for Isabelle, a sought-after governess with impeccable references and tightly pinned hair, it barely raises an eyebrow.

But this rugged duke of an employer is unlike any other: dubbed Mean, Moody & Mysterious in gossip columns, he’s known to scowl a path through London society, spurning come-hither glances. And why have three governesses fled his employ within the last twelvemonths?

With forbidden kisses on stormy nights, a house full of prospective brides, a scandalous rake of an heir, dragon folklore and cinnamon biscuits, the vocation of governess has never been so thrilling…

Could she use her skills as a lockpick to crack open the secrets to the murder as well as unlock his heart?

Lady Katherine Thornton has no interest in men after an indiscretion at her disastrous Season in London. No man can be trusted. Instead, she indulges in her fascination for gears and all things mechanical. Her unique drafting skill is an asset to her uncle Bennett Sutton, who is automating his textile factory. She doesn’t need anything else.

Lord Ian Wallace, the 4th Duke of Blackhall, is a retired military officer. An accidental duke after the deaths of his father and brother, he retreats from society and the clawing mothers and debutantes who stalk him. He’s focused all his energy on his partnership with Sutton. He’s satisfied and needs nothing else.

An oath to marry, a family legend to preserve, an uprising of the factory workers, and Sutton’s murder, throw Katherine and Wallace together to find a blackmailer and murderer. They also will find two things neither knew they were missing… each other and their happily ever after.

Daughter of parents obsessively in love with one another, Grace Owen has seen how love destroyed her widowed father and resolves to avoid it at all costs, if such a thing as love even exists; besides she has her music and her dreams of becoming an opera singer to inspire her. It is only when she meets Maximilian Hawkesbury that she learns that hurting someone you care for is far more painful than love itself.

Lord Maximilian Hawkesbury, son of parents who only put up with one another and their family long enough to produce three children before returning to their profligate ways has never known anything but solitude and his own devotion to his diplomatic career until his young nephew becomes involved with the wrong sort of woman, the sort of woman who ruined his father, and then he is ready to do anything in his power to get rid of her, anything, that is, except fall in love, a love that threatens to destroy not only his career, but hers.

Dancing into the arms of love?

Marcus, Lord Hawthorne, vowed never to fall in love, the past having taught him that marriage can only ever lead to heartbreak. So, how has he allowed himself to be tricked into being leg-shackled to Faith Whitworth, the daughter of a scheming businessman who wants entry to the ton?

Marcus’s solution for dealing with his unwanted wife is to keep her at Deer Park, his country estate, while he stays in London. But when he returns at Christmastime, he is surprised to find that not only does Faith revel in her role as his marchioness, she is sweet and lovely—and he desires her. This was never part of his plan. However, the arrival of relatives means he won’t be able to escape until the yuletide festivities are over.

As Twelfth Night approaches, Faith’s gentleness and beauty are growing on Marcus more and more. He realizes he wants to dance with her forever, in a marriage that’s more than in name only. He knows he can protect her from her ruthless papa and make her happy—just as long as he doesn’t have to give her his heart…

A proper gentleman. A desperate lady. One little indiscretion that will change their lives.

Carew Harcourt Fitzwilliam—Duke of Edenthorpe—is dreadfully dissatisfied with his life. Engaged since childhood to a woman unsuited to him, he feels trapped and hopeless. What he needs is a distraction, which comes in the form of a possible jewelry heist. Too bad it has arrived with his best friend’s sister, now a beauty he can’t banish from his mind.

Miss Leah Haddington, only daughter of Baron Langley, can square with being overlooked by men in the ton due to her auburn hair and freckles, but being left penniless by her father’s gambling is beyond the pale. There’s only one man who can help retrieve a stolen bauble—her deceased brother’s best friend. It matters not that a forbidden attraction is brewing between them. He’s engaged to another, so where is the harm in a partnership?

As they plot and plan their way through ton ballrooms and a practice theft in a bid to snag a missing tiara, that desire ignites. A heated, passionate mistake, to be sure, for he’s to wed someone else in mere days, but the need to belong was too strong to ignore. When the theft goes awry and danger is brought to bear, they must both decide what they want more from life—staid security based in expectation and tradition or unpredictable scandal born out of unexpected love.

Lady Juliana knows she is in danger. But does she really need a bodyguard?

One abduction and suddenly her brother, the Duke, begins treating her like a damsel in distress. Lady Juliana, however, is anything but – she is a woman who knows her own mind, and is determined to make a difference. But just how is she supposed to work for her secret society protecting animals when she is being followed around by a dashing detective?

