Free and 99-cent Historical Romance Novels

Masquerade (A Regency Erotic Romance) (Scandalous Ballroom Encounters Book 1) by Victoria Vane
FREE on Amazon

About the novella:

124 pages, 31 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.6 stars)

Margaret Seymour is bored by the stifling constraints of society dictating her behavior as a debutante in search of a husband. Her prospects are promising by the standards of London society, yet, not one of them causes her heart to flutter, or her head to fill with scintillating, forbidden fantasies. Those feelings are reserved for Camden Rycroft, Duke of Avonleah -- a man who isn’t even aware of her existence.

While attending a scandalous Vauxhall Gardens masquerade, Margaret finds herself in the duke’s arms. His promise of a night of pleasure is tempting, but is it worth it when Avonleah is a known rake notorious for his short attention span and avoidance of marriage?

Camden Rycroft is intrigued by the masked vixen he encounters in the Gardens. After one night with her leaves him hungry for more, his desire for her turns into a fiery obsession. Despite the scandal that could ensue from their affair, he finds himself unable to extract himself from a situation destined to end in pain. When faced with losing Margaret to a potential husband, will he rise to the occasion, or risk living without her?

Compromised for Christmas (A Tenacious Trents Novella - Book 1) (Tenacous Trents) by Jane Charles
FREE on Amazon

About the novella:

92 pages, 49 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.2 stars)

Compromise for Christmas, a novella, first appeared in anthology, A Summons from His Grace. It later appeared in a compilation, Scots, Spies & Salacious Lies. It is the first of the Tenacious Trents.

Lady Elizabeth craved excitement and adventure. Unwilling to endure further boring Seasons, she convinces her uncle, who has lived a more adventurous life than anyone else she knew, to let her work for him. A few years later Elizabeth was established in Tuileries Castle, a servant in Napoleon’s court known as Lisette Renard.

John Phillip Trent has been working in the stables of Tuileries as Jean Pierre Bouvier for the past two years. His only English contact being Lisette Renard, a lovely blond lass, who he desired but kept at a professional arm’s length.

When Lisette receives a summons to return home for Christmas, John learns that she is none other than the granddaughter of the Duke of Danby and she had named Jean Pierre as her husband. Their cover is compromised with the same letter and the two find themselves escaping the palace and France, knowing they could very well never see each other again and must face the truth of how they truly feel for the other.

A Knight to Remember: Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Book 1 by Cynthia Luhrs
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

233 pages, 16 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.5 stars)

Fall through time ...

Vacation to England.
Check.
Haunting castle ruins.
Check.
Proper English lord for a boyfriend.
Well, almost check.

Be careful what you wish for ...

Lucy Merriweather’s supposedly perfect boyfriend attempted to murder her during a visit to Blackford Castle. Falling through time to 1300s medieval England, she lands in a tangled heap at the feet of a tarnished grumpy knight with secrets of his own and no time to spare for a crazy damsel in distress.

Counterfeit Countess: Brazen Brides Book 1 by Cheryl Bolen
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

353 pages, 31 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.2 stars)

Maggie thought she was married to an earl ... but it seems that her late and unlamented husband lied to her from the day they met. Now -- penniless and stranded in London -- she has thrown herself on the mercy of the real Lord Warwick. What's a counterfeit countess to do?

Edward, the Earl of Warwick, desires only to get rid of the beautiful woman who arrived at his house with no less than fourteen trunks, a younger sister, a maid, and a very large cat. Her preposterous explanation is of no importance—but her late husband held the clue to the identity of England's greatest traitor, a clue the Foreign Service must get at any cost. Edward will have to guard her night and day -- but he cannot guard his heart.

The Marquess of Cake (Redcakes Book 1) by Heather Hiestand
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

254 pages, 165 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.0 stars)

Coffee ... tea ... or a pastry chef sweeter than any confection ...

