I hope that wherever you are reading this that December has managed to not suck out your will to live and whatever holiday madness you may celebrate that you can sit back, relax and enjoy it. I'll have Christmas Day off, but will otherwise be working this week and the last two things on are my to-do list are 1) buy rolls on Tuesday morning on the way to the office and 2) cook the actual holiday meal on Wednesday. I also hope I can take a moment to enjoy some holiday cheer before I'm back to work (it's a librarian's life for me!) on Thursday. Publishing typically ghosts us in December, but all things considered we still have a nice mix of Unusual Historicals debuting this month. Happy Holidays to you and yours and here's to a 2025 that doesn't suck (hope springs eternal...)
Orphaned Zoë Benoît has spent the last three years in Paris learning how to be a lady. But Zoë is torn—as an independent spirit and a talented artist, she cannot help but want more than the tightly controlled life of a society lady.
On an impulsive visit to the château where her mother lived, Zoë, disguised as a maidservant named Vita, meets a handsome wandering artist, known simply as Reynard. One blissful week with the charming Reynard convinces Zoë that this is the man and the life for her—until she discovers what he’s been hiding from her, and she flees, heartbroken.
Longing for the chance to redeem himself, Reynard searches far and wide for the woman he knows as Vita, to no avail. Disheartened, he returns to England to reluctantly resume his role as Julian Fox, the Earl of Foxton. However, when he sees one of Zoë’s paintings, he realizes she’s in London, and becomes desperate to find her before it’s too late. But even if they reunite, can he convince Zoë he’s worthy of her trust and prove to her that, with him, she can be a free-spirited artist and a countess?
This is the fourth book in Gracie's Brides of Bellaire Gardens series and features an artist heroine, masquerading as a servant, falling in love with another artist while visiting a French chateau. Not realizing, of course, he's actually an Earl. Oops.
No Ordinary Duchess by Elizabeth Hoyt
Cold and brooding, Julian Greycourt, the heir to the Windemere dukedom, has always known that his uncle the duke was responsible for his mother’s death. Now he’s determined to exact revenge against his uncle—if he can find the proof. But Julian hides a secret so explosive it will destroy him if it’s ever revealed, and the duke is watching. The last thing he needs is a distractingly sensual woman whose very presence threatens to destroy his plans.Sunny and cheerful, Lady Elspeth de Moray doesn’t know why her brother and Julian fell out all those years ago, but she can’t let the autocratic man get in the way of her mission: to retrieve an ancient family text that she believes is in one of the Windemere libraries. Locating the tome, however, proves trickier than she anticipated, and at each turn, she’s thrown together with the maddingly mysterious Julian. And the temptation to give in to her family’s greatest enemy grows stronger with each intriguing encounter…
The third book in Hoyt's Greycourt series has been four years in the making and features the heir to a dukedom bent on a revenge (aren't they always?) and a heroine determined to find a missing family text she thinks just might be in one of his libraries. The question is where? Like Hoyt's backlist, we're back in Georgian-era England for the various hijinks.
After surviving a horrific railway accident, Viscount Langdon retreats to his private island to recover and conquer the nightmarish memories that continue to haunt him. The very last thing he wants—or expects—is for London’s most infamous courtesan to wash up on his beach.Marlowe is known for her bold flirtations, but her most daring exploits involve flying in her hot air balloon. When a storm blows her off course, she discovers herself alone with the isle’s only inhabitant. The gorgeous, seductive lord tempts her beyond reason, but giving into temptation would lead to her ruination because the all-consuming liaison would demand complete surrender. And she has secrets to protect.
Langdon finds the captivating beauty near impossible to resist, but he can’t risk her learning the true reason behind his isolation. However, a powerful tempest of desire is swirling wildly between them, urging them to give in to the perilous passion that could destroy them . . . or perhaps show them the way to love.
Heath continues her Scandalous Gentleman of St. James series with a plot so absurd it intrigues. A Beastly hero hiding out on his own private island (as you do) rescues a hot air balloon flying heroine, who happens to be a courtesan, when she washes up on his shores, thereby disturbing his pity party. The unmitigated gall of some people...
A spinster, a scrooge
…and only one bed!
American industrialist Elliot has a plan to ensure his sisters will marry well—find a London society wife to elevate the family name! What’s not part of his plan is falling for the shy spinster who has no intention of marrying at all…
Lady Georgina believes Elliot to be a heartless scrooge! Still, she needs his help to save her beloved orphanage in time for Christmas. So, in exchange, she offers to help him find a respectable wife. But when they’re scandalously snowed in at a coaching inn, their simmering attraction has no place to hide…
He's an American industrialist (eww, he's new money and he works?! How gauche!) determined to take a London society wife to better elevate his sisters' prospects and instead...he falls for a shy spinster. Because of course he does.
On a personal quest, Constance Silver, who runs Mayfair’s most exclusive brothel, has lied her way into Greenforth Manor, home of respectable and charismatic provincial banker, Walter Winsom. She feels quite safe from recognition until Solomon Grey joins the party.