Matthew Archibald has taken on many jobs in the past, but never did he think he would be playing nursemaid to the spoiled sister of a duke. Little does he realize, however, that there is much more to the fiery, spirited woman than he initially thought.

Matthew soon finds his focus wavering as he tries to determine just who is threatening the Remington family. But the closer he comes to Lady Juliana, the less he is able to stay professional. Will his growing feelings for her come to endanger them both?

This steamy Regency romance series is best read in order.

After a serious riding accident, the disreputable Marquess of Hartcroft is forced to think about his life, his future, and the one woman who appeared at his bedside, Lady Guinevere Chenowith.

A duke’s daughter, Lady Guinevere, has kept the secret that she can play several games of chess at once, winning without effort. She doesn’t want to risk a bigger loss in life by losing her heart and her freedom to a man who sees her as a conquest. The stakes are too high.

Guinevere challenges Hartcroft to demonstrate that he has more substance than a carved game piece, but Hartcroft believes his worth is proved in the daily duties he completes as Marquess.

Guinevere and Hartcroft have to decide if they’re just playing games, or if they are ready to risk a bigger commitment than they’ve ever given anyone else.

He believes love is an unattainable goal. She is facing a marriage without it. But when their paths cross in a mud-drenched alley, both discover something neither thought possible—hope.

Four years ago, Lord Michael Ashton stood at a crossroads in Gretna Green, abandoned, penniless, and determined neither would happen again. The third son of the Duke of Kennet, Michael leaves his family for a life in the darkest streets of London. When his father delivers an ultimatum, however, Michael faces a steep climb out of the gutter.

Lady Clara Durham struggles as well to find her place in Society. She is too round and too smart to please most aristocratic gentlemen, and far too quick with her tongue. But with her father’s health declining, Clara agrees to marry the Duke of Wykeham, a prickly man with ulterior motives.

Everything shifts, however, when Clara’s kitten disappears down an alley. Clara darts after her, tripping headlong into a mudpuddle behind the Kennet stables. When Michael helps her up, he becomes fascinated by this woman who loves animals, talks about hunting, and is more interested in finding her cat than cleaning off the mud.

The sparks that fly leave them determined to help each other out. But their struggle to resist Society’s protocols explodes into a conflict that will result in a one-to-one horse race and a duel that could destroy them both.

Napoleon’s invasion of England is hidden in the clouds…

It is 1819, and Cornwall is agog at the daring of the two young lady aeronauts who, earlier in the summer, flew nearly to France and back in their homemade air ship. Much more is riding on Loveday Penhale and Celeste Blanchard’s new and improved vessel—they plan to win the Tinkering Prince’s prize, offered to anyone who can help England win the war against Napoleon.

To their dismay, they must take two local gentlemen aloft to report on the ship’s capabilities. While Captain Trevelyan and Emory Thorndyke are welcome in drawing room and ballroom, their presence on the air ship proves disastrous. Wildly off course, Loveday barely manages to bring the vessel down safely—in France! Now it is up to the gentlemen to keep the newly designed ship hidden while Loveday and Celeste secure supplies for its repair from Celeste’s former home, l’Ecole des Aéronautes in far-off Paris.

But much has changed since Celeste left the capital, and enemies lurk in its very walls. With her famous aeronaut mother dead in suspicious circumstances, and the flight school closed, there is only one thing to do—make up a story about her absence and approach Napoleon himself. He promptly makes Celeste his Chief Air Minister, and commands her to plan the invasion of England by air. Can she and Loveday stay alive in this nest of vipers long enough to help their stranded friends? Before they are unmasked as spies—and before their beautiful air ship is captured and used to attack England…

Six award-winning, best-selling authors present A Regency Romance Summer Anthology for your reading pleasure. In a hammock, at the pool or on the beach…or in a cozy reading nook, you’ll escape to the English countryside to relax among the boughs and blossoms, scenes set perfectly for budding attachments.

She’s more than meets the eye.

Lady Perdita Tinley—Dita to her family and friends—grew up as did any well-bred young woman. Daughter of an earl, she had the best of everything. However, her perfect life suffered a crushing blow when the love of her life rejected her. Refusing to ever consider marriage, Dita decided to help with England’s fight against France—secretly, of course. She believes women can be the perfect spies to help in the war effort, and since her beloved brother is a key player in the fight against Napoleon, she feels it her duty to support his service.

He’s gambling with her heart.

