• Book cover of Who's that Earl
    Best Historical Romance Books

    Who’s That Earl by Susanna Craig

    Will scandalous secrets stand in the way of a second chance at love?

    Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever?  Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night . . . After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he’s now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?

    The author’s inspiration for the novel:

    “My inspirations for this series were my favorite romantic suspense TV series from the 1980s, such as Magnum PI and Remington Steele… I had a lot of fun both researching and imagining Regency-era spies and secrets, so that each book is full of intrigue, adventure, and, of course, romance.”
    Susanna Craig

     

     

  • Book cover of Highland Renegade
    Best Historical Romance Books

    Highland Renegade by Cynthia Breeding

    She just has to win over the handsome Scottish laird whose family has lived there for centuries. How hard could it be?

    Emily, the Dowager Countess of Woodhaven, has received title to lands in the Highlands—MacGregor lands—and after surviving an abusive marriage, she’s determined to make a new start…without a man. When Ian MacGregor heard that the Sassenach countess was actually laying claim to his lands, he figured to scare the aging widow away by showing her the hardships of living in the Highlands. She’d leave before the first snowflake fell. But he never imagined that the widow was young and beautiful and more territorial than a she-wolf. No matter, he’ll prove that a fragile, London woman like her would never survive life without her servants…and if he happens to give her the coldest and most remote rooms, all the better. Despite his best efforts to freeze her out, things between them heat up. But Highlanders hate the Sassenach, so Ian faces a dire choice—his clan or the irresistible English aristocrat who seems to have taken not only his lands, but also his heart. High praise for the novel:

    “The chemistry between Ian and Emily sizzles off the page, and keeps you turning until the last moment, and there is more than just romantic happiness at stake, when it seems somebody is out to make Emily’s life even more miserable than he had ever originally intended.”
    Author Jennifer C. Wilson

     

     

  • Book cover of The Duke's Bride
    Best Historical Romance Books

    The Duke’s Bride by Joanne Wadsworth

    He must steal a lady…then steal her love.

    Desiring a man and never being noticed as more than his best friend’s little sister has Lady Ellie Trentbury finally consigning herself to the truth. She must move on, and preferably with a man who lives far away from her home in London where she need never be reminded of the duke who stole her heart. An elopement with an honorable American shipping merchant sounds perfect.

    The Duke of Ashten has no choice but to be bound into his best friend’s carriage when he discovers little Ellie is inside and intent on eloping with a man to Gretna Green who she barely knows. He can’t allow her to make such a terrible mistake, yet convincing her might mean giving into his desire for the golden-eyed enchantress who has followed him around since he was a lad. Her pouty lips and bountiful charms can no longer be ignored, only convincing her of the truth of his intentions will mean jeopardizing both his sanity and a lifelong friendship as well.

    A 5 star review from Goodreads:

    “An absolute delight to read! Fast paced with danger and romance. A must read! Joanne Wadsworth nailed book 1 in her new and exciting Recency Romance.”

    April – Goodreads 

  • Book cover of Lady by Chance
    Best Historical Romance Books

    Lady by Chance by Cheryl Bolen

    Can a forced marriage rise a love as powerful as the canons of the war which tears them apart?

    Driven by fierce patriotism to England, the Marquess of Haverstock will do anything to reclaim the money his best friend lost at cards, money that was to purchase battle plans from a French official.

    The bewitchingly beautiful but illegitimate Anna De Mouchet agrees to give the marquess back the money she “won.” On one condition: that he marry her.

     Manipulated into a marriage of convenience to prove their patriotism, Anna and Charles, the Marquess of Haverstock, question each other’s loyalties. But there’s no question that Anna’s silken touch has bewitched the powerful lord who has become her husband, and no question that she craves every moment in his arms.

    The author on her research on regency England:

    “After writing 33 historical romances and probably a hundred articles on English historical topics, I rarely have to research anymore. That is because I’ve spent more than twenty years educating myself about a narrow period in English history and have an extensive library of research books. Added to this, I’ve been to England on about a dozen trips, some of these for several weeks at a time.”

    Cheryl Bolen 

  • Book cover of To Heal an Earl
    Best Historical Romance Books

    To Heal an Earl by Alexa Aston

    Both wronged by their families . . . two souls alone in the world . . .

    Instead of making her come-out during the upcoming London Season, Lady Charlotte Nott finds herself tossed from her home after her father’s untimely death by a vengeful half-brother. Penniless, she makes her way in a world new to her, first serving as a companion and then governess to the three children of Lord Crampton. When the earl dies moments after hiring her, Charlotte takes on the running of Gray Manor’s household and estate until the children’s new guardian arrives. Guilt weighs heavily on Major Danforth Grayson, having lost too many men under his command over the years. When he receives word of the death of the brother who wronged him, Gray returns home, bitter with the hand life has dealt him. He intends to hire competent people to manage the estate and care for his nephew and nieces and retreat to a solitary life in London—until he meets the inimitable Miss Nott.

    Charlotte is drawn to Gray but knows she is no longer of his world. When he suddenly becomes the new Lord Crampton, she knows it’s time to leave her charges behind—for what woman would care to watch the man she loves wed another and start a family as she suffers in silence? Yet Charlotte knows Gray is a broken man and her leaving might shatter him forever. Can Charlotte walk away from a flawed man who desperately needs her, or will she leave before she loses her own soul?

    The author on the main characters and how they pave the way for other heroes and heroines in later books in the series:

    “Lady Charlotte is turned out of her home just before she is to make her come-out… She must find a way to earn her living and does so, first as a companion and then as a governess. Gray, an officer in the Napoleonic Wars, resigns his commission and returns to England a broken man because of his war experiences. He has been named guardian to his deceased brother’s three children, whom he’s never met. Gray doesn’t have it in him to love these strangers when he can’t forgive himself for all his sins. Yet Gray is drawn to Charlotte and love blossoms between them. Fortunately, these two will discover they are better together than apart and their love will be an example for other men and women in Soldiers & Soulmates.”

    Alexa Aston