Making Merry: Unusual Historicals for December 2025

Somehow, someway, we've finally made it to December of the hellscape year that has been 2025. While there were definitely highlights to 2025 (Sisters trip to NYC! Ireland with my Big Sister!), I spent a good chunk of this year with a sour mood and bad attitude - which, not great. I've always been a person who skews towards a positive outlook. I don't like being in a bad mood. I don't like taking to my bed like some tragic Victorian heroine. Which is probably why when anyone tells me historical romance is dead I'm likely to dig in my heels.  And since 2025 has been ::hand waving:: all this? I'm digging those heels in out of spite. Know that I'm drafting this post with a glass of whiskey next to my keyboard and the continued foolhardy sense to charge up Romancelandia Hill to save the genre from itself. Happy Holidays, save a sub genre and read a historical romance. 

A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour

Hannah Williams never wanted a marriage like her parents'. She'd be perfectly happy to spend her life as a spinster and support herself by helping to run her sister-in-law's gambling club. But no matter how many schemes Hannah hatches to repel suitors, her mother won't accept defeat. To wrest back control of her life once and for all, Hannah takes drastic measures. She'll ruin herself with a man so unsuitable that no one will force them to the altar, making her unmarriageable forever. What could possibly go wrong?

Silas Corbyn is nothing but trouble. Disinherited by his family and dishonorably discharged from the Navy, the ton has dismissed him without hearing his side of the story. When an old friend gives him work as a dealer at a lady's gambling club, Silas doesn't intend to repay the favor by compromising the man's little sister on his first night, but Hannah offers him an obscene amount of money for just one kiss—money that he could use to build a new life for himself.

Neither of them counted on Hannah's mother rushing them into a hasty marriage. Now they need to find a way to call off their engagement before it's too late. Unless they lose their hearts first. 

Delacour wraps up her Lucky Ladies of London trilogy with the time honored tradition of a heroine who wants to ruin herself. This girl though, thinks her plan is smart - and in theory, it is. She'll ruin herself with a man so dishonorable, so unsuitable, the ruination will not translate into a shotgun marriage. Um, until it does. I'll be honest, I'm in this one for the hero who sounds like he's fallen low indeed. I'm a sucker for a good redemptive arc and characters who need to "grow up." Count me in.

Viking's Royal Marriage Bargain by Michelle Styles

The maiden he never forgot

Becomes the bride he never expected!

Viking Rand is resolute. He will secure a marriage alliance with the kingdom of Islay. But whilst battle-hardened Rand is prepared for enemy attack, he’s wholly unprepared for the proposal to come from Princess Svanna…his first love, before war ripped their lives apart.

A union with Rand could bring peace to their kingdoms, but it's the last thing that Svanna’s hateful stepfather will allow. Not least because she’s been forced to harbour a royal secret that could throw Islay into chaos. Rand’s kiss is still etched into Svanna’s memory, but can she trust the fierce warrior before her?

A hero looking to secure an alliance via marriage (as you do) who didn't count on that proposal coming from his first love. Torn apart by war, the heroine knows the only way to thwart her stepfather and secure peace is to marry the hero - but complications and a Big Secret loom.  Styles is typically a very solid writer within the Harlequin Historical landscape. I'm looking forward to this one. 

The Maid's Masquerade by Catherine Tinley

Undercover as the Earl’s fiancée…

Looking to settle old scores

On a transatlantic voyage, English maid Marguerite hatches a plan with an American heiress to temporarily trade places when they arrive in England. Since being forced into servitude, this is Marguerite’s chance to re-enter Society, and posing as the betrothed of Benedict, Earl of Linford—the man at fault for her circumstances—is the perfect opportunity for revenge! But her anger is soon replaced by an unsettling attraction. Still, Benedict caused her to lose everything once, so she won’t lose her heart to him now—even when he reveals some unexpected truths…

Tinley gives us The Prince and Pauper but with heroines. An English maid pulls the ol' switcheroo with an American heiress, who conveniently is betrothed to the man who ruined the maid's life. But revenge gets complicated with an unexpected attraction and some truth. Naturally this is a duet. The American heiress' romance is set for April 2026.

Of Dukes and Forbidden Words by Sandra Sookoo

If ancient words don’t land them into scandal, their forbidden attraction in a library after hours surely will.

