Bargaining With A Rake

A duchess determined to love... Evie Montgomery, the Duchess of Somerset, has promised her grandfather she will marry for love, and she is determined to keep said promise. Only the man she loves is the most notorious rake in the country. And he hasn't spared her a glance in the seven years since she's known him. Winning his hand in marriage isn't hard, winning his heart, however, is another matter entirely. The rake she cannot forget... The last thing Gabriel, the Viscount St. Clare, wants in this life is marriage. However, when Evie appears on his doorstep, she proposes a bargain, he can't refuse. Marrying the duchess to gain her fortune is tempting, but not as tempting as the duchess herself. When the past comes a knocking, they realize that to keep love in their lives, they have to give up much more than either of them has bargained for.

Her first mistake was striking a bargain with a notorious rogue bent on revenge. Her second was falling in love with him. A lady desperate to escape. For eleven years, Gillian Rutherford has dreamed of escaping her family’s dark secret and living a normal life. Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she’s frantic to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian’s scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake. He’ll help her win the hand of his American friend, if she’ll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact, may be her heart. A rogue out for vengeance. The day tragedy strikes Alexander Trevelle’s family, he vows to obtain revenge against the man responsible. And when he discovers the man’s betrothed wishes to escape wedding him, Alex is more than happy to assist the ravishing lady in her scheme. But the more time he spends with the quick-witted bold Gillian, the less perfect the rash bargain seems. Each moment around her is sweet torture, and passion simmers between them, even igniting at times. Yet Alex is fighting it with all the strength he possesses, because to ever truly claim her as his, he’d have to offer the one thing he’s unsure he could—his heart. An arrangement better broken. When Gillian and Alex’s common enemy positions himself to outmaneuver them both and take away any chance at the unexpected gift hanging between them, the proud lady and the damaged rouge risk losing each other forever unless they expose their carefully guarded secrets and trust in each other so that they can claim the greatest victory of them all—triumphant unwavering love!

The stage is set Deborah O'Hara loves her life, leading her troupe of actors. But when she becomes entangled in a web of secrets spun by the rakishly handsome Damian Beaumaris, Duke of Cirencester, she is forced to play the hardest role of her life: that of the stunning but disloyal Paulette, the duke's widowed sister-in-law. To regain the honor of his family, Beau needs Deb's help. But despite his intentions to let nothing distract him from his plan, he doesn't bargain on the forbidden sparks that fly with his beautiful leading lady.... "Outrageous, interesting and tremendous fun." --Fresh Fiction on The Outrageous Belle Marchmain

'Fabulous' Eloisa James 'Smart, sexy, and always romantic' Julia Quinn 'For a smart, witty and passionate historical romance, I recommend anything by Sarah MacLean' Lisa Kleypas A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen's club. Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried - and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing. But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss - to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St John, the Marquess of Ralston - charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile. If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all - the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love . . . This is the first novel in the Regency romance Love By Numbers trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean - perfect for fans of Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James Love By Numbers series: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart Praise for Sarah MacLean: 'Sarah MacLean has reignited the romance genre with a bolder edge' The New Yorker 'Funny, smart, feminist and roastingly hot' BookRiot.com 'Do yourself a favor and discover the compelling magic of Sarah MacLean' Amanda Quick 'MacLean writes with an entirely unique blend of elegance and ferocity that bursts from every page' Entertainment Weekly 'Great chemistry, intelligence and sparkling humor' RT Book Reviews

