“Matchless storyteller”(Romantic Times) Mary Balogh weaves a tantalizing web of wit and seduction in her new novel—an irresistible tale of two unlikely lovers and one unforgettable summer.
Kit Butler is cool, dangerous, one of London’s mostinfamous bachelors—marriage is the last thing on his mind. But Kit’s family has other plans. Desperate to thwart his father’s matchmaking, Kit needs a bride…fast. Enter Miss Lauren Edgeworth.
A year after being abandoned at the altar, Lauren has determined that marriage is not for her. When these two fiercely independent souls meet, sparks fly—and a deal is hatched. Lauren will masquerade as Kit’s intended if he agrees to provide a passionate, adventurous, unforgettable summer. When summer ends, she will break off the engagement, rendering herself unmarriageable and leaving them both free. Everything is going perfectly—until Kit does the unthinkable: He begins to fall in love. A summer to remember is not enough for him. But how can he convince Lauren to be his…for better, for worse, for the rest of their lives?
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Mary Balogh - The Proposal
Gwendoline, Lady Muir, has seen her share of tragedy, especially since a freak accident took her husband much too soon. Content in a quiet life with friends and family, the young widow has no desire to marry again. But when Hugo, Lord Trentham, scoops her up in his arms after a fall, she feels a sensation that both shocks and emboldens her.
Hugo never intends to kiss Lady Muir, and frankly, he judges her to be a spoiled, frivolous--if beautiful--aristocrat. He is a gentleman in name only: a soldier whose bravery earned him a title; a merchant's son who inherited his wealth. He is happiest when working the land, but duty and title now demand that he finds a wife. He doesn't wish to court Lady Muir, nor have any role in the society games her kind thrives upon. Yet Hugo has never craved a woman more; Gwen's guileless manner, infectious laugh, and lovely face have ruined him for any other woman. He wants her, but will she have him?
The hard, dour ex-military officer who so gently carried Gwen to safety is a man who needs a lesson in winning a woman's heart. Despite her cautious nature, Gwen cannot ignore the attraction. As their two vastly different worlds come together, both will be challenged in unforeseen ways. But through courtship and seduction, Gwen soon finds that with each kiss, and with every caress, she cannot resist Hugo's devotion, his desire, his love, and the promise of forever.
Mary Balogh - The Escape
After surviving the Napoleonic Wars, Sir Benedict Harper is struggling to move on, his body and spirit in need of a healing touch. Never does Ben imagine that hope will come in the form of a beautiful woman who has seen her own share of suffering. After the lingering death of her husband, Samantha McKay is at the mercy of her oppressive in-laws - until she plots an escape to distant Wales to claim a house she has inherited. Being a gentleman, Ben insists that he escort her on the fateful journey. Ben wants Samantha as much as she wants him, but he is cautious. What can a wounded soul offer any woman? Samantha is ready to go where fate takes her, to leave behind polite society and even propriety in her desire for this handsome, honorable soldier. But dare she offer her bruised heart as well as her body? The answers to both their questions may be found in an unlikely place: in each other's arms.
Mary Balogh - The Arrangement
A mesmerising story of passionate awakening and redemption, Mary Balogh's new novel unites a war hero consigned to darkness with a remarkable woman who finds her own salvation by showing him the light of love. Blinded by a cannon blast on the Napoleonic battlefields, Vincent Hunt, Lord Darleigh, needs time away from the well-meaning meddling - and matchmaking - of his family. But anonymity proves impossible, and soon another marital trap is sprung. Luckily, he is saved in time by a stranger with a captivating voice that stirs something deep inside. And when Miss Sophia Fry's intervention on his behalf finds her unceremoniously booted from her guardian's home, Vincent can see a solution to both their problems: marriage. At first, quiet, unassuming Sophia rejects Vincent's proposal. But when such a gloriously handsome and heartbreakingly vulnerable man persuades her that he needs a wife of his own choosing as much as she needs protection from destitution, she agrees. Dare they believe a bargain born of desperation might lead them both to a love destined to be?
