Members’ Regency Fiction Releases for 09/2021

By his own admission, Lord Ernest Brook is a rake. With sapphire gaze, sinfully handsome looks and a duke for a brother, the pleasures of London have come with ease…apart from one.

Ever since the gauntlet of her first wintry dismissal was thrown, the widowed Hebe Lock has stirred his deepest desires, but just what would it take to woo such a woman?

A determined governess, a reluctant bridegroom, and a winter’s journey from London to Cheshire…

Reputed to be the most exacting governess in England, Miss Elegy Perkins has cared for Lady Margaret, the spoiled daughter of the Marquess of Braemar, for twelve interminable years. Then she receives a life-changing offer that would bring her a prize of 5000 pounds and the chance at financial freedom. All she must do is find and escort Lady Margaret’s reluctant bridegroom to his wedding. A simple enough task, until she meets the bridegroom in question.

Major Lord Devlin St. George has very little control of his life. For the past eight years he has done his utmost to avoid contracts, signed when he was a child, to leg-shackle him to the daughter of a wealthy marquess. Evading the efforts of his betrothed’s brothers to drag him to the altar, Devlin has successfully missed three wedding dates so far. The only thing that stands between him and missing a fourth is a pistol-wielding, strait-laced governess. A lady who is far more woman than she dares reveal.

When evil lurks, the best way to draw it out is to cloak yourself with shadows.

Hugh Cavendish, new Marquess of Armestead, is a man disillusioned about life. After spending three years imprisoned in Botany Bay for crimes he committed against a peer, he’s returned to London with revenge on his mind and a black mark against his name. However, it’s a sticky wicket, for in bringing retribution to a certain duke’s doorstep, he would destroy the life of his enemy’s sister—the woman he’d loved and lost.

Lady Roslyn Kenton, sister to the Duke of Innesford, is wary of men, for they’ve certainly proved untrustworthy and disappointing. Though her brother wields dark and treacherous power, she’d rather not have her name associated with him, but when the repercussions of his misdeeds come home to roost, they bring with them the one man she never hoped to see again—her former fiancé, Hugh Cavendish.

They get on like oil and water at first, but when underlying sparks set desire ablaze, secrets are revealed that shift their perceptions and challenge their thinking. While a romance blooms and they work to overcome lingering obstacles, danger moves within the ton, and its sights are set on permanently keeping Hugh from restoring his honor… and her promise. Only by calling upon a few friends fighting social injustices will Hugh and Roslyn have the freedom to grasp the happily ever after denied to them years ago.

Miss Margaret Merriot is known as Daisy to her friends. But she is totally unknown by the larger world. Penniless, orphaned, and shy, Daisy is a true wallflower, destined to live out her days in the shadows, working for her thankless stepfamily. Stuck in the English countryside, Daisy knows that nothing special will happen to her…until she meets a most unusual duke.

Tristan Holbrook never wanted to become the Duke of Lyon, but when has fate ever favored him? Scarred by war, uneasy in his new life, and now saddled with a massive estate that can’t pay for itself, Tristan needs a miracle to turn things around. One day, his path leads him directly to Daisy, and now he can’t get his shy but sweet neighbor out of his mind.

Daisy is charmed by Tristan’s direct manner and his unpretentious ways, not to mention his brooding good looks. But he’s a duke, and must marry an heiress to fulfill his obligations. He’s expected to announce his choice at the harvest ball. Daisy seems doomed to loneliness…unless she can change her destiny during one magical night…

The Wallflowers of Wildwood follows five young women as they leave their beloved boarding school and venture out into the cutthroat world of the marriage mart. Get ready, London. These wallflowers are wilder than you think!

Fearless and impulsive, Lady Anne Lewis, daughter of the Earl of Doverton, is not the usual ton lady. Nor does she want to be, for she’s worked the bulk of her adult life at being a balloonist. At eight and twenty she wants to make her stamp as an inventor and more importantly, show the beau monde she’s not a laughingstock for wanting to fly. What is romance compared to that ultimate freedom?