"[A] feast of female empowerment, positive friendships, feel-good moments, and social satire." — NPR “A jolt of electricity, a blast of fresh air—everything delightful and exciting you could want it to be.” — The New York Times Book Review Meet the Union of the Rakes—a new Regency romance series inspired by the Breakfast Club and other classic 80s films! In the first book, a bluestocking enlists a faux suitor to help her land an ideal husband only to be blindsided by real desire… Lady Grace Wyatt is content as a wallflower, focusing on scientific pursuits rather than the complications of society matches. But when a handsome, celebrated naturalist returns from abroad, Grace wishes, for once, to be noticed. Her solution: to “build” the perfect man, who will court her publicly and help her catch his eye. Grace’s colleague, anthropologist Sebastian Holloway, is just the blank slate she requires. To further his own research on English society, Sebastian agrees to let Grace transform him from a bespectacled, bookish academic into a dashing—albeit fake—rake. Between secret lessons on how to be a rogue and exaggerated public flirtations, Grace’s feelings for Sebastian grow from friendship into undeniable, inconvenient, real attraction. If only she hadn’t asked him to help her marry someone else... Sebastian is in love with brilliant, beautiful Grace, but their bargain is complete, and she desires another. Yet when he’s faced with losing her forever, Sebastian will do whatever it takes to tell her the truth, even if it means risking his own future—and his heart. *One of Oprah Magazine's Best Historical Romances to Read*

This book explains why some countries succeed in installing democracy after authoritarian rule, and why some of these new democracies make progress toward consolidation. Casper and Taylor show that a democratic government can be installed when elite bargaining during the transition process is relatively smooth. They view elite bargaining in twenty-four transitions cases, some where continued authoritarianism was the result, others where a democratic government was the result, and a third outcome where progress towards consolidation was the end product.

Miss Loretta Bachman convinces a reformed rake, who has vowed to never sleep with another lady, to marry her and pretend he's deeply in love with her so she can impress the Ton.*********Thaddeus (Tad) Darkin, the Duke of Lambeth, used to be a rake. In fact, before Lord Edon was scandalizing the Ton, Tad was the one everyone was talking about. Many gentlemen secretly wished they had his charm with the ladies. All reputable ladies were warned to stay as far from him as possible, which only made him all the more attractive. Then, after a tragic event, he took a vow of celibacy, promising he would never be intimate with another lady again. Over the years, this caused him to be the most sought-after single gentleman in all of London. And even though he doesn't want to marry, his steward left him in financial ruin, so whether he likes it or not, he must take a wife. After being rejected by the gentleman she was hoping to marry, Miss Loretta Bachman is on a mission to save her reputation. She needs to marry someone who will impress the prestigious ladies in her social circle. So when she catches the leader of the group talking about the very handsome and hard-to-get Duke of Lambeth, she's determined to get him to marry her. All she needs is a little bargaining power, and fortunately for her, she happens to have the money he needs to save his estate. When she learns of his vow to remain celibate, she agrees to keep away from his bed. After all, her only reason for marrying him is to secure her social standing in London, not to have a love match. All she asks is that he pretends to be deeply in love with her when they're in public. That way she will succeed in impressing the Ton. But before long, the lines between what is pretend and what is real starts to blur, and it's hard to decide how far to push the limits of their agreement.

Thaddeus (Tad) Darkin, the Duke of Lambeth, used to be a rake. In fact, before Lord Edon was scandalizing the Ton, Tad was the one everyone was talking about. Many gentlemen secretly wished they had his charm with the ladies. All reputable ladies were warned to stay as far from him as possible, which only made him all the more attractive. Then, after a tragic event, he took a vow of celibacy, promising he would never be intimate with another lady again. Over the years, this caused him to be the most sought-after single gentleman in all of London. And even though he doesn't want to marry, his steward left him in financial ruin, so whether he likes it or not, he must take a wife. After being rejected by the gentleman she was hoping to marry, Miss Loretta Bachman is on a mission to save her reputation. She needs to marry someone who will impress the prestigious ladies in her social circle. So when she catches the leader of the group talking about the very handsome and hard-to-get Duke of Lambeth, she's determined to get him to marry her. All she needs is a little bargaining power, and fortunately for her, she happens to have the money he needs to save his estate. When she learns of his vow to remain celibate, she agrees to keep away from his bed. After all, her only reason for marrying him is to secure her social standing in London, not to have a love match. All she asks is that he pretends to be deeply in love with her when they're in public. That way she will succeed in impressing the Ton. But before long, the lines between what is pretend and what is real starts to blur, and it's hard to decide how far to push the limits of their agreement.