Kirjahaku

Maybe falling in love is the greatest con of all. Julia Spencer may be new at her journalist's job, but that doesn't mean she can't spot a rat when she sees one. When she investigates a con-artist's lies, her own terrible past resurfaces. Despite the acute desire she feels for him, she has to decide if he's trustworthy or if he intends to ruin her life. Tyler Browning needs money-quick. He's a first-rate fraud who has charm and charisma on his side. After making a hasty promise to a dying friend, hawking a bogus tonic seems the easiest way to meet the financial dilemma. All goes well until a chance meeting with a pretty but far too conscientious reporter sends his plans and passion into a tailspin. As their unlikely relationship deepens and they give into mutual need, Tyler begins to reap what he's sowed, while kidnap and extortion schemes push Julia back into her dark past. Together she and Tyler will have to learn to trust each other in order to overcome the obstacles, before they do something they might regret.

The heart wants who it wants, and sometimes that means sharing the love despite the scandal. Caroline Montmorency, ten years an assumed widow, is on the verge of having her sea-faring husband declared legally dead. While the country is embroiled in a maritime war with England, all she wants is to wed her longtime friend, Paul Douglas, and begin life anew. But those plans are broken when her husband unexpectedly returns. Captain Adam Montmorency is an adventurer, privateer and general ne'er-do-well-at least, he was. He's come back to Maine with his memories of how he treated his wife missing. After guarding his emotions during endless days of British torture, he'd like to repair relations with Caroline and gain acceptance for the man he is now-reformed and ready for domestication. Paul has loved Caroline for years but waited to declare himself out of deference to Adam's memory. She's promised him her hand, but he's faced with the loss of his lady to Adam, so he does whatever it takes to win-even if it means betraying his best friend to the British. While Caroline has mixed feelings about having Adam back in her life and bed, she won't give up Paul. Before any of them can grasp a happy ending, they'll have to survive a fight with the British and muddle through the aftermath of Paul's deception.

The quest to break a mummy's curse turns dangerous when a peer ends up dead. Miles Lawrence Hawkins, fifth Earl of Archewyne, is alone and the last of his line, save for a young daughter, and he's made peace with that...Yet unexpectedly finding an attractive female thief in his library gives him doubts. Drawn into the lady's insane plot to retrieve various stolen mummies from around London-including the British Museum-he accompanies her merely to see what will happen next. Being captivated by her quest and intrigued by her talent for skirting the law is a much needed distraction from the stress of his own life's misfortunes. Lady Emmaline Darling, skilled thief and only child to the Earl of St. Ives, is under a mummy's curse. Believing herself damned due to her father's penchant for removing antiquities from Egypt, she's vowed to return a pair of mummies to their eternal resting place in order to save his life and her own. Being caught by Miles wasn't in her plan, and neither was falling for his charm, but she'll do anything to see he's free of the curse as well, for their histories are too intricately connected for his ills to just be bad luck. When a peer with ties to them both ends up dead and Emmaline's jewelry is found at the scene, Miles is honor bound to offer for her and lend her his protection. Despite her refusal, desire pulls at them and scandal surrounds them, and when Miles is summoned to once more embark upon a secret mission for the Crown, he must shed everything that will become a liability, but keeping Emmaline out of trouble-and out of his mind-is easier said than done.

Sometimes love needs a few wagers to stick the second time around.Pleasure is his only pursuit... Colin Rowley, Viscount Hartsford, has been given an offer too good to ignore: if he comes home to Lancaster Hall and his family by Christmas morning, he'll win a coveted racehorse as well as an estate. Trouble is, recollections attached to his ducal father's castle leave him haunted, especially those regarding the first girl he's ever loved, the one who rejected him.Faced with reduced circumstances... Widow Lucy Ashbrook is leaving London for the last time. Now that her husband's savings have dried up, she can no longer afford her lifestyle, so after she attends the Christmas house party at Lancaster Hall-the site of so many delicious memories-she'll return to her parents on the neighboring property. Too bad the man who first won her heart, and who accompanies her on the journey to Derbyshire, hasn't changed his selfish ways.The magic of the holiday season... When a series of mysterious events continually throw Colin and Lucy together, they can't help but revisit the past, and rediscover the joy made during those long-ago winters. Happiness will elude them both unless they find the Yuletide wonder and give themselves over to a love that has waited... with the help of a few, secret Christmas wagers working behind the scenes.

