Love & Temptation

When a Puritan miss discovers the joys of Christmas, love's as near as the mistletoe.The Davenport sisters were alone, without even a dour-faced maid to supervise their strict puritanical devotions, until the elder, flame-haired Gillian boldly decided it was high time they let their hair down. Now, with the help of a kindly relation, the two daring misses exchange their somber attire for modish gowns and hairstyles that would surely give their parents apoplexy. But the best is yet to come: plum pudding, eggnog, carols, and a most breathtaking tree. The Davenport sisters revel in the rituals of Christmas-and in the selection of handsome gentlemen who decorate the festivities. But when Gillian is caught under the mistletoe by Lord Ranger Marden, she discovers things her mother never dreamed of telling her.

The tenth earl of Berham does not know what to do. An attractive thirty-two-year-old bachelor, he has been appointed guardian of the young Freddie Armstrong, the eighteen-year-old grandson of his late father's dear friend. That's bad enough. Then he discovers that the boy is really a girl! It is against all convention and against his personal code to keep a young lady concealed in his own home. He must find a solution. The earl's frequent visitor, Lady Clarissa Rennenord, heartily agrees-but for less noble reasons. Lady Clarissa hopes to snare the earl in marriage and does not want any competition. She recommends that Freddie be sent to a seminary. No one but Lady Rennenord knows what a horrid place it is-and no one, including Lady Rennenord, expects Freddie to escape. Now Freddie is back, and the earl finds her presence unsettling in more ways than one.

Miss Honaria Honeyford was sent to London to save the family fortune by hunting a wealthy husband-and being a loving if not entirely dutiful daughter, she obeyed. But if she was reluctantly willing to surrender her hand, this beautiful young lady who could ride, shoot, and argue with any man was not about to lose her head or heart to the dismal dandies of the Marriage Mart. First she met the arrogantly attractive Lord Alistair Stewart, who treated her infuriatingly like a little girl. And then she met the skillfully seductive Lord Channington, who treated her intoxicatingly like a desirable woman. And now she had to choose just which role to play and just how much risk to run.

From the prolific M. C. Beaton, a Regency romance where love flourishes in the most unexpected placesFrom the top of his flawlessly groomed head to the waxed tips of his fashionable shoes, Lord Andrew Childe was every inch the perfect gentleman. But Andrew's arrogant composure was almost always shattered by the impertinent Penelope Mortimer, an achingly lovely country beauty who had a clear knack for ruffling his lordship's feathers. Her nose for trouble seemed to land Lord Andrew in the most awkward situations-and love itself quickly became the most delicate of them all!

Love and jealousy abound in this playful romance, set during the British Regency. Everyone in the ton knew that Lord Hubert Challenge had married country mouse Mary Tyre for her dowry, but no one had yet guessed that Mary had actually fallen in love with her husband! And she was willing to try anything-sumptuous clothes, a saucy manner, even flirting with another man-to get her handsome husband's attention … until she learned that two could play at that particular game.

For lovely, young Miss Patricia Patterson, life seemed a delightful dream-until the specter of her guardian, Lord Charles Gaunt, cast a shadow over her carefree days of idleness and enchanting evenings of dazzling balls and delicious flirtations. Lord Charles demanded she act the part of a proper and perfectly boring young miss. Even worse, he insisted she devote her waking hours to cultivating her mind rather than captivating her swarm of admirers. Thus, the battle was joined-between the handsome, arrogant aristocrat who had Patricia in his lawful power, and Patricia, who vowed to turn this hateful tyrant into her lovelorn slave.

"I do not think I want to be married at all. I want to be rich. Very rich…" When Henrietta Bascombe opens a confectionary shop in order to turn her pittance of an inheritance into a fortune, her friends are shocked to hear of such a well-bred lady going into trade. The earl of Carrisdown is both drawn to and repelled by her shopgirl status. Undaunted, Henrietta proceeds to hang out the traditional confectioners' sign of a golden pineapple and soon finds a set of beautiful women in her employ, drawing the attention of earl of Carrisdown's younger brother and best friend. Distressed by the situation, the earl makes it his mission to put Henrietta out of business. But he looks forward to tangling with the fiery sweetshop owner more than he's willing to admit.