Heather Boyd

Christmas is the season for family, fun and for falling in love in this delightful holiday romp by bestselling author Heather Boyd Widowed Nicolas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton, cannot prevent the upcoming debut for his youngest daughter no matter how much he wishes her eventual marriage wouldn't leave him all alone. Convinced to host a Christmas Ball to prepare her for the season, he's aware he's considered a catch on the marriage mart too, but Nicolas is drawn to companion Gillian Thorpe instead. Gillian was hired to prepare the duke's daughter for her first season, but its not easy when the girl hasn't the least interest in the men and the widowed father makes her knees weak when he laughs with her. Gillian respects and admires (perhaps too frequently) the Duke of Stapleton and when she's lured into a mistletoe kiss with him, will she be able to stop at one or even want to? Saints and Sinners Series: Book 1: The Duke and I (Nicolas and Gillian) Book 2: A Gentleman's Vow (Gideon and Jessica) Book 3: An Earl of Her Own (Coming February 2019)

Nearly twenty, Anna Beasley despairs of ever finding a husband. Eligible bachelors seem to avoid the stuttering, blushing debutante in favor of her bolder, more adventurous friends. Much to the delight of her father, who's determined to marry her off to his godson, Lord Carmichael, despite Anna's refusal. Her lifelong nemesis, Carmichael has kissed half the young women in London.Surely Carmichael's friend, Lord Sorenson, newly arrived in Town, is cut from the same cloth. Anna decides to stay away from him...despite his wicked smile that makes her quiver.Gilbert Bowen, Earl of Sorenson, had planned to live out his days as a country vicar. But when his old friend Carmichael sends a desperate plea for help, he can't say no. There's a murderer among the ton--and every death leads back to Carmichael. Catching a killer during the social season is difficult enough...and then Anna catches his eye. The shy beauty is a distraction he can ill afford but scarcely resist. When the pair are caught in a compromising position, Sorenson needs little convincing to claim her, especially if it keeps Anna out of harm's way. But with as many twists and turns as there are suspects, this case may find no one safe--especially when the killer is closer to home than they ever dreamed.Married by Moonlight is book 9 in the Distinguished Rogues series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Keeping a promise has never been harder Whitney Crewe has a dream for her life, and it does not include a properly boring marriage or remaining in England. Passionate by nature, she's headed for an adventure abroad but has been temporarily lured into the countryside to paint an important family portrait. Unfortunately, a friend is set to marry the family's nearest neighbor, Lord Acton, and he is someone Whitney has seen far too much of...with and without his breeches on. Their past must remain a mere memory, but ignoring him proves impossible when she understands the decisions he's made to protect those he loves.Lord Acton is keeping secrets from his friends, and particularly from his innocent bride-to-be. The first was losing his head over an intoxicating, veiled seductress one gloriously reckless evening. A man of his word, he has no choice but to keep his promise to wed, even after he discovers his seductress was his bride's friend, eccentric heiress and artist, Whitney Crewe. The second secret, Whitney stumbles upon all on her own, but her anger swiftly becomes an offer of friendship and much-needed compassion. They have absolutely nothing in common, so why oh why would he risk his future getting to know Whitney when she's opposed to everything he desires?

Richard Hill, the Earl of Windermere, might desperately require a wife and heir, but thoughts of duty fly from his mind when he rescues Esme, Lady Heathcote, from the embarrassment of a failed affair. They usually never agree about anything. He's never even kissed the vexing widow. But when the opportunity arises to whisk her away for a no-strings-attached rendezvous, Richard can't imagine a better way to spend a moonlit evening.Esme has never lacked for admirers, but having Lord Windermere's company goes a long way to ease the pain of losing her suddenly betrothed lover. And when Windermere suggests an affair, Esme is intrigued by the blazing-hot connection even while knowing their relationship has no future beyond his house party.But as with any temptation, it's a bargain they'll soon regret.

The only person who ever understood what Julia Radley wanted most in life was the man who ruined her reputation and secured her victory in a bold swimming race. She does not hold Valentine Merton accountable for the harsh criticisms made against her character until he suggests the only way to smooth over the scandal of his defeat is to wed as soon as possible.After picking himself up after proposing, Valentine Merton is even more determined to tame the wild girl next door. The future he wants within the clockmaker's guild depends on their speedy marriage. A few sweet words or, as a last resort, another brazen dare is sure to persuade her to take a chance on him... and his family.

In life there are choices...Spinster Iris Hedley was once the darling of the ton until her father lost his fortune through an illness of the mind. Reduced to living as a penniless guest while her father rots in debtors prison, she's determined to escape unscrupulous robbers who've set her to spy on the ton by the only means possible--by becoming a wealthy mans mistress. Unfortunately for Iris, her proper upbringing never covered intimacy or seduction so she asks the one man she trusts for help with private lessons in the duties of a mistress....in love there is but oneMartin Andrews, the Earl of Louth, may have a soft spot for tiny Iris Hedley, especially after her father fled London with a horde of debtors nipping at his heels. Her request for lessons in seduction leaves him reeling and although tempted it's an offer he must refuse for her own good. Convinced she's headed for heartbreak, he sets out to prove that surrendering to wicked pleasure is not worth the sacrifice of her future only to discover that her problems are more complicated than his own.