Aloof and strangely exciting, Solomon is one of the wealthiest men in London, so what does he want with any of the small players gathered at Greenforth? More immediately, will he give Constance away? He saved her life once, with most disturbing effects on her, and she is still magnetically drawn to him. But he is one of the few men she cannot read or influence.
When they discover their host’s murdered body together, they have to overcome distrust of each other to investigate. Everyone in the house seems to have had both motive and opportunity to kill him, so Constance and Solomon must uncover many secrets and set a dangerous trap in order to reach the truth.
She's a brothel madam up to shenanigans and he's an extremely wealthy man who can blow her cover sky high. Then their house party host turns up dead and they need to set aside their distrust of each other to solve the murder. This is the first book in the Silver and Grey series.
Will he risk his mission…
For her hand in marriage?
On a secret quest to expose a traitor, Sir Hugh enlists in a tournament to win the hand of his target’s daughter, Lady Bronwen. But the clever, driven maiden jeopardizes his plans when their unexpected attraction threatens to distract him from his duty! She’s desperate to escape her father, and Hugh can protect her by claiming his prize and marrying her. Yet honor demands the noble knight keep their desire at bay, for completing his mission means betraying his new bride’s trust…
He's on a quest to expose a traitor and instead ends up falling in love with the man's daughter. For our heroine's part, she's desperate to escape her father and in waltzes the hero, seemingly the answer to her prayers. This is the second book in the Knight's Mission series and is set in 14th century Wales.
Investigating London’s most infamous rogue for a seedy newspaper is hardly Lori’s dream job. But if that’s what it takes to break into publishing, so be it. She’ll uncover the sexy nobleman’s deepest, darkest secrets. It’s just her misfortune that she’ll have to peek into his bedroom windows—at his brothel, no less—to do it…
Lord Stand Fast Severn, heir to the Marquess of Granton, needs answers. Contrary to what the ton believes, he didn’t drive his twin brother to kill himself. But finding the man who did might be tricky. Especially with a nosy—and dangerously fascinating—journalist plaguing his every move. But when her investigation lands her neck-deep in danger, Fast knows it’s up to him to protect her.
The last thing Lori wants is the handsome rake’s protection. Especially when it means being kidnapped and held in his brothel like a prisoner.
But if Lori wants to get away from him so badly, then why isn’t she trying very hard to escape?
Can two enemies, forced into close proximity, write their own story of love?
Only if they can solve a murder before a killer gets to them first…
A rake with ulterior motives (don't they always...) partners up with a journalist heroine with ambition forced to work an assignment for a seedy newspaper because....well, woman. Whatcha gonna do? A brothel and a murder promise shenanigans. This is the seventh book in the author's Academy of Love series.
When Harriet Penhallow is left widowed, she and her two children are forced to accept the charity of her late husband’s aunt. Having uprooted themselves from their life in Bath, they move into a comparatively isolated and rundown cottage on the south coast of Cornwall, nestling above a little inlet known as Prussia Cove. Little does Harriet know, but it’s the center of Cornish smuggling.
One of the ringleaders is the charismatic Jack Trevelyan, captain of The Fly and only son of Harriet’s kind new neighbor. It doesn’t take her long to work out Jack is a smuggler, despite him being a gentleman and despite the fact that she’s beginning to have feelings for him. For his part, Jack, even though he’s immediately attracted to her, suspects she might have been sent to spy on his activities.
Then, one night, Harriet's twelve-year-old son sneaks down to the cove where The Fly is anchored, and she goes after him. When they hear the crew returning, they hide—before they know it, they’re at sea and too frightened to reveal themselves. When daylight comes, they’re discovered, but it’s too late to take them back to Cornwall. They’re forced to continue on to the smugglers’ rendezvous in Brittany.
A down on her luck widow falls for a smuggler hero with a suspicious nature. Then bingo-bango, shenanigans ensure and she finds herself a stowaway on a smuggler's ship with the hero and her 12-year-old son. This is the fourth book in the author's Cornish Ladies series.
A wastrel lord and an ex-courtesan forced together must pay the price of their past sins.
She’s planning for the future…
Having enjoyed a successful career as mistress to various members of the Ton, Isabella Rossi longs to walk away from her past. She wants a normal life with all it entails—a husband, a home, and children. Isabella seeks out the Black Widow, owner of the Lyon’s Den gaming hell who also runs a specialized matchmaking service.
He’s living for the moment…
Heir to an earldom, Luke Lynwood is addicted to drinking, gambling, and avoiding his responsibilities. But when he gambles more than he can afford, the Black Widow offers him an alternative way to repay his massive debt.
Under Isabella’s reluctant tutelage, Luke must come to terms with his lack of self-control and face his father, which might just take a Christmas miracle.
Part of the long-running Lyon's Den continuity series, we have a former mistress desperate to finally settle down and a debauched hero basically blackmailed into making an honest woman out of her. This is either going to be really good or a hot mess (the word "addicted" is used to describe the hero - so help me if all it takes is a "love of a good woman..."). Also, never let it be said I cannot be shallow during the holidays - the we've got chest hair on the cover!
What Unusual Historicals are in your immediate TBR?