Scotch trifle fit for Queen Victoria, scones with clotted cream ... Alys Redcake knows the way to a man's heart. Yet she is unaware that with each morsel -- and flash of ankle -- she is seducing the handsome marquess frequenting her father's tea shop. Unmarried at twenty-six, Alys's first love is the family business. But thoughts of the gentleman's touch are driving her to distraction ...

With his weakness for sugar, the Marquess of Hatbrook can imagine no more desirable woman than one scented with cake and spice. Mistaking Alys for a mere waitress, he has no doubt she would make a most delicious mistress. And when he finds himself in need of an heir, he plans to make her his convenient bride. Yet as they satisfy their craving for one another, business and pleasure suddenly collide. Will Hatbrook's passion for sweets -- and for Alys -- be his heart's undoing?

Highland Promise by Mary McCall
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

329 pages, 26 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.5 stars)

Ordered by King Alexander to wed an Englishwoman, Laird Brendan Sutherland heads to England to wed the sister of his best friend's wife. Having no use for love, he intends to beget a few heirs and forget the lass.

After being falsely accused of the Sin of Eve when she was twelve, Lady Faith of Hawkhurst hides her beauty beneath a hideous disguise, becoming a hag in public. She believes she must enter a convent and live a life of penance or suffer perpetual damnation.

Learning her brother intends to ambush an approaching Highland party, Faith intercepts Brendan and his men to ask their aid in reaching the convent. Brendan quickly sees through her disguise and agrees to take her with him. After a court scandal, King Henry orders them to wed. As they return to the Highlands with a killer on their trail, Brendan discovers he can't remain aloof from the woman destined to restore his faith in love.

A Kiss and A Promise: Four Full-Length Novels
$0.99 on Amazon

About the boxed set:

3 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.3 stars)

This exciting medieval romance boxed set includes these four full length novels --

The Baron's Bounty by Elizabeth Rose -
After seeing only the shoes of the Scottish king's murderer, Isobel MacEwen is sent as a proxy to marry an English baron. Lord Conlin de Braose is a baron of the Cinque Ports and risks his life to save his betrothed when her ship goes down in a storm. To his dismay, instead of his betrothed he has saved a proxy who has an odd passion for shoes.

Not Mine to Give by Laura Landon -
In a blood-drenched midnight vow, Lady Katherine Downing pledged she would keep the Bishop’s crown safe from the Scottish lads who’d stolen it, and return it to England where it belonged. And by king’s edict, she would then wed the Earl of Rivershorn, William Bolton. But a man as evil as Bolton could never have her hand ... or her heart. Not once she’d kissed her Scot.

Finding his entire family slaughtered at the hands of William Bolton suddenly elevated Duncan Ferguson to laird of the clan. His mother, father and two sisters died protecting the stolen crown from Bolton, who took his remaining youngest sister, Brenna, as hostage. Once she is rescued, nothing will stop Duncan from honoring his father’s memory by taking the crown back from the woman who has hidden it. Nothing will stop him from keeping the crown out of the hands of the bloody English. Except, perhaps, his beautiful, stubborn English wife -- Lady Katherine -- and her stubborn midnight vow.

Champion of the Heart by Laurel O'Donnell -
He is an outcast THIEF known as the Black Fox, vowing revenge against those who unjustly stripped his father of his knighthood and lands. She is the PROTECTOR of the orphaned children of her village, promising to bring the Black Fox to justice for his dark deeds. Can Fox uncover the sinister secrets from their past and become the champion of his lady's heart?

Winter Fire by Sue-Ellen Welfonder -

Flames of winter burn the hottest ...

When Katla MacKenzie meets a dashing stranger in an enchanted place, she gladly gives her heart -- and her passion -- to the lover she only knows as the Lord of Winter.

Gunnar MacLeod can’t resist the bonnie lass and seduces her -- or is he the one seduced? A long-standing clan feud comes between them, but a heart that loves is powerful, and Gunnar will do whatever he must to claim Katla as his own.