Well-read Benedict Urquhart, Viscount Worthington is a man who values peace and order over all else in his life. After attaining the rank of captain in the military, he refuses to use it, for he was naught but a coward on the field. He wants a surcease from guilt and a way to gather the courage he lacked years ago, regardless of his dull work as an actuary. None of that can be found by marrying and furthering his line.

When a freak accident throws Benedict from his horse, his placid life takes an abrupt turn upon meeting the distracting and unrepentant woman manning the runaway hot-air balloon. Anne’s ecstatic about the new distance she’s covered and gives the handsome, incensed viscount a field promotion to her unlikely assistant. Despite their differences as well as the desire simmering between them, they become allies when a wager is thrown down. If they’re fortunate, the prize won at the end will bring exactly what they both needed all along but were too obstinate to see.

A brash army major who surprisingly becomes a duke. A lady who has no interest in ever wedding. An attraction that leads to passion . . . and love . . .

Cool, moody, and irresistible Donovan Martin finds himself the new Duke of Haverhill after his father and brother drown in a carriage accident. The womanizing Donovan decides to work his way through the numerous beauties of the ton because he has no intention of settling down. Until he encounters a most unusual woman—who informs him she never plans to wed.

Lady Wynter Day wants to maintain her independence and never become subservient to any man. Besides, no man has ever sparked her interest romantically. Then the new Duke of Haverhill crashes into her life, causing Wynter to reconsider her stance on marriage.

A sprained ankle brings the pair closer together, with Wynter spending the Christmas holidays with Donovan and his friends. Sparks ignite and Donovan sees a future with Wynter. Then tragedy strikes, separating the couple, perhaps for good.

Will their stubbornness keep them apart—or will Donovan and Wynter let go of the ghosts of their pasts and take a chance on love?

They call her Lady Luck…

…but that never helped Diana Kingsley, daughter of England’s finest horse breeder, in matters of the heart.

In fact, she’s been decidedly unlucky after jilting her fiancée at the alter five years ago. Having endured ruin once, Diana is determined never to court it again. But when her father sells her beloved racehorse to the Prince of Wales, desperate times call for unconventional measures.

He has nothing to offer – not even his good name…

Every gentleman knows that the sister of your best friend is forbidden. Especially when you have nothing to offer her but a mountain of debt and an empty title.

So instead Alex, Earl Templeton watches out for Diana, spars with Diana and, on one momentous occasion, stops her engagement.

Now she is engaged again and once again engaged to the wrong man.

This time he must keep his opinion to himself. No matter what.

A Race for a pot of gold

When the Prince of Wales announces a race to Brighton with a thousand guineas as the reward, Alex sees a way to pay his debts, Diana sees a way to buy her horse back.

Neither of them see love coming.

When newlyweds Sir James and Lady Cecilia Branstoke come to the aid of a new-made widow, some things don’t add up about the death of her young lord husband. Worse, a man who won’t state his purpose, but is obviously military, wants a carte blanche to search the dead man’s library! The sheer effrontery!

In USA Today bestselling author Sally MacKenzie’s intoxicatingly romantic series, the “fallen” ladies of Puddledon Manor’s Benevolent Home are restoring their reputations—and their future prospects—by operating their very own brewery and alehouse . . .

As the founder of the Home, Jo, the widowed Lady Havenridge, is determined to be there for the women who need her. But when those same women conspire to accept an invitation on her behalf, she finds herself suddenly on the way to the Earl of Darrow’s home for the christening party of the son of her longtime friend and former partner, Pen, now the Countess of Darrow. Guests at the party will include her other former partner, Caro–and Edward Russell, the new Duke of Grainger and the Home’s generous benefactor. While Jo is determined to resist her friends’ matchmaking ways, the duke’s handsome looks and charming words are enough to make the lovely widow a little reckless . . .

