He's a master of disguises...but he can't mask true love. Spymaster Harry Harmon's new assignment is to spy on enemies at a country house party. To do that, he'll require a courtesan: learned, truthful, and beautiful.... Poor, sensible, smart Simone Ryland has come to Mrs. Burton's bawdy house in search of work. But instead, she finds Harmon in need of her special skills.

Still unwed at 21, an unconventional high-spirited woman finds her affections sought by a handsome, devilishly charming earl, who is nicknamed "The Ideal" by the ton—for his combination of wealth and looks. Though at first she fights his advances, slowly she forms a heated alliance with him. But sparring with words soon turns into a succumbing passion.

Aurora Halle McPhee, a girl of humble (some might say unconventional) background, cannot believe her luck when she is betrothed to the dashing, well-bred Harland Podell. Aurora soon learns, however, that the match is too good to be true when the nuptials are interrupted by the brother of the groom's wife! Kenyon Warriner, Earl of Windham, is determined to foil that bigamous bounder Podell before he disgraces another innocent female as he did Kenyon's own sister.

Lovely Lisanne Neville had always found solace in the verdant beauty of Sevrin Woods. But now the woods were about to be destroyed in order to pay off the gambling debts of the Duke of St. Sevrin. Clearly, drastic measures were called for. So Lisanne proposed marriage to the duke. The deal: her fortune for his woods.

Delirious with fever, Rosellen Lockharte summons all her strength to pen several letters from her attic deathbed. Soon all who set her willy-nilly on this path to perdition as a penmanship teacher will learn that in her final hour she forgave them. All except him. But why wait for Judgment Day to tell Viscount Stanford she thinks he is the most heinous of humans?

Lucinda's life was tragically cut short in a most scandalous manner, and her only means of entering heaven lies in saving Lord Stanford from hell. Perhaps while guiding the notorious rake onto a virtuous path, she can show him how true love will save his immortal soul....

After the cold-blooded murder of her odious husband, Marisol Pendenning, a lovely but pregnant young widow, and Lord Kimbrough, the handsome aristocrat who had been the last to see the victim alive, are drawn into the search for a killer.

Viscount Aubrey "Stony" Wellstone is at the end of his rope - and the end of his family's once-great fortune. Desperate, he tries his luck at the gaming tables, where an offer to exchange his debts for a gentlemanly favor leads to a profitable new profession. The fiercely independent, flame-tressed Miss Ellianne Kane would normally have no use for an upper-class attendant - even one as striking as Stony - but she needs Aubrey's help.

A war hero's widow, Graceanne, still has her adorable three year old twin boys to love, until she receives a letter from her late husband's demanding cousin, Leland Warrington, the Duke of Ware. It seems that the duke, 32 years old, twice widowed, and with no forseeable plans to marry again, is in desperate need of an heir. And seeing that Graceanne has two boys, she could easily spare one.

Robert Rothmore, Earl of Rockford, thinks Alissa Henning is simply delightful-exactly the kind of woman who'd make the perfect mother for his sons. But Alissa swore she'd spend the rest of her life scraping pennies together rather than wed the insufferable earl and become a glorified governess. Still, she couldn't very well let her own children starve - and there was no doubt that Rockford would give them all a good life. So, she reluctantly accepts his offer...but there's more to a good life than what's in one's pockets.

Give the gift of love this holiday season with five romantic, magical Christmas stories - and feel as if you've just been kissed beneath the mistletoe. Originally published in separate anthologies and out of print for many years, these Christmas-themed novellas by legendary Regency romance author Barbara Metzger are in one volume for the first time ever!

Celebrate the magic of the holiday season with a little Regency romance! Originally published in separate anthologies, and out-of-print for many years, these Christmas-themed novellas by legendary Regency romance author Barbara Metzger are in one volume for the first time ever! This collection includes the following stories: "Greetings of the Season", "The Proof Is in the Pudding", "Three Good Deeds", "Christmas Wish List", and "Little Miracles".

When the local magistrate jailed Jacelyn Trevaine's pet dog as a public nuisance, the country miss knew he meant to blackmail her into socializing with his nephew. High-spirited Jacelyn decided to free her dog by kidnapping the precious nephew, but unfortunately she abducted the wrong gentleman! Her captive was none other than handsome Lord Leigh Claibourne - returned war hero and rake extraordinaire. And four hours alone with the libertine Earl was tantamount to social ruin. Of course, she was already ruined.

Spoiled and ungoverned, Fitz was not suitable companion for a lady of fashion....And certainly no proper chaperon. Fitz begged to disagree - after all, a dog was a true incomparable as far as friendship, loyalty, and protection - and soon lovely Miss Sonia was plucked by her rusticated roots and packed off, dog and all, to London. Perhaps there she would find a husband to tame her free-spirited ways - and keep her out of trouble.

Though barely out of the schoolroom, Melody Ashton was determined to save her mother from scandal. Guardian of several "orphans" (in actuality the illegitimate children of the ton!) poor Mama was accused of pilfering contributions. To make matters worse, the infuriatingly handsome Lord Coe had accused them all of blackmailing his sister, whose child resided with them!

Major Calborne Rutherford returns to England on the trail of an assassin, only to find he's become Lord Ashendon, with the responsibility for vast estates and dependent relatives. Cal can command the toughest of men, but his wild half-sisters are quite another matter. They might just be his undoing. When he discovers that Miss Emmaline Westwood, the girls' former teacher, guides them with ease, Cal offers her a marriage of convenience.

Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests.