Dashiell West, Earl of Beldon, isn’t the marrying kind. After his father died, Dash withdrew from society and started spending most of his time in the gaming hells, turning his back on the ton, wallowing in his rakish ways. Except, this debauched lifestyle will offer Dash his one chance at salvation. He has made contacts with the seedy underground of traitors who use the gambling dens to sell out their government. So, when Dita’s brother—once Dash’s best friend—is taken hostage by the French, Dash knows he can help. Except it means being near the woman he can’t forget.

The stakes are too high.

Dita decides to set out on her own to find her brother. Instead, she finds the one man she wanted to forget. Worse, she must ask for his help, entering into a partnership with the infamous rake. Little does she know the danger they will both face. As they risk their lives, will either survive long enough to realize they still love each other?–– or that hearts should never be gambled with?

One Magic Night

Aidan Flynn isn’t a rogue, instead modeling himself after his grandfather, the Duke of Savernake, who will leave Larkhaven to Aidan—if he weds in the next two weeks.

Lady Larissa Warren’s amoral family has prevented her from making a suitable match. Now, her father has told her to find a husband at tonight’s annual Savernake Stag Ball—or she must wed the ancient Lord Langdon.

Aidan decides Larissa is the one, but she has no interest in marrying an infamous Sinning Flynn. Will Aidan convince Larissa he is nothing like his rakehell brothers and win the auburn-haired beauty’s hand?

*The second part of the duet is Kathryn Le Veque’s The Sin Commandments.

A notorious will left David, the very proper Earl of Clarion, with a crippled estate and dependents. He’s the one left to pick up the pieces while caring for others—his children, his tenants, and the people of Ashmead. He cares for England, too. Now that the estate has been put to right, he is free to pursue his political ambitions. But loneliness weighs him down. Then he meets his new neighbor. Meanwhile his friends convince him a house party is just the thing.

Her uninhibited behavior stuns him. Why can’t he get her out of his mind?

Happily widowed Lady Delia Fitzwallace revels in her newly rented cottage, surrounded by flowers and the wonder of nature, thrilled to free her three rambunctious children from the city of Bristol and let them enjoy the countryside to the fullest. If only she can avoid offending her very proper neighbor, the earl, when their children keep pulling her into scrapes. Can she help him find the wife he needs?

She has none of the qualities he needs in a countess. Is she exactly what he needs as a man?

The death of her cruel husband means freedom at last for Lucretia Tifton—until she learns that the guardian he chose for her longed-for baby is the latest in a line of earls known for separating their children from unfaithful wives. The elusive new earl is certain to hear the gossip about Lucretia. Will he believe it and prove to be as heartless as his ancestors?

Giles, the Earl of Netherbroke, wants nothing more than to work in his London shop, building furniture with beautiful marquetry finishes. If unexpectedly inheriting the earldom isn’t bad enough, now he’s saddled with an unwanted guardianship. What’s worse, the baby’s mother is the loveliest woman he’s ever seen.

Giles is almost certain Lucretia is an adulteress—and the more he learns about her, the more he understands why she might have betrayed her husband. Nevertheless, he is determined not to succumb, like his ancestors, to the Infidelity Curse.

But then Lucretia is suddenly in danger, and the only way to protect her is to make her his.

Elizabeth Thornwood is a countess. A singularly lonely countess. Having produced the heir and the spare, she has been left to rusticate in the country. Not content to wait in a shroud of memories, she packs up the boys and heads to London, determined to have her husband back in her life…and in her bed.

Richard Thornwood loves his wife. When she surprises him in London and is clearly bent on seduction, he fears he might not be able to hold to the promise he made to himself the night she almost died—to do everything in his power to keep her safe. So, when the opportunity to do some intelligence gathering arises, he seizes it. It’s the perfect solution. He can assist in the war against Napoleon and avoid Elizabeth.

Richard finds the game of espionage daunting, but the cat and mouse game of temptation Elizabeth plays at home is far more dangerous.

How can he let her win, when it means losing everything?

He’s predictable. She’s a mystery. Can love bridge all that separates them?

Raised to believe the world is open to her, Lady Phoebe Winters reads periodicals and newspapers with growing upset. Everything within her world is shaped by a man’s point of view. Why must women stand idly by, being told what to do and how to do it? It seems to be accepted within their society — until she decides to do something about it. Using her inheritance, she begins a small publication, written by women, for women. It’s a risk, but one for which she is willing to sacrifice.

Jeffrey Worthington, the Marquess of Berkley, has held a position of responsibility since the death of his father at a young age. He is a man who enjoys the constancy of life. Despite the fact that his four sisters and younger brother are forever demanding his time and attention, his maintains order and control of all other aspects of life.