Even after a year, the title of “duke” still sits strangely on Edward Russell’s shoulders. But the responsibilities of the title are his duty, no matter his less-than-positive opinion of the nobility. When Edward encounters Jo—capable, fun, and utterly irresistible–he’s delighted to find someone he truly connects with. A trick of fate has placed them on two different paths . . . but Edward is beginning to realize that perhaps he’s not the kind of man who does the expected thing after all . . .

The upcoming marriage of the Earl of Wrexford and Lady Charlotte Sloane promises to be a highlight of the season, if they can first untangle—and survive—a web of intrigue and murder involving the most brilliant scientific minds in Regency London . . .

One advantage of being caught up in a whirl of dress fittings and decisions about flower arrangements and breakfast menus is that Charlotte Sloane has little time for any pre-wedding qualms. Her love for Wrexford isn’t in question. But will being a wife—and a Countess—make it difficult for her to maintain her independence—not to mention, her secret identity as famed satirical artist A.J. Quill?

Despite those concerns, there are soon even more urgent matters to attend to during Charlotte and Wrexford’s first public outing as an engaged couple. At a symposium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, a visiting botanist suffers a fatal collapse. The traces of white powder near his mouth reveal the dark truth—he was murdered. Drawn into the investigation, Charlotte and the Earl learn of the victim’s involvement in a momentous medical discovery. With fame and immense fortune at stake, there’s no shortage of suspects, including some whose ruthlessness is already known. But neither Charlotte nor her husband-to-be can realize how close the danger is about to get—or to what lengths this villain is prepared to go . . .

Can the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society ensure that two business rivals close the deal?
Joshua Powell, Lord Wickford, enjoys being the dashing, popular and successful owner of Powell’s Club for Gentlemen. But when he is nearly killed while riding through the streets of London, he realizes that he needs to find a wife and beget an heir. Joshua knows that his intended wife needs to be a lady from a well-esteemed family. So why is he constantly distracted by his business adversary’s sparkling beauty, sharp tongue, and dazzling mind?
Gwendolyn Sherman is fascinated with numbers and with figuring out the most efficient way to run her father’s business. So her father makes her a deal: he would allow her to anonymously start her own business – a club for ladies – only if she would stay in London and find a titled husband. But those Regency lords all seem to want her only for her dowry. All, of course, except for her biggest competitor, the annoyingly attractive Viscount Wickford.
It will be up to the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society to win their last trick, by setting Joshua straight on his priorities. After all, the ace of hearts trumps the king of clubs.

Major Phineas Allan Storme is struggling with his new life. After being paralyzed from injuries received during Waterloo, he’s confined to a Bath chair. Depression bedevils him, making him feel useless and helpless. With his older brother sulking in the country and his younger brother no doubt causing scandal elsewhere, he’s keeping his mother company. What the bloody hell else can he do but be a companion?
Lady Jane Marsden—daughter of the Earl of Worchester—is popular within the ton. Though she enjoys society life immensely, it doesn’t fill the emptiness in her soul. After having her heart broken twice over, she never lets males close, but when she meets a dark-haired man at a late summer rout, her thinking changes. The need and longing in his eyes draws her interest, but his personality captivates her mind. What could it hurt to introduce herself?
As Finn and Jane strike up a friendship that blooms into something more, responsibility and duty constantly intrude, but each is determined to conquer the obstacles set before them. When an emotional misunderstanding threatens their romance, his depression convinces him he’s a millstone about the necks of those he cares for, and he’s determined to remove himself from life. It’ll take a harrowing night of heart-wrenching emotions for him and Jane to discover if love is worth risking everything to keep.

Lord Stephen Stanhope, a duke’s diplomat son who’s traveling to the Congress of Vienna, agrees to protect his friend’s wayward sister on Stephen’s journey to Austria. Lady Mary Beresford has impetuously set off on her own for Vienna. Vexed with the headstrong woman he’s yet to meet, Stephen despairs of ever catching up with the maddening lady. They eventually meet at an inn in the Alps, where the guests’ progress has been impeded by two matters: a blizzard—and Lady Mary’s refusal to leave until she’s found an elderly fellow traveler who has disappeared.

