"Life’s for real an’ you got to get on with it."

Rosie Goodison is not one to shy away from life’s problems. Whether it’s finding work or challenging injustice, Rosie squares her shoulders, sets her chin high and faces it full on.

Born at the end of the nineteenth century, in the rural south of England and sent into service aged just twelve, Rosie quickly discovers that many good people spend their lives toiling for very little reward, whilst others ‘have it all’.

She decides it won’t be like that for her. Why can’t she ride in a car? Why can’t she work when she’s pregnant? Why can’t she live in a nice flat? Why can’t she be an artist’s model?

Whilst working as a housekeeper for two upper-class boys, Rosie starts to learn more and more about the world, gleaned from overheard conversations and newspapers left lying around. This triggers an ongoing thirst for knowledge, which shapes her views, informs her decisions and influences her future.

Rosie aspires to have a better life than that of her parents: better living conditions, better working conditions and pay, better education for her children, to be able to vote, to be able to control how many children she has…

Without realising it, this young woman is blazing a trail for all those who are to come after.

Whilst working in London, Rosie meets her sweetheart Jim, but the The Great War puts paid to their plans for the future, and matters worsen afterwards, as she, along with the rest of society, tries to deal with the horrors and losses.

This heart-warming story follows the events of the early twentieth century – the impact and horrors of WW1, the financial crisis and the rapid social and political changes that took place.

All that remains of Rosie now is a quartet of paintings in an art gallery. The artist, now famous but the model, unnamed and forgotten; nobody of consequence.

But everybody has a life story. Everybody leaves some kind of mark on this world.

Everybody’s somebody.

A dour duke and a wistful wallflower—an impossible match until fate intervenes one enchanted night.

A dour duke…

Jules, the Sixth Duke of Dandridge disdains Society and all its trappings, preferring the country’s solitude and peace. Already jaded and cynical since the woman he loved died years ago, he’s become even more so since unexpectedly inheriting a dukedom’s responsibilities and finding himself the target of every husband-hunting vixen in London.

A wistful wallflower…

Forever in her stunning sister’s shadow, Jemmah Dament has adored Jules from afar for years—since as children they were the best of friends. She daren’t dream she can win a duke’s heart any more than she hopes to escape the life of servitude imposed on her by an uncaring mother. Jemmah knows full well, Jules is too far above her station. Besides, his family has already selected his perfect duchess: a poised, polished, exquisite blueblood.

But one enchanted night…

A chance encounter reunites Jules and Jemmah, resulting in a passionate interlude neither can forget. Jules realizes he wants more—much more—than Jemmah’s sweet kisses or her warming his bed. He must somehow convince her to gamble on a dour duke. But can Jemmah trust a rogue promised to another? One who’s sworn never to love again?

Caution: This Historical Regency Romance contains a duke who literally thumbs his nose at society, a sweet and intelligent wallflower with a secret dream, a villainess worthy of a fairy tale, and two delightful match-making dowagers.

Buy this book for an emotional, entertaining, and romantic fairty-tale meets Regency world adventure you won’t want to put down.

An arranged marriage leads to passionate love in this classic Scottish historical romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.
 
By edict of the king, the mighty Scottish laird Alec Kincaid must take an English bride. His choice is Jamie, youngest daughter of Baron Jamison—a feisty, violet-eyed beauty. Alec aches to touch her, to tame her, to possess her...forever. But Jamie has vowed never to surrender to a man she considers a highland barbarian.
 
Alec is everything Jamie’s heart has warned her against—an arrogant scoundrel whose rough good looks speak of savage pleasures. While Kincaid’s scorching kisses set fire to her blood, she is determined to resist him...until one rapturous moment quells their clash of wills, and something far more dangerous than desire threatens to conquer her senses...

Includes an excerpt of another beloved Julie Garwood highland romance, The Wedding


Praise for #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Julie Garwood
 
“[Garwood] attracts readers like beautiful heroines attract dashing heroes.”—USA Today
 
“Julie Garwood creates masterpieces every time she writes a book.”—The Kansas City Star
 
“The talented Ms. Garwood keeps you enthralled.”—Rendezvous
 
“Undoubtedly Garwood is a pro.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“If a book has Julie Garwood’s name on it, it’s guaranteed to be a meticulously written...and thoroughly engaging story.”—Sun Journal (ME)

Before they became The Greatest Generation, they were young men and women in love . . .