It’s the Christmastide season of 1816 and more than the weather is uncertain. When Barrington (Barr) Combes-Mead, Duke of Scarborough does some renovations to his London townhouse and unearths a book of erotic, Egyptian prose, he immediately wishes to have it translated. If the book proves valuable, he will certainly sell it, yet part of him hopes the book might inspire him to reclaim the excitement he’s missing in his life… somehow.

Miss Catherine Pickwick used to make her living as a governess, but after whispers of scandals, she changed her focus to that of a librarian, because research and study made her happy. As the daughter of a university professor, she is no stranger to ancient cultures and literature. When a duke of some consequence visits her lending library with the request to have an interesting and quite indecent book translated, she can’t wait to take up the challenge. Knowledge was power… wasn’t it?

Perhaps it is the words within the book or a natural attraction, but as the duke and Catherine spend long hours together because of the text or impromptu Christmas preparations, desire bedevils them. Acting upon it only ramps that delicious thrill, but when a series of troubling incidents arise, they assume the book is cursed. When silly antics on Christmas Eve end in assumed disaster, they each must face truths they’ve been avoiding, and perhaps they might find everything they want… if they’re fortunate.

The start of a new series titled Dashing Rogues and Ruined Librarians. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! RUINED LIBRARIANS! Hero lands on the doorstep of heroine's lending library to have an erotic book of Egyptian prose he stumbled across during home renovations translated. Antics and shenanigans ensue. Is the book cursed? This one is already downloaded on my Kindle. 

Go, Rogue by Kay K. Denner

Lady Catherine West is supposed to marry a future viscount. But she leaves him standing at the altar, instead.

Fleeing both scandal and suffocation, she slips aboard The Elphame, a merchant ship bound for Boston and captained by Andrew McGann, the one man least inclined to offer her safe harbor. Captain McGann—half-Scottish, half-Jamaican, and wholly exasperated by the runaway debutante now disrupting his deck—hasn’t spoken to Catherine since their last explosive encounter months ago.

But when navigational errors give way to sabotage, fire, and a violent attack at sea, Andrew is forced to confront the feelings he’s tried to bury. And when he’s kidnapped and taken to Jamaica, Catherine must rely on his slippery first mate, and her own untested instincts, to track him down.

In a land haunted by Andrew’s past and steeped in Catherine’s fear of what comes next, they must choose who they are—and what they’re willing to risk—for freedom, love, and the chance to chart a course all their own.

Second book in The Mavericks series, she's a runaway bride stowing away on a merchant ship to Boston and the hero is the ship's captain, who is short on sympathy and annoyed by the disruption her appearance is causing. High seas adventure, complete with a role-reversal kidnapping (HE'S KIDNAPPED!).

Irene's Fall by Elizabeth Donne

Pride comes before her fall. Love helps her stand again.

Irene Sangford has willingly cast herself as the villain of her own story. After all, her family has taught her that arrogance and manipulation are suitable qualities in a lady if she’s seeking a husband with a title. Especially when there are so few such men to be had, and she is competing with her own sister to snap one of them up.

Nathaniel Macrae not only has no title, he has immersed himself in low society in his role as a secret investigator. Miss Sangford would never have given him a second glance, but when an attempted murder leads his inquiries right to her door, and a shocking secret from her past threatens to unravel her entire life, Irene discovers that Mr. Macrae is more compelling than any man she has ever met.

As Irene’s world falls apart, and she questions everything she has ever known, Nathaniel becomes her anchor in life’s greatest storm. Except this storm threatens to destroy them both. They will have to challenge everything they know and trust each other if they are to survive and find the love that has eluded them.

Fifth book in the Ladies of Munro series has our heroine trying to land a husband while competing with her own sister, only to become intrigued by our hero who has little money, no title and works for a living as a "secret investigator." He wants answers and she's got secrets. Marriages have been built on less. 

The Widow's Vow by Rachel Brimble

From grieving widow...

1851, England. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath she knew nothing about the only things she has left of him.

To a new life as a madam…

Knowing the debt collectors will arrive any moment, Louisa must leave everything she knows behind, and move to Bath. But left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has little choice but to return to but her old way of life. But this time, she’ll do it on her own terms – by turning her new home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she’s determined the horrors she was forced to endure in the past are not experienced by the girls she saves from the streets.

Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path?

A word of warning upfront that this one might be "romance adjacent," but I am nothing if not predictable for my love of heroines who have "reputations." A former prostituted rescued from the life by her husband, inherits a property after his death. Desperate and with debts to pay, she decides to open a high-end brothel (as you do). It's the mention of the "feared boxer" she hires to watch over the house and business that intrigues me here. Also, 1851 - which puts us smack dab in the Victorian era (I love me a good Victorian). This is the first in a proposed trilogy.

