Magistrate Li Chen harbors a secret. One that could destroy his hard-earned reputation, as well as his growing passion for the talented courtesan, Song Yi.Li Chen’s duty to his family and the Emperor must come before the desires of his heart, but when a stranger to the city is found dead near the House of Heavenly Peaches, where Song Yi is indentured, the complicated nature of their relationship becomes the least of his troubles.For Song Yi, Magistrate Li’s gentlemanly, late night conversations provide a welcome change from the games of courtship she is accustomed to, but his reserved attention won’t pay the bills. When one of her courtesan-sisters goes missing at the same time a stranger is killed in the pleasure quarter, she and Li Chen embark on an investigation as well as a passionate affair. But the riddle they uncover goes deeper than they could have imagined, and mysteries from their pasts may shatter any hope for the future.
This is the 5th book in Lin's Lotus Palace Mysteries series - and pfft mysteries. Yes, sure we've got a mystery but these are also romances. What Lin does very well is write "longing." Bless her, her characters excel at "pining." I'm a sucker for pining. This one sounds great - a magistrate falls for an indentured courtesan and they become embroiled in a mystery. Ah, forbidden, complicated passion. Gimme, gimme, gimme.
The new footman doesn’t seem to know his place…London’s most renowned mapmaker is a woman...but nobody knows it. If anyone discovers that Rose Fleming is the power and talent behind the family business, the scandal could ruin them. Rose’s secret is tested by the arrival of a handsome new footman who shows far too much interest in his new mistress. Rose battles an intense attraction to the enigmatic servant, but maintaining a proper distance isn’t easy when you and temptation live under the same roof.She makes him forget he has a score to settle… Few have met the reclusive half-Arab Marquess of Brandon, who is rumored to live with a harem of beauties among his mother’s people near Jerusalem. Brandon couldn’t care less what society thinks of him, or that his fellow peers are disdainful of his common blood, but he won’t stand for being robbed. That’s why he's disguised himself as a footman in the home of a respected mapmaker who cheated Brandon out of his land. But the nobleman's plans for retribution are complicated by his growing attraction for the secretive lady of the house.When Brandon uncovers the shocking truth about Rose’s role in his stolen birthright, can a love born of deception really conquer all?
This is the third book in Clandestine Affairs series and repeat after me: THE HEROINE IS A MAPMAKER! And naturally the fact that she's a mapmaker and keeping the family business afloat must be kept secret otherwise? OMG SCANDAL! So what does our girl do? She falls for the footman. Because of course she does. But the footman turns out to not be a footman but instead a Marquess with a stolen birthright. Because, of course. Welcome to Romancelandia y'all!
A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie by Vanessa Riley
For adventurous heiress Cecilia Charity Thomas, marrying charming military lieutenant Viscount Gantry to save him from danger—and herself from mercenary suitors—was a painful mistake. Instead of a passionate life together, she's stranded at his chilly mansion with his unaccepting family. Worse, she finds he is actually a spy dedicated to duty over wedlock—and secrets over trust. So when she hears her sister has been driven to her death, Cecilia is determined to expose the powerful man responsible. Assisted by The Widow's Grace, she flees to Covent Garden with a new identity. But can she elude her formidable husband—even as the desire between them continues to flare even hotter?Always calm, forever controlled, Gantry has put everything aside to hunt down the traitor who nearly killed him. It’s only when Cecilia leaves that he realizes his real duty should have been to her. As she continually outwits him through London's most perilous streets, Gantry realizes his wife is a resourceful, courageous woman he longs to truly know. But when her pursuit threatens influential enemies, will his and Cecilia's only chance to gain justice separate them once and for all?
After taking a victory lap with her historical fiction novel Island Queen, Riley is back with the third book in her Rogues and Remarkable Women series. This time out the secret society, The Widow's Grace, help our heroine temporarily escape her disaster of a convenient marriage to seek vengeance against the man she believes is responsible for her sister's death. And naturally, that's exactly the moment her erstwhile husband realizes what's really important in life - namely, her.
A strategic marriage……with his runaway bride!Coira Barron is the last woman Fergus MacMillan would choose to marry—he’s never forgiven her for running away with another man on the eve of their wedding six years ago. Now an alliance with widowed Coira is crucial, and Fergus is shocked to discover his new wife is nowhere near as disloyal as he believed. Protecting her and his clan are his priority, but can he protect his own heart?
The second book in the multi-author Highland Alliances trilogy finds our hero reuniting with the woman who jilted him at the altar six years ago to, yep you guessed it, to try that walk down the aisle thing again. She's now, naturally, a widow. Alliance aside, he's unthrilled with the idea only to realize that what he thinks he knows is really not the case.
A convenient marriageCould save them both…Battle-weary Viking Lord Hafual plans to tend his lands, raise his son and recover from the traumatic death of his wife. So nobody is more surprised than him when his neighbor, Lady Elene, publicly announces their intention to wed! Learning the danger Elene faces if he refuses stirs feelings of protectiveness, and a longing in Hafual he’d long since buried. So, for better or worse, he’ll make Elene his bride…
Styles is back with the third book in her Vows and Vikings series and our battle-weary Viking hero is ready for a break. He's grieving for a dead wife and he's got a young son to take care of. So imagine his surprise when the heroine shows up and announces to all and sundry they're to be wed! Gotta love a resourceful heroine, she's in danger, she needs a protector, and she's going to leverage one into service.
What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to?