Three heartwarming, award-winning romances from USA Today bestselling author Barbara Bretton


Where or When

It is 1941 and Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu is as close to paradise as you were likely to get. Golden sunshine, sweet ocean breezes, secluded beaches made for romance.

Pearl is a dream come true for Rick Byrne. A poor kid from the south side of Chicago, Rick joined the navy to see the world -- and maybe one day own a piece of it. When the chance to drive for Admiral Forrester falls into his lap, he grabs for the brass ring even if it means squiring the admiral's spoiled and beautiful daughter all around Honolulu.

Eden Forrester dislikes the brash young sailor on sight. For five weeks now she has been forced to rely on her father's underlings to drive her around town while she waits for her broken leg to mend. A first-class flirt, she is accustomed to getting her own way with men of all ages, but her new driver seems immune to her charms . . . until one magical moment on a moonswept beach when the future is theirs for the taking.

But the world around them is growing more dangerous every day and on a beautiful Sunday morning in December, not even Paradise can save them from their destiny . . .


Sentimental Journey

It's June 1943. From New York to California, families gather to send their sons and husbands, friends and lovers off to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor seems a long time ago as America begins to understand that their boys won't be home any time soon.

In Forest Hills, New York City, twenty-year-old Catherine Wilson knows all about waiting. She's been in love with boy-next-door Doug Weaver since childhood, and if the war hadn't started when it did, she would be married and maybe starting a family, not sitting at the window of her girlhood bedroom, waiting for her life to begin.

But then a telegram from the War Department arrives, shattering her dreams of a life like the one her mother treasures.
Weeks drift into months as she struggles to find her way. An exchange of letters with Johnny Danza, a young soldier in her father's platoon, starts off as a patriotic gesture, but soon becomes a long-distance friendship that grows more important to her with every day that passes.

The last thing Catherine expects is to open her front door on Christmas Eve to find Johnny lying unconscious on the Wilsons' welcome mat with a heart filled with new dreams that are hers for the taking.

A Desert Island Keeper - All About Romance
Harlequin Award of Excellence
4.5 stars - RT Top Pick!


Stranger in Paradise

The year is 1953 and London is throwing the party of the century.

Even though the ravages of World War II are still visible throughout the kingdom, the world is gathering on the Mall to celebrate the coronation of England's beautiful young queen.

For almost ten years, journalist Mac Weaver has been far from his New York home. America has changed since the war ended and he wonders if there's still a place for him in the land of backyard barbecues and a new Ford in every driveway.

However, a chance encounter with beautiful English reporter Jane Townsend is about to change his life forever.

As the new monarch waves from the window of her fairy-tale glass coach, a homesick Yank and a lonely Brit fall in love.

One week later, Mr. and Mrs. Mac Weaver board the Queen Mary for New York and a guaranteed happily ever after future in the land where dreams come true.

But there are dark shadows on the horizon that threaten Mac and Jane's happiness and family scandals that just might tear them apart . . .

A Desert Island Keeper - All About Romance

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s not marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to bear.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn’t be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he’d bargained for.

Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen?

When it comes to acting the gentleman with Miss Abbott, this marquess is damned if he does…and damned if he doesn’t. 

In this scorching hot Regency romance, the Marquess of Alastair has doubled the dowry he is providing Miss Abbott because the sooner she is married, the sooner she is out of his care — and his fantasies.

To Mildred Abbott’s dismay, her dowry is now attracting numerous unwanted suitors, and she has no interest in marrying. What she wants is an encore of her night at the Château Debauchery, where Alastair once fulfilled her most decadent desires.

When just such an opportunity unexpectedly arises, Alastair concedes to her proposition on one condition: that she never again return to Château Debauchery.

But when their families get together for Christmas and Mildred is confronted with her true feelings for Alastair, will the Château Debauchery prove too great a temptation?

If you’re looking to heat up your Christmas reading, start reading Tempting A Marquess for Christmas today!

READER ADVISORY: Reading the previous book, SUBMITTING TO THE MARQUESS, is recommended but not required to enjoy this scorching hot holiday story.

Love is worth a little scandal.

