Showing results by author "Anna Bradley" in All Categories

Other young ladies might occupy their spare time with drawing or needlework, but Sophia Monmouth spends hers scaling rooftops and shadowing suspicious characters. Her objective: to gain information that will free a friend wrongly accused of murder. She hasn't bargained on being spotted and followed back to the Clifford School by a mysterious earl who holds almost as many secrets as she does. Tristan Stratford, Lord Gray, earned the nickname the Ghost of Bow Street because no man has ever escaped him.

Alarmed by the sound of an intruder, Rose St. Claire fetches her pistol. She's shocked to discover that the trespasser is a handsome gentleman—one who states that the house, which Rose recently inherited from her late benefactor, was stolen from his father decades ago. He claims it is now his. And it is—but not entirely. As it turns out, Hammond Court has been left to them both—and neither can evict the other without forfeiting their right to the property.

Christopher Egan, heir to the notorious Prestwick Earldom, is one of London's most scandalous rakes. He's never credited the gossips' claim that fate cast an ancient curse on every successive Earl of Prestwick as punishment for their wickedness, but once he inherits the earldom after his infamous uncle's untimely demise, it looks as if he may be the next to lose his head. Determined to cheat the curse and avoid his ancestors' grisly fate, Kit abandons his life of merry debauchery and embarks on a London season to wed the lady he's long been promised to.

Juliet Templeton didn't embark on a risky London season in search of a fairy-tale. Fluttering hearts, yearning glances and stolen kisses are for starry-eyed debutantes, not disgraced, penniless females approaching spinsterhood. But when her quest to find a dull, respectable husband leads her to grumpy, maddening, brilliant Lord Cross, her foolish heart overrules her head, and insists on beating for him alone.

One should never judge a duke by his cover. As far as London society knows, Giles Drew, the Duke of Basingstoke, is everything a proper aristocrat ought to be. But when a notorious scandal sheet publishes details of Giles's questionable bedroom antics, only one bride can salvage his reputation. Prim and penniless, Francesca Stanhope has resigned herself to a season full of the ton's snickering—until the Duke of Basingstoke's dizzying courtship transforms her fate. Yet wedded bliss quickly turns into a clash of wills as Franny realizes her handsome duke is a devil in disguise.

There aren't many young ladies who'd be eager to accept a governess position with wild twin boys in a lonely castle deep in the Oxfordshire countryside, but Helena Templeton has never been much like other young ladies. She's just settled into her new post when the boys' father, the rakish Earl of Hawke, returns home unexpectedly, half-dressed and fleeing his latest London scandal.

It's never been easy to be one of the five Templeton sisters, but for quiet Emmeline, the silver lining surrounding the dark cloud of her family's disgrace is a quiet life of comfortable obscurity. Then an unexpected kiss with a handsome earl thrusts shy Emmeline into the middle of a shocking public scandal. Johnathan Parrish, the Earl of Melrose, never meant to kiss Emmeline Templeton. She is perfectly wrong for him, and he's never before spared the shy wallflower a single glance, but after one kiss, the memory of her warm curves are imprinted forever on Johnathan's fingertips.

In the months since their father, Rory, died, the MacLeod sisters have had to contend with bands of smugglers convinced he left a treasure buried within the walls of their home at Castle Cairncross. Only the most mystifying occurrences have foiled the thieves—stirring whispers that the sisters are sorceresses. Yet, they have no treasure, nor are they witches. However, each inexplicably possesses a unique ability. The eldest, Catriona, is a brilliant healer and alchemist—a skill she is about to put to unforeseen use.

Euphemia Templeton can't wait to put the London season behind her forever, but before she can retire to the country in blessed obscurity, she has one final promise to keep. She must find a proper match for Lady Harriett Fairmont, who is embarking on her second season. Matchmaking is easy for a lady with Phee's skills, but when Harriett's elder brother James, the arrogant, infuriating, and far too handsome Earl of Fairmont accompanies his sister to London, she soon has cause to regret her promise.