Mary Balogh - Simply Unforgettable
New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh returns to the seductive world she knows so well-Regency England-in a new novel filled with her trademark wit, sensuality, and breathtaking storytelling. With this, the first in a dazzling n ew quartet of novels, Balogh invites us into a special world-a select academy for young ladies-a world of innocence and temptation. Drawing us into the lives of four women, teachers at Miss Martin's School for Girls, Balogh introduces this novel's marvelous heroine: music teacher Frances Allard-and the man who seduces her with a passion no woman could possibly forget.
Mary Balogh - A Secret Affair
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh has written her most beguiling novel yet, in which the black sheep of the scandalous Huxtable family finally meets his match - in a woman of even more wicked reputation.
'The Devil was about to be tamed.' Her name is Hannah Reid. Born a commoner, she has been Duchess of Dunbarton ever since she was nineteen years old, the wife of an elderly duke to whom she has been rumored to be consistently and flagrantly unfaithful. Now the old duke is dead and, more womanly and beautiful than ever at thirty, Hannah has her freedom at last.
And she knows just what she wants to do with it. To the shock of a conventional friend, she announces her intention to take a lover - and not just any lover, but the most dangerous and delicious man in all of upper-class England: Constantine Huxtable.
Constantine's illegitimacy has denied him the title of Earl, so now he denies himself nothing . . . or so the ton would have it. Rumored to be living the free and easy life of a sensualist in his country estate, he always chooses recent widows for his short-lived affairs. Hannah will fit the bill nicely.
But once these two passionate and scandalous figures find each other, they discover that it isn't so easy to extricate oneself from the fires of desire - without getting singed. For the duchess and the dark lord each have startling secrets to reveal, and when all is said and done, neither will be able to say which one fell in love first, who tamed whom, and who has emerged from this game of hearts with the stronger hand.
Mary Balogh - Someone to Love
From the legendary New York Times bestselling author of Only a Kiss comes a brand new series that starts scandalous secrets . . .
Humphrey Wescott, Earl of Riverdale, has died, leaving behind a fortune that will forever alter the lives of everyone in his family - including the daughter no one knew he had . . .
Anna Snow grew up in an orphanage in Bath knowing nothing of the family she came from. Now she discovers that the late Earl of Riverdale was her father and that she has inherited his fortune. She is also overjoyed to learn she has siblings. However, they want nothing to do with her or her attempts to share her new wealth. But the new earl's guardian is interested in Anna . . .
Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, keeps others at a distance. Yet something prompts him to aid Anna in her transition from orphan to lady. As London society and her newfound relatives threaten to overwhelm Anna, Avery steps in to rescue her and finds himself vulnerable to feelings and desires he has hidden so well and for so long.
'Mary Balogh is the writer I read for pleasure' Susan Elizabeth Phillips
'A matchless storyteller' RT Book Reviews
'Balogh is truly a find' Publishers Weekly
'A grand mistress of the genre' Romantic Times
'Balogh is the queen of spicy Regency-era romance, creating memorable characters in unforgettable stories' Booklist
Mary Balogh - Silent Melody
From the legendary New York Times bestselling author of Heartless comes an exquisite Georgian romance of a transcendent love, “without doubt, one of the most romantic novels ever written.”*
Lady Emily Marlowe is beautiful, independent, and unspoiled. Deaf since childhood, she appreciates her family’s efforts to nurture her spirit, but the man they’ve chosen for her betrothal can never fulfill her. The only one Emily has ever desired is bold and reckless Lord Ashley Kendrick. Her childhood amour inspired her fantasies and vowed never to forget her—even as he left her for a new life in India and a new love.
Seven years and countless dreams later, Ashley has returned a desolate widower to Bowden Abbey and, true to his promise, to Emily. Yet his heedless proposal of marriage has left her unexpectedly conflicted. Though the heat of passion still burns, Emily fears that it’s only a sense of duty—not love—that has brought him to bended knee. And what is she to make of those seven lost years clouded in secrets too dark for Ashley to share?
For Emily, her greatest and only love now becomes one worth fighting for, one of startling revelations and second chances, and one, like a melody, too beautiful for words....
