This collection of five full novellas presents some very different heroes and heroines, but the common theme is that they all find love, despite trials and tribulations along the way, in some way related to Springtime. ***** FREE ON UNLIMITED ***** This collection contains:A Diamond for a DukeA Duke left bitter by past betrayals, a kind-hearted lady with secrets to keep, a family trapped by … lady with secrets to keep, a family trapped by the mistakes of the past, blackmail and threats confronted, a love which heals the past.
The Lady’s False Fiancée
When Lady Abigail, the daughter of the Earl of Regington, learns that her father is one gamble away from losing everything, she knows that she has to do something to save her family. But what can a young woman of the ton do? Only make a match with a gentleman wealthy enough to help her family rectify their grave situation. Despite harbouring feelings for the handsome Vicar, Lawrence Sanders, Lady Abigail puts a plan into motion which will result in her engagement to Lord Edmund, who is related to the Duke. The problem? He has no idea they’re ‘engaged’. Putting her own reputation on the line to save her family, Lady Abigail will stop at nothing to help those she loves – even if it means breaking her own heart. Yet as her plan unfolds, she fears that she has risked everything for nothing.
What the Heart Wants
Petronella, Lady Hastings, is a Baroness in her own right. But she’s still underage and at the mercy of her mother’s manipulative plans. When her mother attempts to force her into marriage with a philandering rogue, she does the only thing she can think of – she runs home to Hastings Downs, where her London loving mother is unlikely to follow. Little does she realise that she is about to be faced with a larger challenge in the form of Walter Darcy, the mysterious new groom who works at the estate. Confused by her feelings, worried about her liberty and with little time to devise a way to protect herself, she soon finds that when the good Lord works in mysterious ways, you always get what you need. Delve back into the loves and lives of the friends and family of the Duke of Summersby in this sweet runaway bride story
The Earl’s Scheming Maid
Widowed Emma Clark seeks vengeance for her husband’s death – a death which she lays at the door of his commanding officer, the man who sent him into the battle he never returned from. Stephen Fitzroy, Earl of Harsbrook, returned from the war bearing scars, both visible and invisible, and with a determination to help returned soldiers and their families. Every death of a man in his command still scars his soul, and he wants to make amends for not having saved them. When Emma manages to get taken on as a housemaid in Lord Harsbrook’s home, she starts her campaign to exact revenge. But… the more she sees of Lord Harsbrook, the more she likes him, and the less he seems the demon she had imagined – despite her best intent, her affections are becoming engaged. Lord Harsbrook, in turn, finds the new housemaid to be good company, and far more attractive than a man should find his employee. Can Emma and Stephen overcome the past to find love and hope in the future?
Surrendering to the Marquess
Miss Rose Webb is shocked when she learns that her wealthy merchant father has made an arrangement for the arrogant Marquess of Kirbyshire to marry her – a mercenary arrangement, as the Marquess needs the funds from her dowry, and her father wants his family associated with a title. Rose refuses, wanting to marry for love, but both her father and Lord Kirbyshire insist that she go through with the marriage. As Rose endures a loveless marriage and leads a separate life from her husband, she plans an escape. For the life that Rose is living is not one that she can continue. But when Rose’s heart gets involved, she find it’s not easy to leave the mysterious Lord Kirbyshire, no matter how much he insists that he will never love her.
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A Diamond for a duke – Arietta Richmond
I really enjoyed this regency romance. What a tangled web to sort through! This is my first book of this series and I was pleasantly surprised to see that characters overlap with His Majesty’s Hounds characters. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Richmond and cannot wait for more.
Lady’s False Fiancé – Grace Austen
My first book by this author. It was enjoyable. There were good characters and the fabrication was an interesting twist on “fake relationship”? This was a single perspective romance.
What the heart wants – Regina Darcy
I liked this regency. I only wish it were longer! I loved the characters and the conflict. It was most entertaining and enjoyable.
Earls scheming maid – Lydia pembroke
This is my first book by this author. I enjoyed it. You have to be careful when writing the employee/ employee relationship and this one was done well with a twist. I wish it was longer and a bit more elaborative, but it was enjoyable.
Surrendering to the Marquess – Sophia Wilson
A short and enjoyable marriage of convenience regency romance. I liked the characters and how they grew to spend some time together.
I received an ARC of this boxset and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
The first story is about a duke, his illegitimate brother, a benevolent lady, a blackmail scheme and several secrets. Once I started this story I couldn’t stop until I finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In the second story, Lady Abigail has feelings for the local vicar, but finds out that her father is one step away from debtor’s prison and she and her mother are almost homeless. At one of the balls, Abigail meets a distant relative of a Duke that her father knows and when the relative returns home, Abigail contrives an engagement to him. What happens when the gentleman finds out about his engagement? Will Abigail wind up with the man she loves?
The third story was fun to read and was another one that I had to read from beginning to end in one sitting. Petronella is the new Baroness and owner of all properties due to her father’s recent passing. Her mother, however, is so not pleased and doesn’t want to give up being the Baroness. She tries to undermine and control Petronella at every turn and since Petronella has not reached her majority the only way to escape her mom is to return to their country estate and the horses. There is a new horse trainer there that makes Petronella feel things that she shouldn’t feel, but some things about him don’t add up. There is a kidnap attempt, a secret identity, a couple of unwanted betrothals and a forever love found.
In the fourth story, a young widow gets hired as a maid at the man’s house that she blames for her husband’s death. She is wanting to exact revenge on him for what she believes was his negligent leadership. When she sees just how badly he is shaken up by her first revenge action, she begins to see the gentleman in a different light and then even more so when they start spending more time together. Will she be able to let go of her feelings for revenge and perhaps find love again? Will he be able to forgive himself and find true love?
In the last story, Rose becomes the wife of Lord Kirbyshire because her father basically sells her to the Lord. Lord Kirbyshire desperately needs money to keep his estates afloat after his father left them basically bankrupt, so he is taken by surprise when a wealthy merchant approaches him and asks the Lord to marry his daughter and in exchange the merchant will give bestow a small fortune on him. Lord Kirbyshire’s mother is totally against the marriage and goes out of her way to let Rose know just how she feels. After the wedding, Rose is no closer to getting to know her husband and when he runs off to his townhouse, she decides to follow and see if there is any way to make her marriage work. Will Lord Kirbyshire ever see just what a wonderful wife he has in Rose? Will his mother ever welcome Rose to the family? Will the ton ever accept Rose as a member?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A collection of romantic love stories!
These novellas left me sighing and happy! Each story had a unique setting and each was a quality romance for my reading enjoyment. The set also includes numerous previews of other novels that whetted my appetite for more romance.