For the sake of propriety, and her younger sisters' reputations, Iris Somerset has kept her rebellious streak locked away. But though she receives a proposal from Phineas Knight, Lord of Huntington, Iris can't marry a man she knows isn't truly enamored with her. In fact, Iris no longer wants to be chosen - she wants to choose. Under the clandestine tutelage of "wicked widow" Lady Annabel Tallant, she'll learn how to steer her own marriage prospects - and discover her secret appetites.

When the mighty and cruel must be brought low, it's the killers and the schemers who emerge from the shadows. As plans twist and change, and our protagonists are foiled and beaten, one thing remains true: no matter the cost, the king must fall.

In London's brothels and bawdy houses, sin and scandal run rampant. Yet as Emma Downing knows, worse perils lurk within the lavish homes of high society. Emma has been tasked with uncovering secrets at the Lymington family's country estate - the scene of a rash of mysterious disappearances. Samuel Fitzroy, Marquess of Lymington, is no easy mark, and Emma fears he may see through both her disguise and her feigned indifference to his seductive charm....

Jasper enjoys London's illicit delights too much to wed. Too bad his grandfather has decided that a woman with the nerve to blackmail might be exactly the sort of wife to tame him. Pressed into a marriage neither wanted—and fighting a desire neither expected—Prue and Jasper torment and tempt each other beyond reason. Surely a proper duchess should be subdued, obedient, and dignified? Yet just as he begins to get his wish, Jasper realizes how much he wants his unconventional wife—and only her—if it's not too late to win her . . .

The only thing Georgiana Harley despises more than chaos is bad behavior. So when the duchess of Kenilworth pleads for help to escape her witty, charming, handsome, heartless monster of a husband, she's come to the right place. Calm and logical, with nerves of steel, Georgiana is uniquely qualified to safely disappear the duchess, along with her young son. Her greatest challenge is Her Grace's brother, Lord Haslemere. An arrogant scoundrel, he keeps interfering with Georgiana's methodical plans.

Violet Somerset has always preferred a library to a ballroom, but to please her grandmother, she agreed to one London season. With nothing to show for it but heartbreak, she's reconciled to spinsterhood. Until a notorious rogue known as the Devil of Dare requests an introduction to her timid, gentle youngest sister, Hyacinth. Violet will do anything to stop the match - even if it means posing as Hyacinth herself....

Going undercover as a governess is a first for Cecilia Gilchrist. But once she's installed in Darlington Castle, discovering whether the mysterious marquess murdered his wife proves more daunting than she imagined. Dashing widower Gideon Rhys, marquess of Darlington, is clearly harboring secrets - but is it possible a cold-blooded killer lurks behind his devastating gaze? Trailing his every move only brings her closer to him. But if her heart misleads her, she could pay with her life....

In only six weeks, Isla Ramsey is due to marry Henry Northrup, the sixth Earl of Sydney. But she remains haunted by memories of the dashing Hugh Courtney, the Marquess Pierce. The handsome aristocrat had hinted at forever and then tossed her aside, leaving Isla with few viable options. Now, as she awaits her new fiance's arrival from London, she rides her horse past Hugh's estate at Hazelwood every day, pining for a man who was never truly hers.

Hyacinth Somerset's debut is the most anticipated event of the season, as it will be the reclusive young lady's first public appearance. But within moments of being asked to dance by a dashing stranger, Hyacinth calls him a murderer, then faints dead away! Now all the town is a aflutter over Hyacinth's baffling shun of their most intriguing newcomer - the wildly handsome Lachlan Ramsey.

A single lady of birth, beauty, and large fortune should not have this much trouble making a match. Yet after two failed betrothals, Lady Juliana Bernard is in a bind. She must find a husband at once or lose guardianship of her beloved niece. The Duke of Blackmore is her last, best hope, but once she tracks him down to Scotland, she receives two pieces of starting news. First, the duke is already engaged. Second, his brother, Logan, wishes to marry her instead.

After a sheltered upbringing, Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is finally embarking on her first season, eager to experience everything she's missed. When Lucy realizes that her uncle plans to quickly marry her off in exchange for a slice of her fortune, she begs a favor of a new acquaintance, Ciaran Ramsey. If Lucy remains single until she turns 21, she - and her money - will be out of her uncle's power. All the charming Scot needs to do is woo her for six weeks, and then jilt her...