The most powerful force in the world is love.Lady Christiana Tremaine lives in the kingdom of Vesance, but ever since her father remarried, her stepmother-Lady Tremaine-has stripped her of everything befitting her station, has reduced her to that of a maid, and forced her to answer to the slur of Cinderella. Though the life of drudgery is horrid, she carries hope circumstances will change, especially when she remembers dancing with the prince who stole her heart. A chance meeting with that same man strengthens her resolve to change... if she can survive that woman's deadly machinations.Alto August Henry Ferdinand Lansdowne, Prince Charming of Annanvale has been searching for the woman who sent his world upside down and ran from him at midnight leaving a glass slipper behind. Though he's been cursed to shift into wolf form each night, he has faith that the woman he's coming to love will overlook his affliction. When he finds her, they begin an unorthodox courtship and he falls ever deeper, but their romance is fraught with obstacles.When Christiana is locked into a high tower by her stepmother and kept there by an enchantment, Henry is quick to come, but when Lady Tremaine gets wind of their plot to escape, she lies in wait for the noble prince and leaves Cinderella to an ugly fate, for she desires power above all else. But as long as there is love, there is hope. The beleaguered pair will need to fight hard for their happily ever after. With luck and a little magic, they just might win.

Can wearing sexy stilettos win the heart of a demon, or will it cause Heaven to protest?Anne Jenkins never bought into the concept of a heaven or hell, but when she's rescued from a runaway horse hurtling toward a steep ravine by a guy who claims he's a demon, her freak detector goes off. When she demands proof, the leather-clad biker sets some local wildlife on fire. She starts to believe in a hurry.IRS agent Gregg Carter, bound to the Devil for all eternity for an audit gone wrong, seizes the opportunity to take possession of Anne's soul as a way to please his boss. What he didn't count on was the fact his libido would take the one-way bus to crazy town as he gets to know her better. When dreams of a future come calling, he's screwed.Trouble is, Anne and Gregg spend so much time trying to hide their true selves from each other, that they can't escape their mutual attraction. But everyone knows demons and humans don't mix, and neither can two people destined for two different eternities. In the matter of heaven or hell, maybe the answer is somewhere in between.

Love felt a whole lot like PMS--or so Madelyn thought when her childhood friend, Gordy, kissed her.In the midst of her crumbling business and lackluster love life, he breezes back into town like a snowstorm, with dating on his mind. To top it off, she's got a kinda/sorta boyfriend, a secret admirer who leaves her flowers every day, a cat who's scared of her own shadow, and a singles group that's growing by leaps and bounds.The question remains: just who is this mysterious love interest? And what will she do about Gordy, the man she never thought she'd have romantic feelings for? Can one go from friends to lovers and have the relationship survive? That's the trouble with love. She'll have to put her brain on autopilot and let her heart decide.

Fairies and ghosts and vampires, oh my A trick of the mind or a new reality? Hannah Weybourne doesn't believe in things that go bump in the night. A reluctant empath who has tried to ignore her powers, she can't help but wonder if they're the reason when a hunky vampire enlists her aid. She's got her work cut out for her trying to deny Edwin's sex appeal as well as remaining hidden from the paranormal world. Edwin Mason is a paranormal bounty hunter searching for a wayward vampire. His best-laid plans go awry when he meets stubborn Hannah and immediately recognizes her value to the Eight Realms. She's the missing link needed to vanquish a power-hungry Demon Lord who's on the rise. Though he's got a job to do, Edwin's thrown off guard when Hannah bewitches him with her sarcastic nature and her tempting curves. What's one little bite between friends? The unlikely duo runs into a sticky web of supernatural foes and dark deceit in their quest to protect the magic in the Eight Realms. So many riddles, so little time. Despite the danger on their tail and the Demon Lord in their sight, love blooms, and it's not a normal courtship, but then, who needs normal anyway?

When an impromptu kiss captures the imagination, either a spark will ignite or family interference will snuff the match. Charlotte Darrington adores being adored by the men in her circle. She's in London at the request of her mother, and though her parent wants her to find an eligible gentleman and start a family, Charlotte delays. In her heart of hearts, she wants a man who can hold his own and won't be cowed. Nathan Brigham, Marquess of Ravenhurst, is annoyed with the interfering redhead leading his nephew into the evergreen maze. When he would have delivered a dressing down, she stops his words with a kiss. No matter that he finds her attractive and a welcome distraction from his darkly brooding life, he refuses to succumb to Charlotte's charms. Above everything, he won't become the savage man his father was. Once they return to London from a house party at his country estate, the two can't avoid each other. Stolen kisses and heated glances in shadowy halls as well as a questionable visit to White's draw them closer. He can't forget the demons from his past while her persistence to hear a declaration begs the question: to bed or to wed?