When desperately private writer Imogen George offered to marry Peter Watson it wasn't just to save a friend but to secure her own future. With her eyesight failing and no other prospects for marital bliss on the horizon, surely it wouldn't be too horrible to marry without the benefits of love. When Peter gains a title and fortune a week before they're set to wed, the right thing to do is release him to spare him the burden of her limited future. Peter had believed that marriage to Imogen would work out until she set him free one week before the wedding with a cruel truth spelled out plainly. Bitter, he's spent a year away to lick his wounds but found the carefree life of a wealthy man utterly lacking the things he needs most. Returning to Brighton, he discovers the woman he was once to wed has an even greater problem than he'd ever experienced. This time its within his power now to help herand he'll do it...one stolen kiss at a time.

Overworked London banker David Hawke has two goals for his week in the seaside town of Brighton: one, recover an overdue debt from a good friend and neighbor and two, relax for the remaining holiday without any further distractions. When his friend's impulsive younger sister barges into his home to beg his aid, he's drawn deeper into her life and scrambling to keep their relationship on a professional level. Abigail Watson may be considered too young to have the cares of the world on her shoulders but her brother is in trouble and she's desperate to help him recover. Despite the impropriety, she appeals to the bachelor next door for an extension on the debt and his help to secure her brother a wealthy wife. However, matchmaking never runs smoothly and falling in love is something neither one counted on.

A BATTLE OF WILLS...When the Marquess of Taverham married at eighteen, he was certain his life would be smooth and well ordered--right up till the moment his exuberant bride ran away on their wedding night, never to be seen again. Ten years later, when Kit is finally prepared to set his rash marriage aside by having his wife declared dead, she makes a shocking return, still beautiful but distrustful, and once more throws his life off-balance by refusing to live with him and resume their marriage....A WAR OF PASSIONDespite some lingering attraction, Miranda Reed has no love left for the heartless rogue she married. Older and wiser, she refuses to be a convenient wife for a man who expects everything to be his way with no care for her feelings. Keeping her husband at arm's length is essential; her secrets will bring him to his knees. But in a battle of wills where hope and trust are both the prize and the casualty of war, the victor isn't always the winner. Sometimes it takes an act of rebellion to recapture a fragile love.

Widowed beauty, Arabella Lawson, Lady Farnsworth, knows the value of independence after being trapped in a marriage that left her unfulfilled. Although she longs for a lover at last, she's expected to chaperone her flirtatious niece during her first season. However, given the way the girl keeps disappearing every chance she gets, there is little hope of a good or speedy result. While searching for her charge yet again, she blunders into one of Lord Rothwell's scandalous assignations. This time it's Arabella's turn to be on the receiving end of his hungry kisses, and she's far from prepared to make the most of the opportunity.Gossip may paint Merrick Bishop, the Earl of Rothwell, as a notorious scoundrel when it comes to women, but this season his intentions are honorable. Duty bound to marry, he's determined to discreetly court an open-minded bride and prove the gossipmongers wrong by being on his very best behavior... until in his frustration, he mistakenly kisses the wrong lady and discovers that everything about the encounter feels so very right. Merrick never once believed he had a chance with shy Arabella, and when the unthinkable happens, she turns to him not for an affair or hopes of marriage but for his friendship and protection from her own family.Can a rogue with a reputation for breaking hearts convince a widow who only hopes for an affair that their feelings are not only the stirrings of desire but the beginnings of the deepest and truest love?

Trapped into a betrothal he thought he wanted Oscar Ryall, Lord Carrington has thoroughly lost his way. Tormented by his past, he cannot forget the happiness he lost depended on the woman he wronged and lost. Finding peace seems impossible until fate throws him back into Agatha Birkenstock's path.Agatha was devastated by Oscar's sudden betrothal and his offer of carte blanche broke her heart. When they are forced to work together to save her beloved orphanage from closure, she discovers an unlikely ally in him and also the source of his private pain. Seeking to help him escape the nightmares, she's willing to put her pride aside if only Oscar breaks every rule to win back her heart.

Jack, Marquess of Ettington, is at his wits' end dealing with his twin sister's distress. Under her name, he's summoned Constance Grange, his vexing former ward, to London to act as his sister's companion for the season. Although Pixie's debt-ridden state comes as a complete surprise, what disturbs him more is his sister's plan to find her a wealthy husband to pay off her overwhelming debts. And--despite his availability, wealth and title--he's shocked to be overlooked for the position of Pixie's husband.With a nickname like Pixie, Constance Grange should be used to disasters, but debt collectors pounding on the Marquess of Ettington's door demanding payment is beyond mortifying. Given the precarious state of her finances and the previously unknown loss of her family estate, her choices are either incarceration in debtors' prison or turning fortune hunter to secure a wealthy husband. Yet the man who comes to her rescue more times than she cares to think about is unavailable, betrothed, and her former guardian Jack--the cold-hearted marquess.

Unrepentant rogue Giles Wexham, Earl of Daventry, wrings pleasure from every moment and likes his carefree life exactly as it is. During his summer retreat to the country, he becomes reluctant host and nursemaid to his former betrothed, a woman he'd thought long dead, a woman Giles had mistaken for a ghost while he found pleasure in another woman's arms.Unbearable pain and laudanum have kept Lillian Winter apart from society since the accident that ruined her life. She's endured six years of agony at the hands of incompetent practitioners, and longs for an end to her suffering. Finding herself in the Earl of Daventry's care brings surprising relief from her injuries, and a glimpse into the life denied her. Yet as newfound pleasures lower Lilly's resistance to the wicked earl, a long-forgotten danger returns to stalk her.