Obliteration by Kathryn Le Veque

An inheritance that involves… wine, women, and song??

Sir Jareth de Leybourne is the moral compass of the legendary Guard of Six—a noble knight known for honor, logic, and restraint. But when his wealthy uncle dies, Jareth inherits far more than land and coin. He inherits a scandal that could destroy everything he stands for.

Summoned to the bustling medieval city of Bristol, Jareth discovers his uncle’s fortune was built on a discreet but wildly profitable enterprise: Aphrodite’s Feast, an elegant brothel and gambling hell quietly tolerated for its philanthropy. The business funds churches, education, and charity—but its existence threatens Jareth’s reputation as one of England’s most honorable knights.

Running Aphrodite’s Feast is Lady Desdra le Daire, a brilliant, sharp-tongued woman burdened by secrets of her own. Neither a courtesan nor a criminal, Desdra is a spinster by choice, using her education to manage the operation that saved her life. From the moment she and Jareth meet, sparks fly—clashing ideals, forbidden attraction, and undeniable chemistry.

As Jareth struggles to reconcile duty, honor, and inheritance, a deadly truth emerges: his uncle had a powerful enemy who now wants Jareth dead. Worse still, Desdra is caught in the middle—and the man threatening her life is her own father. 

To save Desdra and protect his honor, Jareth must confront betrayal, corruption, and a love that could cost him everything.

Unusual Historicals, come for the browsing, stay for the books featuring brothels. Part of the Guards of Six medieval series, a noble knight inherits more than he bargained for when his wealthy uncle dies - namely the business that supplied that wealth, a brothel. Good God man, he has a reputation to uphold! Complicating matters is the heroine, who runs the operation and her father, who not-so-conveniently wants them both dead. 

A Courtship at Linlithgow by Kate Robbins

A carefully orchestrated plot, or a chance encounter? Their love burns through all doubt.

Marion Baird’s biggest problem is her mother’s greed. Excited to explore King James’s court, Marion wishes to avoid being flaunted in front of future prospects like a prized cow. She would rather explore the lavish castle grounds and library at Linlithgow Palace. That is until she encounters a man straight out of legend she can neither ignore nor deny.

Alexander Campbell, Earl of Argyll has accepted an invitation to the King’s summer tourney. While the exercise is welcome, the society is wrought with drooling mothers and daughters anxious to display their lack of talent and grace. This event will prove no different. He encounters a bewitching lady in the gardens during the masked ball and what follows will be burned onto his soul for all time.

Caught between scandal and prejudice, Marion and Alexander must decide if their passion is real or the product of a carefully orchestrated plot.

A heroine who just wants to enjoy court by exploring the grounds and the library must contend with her mother parading her around like a prized cow at King James' court. Our hero accepts an invitation to participate in a summer tournament, but isn't all that anxious to thwart off matchmaking mamas. Stuff happens, these two have an interlude of sorts, and scandal ensues. The question being, was it orchestrated and by whom?  This is the first book in the Thistle and Rose series. 

A Taste of Gold by Sara Adrien

Her silence protects the man she loves and hides the woman she is.

Miss Maisie Morgenschein is very good at pretending everything is fine. Guardian to an orphaned marquess, she remains calm and protects a dangerous truth: nobody must know her real name—which makes it impossible for her lost love to find her, and that’s what she wants most. She still writes him letters she can’t send, not knowing where he is. A connection to her might lead the villain to him.

Dr. Felix Leafley, Harley Street’s most sought-after dentist, uses an English alias to keep his patients—and the other doctors at the practice—safe. Years ago, he was a medical student with Maisie in his arms. When circumstances tore them apart, they vowed to find each other. But passion refuses to stay polite, and secrets refuse to stay buried.

She can’t use her real name to find him. He can’t use his to be found.

The result? A duel of aliases, near-miss letters, and one dangerously perfect kiss.

But just as Felix and Maisie dare to speak their names, the villain closes in—and the truth may cost them the one thing neither believed possible: a future together.

This is the fifth book in Adrien's Miracles on Harley Street series featuring various medical professionals. She's a guardian to an orphaned marquess and hiding her identity "for reasons." He's a dentist and the one who got away and is also using an alias "for reasons." These two crazy kids were in love and torn apart but now can't find each other because....they're both using aliases "for reasons." Near misses and second chances set against the backdrops of Vienna and London.

