Those Swanlea Spinsters . . .
It started out with three sisters, daughters to the Earl of Swanlea. Condemned to spinsterhood by circumstances (and bad luck), Lady Rosalind, Lady Helena, and Lady Juliet are struggling to make ends meet with an ill father and an underfunded estate. That’s when Griffith Knighton and Daniel Brennan make an appearance to change their lives forever. From there, matters follow a strange path: Juliet is kidnapped by a man named Morgan who turns out to be a man named Sebastian who actually does have a twin named Morgan with a friend named Ravenswood . . . and yes, they all have books.
All right, I got carried away. But the end result is this series of five books (the first three of which really should be read in order), which has won awards, hit bestseller lists, and garnered wide reader acclaim. Hope you enjoy it!
Griffith Knighton has found the perfect way to avoid being trapped into marriage with one of the Earl of Swanlea’s daughters: he will swap identities with his man of affairs during their visit to Swan Park, and be free to search out the hidden document that will prove his legitimacy. After all, Griff is not about to marry some homely spinster just to get it from the earl. But he didn’t reckon on the brazen, voluptuous Rosalind, who could tempt even a saint into sinning—and Griff is no saint.
Rosalind balks at the plan to marry her off to her father’s wealthy heir—and his man of affairs is even more intolerable! The arrogant man is clearly up to something with all his sneaking about Swan Park, but the heat when they’re together makes her wish that he wasn’t. He is a bit dangerous and a lot mysterious. Dare she risk her heart on a man whose secrets could destroy her love?
Lady Helena Laverick is at her wits’ end! The only man who can help her find her eloping young sister is that scoundrel Daniel Brennan—the man who played with her emotions last summer and then left. And he used to be a smuggler! Although Mrs. Nunley’s Guide to Etiquette for Young Ladies would never approve, Helena is forced to go after the runaway in Daniel’s company. But something about being with him feels oddly freeing—and a delicious tingle warns Helena that more than her reputation may be in danger…
Daniel finds most of the prim lady’s rules ridiculous—but when she has to masquerade as his wife for appearance’s sake, he immediately envisions the delights of sharing a bedchamber. The unexpected passion smoldering beneath her proper exterior ignites his desire, and the vulnerability hidden beneath her cool control makes him want her even more. Yet Helena’s a lady, and he is the son of a highwayman. How can he ask her to share his world?
After two London Seasons—and a score of resoundingly dull society suitors—lovely Juliet Laverick still longs for only one man: Morgan Pryce, the dashing scoundrel who kidnapped her two years ago. But her determination to bring him to justice hasn’t waned—not even when the man she mistakes for Morgan, his twin brother Sebastian, tells her some shocking news: her mysterious paramour has disappeared.
Sebastian Blakely, the Baron Templemore, dares not admit that he’s the one Juliet seeks, that it is his kiss she still yearns for. Confessing to her abduction would bring disaster and scandal upon them both. But how can he convince Juliet to forsake her pursuit of her dream lover when all he dreams of is holding her in his arms again?
It’s difficult enough for Lady Clara Stanbourne to run her London home for reformed young pickpockets without having to contend with a criminal in business right next door. The mysterious Captain Morgan Pryce is obviously dealing in stolen property, and she will never allow the handsome scoundrel to lead the children astray! Pryce is very much mistaken if he believes her a delicate rose he can wilt with soft words and passionate, unspoken promises. Now if only Clara could douse the fiery yearning the charming cad ignites inside her . . .
Morgan wishes he could tell the exquisite Clara the truth: that he is working undercover to break up a notorious crime ring. His mind should be on his duty—not wondering how it would feel to hold Clara in his arms and taste her luscious lips. But now that she has entered into his most dangerous game, Morgan knows he must have her, despite the very real peril to his secret mission . . . and to his heart!
Abigail Mercer was breathless with anticipation at being reunited with Spencer Law, whom she met in America and later married by proxy. But now the dashing Viscount Ravenswood denies all knowledge of their union! Too many witnesses have made it impossible for the secretive Spencer to reject his “bride” without causing a scandal, but he has sworn never to marry. So he proposes a marriage in name only until they can locate his mysteriously absent younger brother Nat—who is responsible for everything!—and untangle this messy affair.
Abigail is incensed, irate . . . and irresistibly attracted to this handsome, infuriating man who hides his smoldering passion behind a proper exterior. So the lady will agree to his terms on one condition: Spencer must seal their bargain with a kiss. But when Spencer agrees, he finds that one deep, lingering, unforgettable kiss isn’t nearly enough. And keeping his hands off his pretty wife is going to be much harder than he thought.
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