Owen Hadley needs a wife. Preferably a wealthy one. Alas, there aren't a great number of heiresses willing to marry a rogue of no particular fortune---luckily, if there is ever a gentleman capable of melting a lady's chilly heart, it's Owen.

Milly has had enough of the marriage mart. If matrimony means giving up her freedom for a foppish husband, then society can take their idea of marital bliss and toss it. But when the ton's most notorious rogue mistakenly makes his way into her bedchambers, Milly finds herself unexpectedly and unwillingly at the altar . . .

Yet the more time she spends with her new husband, the more Milly starts to wonder if the marriage she never wanted may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now it's up to Owen to convince Milly that what started as a mistake is anything but---and that every night with him will be more wonderfully scandalous than the last.

Aspiring historian Jayne Lyons has pinned her career hopes on proving that her ancestor, King Richard III, is innocent of the murder of the Princes in the Tower. While volunteering at the search for his missing grave, she is cast back into the brutal 15th century, in the middle of Richard’s army camp.

As Jayne realizes she may not be able to return home, she adjusts to her new life and finds herself falling for Richard, and becoming his mistress. She even starts entertaining the hope of saving him.

But the Princes are missing, and all evidence points to Richard. When he asks her to spy for him against his enemy, Henry Tudor, she must decide whether to help the man she loves, even though he may be one of history’s greatest villains.

Damsels in shining armor...riding to the rescue! Deirdre, Helena, and Miriel, three kick-arse Scots wenches known as The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch, aren’t about to become any man’s chattel, until they meet heroes who are strong enough to tame their wild ways and worthy enough to win their wayward hearts.

A YULETIDE KISS (short story)

Half-Viking shieldmaiden Kimbery of Rivenloch has until Yuletide to choose a bridegroom…or one will be chosen for her. But when the barbarian Brude the Brutal travels to claim his betrothed, he finds himself bewitched instead by a runaway bride.

Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. The Cynfell brothers are the very embodiment of a sinful existence. But could the right woman change that?

Wrath

Locked behind the walls of Lockwood Manor, Julian Cynfell, the Marquess of Lockwood whiles away his days writing angry letters, drinking and sleeping. He never expects his solitude to be interrupted by a brazen American heiress.

An American heiress who is expecting a wedding.

Viola Thompson can’t believe her luck when the English lord she has been corresponding with for the better part of a year asks her to visit him. This has to mean an offer of marriage surely? Finally, Viola will prove to her family and friends that she is more than a ruined woman with no prospects. Not to mention she knows they will be a love match. No one could write such beautiful letters without being the perfect man.

But when she arrives in cold, dreary England to be faced by a foul-tempered, grizzled—albeit in a handsome way—marquess, her dreams of marriage are quickly dashed. Can she draw the lord out of his melancholy ways? And does she even want to remain in England while rumours of three dead wives circulate around Lockwood?

One thing is for certain, this American heiress has never been one to back down from a challenge—especially when not even the Atlantic Ocean could dampen the patent desire running between them.

Lady Alice Worthingham never conforms to Society's norms. Ever. She loves adventure, new experiences, and approaches life with a sassy attitude Society can take or leave. But even for her, robbery by a highwayman is a bit much.

"For some reason, these gentlemen have a taste for freckled redheads but that last unmarried Chadwick girl will stay unmarried, mark my words. She is simply the worst of them all." - Viscountess Charlecote.

All Catherine wants to do is look at the stars. Unfortunately, her Mama has better ideas. Being the last unmarried Chadwick sister means countless new bonnets, dresses, and meetings with eligible gentlemen. Most young debutantes would relish such opportunities but not Catherine--marriage might suit her sisters but not her.

The arrival of the new and young-enough-to-be-eligible Marquis of Thornefield does not help matters. The matriarch of the Chadwick family is determined it is fate and he will surely fall for Catherine just like every other titled gentleman has for her sisters.

Thankfully he does not seem interested in her at all.

After all, who wants to be married to such a stern, disapproving man? She has better things to think about. 

Now including an excerpt from VICTORIA: A Novel, by Daisy Goodwin, the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS.

"Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn't?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." --Allison Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of I Don't Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You

Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

"For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --Daisy Goodwin in The Daily Mail

One of Library Journal's Best Historical Fiction Books of 2011

When life has shown you death, can you bring yourself to love again?
Eli Todd is a tall, handsome Captain of a wagon train bound for Oregon. Life has taught him if he allows people into his heart, he ends up losing them.
Amelia Cruthers is a pretty young woman with a limp. She’s a hard worker who starts out the trip to Oregon with her parents, until they try to leave her behind. In shock, she watches them cross a river by ferry without her.
Thankfully the kind, strong Eli Todd takes her with him. Admiring her spunk and work ethic he gives her a job cooking for the crew. After a fall from his horse, Amelia tends him and he realizes she is sweetness on earth.
Her parents demand he marry Amelia since she spent time alone with him, nursing him. Eli figures why not? He won’t be home most of the year anyway and Amelia could have a safe place to live on his ranch. What could possibly go wrong?
Amelia never thought to be married. She’d been told her hip was too hideous for a man to look upon and that she couldn’t have children. Knowing that she could never be a real wife, the love she begins to feel for Eli frightens her.
The distance they try to place between them doesn’t work leaving them both hurt with longings that could never be fulfilled. But there are secrets and when they realize they’d been lied to; do they take the leap at a lifetime to share?

Will Justice For One Have Life Threatening Repercussions For Many?

On the night of November 9, 1938 in Berlin, Germany a teenager's life was forever changed. Sent to the village of Aiden at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, body and mind were shattered in the brutal Aiden Research Facility. Eighteen years later, Eva Lambros is no longer a teenager but a wealthy heiress. She is poised and confident with the family she has always wanted but there is one last obstacle she must overcome. Together with her partner, the formidable Zoe Lambros, they travel to Aiden to open a memorial to the hundreds of souls that lost their lives. Aiden left Eva with debilitating mental constraints that have taken years to overcome but is she ready to confront and overcome her greatest fear?

Zoe not only has to contend with Eva's state of mind, but she is also pulled into a mystery that involves a woman's search for justice amidst shocking revelations that reaches into the upper echelons of Aiden society.

The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong...

700 pages and hours of reading in one collection — books 1-3 of The Daughters of Allamont Hall, a series of traditional Regency romances, drawing room rather than bedroom.
Amy is a shy, timid soul, browbeaten by her domineering father until she’s terrified to do or say anything without his approval. When he dies suddenly, his will leaves large dowries for his six daughters, but only if they marry in the proper order, the eldest first. Amy must now find herself a husband, and soon, so her younger sisters can marry in their turn. There are several possible suitors, but will any of them come up to scratch? And how will Amy choose without her father to guide her?
Belle is the plain one of the six Allamont sisters, happy with her books. With Amy betrothed, now Belle must find a husband. Reluctant to parade herself at balls and card parties, she intends to accept the offer of her cousin, James, a pragmatic but loveless choice on both sides. But fate and poetry and the gentle tendrils of friendship combine to overturn her careful plans.
Connie’s older sisters have managed to find husbands, but now it’s her turn and she’s not sure she wants to marry at all. Having only just escaped her late father’s restrictive regime, she’s reluctant to surrender her freedom to another man just yet. If only she could find one who would fall so adoringly in love that he would do anything for her.

Disappointment hits ex-deputy Logan Ryan hard when he finds Claire Waters in the midst of a bustling Santa Fe Trail town. The woman he remembers is gone—in her place is a working girl with enticing curves and a load of trouble. As a web of deceit entangles them with men both desperate and dangerous, Logan tries to protect Claire, unaware his own past poses the greatest threat.

Plagued by shame all her life, Claire is stunned when Logan catches her on the doorstep of The White Dove Saloon dressed as a prostitute. She lets him believe the worst, but with her mama missing and the fancy girls deserting the place, she's hard-pressed to refuse his offer of help. As she embarks on a journey that will unravel the fabric of her life one thing becomes clear—opening her heart may be the most dangerous proposition of all.

Join countless other romance readers who have been captured, claimed, and seduced by Julianne MacLean’s passionate and adventurous bestselling Highlander series.