This is it, the last Unusual Historical post of 2025. I hope you all enjoyed reading about them, browsing, and hopefully found some new historical romances to try. This feature isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It'll be back for 2026!

Like a Box of Chocolates: Unusual Historicals for February 2024

February always seems to be a bit of a "slump month" for me and this year that manifested in both reading and blogging. I've had a terrible case of the blahs.  Which is why this month's Unusual Historicals post is a little later than usual - I couldn't find the spoons to draft it up last weekend because I knew it was going to be long. Hey, it's a good problem to have but long blog post means Wendy has to find words, and words have been hard.  Luckily I seem to have adopted Azteclady to my unusual historical payroll, who has been doing a bang-up job on sending me suggestions as she comes across them - it's why these posts have been so robust of late. So if you've been enjoying these posts lately, raise a glass to AL who has been a tremendous help!

The Temple of Persephone by Isabella Kamal

Persephone Honeyfield is witty, intelligent, and very aware that the only way to escape the monotony of the life she shares with her father and sister in the English countryside—and the wagging, ever-critical tongues of the people around her—is through marriage. She also knows the likelihood of it being a love match is nearly zero.

Aidon Barrington has carried on the legacy of his family’s funeral furnishing business, losing himself in the process. A shell of his former charming self, he’s traded his reputation as a rake for that of a recluse and regularly appears in the scandal sheets as London’s mysterious Lord of the Dead.

When Persephone finds herself at Gallowsgate—the old Barrington estate—on a seemingly simple errand, an unexpected run-in with the Lord of the Dead himself leaves her on the brink of ruination. With no other way to silence the village rumor mill, or save her sister’s reputation, Persephone agrees to marry Aidon, becoming the wife of a man she hardly knows.

Persephone finds herself increasingly fascinated by her new husband, whose kind, patient nature stands in stark contrast to the ever-swirling rumors about him. But when the gossip begins to sound more like reality than fiction, she attempts to uncover the truth behind the Lord of the Dead while discovering she may have already lost her most guarded possession: her heart.

OMG, the hero is essentially a funeral director y'all! Go ahead, try to think of the last time you read that in a romance novel, let along a historical romance novel. Essentially the Persephone myth dropped in Regency England, this also happens to be the author's debut.

A Gentleman Never Tells by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Frank Melrose is on the cusp of taking his father's printing business global—the last thing he needs is the distraction of any woman, let alone the dazzling Taya Winters.

He's under pressure from the newspaper to unmask the mysterious highwayman causing havoc in Belmore Square, but his infuriating clashes with Taya keep slowing him down.

What's more, he's sure that the highwayman is right under their noses—and that exposing their identity will end not only his story, but ruin his family, too...

The second book in the author's Belmore Square series features a hero running the family's printing business whose work gets tangled up with the heroine. How much you want to bet she knows more about the mysterious highwayman than she's letting on?

Knight of Darkness by Sherry Ewing

Sometimes finding love can become our biggest weakness…

Wymar Norwood understands responsibility. His two brothers have been in his care since his parent’s death. With his title and lands stripped from him by the usurper Stephen, he aligns himself with the Empress Matilda, the rightful Queen of England. If he can win her favor and become her champion knight, he prays all will be returned to him.

Lady Ceridwen Ward of Norwich is out to prove not only to herself but the Empress that she is more than capable of protecting those she loves. She hides herself in the guise of a knight and follows along with her men to Lincoln to raise her sword for the Empress’s cause. But life can become complicated, especially after your identity is revealed.

::Kermit flailing:: ENGLAND DURING THE ANARCHY OMG! I'm hard-pressed to think of another medieval that mines this period in English history. A hero who lost everything and a heroine (a chick in pants story!) with something to prove. This also appears to be the first book in a series (I mean, the hero does have two brothers so...

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath

American Leonora Garrison has come to England in desperate search of investors to keep her family business afloat but instead finds surprising pleasure when she visits an exclusive ladies’ club and dares to kiss a stranger, who leaves her yearning for more.

With a libertine for a father, Viscount Wyeth, more commonly known as Rook, vowed to live his life above reproach, with nary a hint of disgrace. Until one night, he takes a mysterious beauty into his arms, a lady who tempts him to cast his sterling reputation aside in favor of more wicked pursuits.

When fate reunites the couple, they are torn between desire and duty. Leonora may want the viscount, but she needs a stakeholder not a lover. When caught in a compromising situation that places everything they hold dear at risk, they must determine how best to win. However, in this scandalous game, nothing except love takes all.

