Desperately Seeking A Scoundrel

Desperately seeking a fiancé… Miss Sarah Battersby is in dire need of a man, preferably one skilled at deception. Upon her father’s death, she will be left with no home and nary a penny. With time running out, she must either accept the proposal of a man she loathes, or stall long enough to secure a teaching position by telling one teensy, trifling lie—that she is promised to someone else. The problem? He does not technically exist. But Sarah refuses to be defeated by insignificant details. The answer lies in finding the right man for the job. And, as luck would have it, she has stumbled on just the candidate … though he could use a little patching up. Desperately seeking a refuge… Where Lord Colin Lacey goes, trouble follows—even when he attempts to do right. Tortured and hunted by a brutal criminal, he is rescued from death’s door by the stubborn, oddly fetching Miss Battersby. In return, she asks one small favor: Pretend to be her fiancé. Temporarily, of course. With danger nipping his heels, he knows it is wrong to want her, wrong to agree to her terms. But when has Colin Lacey ever done the sensible thing? Desperately seeking a love to conquer all… As lies turn to longing, and longing to something deeper, they realize it will take more than passion to see them through the danger to come. They will need a plan. They will need family. Above all, they will need a love strong enough to steel a lady’s resolve and transform a scoundrel’s heart.

The only way for vicar's daughter Phoebe Millbury to inherit a family fortune is to find herself a duke—just as her late grandfather demanded in his will. But Phoebe, who's still trying to make good after a romantic scandal, also has her two cousins to contend with. They're all competing for the same money, maybe even the same men. ..until Phoebe meets her match in the terribly handsome and charming Rafe Marbrook. When she receives a marriage proposal from the Marquis of Brookhaven, Phoebe is thrilled to learn that Rafe is headed for dukedom...and accepts his offer. There's only one problem: It's from Rafe's older, less captivating brother, Calder. Now Phoebe finds herself on the verge of yet another scandal as she faces a desperate choice: Marry Calder for his money—or follow her own heart? Each way can only lead to trouble...

When a wager goes wrong… Painfully shy Jane Huxley is the furthest thing from a diamond of the first water. Bookish, bespectacled, and, well, plain, she never expected to befriend a dissolute charmer like Colin Lacey, much less agree to help him retrieve a lost family heirloom. Fortunately, he is nothing like his cold, rigid older brother. Unfortunately, he is not above deception if it means winning a wager. And that puts Jane in a most precarious position. A formidable duke will marry a plain Jane… For Harrison Lacey, the Duke of Blackmore, protecting his family honor is not a choice, it is a necessity. So, when his cad of a brother humiliates the unwitting Lady Jane, Harrison must make it right, even if it means marrying the chit himself. And a marriage of convenience will become so much more… Her reputation hanging by a thread, Jane agrees to wed the arrogant Duke of Blackmore, although she’s convinced it will result in frostbite. Only after lingering glances lead to devastating kisses does she begin to suspect the truth: Perhaps—just perhaps—her duke is not as cold as he appears.

Born female, but living the whole of her life as a male, Dane Winston has stumbled into the employ of Lord Stratford, youngest brother of the Duke of Ravenswood. As his valet, she can barely keep the chatty lord on schedule…nor can she keep his hands off her person, once he discovers her true gender. The only thing more surprising than his attention is how much Winston enjoys it. But their dalliance must be short-lived. As she navigates a house party where certain guests are keen to cause trouble for the duke, she discovers trouble of her own in the form of jealous servants…and someone from her past she hoped never to meet again. Lord Stratford Sweet has returned home to find his deceased father has left the duchy in dire financial straits. As he scrambles to help his eldest brother, the new duke, hide the extent of their insolvency from a houseful of guests, he certainly needs no further distractions. But he finds one in the form of his new valet, a man who looks too young, too soft…too good in a pair of breeches. When Stratford discovers her secret, keeping Win in his employ could cause a scandal the likes of which the estate can scarcely afford. But the more he learns about Win, and the uncanny connection they share, it may be a scandal he’s willing to endure…forever. Scandalous Brides series: 1. Wicked with Him 2. Desperately Seeking Seduction 3. Love and Other Disasters

The final, breathtaking novel in Elisa Braden’s Rescued from Ruin series is the story readers have been clamoring for: Fragile yet unbroken, Hannah Gray is embarking on a husband hunt … if only Lady Wallingham hadn’t invited a wolf to the party. All she wants is an ordinary life A cruel past left Hannah Gray with one simple longing—normalcy. Normal ladies ride and waltz without fear. They have safe, normal husbands to give them safe, normal kisses. After years of healing, she’s ready to find “normal” for herself, and Lady Wallingham’s house party is the perfect place to begin. Perfect, that is, except for the cynical wolf-in-rogue’s-clothing whose every hungry glance threatens to crack her armor and pierce her fragile heart. All he wants is to forget her Bow Street runner Jonas Hawthorn vowed never to see the cold, haughty Miss Gray again. A year ago, he nearly died trying to protect her, only to be dismissed like a lowly servant. But soon, he’ll have land and servants of his own. He just has to locate an old dowager’s stolen goods, collect his prize, and avoid the beauty who haunts him like a moonlit sky. All it takes is a single kiss He never meant to touch her. She never meant to reveal the truth. But once he’s tasted the heat and longing hidden beneath her icy mask, the only mystery this Bow Street man burns to solve is how a roguish wolf might win the elusive Miss Gray for himself.

In the enchanting Midnight in Scotland series, the unlikeliest matches generate the greatest heat. All it takes is a spark of Highland magic. A woman hunted Once a hopeless wallflower, Clarissa Meadows blossomed into a beauty for a single splendid season—only to catch the eye of a madman bent on possessing her. Now, she must flee where he’ll never follow: a friend’s house in the Scottish Highlands. Except he does follow. And Clarissa has nowhere left to run. A protector unbound Campbell MacPherson shouldn’t be dreaming about the fair English lass who blushes like a sunrise, blurts out double entendres over breakfast, and shows a peculiar interest in the size of his hands. But when she reveals the threat putting fear in her eyes, this rough, solitary giant vows his protection, even if it means keeping temptation as close as his next breath. A temptation too hot to deny Clarissa couldn’t ask for a more imposing—or enthralling—bodyguard than Campbell MacPherson. But accepting his protection puts him squarely in a predator’s sights. And soon, she faces an impossible choice: stay in the shelter of his arms or save the man she loves from the wolf she’s brought to his door.

What a girl wants… Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion. Is an earl like no other… James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be. And only the right one will do… Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.