Mary Balogh - No Man's Mistress
In No Man's Mistress, Mary Balogh finds the perfect match for reckless, passionate Lord Ferdinand Dudley, the younger brother of the masterful Duke of Tresham (hero of the author's hardcover debut, More Than A Mistress. Pinewood Manor is not merely a home to Viola Thornhill. The charming estate, near a quiet little village in Somersetshire, represents security and freedom -- a gift she'll always treasure, from the one man who thought her worthy of the chance to start a new life free from the scandals of her past. For two years Viola has worked to make the neglected property productive and won the hearts of her new neighbors. Her only regret is that she welcomed Lord Ferdinand Dudley so warmly to her domain. Unfortunately, the charming lord possesses not only the good looks of a Byronic hero, but also the deed to Pinewood. Her cherished memories of his stolen kisses vanish the moment he declares that she has no claim to the estate and informs her that she has a week to vacate the premises. She refuses. He insists. And they both stubbornly decide to remain until the dispute is settled. As forced intimacy reveals their secrets, the attraction between them grows, and their situation becomes more impossible by the moment. She longs to hate him for his present claims. He wants to despise her for her past actions. But the one thing neither of them can deny is that they both want the one thing they cannot have: a future together.
Mary Balogh - More Than a Mistress
In her most captivating novel to date, Mary Balogh, the premier writer of Regency romance, invites you into a world of scandal and seduction, of glittering high society and intrigue, as an arrogant duke does the unthinkable — he falls in love with his mistress....
She raced onto the green, desperate to stop a duel. In the melee, Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, was shot. To his astonishment, Tresham found himself hiring the servant as his nurse. Jane Ingleby was far too bold for her own good. Her blue eyes were the sort a man could drown in — were it not for her impudence. She questioned his every move, breached his secrets, touched his soul. When he offered to set her up in his London town house, love was the last thing on his mind....
Jane tried to pretend it was strictly business, an arrangement she was forced to accept in order to conceal a dangerous secret. Surely there was nothing more perilous than being the lover of such a man. Yet as she got past his devilish facade and saw the noble heart within, she knew the greatest jeopardy of all, a passion that drove her to risk everything on one perfect month with the improper gentleman who thought love was for fools.
Mary Jo Putney - Sometimes a Rogue
Even the most proper young lady yearns for adventure. But when the very well bred Miss Sarah Clarke-Townsend impulsively takes the place of her pregnant twin, it puts her own life at risk. If the kidnappers after her sister discover they've abducted Sarah instead, she will surely pay with her life...Rob Carmichael survived his disastrous family by turning his back on his heritage and becoming a formidable Bow Street Runner with a talent for rescuing damsels in distress. But Sarah is one damsel who is equal to whatever comes. Whether racing across Ireland with her roguish rescuer or throwing herself into his arms, she challenges Rob at every turn.
Anna Godbersen - Envy
After two months of speculation, Elizabeth Holland returns home to a city eager to claim her once more. She's the toast of the town, but she simply cannot rouse herself to take part in the festivities celebrating Manhattan's favorite newlyweds, Henry Schoonmaker and Penelope Hayes. Henry and Penelope are the envy of every socialite's eye, but could there be trouble in paradise? There's nothing more splendid than a scandal on the island of Manhattan, and New York's most practiced smiles hide enough secrets to make scandal a daily delight.
Gail Carriger - Heartless
Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.
Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?
Anthony Trollope - Doctor Thorne
_Dr Thorne_, considered by Trollope to be the best of his works, is a telling examination of the relationship between money and morality.
It recounts the story of the son of a bankrupt landowner, Frank Gresham, who is intent on marrying his beloved Mary Thorne despite her illegitimacy and apparent poverty. Frank's ambitious mother and haughty aunt are set against the match, however, and push him to make a good marriage to a wealthy heiress. Only Mary's loving uncle, Dr Thorne, knows of the fortune she is about to inherit - but believes she should be accepted on her own terms.
The third book in the _Chronicles of Barsetshire_
Mary Balogh - Then Comes Seduction
At four in the morning, the night of his twenty-fifth birthday, Baron Montford finds himself quite sauced with a large group of gentlemen in his library. Spurred on by revelry, pride, and drink, Montford takes on a wager he'll soon regret: to successfully seduce the virtuous Katherine Huxtable within the coming fortnight.
The Huxtables have recently fallen into a great deal of wealth and prominence, and Katherine Huxtable knows that she's been lucky in every way but one. Despite her great beauty and newfound life of leisure, Katherine believes she is not made for passion or romance. She has avoided any suitors and all men of the ton, Lord Montford most of all due to his notoriety of as a dangerous rakehell.