The third book in Heath's Chessmen series has a nice twist on the American heroine traveling to England - she's not looking for a titled husband, she's looking for a investor to save the family business. Adding a hero who is overcompensating to live down the sins of his father and I'm intrigued...

Margins of Love by Sara Adrien

When Feivel “Fave” Pearler, is the golden boy of the Ton, but the haute-couture jeweler has a secret. Rachel Newman, a debutante who dares to defy societal expectations for a chance at true love. Their spicy romance is a perilous journey of love against all odds, challenging the confines of their world. When a gossiping blackmailer puts their impossible hope for a future together in jeopardy, they both navigate the greed and scorn of the aristocracy. Read their story and find out how they find a way to sidestep fate and gain a chance at forever in this historical romance that captures your heart?

If all illustrated covers looked this one I wouldn't hate them so much. Someone make a note of that, will you?  Anyway, this is the first in Adrien's Infiltrating the Ton trilogy, and while I firmly believe that people are "neither genre nor trope" I want to point out the series features Jewish characters; although what makes this first book unusual is that the hero is a jeweler who, naturally, has a secret. Because what's a romance without some secrets?

The Return of His Caribbean Heiress by Lydia San Andres

An unforgettable first kiss 

An unexpected second chance… 

It’s been five years since the night Leandro Díaz kissed heiress Lucía Troncoso before she left for Europe. He’d known they were from different worlds and would have to part, yet losing her still hurt… Now she’s returned but Leo isn’t the man he once was. Hardened by life, he holds Lucía at a distance and refuses to give in to their reignited attraction. Until danger hits and they’re forced closer than ever before…  

Every month I look at the new Harlequin Historical offerings and every month I resolve to go on a binge of them through my TBR. Set in the early 20th century, San Andres' latest Caribbean-set historical features a reunion, cross-class romance.

The Husband Heist by Alyxandra Harvey

As a duke’s twin sister, Lady Summer is used to being both noticed and ignored---and she finally means to use it to her advantage.

First, she steals art from The Mayfair Art Collectors Society with none the wiser. Well, except for Eliot Howard, the Earl of Blackpool, a rakehell and the bane of her existence. But as the art she steals with her madcap friends rightfully belongs to Eliot’s aunt, Summer is certain he will not get in the way.

The trouble is, she has also accidentally stolen a list of women spies working for the Crown. Someone is using the art exhibit to pass messages about an auction to sell off the code that will reveal the names and put them all in danger. Summer is determined to protect them.

A heist gone wrong when the heroine steals from the wrong person and unwittingly stumbles across espionage. This is the third book in Harvey's Dainty Devils series featuring unconventional heroines. 

To Steal a Marquess by Maeve Greyson

Alec Douglas, Duke of Lionwraith, a war hero betrayed on the home front while he was away at battle, trusts no one and prefers his solitude. But when his sister begs for help because she is ruined, he vows to make the man responsible pay. When the vile rakehell proves impossible to find, Alec isn’t swayed. He can just as easily destroy his enemy with a subtler attack. The Marquess of Ardsmere’s business provides the best wines and rarest imports to the finest houses in all the realm—but by the time Alec is finished, West Belgium International will cease to exist.

But the despicable marquess can’t be the ruination of Alec’s sister, because the man does not exist. However, Lady Francis, better known as Frannie and sometimes as the Marchioness of Ardsmere, is quite real. Born in Belgium after a terrible accident killed her father, Frannie was introduced to the world as the family’s ward rather than an Ardsmere daughter, and a fake Ardsmere son was fabricated for her to marry to keep the wealth, lands, and privileges of the title away from a heartless cousin. The ruse has served quite well, but now some quarrelsome duke threatens everything because his lightskirt sister tossed her reputation to the wind and ridiculously named the pretend marquess responsible.

Frannie is not about to lose her lucrative empire or expose herself as a fraud. There’s naught to be done but assume her usual role as the imaginary marquess’s wife and put the deplorable duke in his place. However, when she meets Alec’s sweet, trusting sister, she can’t bring herself to finish the poor girl off or take down her handsome brother. Cursing her soft-heartedness, Frannie agrees to help Alec. Not just because he’s a tempting challenge she can’t resist, but also because his sister is kindness itself.

While tracking down the real foe responsible, Alec and Frannie come together in a complicated dance that not only risks riches and reputations but also their hearts. Frannie’s life of lies has always provided everything she needs—except love. What’s she to do when the man who steals her heart despises anything that isn’t true?