A SCOTTISH PRISONER
Nothing means more to Scottish heiress Larena Campbell than saving her father from the gallows. While on an urgent mission to deliver his pardon from the King, she and her English escorts are attacked by a pair of fierce Scottish rebels. When she is dragged unconscious back to the stronghold of Angus the Lion, a powerful and dangerous Scottish laird, she is furious with her captors and determined to escape at any cost…

CAPTOR AND PROTECTOR
Highland scout, Darach MacDonald, is suspicious of the beautiful and defiant heiress who clocked him in the head during the skirmish with the enemy Redcoats. He suspects she will stop at nothing to win her freedom—not even a manipulative seduction of his younger brother Logan. Fiercely protective of his brother, Darach volunteers to shepherd the heiress back to her home, but spending countless nights on the open road with a lassie as temptingly beautiful as Larena Campbell is enough to drive any hot-blooded Scot mad with savage desire. Suddenly he is overcome by a need to claim her as his own, but when they arrive at her father’s castle, all may not be what it seems…

Look for the other novels in this exciting Highlander series:
THE REBEL - A Highland Short Story Prequel
Book 1 - CAPTURED BY THE HIGHLANDER
Book 2 - CLAIMED BY THE HIGHLANDER
Book 3 - SEDUCED BY THE HIGHLANDER

"A lively writing style and detailed story lines are the mark of this truly excellent writer." ~Kathryn LeVeque, USA Today Bestselling Author

She’s determined to end her betrothal, but he must make her his at all cost.

A Scottish lass determined to end her betrothal.

As an infant, Mayra Findlay’s hand was pledged in marriage. So closely has her virtue been guarded, she’s never been permitted a beau—has never even flirted with a man. However, after a chance encounter with a dashing rogue who sets her pulse and imagination cavorting, Mayra initiates a scheme that’s sure to force her affianced to call off their union.

The laird who must make her his at all cost.

Until Logan Rutherford, Laird of Lockelieth Keep, inherited a near bankrupt estate, he had no intention of wedding the lass he was betrothed to as a wee lad. Now he needs Mayra’s remaining dowry to save his beloved Lockelieth. However, before they exchange vows, he’s determined to know just what type of woman he’s reluctantly taking to wife. So he assumes his cousin’s identity; a decision that soon has him snared in a tangled web of deceit.

Caution: This historical romance contains one rakish fiery-haired Scot accustomed to getting his own way, a lass who’s fed-up with men dictating her life, and stubborn gelding with a superior attitude.

Buy this first installment in the Heart of a Scot series for a Highland adventure you won’t want to put down.

What would you be willing to sacrifice for those you love?

Entertaining, mesmerizing laugh-out-loud, emotional Regency romance adventures.

To Love a Reckless Lord
The first three full-length installments of the Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper Series featuring devilish rogues and the capricious women who capture their hearts.

Brooke: Wagers Gone Awry
Brooke Culpepper resigned herself to spinsterhood when she turned down the only marriage proposal she’d likely ever receive to care for her family and farm. Heath, Earl of Ravensdale is none-too-pleased to discover five young women call the estate he won and intends to sell, their home. Desperate, pauper poor, and with nowhere to go, Brooke proposes a wager. His stakes? The farm. Hers? Her virtue.

Blythe: Schemes Gone Amiss
Intrepid and outspoken, Blythe Culpepper is dragged against her will to London for a Season. To her dismay, her guardian enlists the devilishly attractive Lord Leventhorpe--the one man she detests--to assist with her Come Out. Haunted by childhood trauma, Tristan, the austere Marquis of Leventhorpe, usually avoids social gatherings. So why, against his better judgment, does he agree to aid his closest friend in presenting the Culpeppers to the ton?

Brette: Intentions Gone Astray
A rogue turned rector, Alexander Hawksworth, prefers soirées to sermons and parties to prayers. After unexpectedly inheriting an earldom, he determined to make the precocious and petite, Brette Culpepper, his countess—Until he’s accused of murdering the previous earl. Brette adores London Society, but her world is tilted on its axis when rumors circulate she’s a peer’s illegitimate granddaughter. Worse, a newly appointed guardian intends to force her into wedding an elderly lecher.

Caution: This collection contains roguish heroes, each with a secret they don't want revealed, heroines with a penchant for getting themselves in scandalous scrapes, a pampered, near-sighted Welsh Corgi, and hysterical feminine mishaps and mayhem galore.

Buy this quick read, historical Regency romance boxed set collection for romping, emotional, and romantic adventures you won't want to put down!