Mary’s infuriated that everyone at the inn is in a conspiracy to deny the woman ever existed and to imply Mary invented her. Just when every person at the inn is against her, the handsome Lord Stephen arrives and becomes her champion.

Stephen doesn’t tell her he’s been sent by her brother, nor does he actually believe her preposterous story. Until there’s an attempt on her life. . .

Hold on to your fans and get ready for the duchesses to clutch their pearls – the social season may have ended but the summer season is just getting started and it will be a scorcher!
Summer Pleasures, the latest Historical Romance anthology for charity from the authors at The New Romance Cafe, is heating up your Kindle from August, with a limited time romance collection.
All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

When an engagement of convenience turns into something more, what path will they choose?
Oliver Stuart Colborne, the Duke of Scarborough and a man of mixed heritage, needs a false engagement post haste. A parcel of unentailed land, held in his maternal grandmother’s name and potentially harboring Roman ruins, can be his if he marries within two years of taking the title… and he only has a month left. He wants that treasure if only to follow in his revered father’s footsteps.
The Honorable Marjorie Grace Fitzgerald, daughter of the deceased Viscount Highmore, has just been left at the marriage altar by her fiancé for scandalous reasons. Her reputations is in tatters, and the family name is running to rack and ruin from her younger brother’s careless vices. After stumbling upon an advertisement in the paper by a duke looking for a duchess, she answers it hoping for rescue from the mess. If she can’t have love, she wants respectability.
As the weeks pass, Oliver and Marjorie enter into an unlikely friendship while deceiving the ton —and his solicitor. To all appearances, they are a couple with every intention of marrying, with no one the wiser to the farce, but when forced proximity sparks surprising desire and genuine emotions come into play, they’ll both need to be honest in what they truly want from life and each other. As the deadline looms, they’ll either lose everything they’ve worked toward or grasp something infinitely more valuable.

An angry army spy who becomes a reluctant duke. A virgin widow who seeks a husband who will give her children. An attraction that leads to passion . . . and love . . .
Wyatt Stanton served as a spy for Wellington until he receives word of his brother’s death. Reluctantly, he returns to England as the Duke of Amesbury and to Amberwood, a place he once loved and was banished from after his brother falsely accused Wyatt of burning down the family stables with over two dozen horses inside. His soul seared by war, the man who lived for danger must now become a member of Polite Society and find himself a duchess so he has an heir.
Meadow Grant’s father sold her to Lord Selfridge so he could pay his gambling debts. Selfridge collects beautiful things, and Meadow is the most beautiful girl of the Season. Once he possessed her, Selfridge lost interest and moved on to other things. Now a widow, the resilient Meadow is ready to make her own choice this time and find a husband who yearns for children as much as she does. Though attracted to the Duke of Amesbury, he is far too arrogant and conceited for her tastes, even if he does kiss well.
Wyatt is bored with all the younger women on the Marriage Mart, but he believes the beautiful and more mature Lady Selfridge fits his idea of a suitable duchess. The fact that he is attracted to her and she gets along well with his friends only confirms she is the one. Meadow wants to be courted, though, and Wyatt is up to the challenge, relentless in his pursuit, even liking how Meadow makes him work to earn her favor.

Though neither looks for love, will the reckless Wyatt and spitfire Meadow realize love has found them and will flourish, given the chance?

Miss Rachel Berry, the adopted daughter of Freetown missionaries, wants to re-connect with her African mother’s family. She does not trust the Royal Navy, or Captain Hotham of the African Squadron. Her lying English father was a former naval seaman who jumped ship to join the lucrative African slave trade.
Capt. Christopher Halloren, 3rd son of a baron, transports a group of slaves he rescued to the missionary school in Freetown before attending the prize court to see if the judge will rule in favor of him and his crew so they can get on with the work of patrolling for slavers. The last thing he needs is to get involved with a beautiful mission teacher who seems hell-bent on putting herself in harm’s way with the illegal slave traders swarming at the fringes of Freetown.
Can they escape the destiny Society assigns them, or will they create their own?