Throwback Thursday: Historical Romance Edition (Featuring: The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt)

Thank you to Shabby Blogs (http://shabbyblogs.com/) for the free frame!

Happy Throwback Thursday, everyone!

What is Throwback Thursday?
Traditionally, Throwback Thursday celebrates nostalgia, asking participants to post a personal photo or an image from their past -- usually from 5 to 10 years ago. There are a lot of book blogs that also do a book-related Throwback Thursday.

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt, published November 2006

Blurb:

Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant man on horseback nearly crushes her, she arrives home to learn that she is in dire financial straits.

THERE COMES A TIME IN A LADY'S LIFE

The Earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior.

WHEN SHE MUST DO THE UNTHINKABLE ...

When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem that both their problems are solved. But when she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London, she sees red -- and decides to assuage her desires ...

To find out more about Elizabeth Hoyt and her books, click below:


Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

Review: Nicholas by Grace Burrowes

Click here to buy the book on Amazon
Click here to buy the paperback at The Book Depository
I had the pleasure of reading about Nicholas's life after his story, and he and Leah have already settled into a very comfortable situation, but it did not diminish my curiosity about how the two of them met and fell in love.

The Nicholas I know is a content man, who is enjoying married life, and builds bird houses -- but this is Nicholas prior to his marriage, and this Nicholas is quite a wild one. He prefers the company of women (plural) of ill repute and he doesn't really seem to have any care in the world. His story is interconnected to Darius, Leah's brother. From the previous book, Grace Burrowes hints at the Lindsey family dysfunctional dynamic, and Darius and Leah are, mysteriously, the main target of their father's enmity. It's a question that began in Darius's story, and continues in Nicholas and Leah's story.

Why does Leah's father hate her so much, yet why does he take such an active interest in who Leah marries?

Nicholas is a new acquaintance of Darius (introduced by Valentine Windham), yet the two share a lot of similar *ahem* predilections, and, this, perhaps, is why Nicholas immediately empathizes with Darius and Leah's situation and helps them.

As with other Grace Burrowes stories, the problem is never straightforward or easy:
1. Nicholas is racing against time. His father is dying, and his greatest wish is to see his heir, Nicholas, settled.
2. Leah's father is intent on having her marry one of her father's cronies. Because of Leah's past, she doesn't really have a lot of choices -- and she can only delay her decision for so long.
3. There's the mystery of the man Leah eloped with, and who subsequently died in a duel with her father -- leaving Leah ruined, and outside of her father's favor.
4. There's also Nicholas's estrangement from his half-brother, Ethan Grey. How did two very close brothers become so very disconnected from each other?

The first two problems are neatly solved by Nicholas when he proposed marriage to Leah -- but it introduces another problem: despite the obvious attraction and chemistry, Nicholas is insisting that they marry in name only. He is very consistent in his refusal to have sex with Leah and have children with her. But, why? This particular complication reminded me a bit of Julia Quinn's Simon and Daphne, who also agree to a marriage of convenience, and then Simon also refuses to have children with Daphne. While Simon was clear with his reasons from the very beginning, Nicholas is a bit more secretive about his reasons. And I felt frustrated for Leah, who seemed to have escaped a really bad situation, only to enter into another one. While she no longer needs to suffer her father's indifferent cruelty, she now has to contend with her husband's confusing detachment: they are clearly compatible, and they exhibit this in more than one occasion, but Nicholas continues to refuse to acknowledge what is between them.

Leah's an amazing woman, though -- her father in law dies just a few weeks after her marriage, but she steps into the role of emotional support, planner, sister (to Nicholas's siblings), and lady of the house. She instantly bonds with all of Nicholas's siblings, and becomes an important key to how Nicholas would relate to his brothers and sisters. I thought Leah's characterization was very consistent from her introduction in Darius's book: she is a woman besieged, but fights to maintain a calm, unruffled exterior. Nicholas, on the other hand, confuses me. I'm currently reading Ethan's story, and he describes Nicholas as a man who bounces back from adversity very well (whereas Ethan just falls), but, in the case of Leah, he seems to be floundering -- yes, it can be explained that it is his first time to fall in love, and this is new frontier for him, but I'm not so convinced.

