Mastermind
Book 4 in the Hell’s Belles series
Book 4 in the Hell’s Belles series
A Lady with a past. A man with ambition. A romance far from London society that might bridge their divides.
Lady Phoebe Hunt never anticipated returning from exile. A fatal choice drove her from England, but the death of her father—and the revelation of his debts—has brought her home. Once she settles her father’s estate, she will return to America, where she has reinvented herself. There’s no reason to remain, not even for one gravitationally challenged but deliciously tempting Sam Fenley.
Samuel Fenley is all ambition. Rising from shop boy to wealthy investor, he’s left knocking on doors that open only for those with a title. Unless he buys the damned door itself—and the estate that goes with it. Sam offers to relieve Phoebe of her burdens, but is her crumbling mansion all Sam wants? Or is it the Lady herself?
When threats from Phoebe’s past spark new dangers, Sam and Phoebe discover that neither is what the other expected. Standing on the edge of disaster, the disgraced Ice Queen will have to decide if she wants to forge through life alone, or let an unlikely hero melt her heart.
In this delightfully enchanting first book in Megan Frampton’s new series, Heirs and Spares, opposites attract when a devilish lord and a rule-following young lady from rival families find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another.
One Night He Cannot Forget…
Lord Lucian Blackwood, second son of the Duke of Waxford, has assumed all the responsibilities of a spare, meaning it is his duty to seduce all the women, win vast sums at gaming, and appear gorgeously clothed for any occasion. He doesn’t expect his friend’s wedding to be any different—but then he meets, and kisses, her. Even more delicious is that she is the daughter of his rigid father’s longtime enemy…and now Lucian and Lady Diantha are tasked with working together on a project that will heal the rift.
One Night She Can’t Help but Remember…
Lady Diantha Courtenay always does the right thing. She wears the proper clothes, she speaks to the right people, she smiles exactly the right amount. When she attends her friend’s wedding, however, she sees a gentleman who makes her want to do all the wrong things. With him. The next morning, she is appalled, and sets herself back on course to being the most proper young lady, relieved she now has a family project to focus on. She thought she was safe from that other Diantha until she realizes she’ll be working with him.
He's not like other dukes…
Paris, 1889
Physician Aurora Montalban Wright takes risks in her career, but never with her heart. Running an underground women’s clinic exposes her to certain dangers, but help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Begrudgingly, Aurora accepts his protection, then promptly finds herself in his bed.
New to his role as a duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles struggles to embrace his position. With half of society waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him, Apollo never imagined that his enthralling bedmate would become his most trusted adviser. Soon, he realizes the rebellious doctor could be the perfect duchess for him. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets make her unsuitable for the aristocracy.
When dangerous figures from their pasts return to threaten them, Apollo whisks Aurora away to the French Riviera. Far from the reproachful eye of Parisian society, can Apollo convince Aurora that their bond is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?
In this whirlwind regency romance, a woman with a secret identity and a rakish bachelor find themselves unable to resist each other.
When Adelaide Rosebourne must impersonate her mistress for a few days, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a difficult task, even if her mistress’s supposed fiancé is in a coma. All she has to do is wait until he wakes up and then convince him to retract the proposal—thereby securing a tidy reward. What she doesn’t count on is the arrival of the duke’s brother and his damned inconvenient interest in her affairs. But does it really matter? She’ll be gone before he finds out the truth.
Rhett Montgomery knows two things—that he is woefully unprepared to take over the dukedom, and that the woman who claims to be his brother’s betrothed is not who she says she is. No debutante swears so fiercely or kisses with such recklessness. Investigating is what any good brother would do, isn’t it? As long as he doesn’t start falling for her charms as well.
From USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell comes a dark tale of betrayal, jealousy, and the dangerous passion ignited between a vengeful captain and the young woman who loves him.
Miss Linnie McQuoid-Smith has spent a lifetime dreaming of love, but the man she’s always longed for is no longer the one she remembers. Captain Jeremy Tremaine, once a devoted family friend, is now consumed by vengeance, his heart hardened by betrayal at sea.
Lord Culross, with his quiet devotion, offers Linnie the kind of future she ought to want. Yet his steadfast affection pales in comparison to the intoxicating and undeniable pull she feels toward Tremaine.
But Tremaine’s thirst for power threatens to eclipse their desire for one another, and the demons he carries may destroy them both. As shadows close in, Linnie must the safe path of a love freely given, or the reckless passion that could cost her everything.
Discover the beauty of second chances at love and life in this heartfelt new novel from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.
The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware, née Greenfield, has just presented her younger daughter to the ton, and the rest of her life belongs only to herself. She returns to Ravenswood, intending to spend the summer alone there. But the summer has other plans for her.
Born a gentleman, Matthew Taylor has chosen to spend his life as the village carpenter. Growing up, he and Clarissa were close—dangerously so, considering his family’s modest fortune. As a young man, he never would have been a suitable match for the daughter of the wealthy Greenfields. Clarissa married Caleb Ware, the Earl of Stratton, so Matthew married another, though he was widowed soon after.
Now everything is different—Clarissa has already lived the life expected of her by society. And Matthew is as attractive and intriguing as he was when they were young. As their summer friendship deepens into romance, they stand together on the precipice of change—essentially the same man and woman they remember being back then, but with renewed passion and the potential to take their lives in an entirely new direction.
No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.
On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful politician’s systematic attack on women’s rights, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.
But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.
From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.
Lady Jennifer Arden and Ben Ellis know that a match between them is out of the question. Yet their hearts yearn for the impossible.
Left unable to walk by a childhood illness, Lady Jennifer, sister of the Duke of Wilby, has grown up to make a happy place for herself in society. Outgoing and cheerful, she has many friends and enjoys the pleasures of high society—even if she cannot dance at balls or stroll in Hyde Park. She is blessed with a large, loving, and protective family. But she secretly dreams of marriage and children, and of walking—and dancing.
When Ben Ellis comes across Lady Jennifer as she struggles to walk with the aid of primitive crutches, he instantly understands her yearning. He is a fixer. It is often said of him that he never saw a practical problem he did not have to solve. He wants to help her discover independence and motion—driving a carriage, swimming, even walking a different way. But he must be careful. He is the bastard son of the late Earl of Stratton. Though he was raised with the earl’s family, he knows he does not really belong in the world of the ton.
Jennifer is shocked—and intrigued—by Ben’s ideas, and both families are alarmed by the growing friendship and perhaps more that they sense developing between the two. A duke’s sister certainly cannot marry the bastard son of an earl. Except sometimes, love can find a way.