OK, I'll be honest - back cover blurbs that are long enough to be the novel tend to annoy me - but I'm still intrigued. This is the second book in Greyson's Sisterhood of Independent Ladies series and features a hero bent on avenging his sister's honor except for the minor detail that the man who did her dirty doesn't actually exist. He's a fabrication created so the heroine wouldn't lose everything after her father's death. Now the heroine is a quandary, her delicate house of cards about to topple.

Convenient Vows with a Viking by Lucy Morris and Sarah Rodi

Two Viking short stories

Two alliances at the altar!

In Her Bought Viking Husband by Lucy Morris, Orla strikes a deal with enslaved Jarl Hakon to protect her land. She’ll buy his freedom if the handsome warrior marries her! In Chosen as the Warrior's Wife by Sarah Rodi, at the emperor’s bride show, Viking Fiske must choose noblewoman Kassia to save her from an unhappy fate. But his new bride holds a secret that threatens their newfound desire…

What's better than one Viking? Well two Vikings of course! Every Morris book I've read so far I've enjoyed and Rodi is an author I still need to try.  Both of these stories sound great, so in the pile it goes!

The Lady of a Lyon by Linda Rae Sande

She's a former courtesan. He was once her favorite client. Will a conniving earl thwart a matchmaker's efforts to see them reunited?

Newly widowed viscountess and mother to a young boy, Annabelle reluctantly returns to London in the hopes of securing invitations to Society events. Although she’s more than able to run the Burwick viscountcy on behalf of her son, Benton is in need of a titled father to help him along in life. Worried someone will recognize her—she was one of the ladies of The Elegant Courtesan before Burwick made her his viscountess and took her off to his country estate—Annabelle soon realizes she can’t hide her identity when one of her former clients confronts her. Embarrassed and angered by his overtures, Annabelle decides to leave her fate in the hands of matchmaker Bessie Dove-Lyon.

As a lieutenant colonel in the British Army and the second son of an earl, Jeffrey never expected to inherit an earldom and have to marry. Now he's in a quandary. He’s in desperate need of funds, for the Year of No Summer has left the earldom’s coffers empty. When he spies his favorite flame-haired courtesan in a tailor’s shop with a young boy, Jeffrey doesn’t realize she’s become a respectable lady. His comment about her son is mistaken as an insult, and he fears he may have missed his opportunity with the woman he still finds irresistible.

Learning he can win a wealthy woman in a game of chance at The Lyon’s Den, Jeffrey agrees to the Black Widow of Whitehall’s matchmaking method.

When he discovers Annabelle is the prize, the stakes may be more than he can afford, for if she ends up in the arms of a man he trusts, his heart—and a friendship—will surely be broken.

A former courtesan who married well, now widowed, in need of a new titled husband to aid in her young son's development and a second son who suddenly finds himself inheriting the keys to the kingdom. Oh, and it just so happens that he was once her favorite client.  This is another entry in the larger "Lyon's Den" world and I am nothing but trash for heroines who have "reputations." 

The Hawk Laird by Susan King (Reprint)

When a haunting prophecy leads to revenge - will the truth lead to love?

From the moment Isobel of Aberlady sees the stranger emerge from the shadows to spirit her away from a besieged Scottish castle, she knows it is at the cost of her freedom—and his. Renowned for her visions, the lovely, isolated Isobel has been protected until the Scottish rebel takes her hostage for his own ends. Outlawed and unjustly accused of betraying his leader, falconer Sir James Lindsay needs his good name restored—and Lady Isobel, whose prophecy caused his undoing, is his only weapon.

Intending to exchange the valuable lady for another hostage, James takes Isobel deep into his forest lair. He does not count on finding an abandoned goshawk who needs his help—nor does he expect to fall in love with the beautiful prophetess. Amid treachery and hope, passion and betrayal, their love becomes the one shining light, a source of retribution, renewal, and finally destiny foretold—and forever ....

For us old farts who still read blogs (😂), King is one of the authors part of the long-running Word Wenches blog. This medieval is a reprint of her 1998 book Laird of the Wind that was published by  Penguin's long-running Topaz line. A heroine who has a vision of her own abduction and a falconer (!) hero desperate to clear his name. This sounds like my favorite kind of a medieval - one you can really sink your teeth into, swooning along the way.

Whew! Another robust month.  What Unusual Historicals are landing in your TBR this month?