And here lies my problem with the story: it has tension, yes, but not the excruciatingly taut tenseness and drama that I found in Darius's story. There's a great deal of angst as well: to want but not have, but, again -- I felt that Nicholas just inflicted this situation on him and on Leah. Nicholas's story has all the right elements -- Nicholas and his secrets are built up to such a height, and when all is revealed, the reasons and motivations behind them are a bit disappointing.

A lot of what I loved about the story rests between Nicholas and Ethan, who haven't really seen or talked to each other since they were 14 -- while there is an initial explanation for why their father suddenly sent Ethan away, the way he was never allowed to return and how the late earl took great pains to separate them, hints at something more. It was heartbreaking to finally know why, and, when the two brothers are finally reunited ... waterworks.

And that, perhaps, is what Grace Burrowes showcases in this instalment of the Lonely Lords series: the very accurate and authentic way she portrays families, flaws and all.

Nicholas is the second book in Grace Burrowes's The Lonely Lords series. To find out more about Grace Burrowes and her awesome books, click below:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

99-cent Historical Romance Novels

An Infamous Marriage by Susanna Fraser
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

218 pages, 21 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.0 stars)

Northumberland, 1815

At long last, Britain is at peace, and General Jack Armstrong is coming home to the wife he barely knows. Wed for mutual convenience, their union unconsummated, the couple has exchanged only cold, dutiful letters. With no more wars to fight, Jack is ready to attempt a peace treaty of his own.

Elizabeth Armstrong is on the warpath. She never expected fidelity from the husband she knew for only a week, but his scandalous exploits have made her the object of pity for years. Now that he's back, she has no intention of sharing her bed with him -- or providing him with an heir -- unless he can earn her forgiveness. No matter what feelings he ignites within her ...

Jack is not expecting a spirited, confident woman in place of the meek girl he left behind. As his desire intensifies, he wants much more than a marriage in name only. But winning his wife's love may be the greatest battle he's faced yet.

Swept to Sea (Ladies of the Caribbean Book 1) by Heather Manning
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

254 pages, 60 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.4 stars)

Lady Eden Trenton never wanted to leave her privileged existence in London -- until her father invites a dangerous suitor into her life. Left with few options, Eden devises the best reprieve she can: escape. Chasing freedom, she stows away aboard a pirate ship, praying she will gain her independence in the colonies before she is discovered by the nefarious crew.

Captain Caspian Archer has spent the last five years hardening his heart and searching to exact revenge for the event that tore his life to shreds. When he catches word that his enemy is residing in Jamaica, Caspian steers his ship toward the colonies in all haste. His plans soon change, however, when he discovers the young beauty hiding in his ship’s hold.

Cut from the only lives they have known, Caspian and Eden are pulled together as each pursues a fresh hope upon the sea.

Under His Protection (The White Rose Trilogy Book 1) by Stacy Van Haegert
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

285 pages, 116 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.5 stars)

What really happened to the two young princes of York, who were held prisoner in the tower of London by their ambitious uncle following the death of their father, King Edward of York? Some think one son escaped and was later executed by King Henry VII when he returned to claim his rightful throne. But not before he sired a child. In, Under His Protection, the first in a new trilogy, Stacy Von Haegert artfully combines history, action, humor, and sizzling passion to provide a theory for one of England's greatest mysteries. The bloodline continues ...

LONDON 1838, Present day ... Title-hungry matrons of the upper class throw their daughters in Alexander's path. But the Duke of Ravenswood has no desire to give up his rakish, gaming lifestyle to get hitched. When the Kingston family from New Orleans enters London, however, Alex quickly finds himself unwittingly entangled. With her spirited personality and innocent aversion to all things proper. Greyland Kingston completely knocks him off his game.

