The Madness Of Viscount Atherbourne

The night that changes everything… Life for Victoria Lacey should be perfect. And it is—perfectly boring. Agree to marry a lord who has yet to inspire a single, solitary tingle? Why, of course. Smile as though this is not the thousandth time he’s mentioned hounds and hunting? It’s all in a day’s work for the oh-so-proper sister of the Duke of Blackmore. Surely no one would suspect her secret longing for heart-racing, head-spinning passion. Except, perhaps, a dark stranger … on a terrace … at a ball where she should definitely not be kissing a man she has only just met. The obsession that leads to ruin… Hatred, not love, drives Lucien Wyatt, Viscount Atherbourne, to tempt the “Flower of Blackmore” into sin. Her brother has done unthinkable damage to Lucien’s family, and he intends to exact revenge in the only way left to him: Ruining his enemy’s sister, then stealing her from Blackmore by making her his own. The woman who will set fire to her husband’s heart As Lucien carries out his ruthless plan, tutoring his new bride in the finer points of pleasure, her surrender leaves him breathless … and soon a new obsession awakens—a scandalous fascination with his irresistible wife.

When a rake beyond redemption… A walking scandal surviving on little more than wits, whisky, and wicked skills in the bedchamber, Benedict Chatham, the new Marquess of Rutherford, is at the end of his rope. Deeply in debt and down to his last farthing, he must marry nothing short of an absolute fortune, or risk utter ruin. Must marry for money… Enter Miss Charlotte Lancaster, unfashionably tall heiress to just such a fortune and a clumsy, redheaded disaster in her five London seasons. While she dreams of leaving England for a life of trade in America, her father schemes to trade her dowry for a title—and Marchioness of Rutherford will do nicely. Charlotte wants her independence, not a husband, and certainly not a disreputable devil who renders her weak and wobbly with a single scorching glance. But she’s a practical sort, and a year with the devil might buy her freedom … provided she can resist his seductive charms. That shouldn’t prove a problem, for he could not possibly want someone like her, and the feeling is mutual. Really. It is. Love grows in the most unexpected places… When her father demands a startling price for his daughter’s hand—one year of fidelity and sobriety—Chatham must change his libertine ways … at least temporarily. And when he does, Charlotte begins to see him in a new light—not as the scandalous charmer she married, but as the husband she just might adore.

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.

In Elisa Braden’s enchanting new Midnight in Scotland series, the unlikeliest matches generate the greatest heat. All it takes is a spark of Highland magic. “Make me a lady, and I’ll make ye a Highlander.” –Mad Annie Tulloch, Scottish lass “Challenge accepted.” –John Huxley, English gentleman No lady can tempt him more than the next shore Everyone wants handsome adventurer John Huxley to settle down—family, friends, London society. Everyone except John. He’s evaded too many scheming title huntresses to trust in happily-ever-after. Now, a vow made to a dying friend has him locked in a land dispute with a stubborn Scot who offers one way out: Win the Highland Games. John likes a challenge, but this one’s impossible. Still, with training from the Scot’s stepdaughter, victory might be within reach. He only has to teach the fiery, foul-mouthed, breeches-wearing lass how to land a lord. It seems “impossible” is just getting started. She’s no lady—she’s Mad Annie Tulloch Everyone calls her Mad Annie. True, her best friend is a ghost. And yes, her greatest talents involve cooking for giants and taunting ridiculously handsome Englishmen. But she’s not mad—she’s desperate. To save her friend, Annie must marry a lord. The trouble is no lord will look twice at a hoyden like her. This calls for “Lady Lessons,” and she knows just the uptight Englishman to provide them. When did a simple bargain become a battle of desire? Amidst cursed castles, caber tossing, and questionable chaperones, John and Annie’s wildfire attraction threatens to send their plans up in flames. And when Annie’s family is targeted by a dangerous enemy, John is tempted to stay, to fight, and to win the greatest prize of all: A fiery lass’s tender, loyal heart.

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.

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.

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.

THE ONE THING HE CANNOT REVEAL For years, Melisande Fleming has loved Lord Vale from afar . . . watching him seduce a succession of lovers, and once catching a glimpse of heartbreaking depths beneath his roguish veneer. When he's jilted on his wedding day, she boldly offers to be his. TO THE ONE WOMAN HE MOST DESIRES Vale gladly weds Melisande, if only to produce an heir. But he's pleasantly surprised: A shy and proper Lady by day, she's a wanton at night, giving him her body-though not her heart. IS HIS DEEPEST NEED . . . Determined to learn her secrets, this sinner starts to woo his seductive new wife-while hiding the nightmares from his soldiering days in the Colonies that still haunt him. Yet when a deadly betrayal from the past threatens to tear them apart, Lord Vale must bare his soul to the woman he married . . . or risk losing her forever.