A curse, a quest and keeping the paranormal peace? No problem. All in a day's work. Sophia Raines has issues beyond being a near-sighted vegetarian. Bound to a power-hungry Portal Master for the next ninety years, she longs for freedom and a halfway normal life. When a sexy, golden-haired werewolf shows up and kisses her in the street, she panics. A romantic liaison isn't in the cards, since she'll eventually betray him. Nothing personal, it's just her job, hormones be damned. Xavier Leighton is a werewolf on a mission. He wants nothing more than to have the curse on his person lifted, but he needs to cultivate a friendship with stubborn, fearful Sophia first. There's something about the woman he can't ignore, and it has more to do than the soul-shattering knowledge she's his mate. Too bad she's resistant to his charms-and his kisses. As a supernatural bargain is struck, the countdown begins. All they need to do is find a gypsy, chat with a rifle-wielding mermaid, de-brief a deadly, dragon lawyer, and outwit a unicorn with Hollywood aspirations. Easy peasy. Somewhere along the way, Sophia and Xavier might just find out that opposites do attract... unless the Eight Realms fall into ruin first.

Extinction, fear and prejudice? Bring it on. Fighting for what's right is always the answer. Mona Moussai is on the run-from her family, from a dragon and from herself. She wants nothing more than to stay in the Mortal Realm and live a normal life, yet when she tangles with a shape-shifting attorney bent on her capture, instinct demands she hide. However, the secrets buried deep inside could have deadly consequences. Braeden Hollister has long ago made peace with his dragon heritage, but he refuses to live it. He's a man with many vices, always putting himself first-the ultimate anti-hero-and when the opportunity to drag Mona to the Moussai Realm for a bounty presents itself, he can't resist the glitter of gold. What happens next is a foray into a backward realm ala the Regency-era where dragons not only exist, but they're intent on ruling the realm and restoring power. Personal agendas are forgotten, battle lines are drawn in a world where familial ties strangle and old foes resurface. Political angst explodes all around them. In the end, only the strong will survive to live, and love, another day.Note: this title was previously published in 2011 as Dragons at Dawn but has since been re-edited.

When a bridal contract is struck, either parental outrage will void the arrangement or the love of a child will sweeten the deal. Oliver Darrington-Viscount Tralsburg-wants nothing more than to hide out at the family property in Brighton until he can secure a sea-worthy ship and return to adventuring the world. However, being handed his former mistress' child isn't part of that plan. Neither is the sudden longing for his pretty Italian neighbor. Eloisa Hawthorne is in dire straits. Her older brother has gambled away her sister's hand to a horrible man. In order to save her sister's virtue and her future, Eloisa needs a fast fortune-or someone who can immediately cover the debt. When her handsome neighbor offers a temporary engagement contract, she accepts with alacrity. Too bad she fell in love with his dark-haired offspring. How scandalous When the two attend his mother's London dinner party, Oliver wishes the union wasn't merely a lark. Eloisa fears for the adorable child's upbringing in heathen locales, but what can she do? The contract is only for a month, and love was never an option. Something must be done to throw over convention before the moment is lost and matters of the heart are sacrificed.

Trust can be a stumbling block, but it can also be freeing in the right circumstance. With only her reprobate, now-dead husband to judge by, Marjorie Attler doesn't trust men. The crumbling manor house by the sea is a fresh start, but when a privateer appears in her bed-while she's sleeping-he introduces her to a passion she'd only dreamed. Then he challenges her legal claim to the property and her justified distrust intensifies. After being at sea for five years, Clinton Montmorency, captain of the Storm Tossed Rogue, has come home for a spell. He wants peace and quiet, and perhaps a woman to warm his bed. Imagine his delight when he finds one beside him his first night home. She might do for a midnight companion, but he doesn't need another managing female in his bachelor life. Ownership of the house aside, they have bigger matters to square with. Marjorie's disgraced cousin is about to give birth, while Clinton's ward is making designs on his fortune. Throw in a smuggler, a sordid plot for the Rogue, as well a troublesome fever and it's an adventure, complicated by the fact that Marjorie is as elusive and alluring as the sea while Clinton is just as hard to tame.

When duty and honor call, the heart must decide if love is stronger. Three months have passed since Lady Emmaline Darling left her lover and fellow adventurer, Miles. Not certain she's in love with him, they're bonded in a miraculous way-she's enceinte. Yet, despite his promises to write and make plans, there's been nothing but silence. When she discovers he's lied and has been out of pocket on a secret mission for the Crown, she's convinced she can go it alone despite the scandal-and he can't be trusted enough to know her secret hope. Watching Emmaline slip from his life with his daughter broke his heart, but as fifth Earl of Archewyne, Miles Lawrence Hawkins' responsibility to England called louder than his heartstrings, as does the lingering hope to bring Lord Leventhorpe's killer to light. While chasing a faction of Bonaparte sympathizers intent on starting war anew using an obscure relic of great power, his fate crosses Emmaline's-and she's as volatile as the earthquake that puts them both in peril. They strike a tentative peace, for the opportunity to adventure-and to survive-together is stronger than their hurt feelings. Mutual need collides in the course of duty, but before the state of their hearts can be realized, fate, with danger as a companion, intervenes. With betrayal, insidious peril and a killer lurking, finding their happy ending will be a harrowing prospect indeed, but adventure-and love-doesn't come without risk.