The Women’s Weekly begins to cause a stir amongst women of the nobility, and the peerage determines it must be shut down before it causes consequences from which they could never recover. Jeffrey is tasked with finding the perpetrator and halting production of the publication. He reluctantly agrees, despite the fact that it will detract from his attempt to court the lovely Lady Phoebe, and causes growing controversy between the two of them. When he finally determines the publication’s owner, what will he put first — love or duty?

This is the second edition of Lady of Mystery, which was previously published.

The Lady Patronesses are trying to discover who is vandalizing the pictures at this year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, in the process uncovering a scandalous personal vendetta dating back nearly twenty years. Meanwhile, Annabel gains a very eligible suitor in Lord Glenrick, brother of one of her fellow Lady Patronesses and son and heir of the Duke of Carrick—but she’s not quite sure he’s the suitor she’d prefer…

No one has ever refused a request from Lady Belle Dryden. Her pretty face and winsome nature almost guarantee it, and the fact that she’s the youngest daughter of the Duke of Wey doesn’t hurt. So she’s certain when she plays matchmaker between her dearest friend, Miss Petunia Bateman, and the charming, mysterious Owen Canady, both will be only too happy to fall in love. After all, Belle feels herself falling for Owen already. A shame a duke’s daughter must marry someone more impressive.

Owen Canady is a gentleman by birth, a pauper by circumstance, and a con man by necessity. Life has taught him he can rely only on his wits and a fast horse to get by. But when he is blackmailed into ferreting out the secrets of the Duke of Wey at a house party at the duke’s lavish estate, he finds his resolve crumbling. Belle is everything that is right and good in the world. He cannot betray her.

As her father’s enemies grow more daring, Belle and Owen must work together to protect all they hold dear. When his own secrets are revealed, can Owen convince the lady who’s never heard no to say yes to him?

Shall we dance?
Left at the altar, Artemisia Germayne’s humiliation is made twice as worse by the presence in the congregation of the man who’s the bane of her existence. Why does Nigel Rochefort take such pleasure in mocking her? As rumors of Artemisia’s abandonment—and also the sudden disappearance of Philippa, her younger sister—swirl about the ton, she flees to her elderly aunt’s home in the countryside.

Nigel has always taken his good fortune for granted, so when the woman for whom he has a secret tendre is about to marry his friend, the only logical thing to do is break up the wedding. But his reputation as a rake, together with his well-intentioned giving of solace to Philippa Germayne in a London park, have started yet more scandal brewing. Nigel must first clear his name to assure Artemisia’s affections.

This is no simple country dance or game of seduction, but an unstoppable waltz of desire—and true love.

*Reissued in a new series with a beautiful new cover!

WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES, SPARKS FLY

Emma Watts’ life is ruined. Her father’s untimely death after squandering his estate has left her destitute – and the Prometheans are to blame! The corrupting influence of the gentlemen’s club led to her father’s demise, and now she wants revenge. Emma sets out to dig up dirt on the Prometheans that will shame them or worse.

Simon Pike, the Earl of Blackburn, is a man’s man who is highly regarded by his Promethean peers. Thanks to his conniving mother, though, he considers all Society women to be duplicitous schemers. Upon learning that a mystery woman is attempting to ruin his club brothers, Simon volunteers to uncover her identity and bring her to consequence.

After Emma and Simon are thrown together in a pair of passionate but anonymous encounters, they discover to their mutual horror that they are committed adversaries. However, fate and fantasy intervene – in the form of a lightning strike – and each awakens in the other’s body. Reluctantly joining forces to undo the switch, they slowly fall for each other – for the real person beneath the façade. Uncertain of their ability to reverse the change, they can only hope to overcome misguided preconceptions of the opposite gender while walking a mile in each other’s shoes – and perhaps aspire for a love they have never imagined.

What if your fate lies in another time?

When the Honorable Henry Darington, the third son of the Earl of Lindford, arrived in New York, he knew starting a new live in the former British colonies would be difficult. He never expected to be catapulted over two centuries into the future. With the help of a stranger, he must learn to navigate this frightening time and try to find a way back home. But the longer he stays the more he finds he’s falling for this amazing independent woman.

Laurel Bishop has enough on her plate with a website business, a mini farm and a developer who wants to take it all away. The last thing she needs is a pampered aristocrat from Jane Austen’s time arriving on her doorstep. But the more she helps him adjust to the modern world, the more he melts her heart. Can a man from the past be the key to her future?