Ace Endicott, the Earl of Carde, needs a woman who will give him an heir, but he never expects to be engaged to three different women, or to become the laughingstock of the gossip columnists. Escaping this London nightmare, he takes a chance and comes up with a winning hand in the game of love.

Alexander Denford, Baron Sedgwick, is a gentleman to be envied. He lives a rakish life of well-celebrated ease and contentment and has one person to thank for his perfectly ordered existence - his dearest wife, Emmaline. She never complains about his mistresses or his penchant for late nights out. His friends are envious, but they don't know the truth - Emmaline doesn't exist. But when he starts receiving bills from London for clothes, shoes, hats, and a staggering amount of other female accouterments, he realizes something is decidedly amiss.

Phoebe Smythe, countess of Borwick, suffers a tragic miscarriage when she learns her husband and young son have been killed in a carriage accident. The grieving widow retreats to an isolated cottage on the coast of Cornwall, where she finds a smuggler who’s washed ashore, blood leaking from a bullet wound.

In Vicky Dreiling’s enchanting Regency romance debut, Tristan - the rakish duke of Shelbourne - wants to marry and sire an heir. To help him choose among the dizzying array of wealthy but witless candidates, he secures the services of prim and proper matchmaker Miss Tessa Mansfield. But as Tessa seeks the perfect mate, the duke finds himself distracted by Tessa’s considerable charms.

New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd spins the captivating tale of a nobleman whose path crosses again with the one woman he absolutely cannot resist....

Nothing gets the tongues of London’s high society wagging like a good scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefited from an anonymous tip about the crime, prompting Sebastian to take an interest in playing detective - and an even greater interest in Eliza.

Griff Knighton's found the perfect way to avoid being trapped into marriage with one of the Earl of Swanlea's daughters: He'll swap identities with his man of affairs during their next visit to Swan Park, and be free to pursue his own desires! After all, he's not about to marry some homely spinster just to claim his rightful title. But Griff didn't reckon on the brazen, voluptuous Rosalind, who could tempt even a saint into sinning, and Griff is no saint.

Newly returned from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents, and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they disappear, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies-and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.

Thea Knight loves a spot of mischief. She especially loves her current mischief: masquerading as her sister, while finalizing her scheme to expose the dastardly knaves whose lies ruined her life. Then big, bad-tempered Lord Luxborough upends her game by maneuvering her into marriage. But it's her sister’s name on the license, so the marriage won’t be valid. Thea’s idea? Keep pretending to be her sister until she can run away.

Katherine Vareck is in for the shock of her life when she learns upon her husband Meri’s death that, before the accident, he had married two other women. And you know how the saying goes: Hell hath no fury like a woman who married a man who married two other women. Or something like that.

More pagan than lady, Meriel spends her days running barefoot through her English estate, cultivating her flowers and her mystical connection to nature. She is mute and, according to most people, mad. But handsome Dominic Renbourne, who has been sent by his twin to court her, senses in Meriel a kindred spirit. He manages to inspire her trust, and against his better judgement, her passion.

Lady Elizabeth Spaulding’s world has fallen apart. Despite living her entire life to please her demanding parents, the Duke and Duchess of Marwood, she has little to show for it. After Elizabeth’s second failed betrothal, her father’s debts and appalling acts of retaliation force him to flee the country, consigning Elizabeth and her bitter mother to a life of poverty and exile. But Elizabeth’s fortunes change one day when an elderly acquaintance makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

When Akira Ayres finds the brawny Scot with a musket ball in his thigh, the healer has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save his life. Even if it means fleeing with him across the Highlands to tend to his wounds while English redcoats are closing in. Though Akira is as fierce and brave as any of her clansmen, even she's intimidated by the fearsome, brutally handsome Highlander who refuses to reveal his name.

He's a master of disguises...but he can't mask true love. Spymaster Harry Harmon's new assignment is to spy on enemies at a country house party. To do that, he'll require a courtesan: learned, truthful, and beautiful.... Poor, sensible, smart Simone Ryland has come to Mrs. Burton's bawdy house in search of work. But instead, she finds Harmon in need of her special skills.

Viscount Aubrey "Stony" Wellstone is at the end of his rope - and the end of his family's once-great fortune. Desperate, he tries his luck at the gaming tables, where an offer to exchange his debts for a gentlemanly favor leads to a profitable new profession. The fiercely independent, flame-tressed Miss Ellianne Kane would normally have no use for an upper-class attendant - even one as striking as Stony - but she needs Aubrey's help.

When the local magistrate jailed Jacelyn Trevaine's pet dog as a public nuisance, the country miss knew he meant to blackmail her into socializing with his nephew. High-spirited Jacelyn decided to free her dog by kidnapping the precious nephew, but unfortunately she abducted the wrong gentleman! Her captive was none other than handsome Lord Leigh Claibourne - returned war hero and rake extraordinaire. And four hours alone with the libertine Earl was tantamount to social ruin. Of course, she was already ruined.

Lord Galen Woodbridge decides to stir up a bit of a scandal by wedding London's most eligible and elusive songstress, Margot Montclaire. After Galen proposes, Margot confides that her sexy demeanor is merely an act. A baron's daughter, she took to the stage to escape the clutches of a diabolical uncle - and reluctantly left her fragile young brother behind in his care. To win Margot's hand, Galen agrees to save her sickly sibling - but in this marriage of mutual convenience, he never planned on losing his heart...

Delirious with fever, Rosellen Lockharte summons all her strength to pen several letters from her attic deathbed. Soon all who set her willy-nilly on this path to perdition as a penmanship teacher will learn that in her final hour she forgave them. All except him. But why wait for Judgment Day to tell Viscount Stanford she thinks he is the most heinous of humans?