With a sour reputation, Baron Montford certainly has a steep hill to climb - will he lose his wager or perhaps even his heart?
Jo Walton - Half a Crown
Following the award-winning Farthing and its sequel Ha'penny, Half a Crown is an amazing alternate-world noir tale of resistance to encroaching fascism, from the author of Among Others.
In 1941 the European war ended in the Farthing Peace, a rapprochement between Britain and Nazi Germany. The balls and banquets of Britain's upper class never faltered, while British ships ferried "undesirables" across the Channel to board the cattle cars headed east.
Peter Carmichael is commander of the Watch, Britain's distinctly British secret police. It's his job to warn the Prime Minister of treason, to arrest plotters, to discover Jews. The midnight knock of a Watchman is the most dreaded sound in the realm.
Now, in 1960, a global peace conference is convening in London, where Britain, Germany, and Japan will oversee the final partition of the world. Hitler is once again on British soil. So is the long-exiled Duke of Windsor—and the rising gangs of "British Power" streetfighters, who consider the Government "soft," may be the former king's bid to stage a coup d'etat.
Amidst all this, two of the most unlikely persons in the realm will join forces to oppose the fascists: a debutante whose greatest worry until now has been where to find the right string of pearls, and the Watch Commander himself.
Jo Walton - Ha'penny
Before Jo Walton won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for her stunning Among Others, she published a trilogy set in a dark alternate postwar England that had negotiated “Peace with Honor” with Nazi Germany in 1941. These novels—Farthing, Ha’penny, and Half a Crown—are connected by common threads, but can be read in any order.
In Ha’penny, England has completed its slide into fascist dicatorship. The last hopes of democracy seem extinguished. Then a bomb explodes in a London suburb.
The brilliant but compromised Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. What he finds leads him to a conspiracy of peers and communists—of staunch King-and-Country patriots and hardened IRA gunmen—to murder the Prime Minister and his ally, Adolf Hitler.
Against a background of domestic espionage and suppression, a band of idealists blackmails an actress who holds the key to the Fuhrer's death. From the ha'penny seats in the theatre to the ha'pennys that cover dead men's eyes, the conspiracy and the investigation swirl inexorably to a stunning conclusion.
Jo Walton - Farthing (angol)
Eight years after they overthrew Churchill and led Britain into a separate peace with Hitler, the upper-crust families of the “Farthing set” are gathered for a weekend retreat. Among them is estranged Farthing scion Lucy Kahn, who can’t understand why her and her husband David’s presence was so forcefully requested. Then the country-house idyll is interrupted when the eminent Sir James Thirkie is found murdered—with a yellow Star of David pinned to his chest.
Lucy begins to realize that her Jewish husband is about to be framed for the crime—an outcome that would be convenient for altogether too many of the various political machinations underway in Parliament in the coming week. But whoever’s behind the murder, and the frame-up, didn’t reckon on the principal investigator from Scotland Yard being a man with very private reasons for sympathizing with outcasts and underdogs—and prone to look beyond the obvious as a result.
As the trap slowly shuts on Lucy and David, they begin to see a way out—a way fraught with peril in a darkening world.
Anna Godbersen - Rumors
In the wake of Elizabeth Holland's untimely demise, all eyes are on those left behind: Elizabeth's mischievous sister, Diana; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoonmaker; and the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind. In this delicious sequel to The Luxe, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites discover that money matters and breeding counts, but in 1899, ambition and well-played gossip trump all.
Mary Balogh - Irresistible
From beloved New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh comes this passionate tale of a proper lady who discovers just how desirable she really is after one very improper night...
It was unthinkable. It was irresponsible. It was irresistible...
Sophia Armitage was a friend, indeed. She had agreed to help Sir Nathaniel Gascoigne find a husband for his cousin, Lavinia in the glittering city of London - only half hoping that she'd find one for herself. Sophia knew the odds were against her. Men simply did not seem to be attracted to her - not that way. Even her late husband had treated Sophia more as a companion than a lover. But then something shocking happened in London - Sophia found herself in the arms of Nathaniel himself! Not only did this act of indiscretion threaten their lifelong friendship, it revealed a depth of passion that defied everything Sophia believed about herself...
Gail Carriger - Changeless
Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.
But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.
She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.