The gossip fans flutter when Queen Victoria asks Greyland and her eldest brother, Perkin, to dance the scandalous Viennese Waltz at the Royal ball. Who is this family? How do they know the Queen? Why do they bear such a strong resemblence to the late King of York? Trouble ensues in the form of jealous women, ambitious men, and a vengeful Irish clan. Alexander quickly finds that having Greyland for his own will come at a steep price. He must risk everything to keep her protected.

Taming the Heiress (The Scottish Lairds Series, Book 1) by Susan King
$0.99 on Amazon

About the book:

352 pages, 27 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.3 stars)

According to Scottish legend, the kelpie, a magical sea creature, grants good fortune to the Isle of Caransay upon finding a bride on the sea rock. When Meg MacNeill spends one night on that rugged rock as local tradition demands, a handsome man emerges from the sea -- and passion takes its course. Legend fulfilled, the mysterious man disappears.

Seven years later, Dougal Stewart, engineer and deep sea diver, returns to the Caransay to build a lighthouse on the very rock where he washed ashore—but Baroness Strathlin is determined to stop construction. Little does Dougal realize that the barefoot island beauty he often meets is not only the mysterious baroness herself, but the girl he once loved that memorable night -- and the fair-haired boy with her is his own son.

Lords, Lairds, and Legends: Magical Tales of Timeless Passion

$0.99 on Amazon

About the boxed set:

747 pages, 8 reviews (Average customer rating: 4.6 stars)

Four full-length novels of romance and passion by USA Today Bestselling and National Award-winning Authors!

Join Allie Mackay (Pseudonym for Sue-Ellen Welfonder) and Brenda Jernigan on a journey to a more romantic and magical age full of passion, adventure, and legend! Fall in love with bold heroes and their ladies in these wonderful stories set in medieval Scotland and England. There is even a touch of Christmas.

Enjoy this special collection of timeless romance and magic!

Highlander in Her Dreams

They met through Highland Magic, can true love keep them together?

After stepping through a magical gateway, Kira Bedwell finds herself in fourteenth century Scotland, face-to-face with Aidan MacDonald, the irresistible Highlander who has visited her in dreams. As their romance transcends to reality, it will take all of their courage and will for their love to survive beyond time itself ...

Aidan is a Romantic Times K.I.S.S of the Month Hero!

Christmas in Camelot

The Greatest Gifts ... Are always unexpected ...

There was a king -- King Arthur of Camelot. There was a knight -- Sir Nicholas the Dragon.
There was a wager that each swore he would win ...

Lady Noelle spies Camelot's newest knight, the notorious Sir Nicholas the Dragon, a champion as renowned for his prowess in the beds of Camelot's maidens as for his skill in battle. Noelle's heart has found the man she longs for, even as her hand is promised to another. Now, as desire does battle with duty, Nicholas has only two choices -- to surrender the woman he loves to another man or fight to the end to make her his own.

Haunted Warrior

If you want to visit Scotland and love hot Highland heroes, this one's for you ...

Bound by a centuries-old legacy to guard Scotland’s rugged north coast, Graeme MacGrath doesn’t have time to dally with fetching American tourists. But when Kendra Chase arrives, desire flares between them. On a secret ghost hunting mission, she soon learns that the seaside village of Pennard is more than North Sea nostalgia, peat smoke, and plaid. Renovation work threatens the veil that shields this world from the ancient, half-mythic past. MacGrath and Kendra join forces to save Pennard, but can they stop themselves from the one thing they can’t risk -- falling in love?

“For those who believe in magic and love!”

Black Magic

Dr. Alexandria Dumont wakes up in the year 1835 and finds life is much different than she is use to. But she also finds a child who desperately needs her help to walk again, and a plantation owner, Brad Wentworth, who wants nothing to do with a doctor. When Alexandria suspects that Brad Wentworth’s mother was murdered, she will risk her life to prove who murdered his mother