When the quest for power threatens to put an end to adventuring, only belief in each other can save them. Two weeks after nearly losing her scandalous earl to a fire, Lady Emmaline Darling is finally marrying him. Almost six months pregnant, all she wants is to enjoy London with her soon-to-be husband and their growing family. Yet this morning isn't just the dawn of a new adventure in wedded bliss, Miles has pledged to be a second in a duel, which might compromise the new union. Bad timing, perhaps, but the fifth Earl of Archewyne, Miles Lawrence Hawkins has always been an honorable man, so when his best friend, Viscount Trewellain asked him to stand up as his second after the powerful Duke of Litton challenged him to a duel, how could he refuse? Threats made in the Hyde Park fog chills his blood, especially since an old foe deliberately names his soon-to-be-wife as a target. Emmaline and Miles are able to say their vows, but dire events overshadow their joy. A woman with ties to Litton comes to them with a clever plan to finally close the murder of Lord Leventhorpe and enact revenge on those previously untouchable. When secrets threaten to destroy the earl and his new countess, the little band of thieves must put aside their differences and fight to survive the vile plot at play within the ton... but death might be the only option.

Busting up a wedding has never been so personally satisfying. Nora "Can't Say No" Lenhart's life is way past complicated. To add stress to everything, she's just been appointed maid of honor for the upcoming wedding of the World's Worst Boss and her ex is the best man. Looks like she'll need to buy stock in an antacid company as she tries to ditch the green-eyed monster of wedding envy. Camden Webber is an FBI agent with a massive chip on his shoulder-namely not being able to forget the woman whose usual inability to say no didn't keep her from shooting down his proposal five years before. Though he has jaded views on weddings and marriage, Cam agrees to stand at his best friend's side. After all, train wrecks are interesting, right? When Nora and Camden are thrown together at an engagement dinner, despite their tumultuous romantic history, they devise a plan to break up the ill-suited bride and groom. As the big day nears, emotions hit a breaking point, proving that wedding planning is more suited to a reality show and while happy endings are optional, they exist amidst the rubble, if the couple looks hard enough.

In the hunt for relics of infinite value, perhaps the greatest treasure of all is family. Three months after the birth of his son, Miles Lawrence Hawkins, the fifth Earl of Archewyne, is attempting to acclimate to fatherhood, but he longs for adventure. Someone is masquerading as the heir to a powerful and ancient ducal title with the anonymous backing of other members of the ton, and Miles is asked to investigate. It would mean leaving his wife and child, yet he refuses to return to London without them. Emmaline Hawkins, the new Countess of Archewyne, is torn between wanting to be a good mother and wishing to recapture the excitement digging up relics and hunting treasures brings. Just as she thinks her adventuring days are over, she meets a young pawn broker questing after the legendary Lancelot Stone. Determined to retain the thrill of the chase, she stumbles upon solid proof the relic is in Paris, and convinces her husband they should investigate. As Miles and Emmaline chase shadows and investigate macabre sites, their steps are dogged by unsavory characters. The closer they move toward unmasking the duke's imposter heir as well as finding the fabled relic, the bolder a killer grows in attempts on their lives. As an unbelievable plot unfolds, their only recourse is to fight, side by side, and hope that leaving staid domesticity behind was the right choice.

Sometimes, the romance of a lifetime starts with one perfect night. It's the year 1885 and the world has just begun giving up its ancient secrets. Miss Charlotte Blakely is a librarian in Rome. She's researching evidence of the fabled Veil of Veronica, but her time abroad is drawing to a close. Her viscount father is dying and has called his children home, yet a chance encounter with a stranger one balmy night might change her direction. Mr. Everett Desmond is the English ambassador to Rome. He's dashing and would have been daring had he gone down a different path, but being jilted at the altar sent him far from England and sordid memories. Now, life has grown staid and boring. When he literally crashes into a pretty lady on the street, he's intrigued enough to further an acquaintance. Desire flares after a couple of moonlit strolls, and a kiss at the Trevi fountain irrevocably changes both of their lives. Budding romance blooms beneath the heat and they find themselves enchanted enough to land into potential scandal. Is it a love to last a lifetime or is it merely a moonlight indiscretion? Only they can decide what they truly want for the future.