The Hellion and the Highlander

They call him the Devil . . .

He is the most notorious laird of Scotland: fierce, cold, deadly . . . and maybe even worse. Yet Evelinde has just agreed to wed him. Anything, she thinks, is better than her cruel stepmother. Though Evelinde should be wary of the rumors, she can't help but be drawn to this warrior . . . for the Devil of the Highlands inspires a heat within her that is unlike anything she has ever known.

They may call him whatever they wish, but Cullen, Laird of Donnachaidh, cares only for the future of his clan. He must find a wife, a woman to bear him sons and heed his commands. He has no need for beauty or grace, but one taste of his lovely bride's sweet lips and the sultry feel of her skin arouse an untamed passion. Perhaps there's more to marriage than he thought . . .

Rumor has it that Lady Murie,King Edward III’s goddaughter, is stunninglybeautiful, with bright blue eyes, goldenhair, and a bewitching smile. Rumor also has itthat the doting king has spoiled her rotten.When Sir Balan spies her wailing and sobbingin public, he decides that Lady Murieis the last person he would ever wish tohave as a bride.

But there is far more to Murie than meetsthe eye—and soon Balan discovers, to his greatdelight, that he’d be lucky indeed to deservesuch a bride. Unfortunately, he’s not the onlyone to discern this truth . . . and the othersuitor is much less honorable. Now a plot isafoot and Balan must prove himself a chivalrousknight and win the love of Lady Murie . . .

Let the chase begin!

Fleeing to an abbey isn’t reallySeonaid Dunbar’s first choice. She’d been trained alongside her brother as a Scottish warrior at her father’s knee. But runningwas preferable to wedding Blake Sherwell, a man the English court calls “the Angel.” Seonaid knows there are no English angels,only English devils—and more than one way to elude a devilish suitor, even if King Henry himself has ordered her to marry him.

Blake believed the next countess of Sherwellwould be sitting at home—embroideringperhaps—as she eagerly awaited his arrival.Instead, she is hiding behind the wallsof a new stronghold and readying herdefenses. To win this battle of wills,Blake will need every weapon at his disposal:swords, sleeping drafts, claymores,sweet words, and passionate kisses. But he has to catch her first . . .

Iliana Wildwood would do anything to escape the depraved attentions of the unscrupulous baron who covets her lands . . . including marrying a barbarian. Fleeing to the Scottish Highlands, she weds Duncan, laird to Dunbar Castle. Certainly, there is something about the virile warrior that makes her weak in the knees, but she refuses to allow him into her bed until he agrees to become more civilized.

And Iliana has the perfect device to help her resist the temptations of her powerful, handsome husband: a belt of chastity. With it firmly in place, she can successfully thwart his determined advances. Still, Duncan is not one to easily accept defeat—and, with a brilliant change in tactics, he launches a bold assault on her virtue designed to make her willingly, breathlessly, give up . . . The Key.

A formidable Scottish knight usedto getting his way, Earl Hugh Dulonget ofHillcrest has gotten himself into a bind.His uncle’s will clearly states that Hugh mustmarry—yet he has just insulted hiswould-be bride by calling her a peasant!Now he must do whatever it takes to winback the fair Willa . . .

Everyone has advice, it seems.His comrades-in-arms believe gifts andbaubles will earn her love. The old witch whowas her guardian wants Hugh to crawlback to Willa on his belly. And his castlepriest suggests he read De Secretis Mulierum,a book on the secrets of women. But Hughknows only one sure way to overcomeher reluctance: he must convince Willa thathis passion and devotion are not onlywhat she needs, but what she wants morethan anything else in the world.

The deliciouslywitty first novel fromLynsay Sands

Lady Emmalene Eberhart wanted to do it.She’d even begged an audience with the King so that he would order her husband to do it—because she was determined to be a good wife.But then her husband died, and Emmaremained a virgin.

Now the innocent young beauty findsherself with an ample dowry and promised toAmaury de Aneford, a landless knight whose able sword helped defend the King’s crown. Surely hernew husband would want to do the deed,for his rugged good looks certainly make Emma’s heart skip more than a beat. And Emmasuspects there is more to a wedding night thanjust a sound sleep . . . and more to true lovethan she ever imagined.

It was to be hoped that her groom was partial to cherries. For Avelyn feared she would very much resemble one at their wedding feast. Too round, too red in the scarlet gown that was all she could fit into…and perhaps too tart for his taste? No doubt he longed for a sweet, biddable bride, one who was tiny and trim as she was trying to appear.

Paen Gerville longed for a lively, well-rounded woman, one whose plump breast would cushion his head after the lonely, harsh life of a knight. At first his wife-to-be- promised no such delights-her form was unbending, her health apparently fragile as she fainted in his arms after their first kiss. But one split bridal gown later, her assets were eye-poppingly apparent and Paen could only grin as he anticipated the surprises yet to come on his wedding night with…the perfect wife.

The fairy tale courtship did not turn into a happily-ever-after . . .

Not until her husband dropped dead, that is. He had been horrible enough to Christiana during their short marriage, and she was not going to allow the traditional period of mourning to ruin her sisters' debuts as well. So she decides to put him on ice and go on as if nothing's happened . . .

Until the real earl appears. Richard Fairgrave had every intention of confronting his villainous twin who had robbed him of his name and title . . . only to discover that he had died. Quietly assuming his identity, Richard must now deal with a maddening desire for his ravishing inherited "wife"— certainly a gold digger and possibly a murderess. And Christiana must deal with an unwanted new "husband" . . . and they both must figure out what to do before the ice melts!

Desperately seeking a husband . . .

Suzette is not like other heiresses; she wants a poor husband, a gentleman who will be so grateful for her dowry that he will allow her access to it so that she can pay off her father's gambling debts. When this alluring beauty encounters Daniel Woodrow—handsome, titled, single . . . and even more impoverished than she could have hoped for—it seems Suzette's wildest dreams have come true.

But Daniel has not been truthful. Tired of being accosted by an endless stream of vapid coquettes and their fortune-hunting mothers, Daniel has decided to plead poverty to stop them in their tracks. Yet here is a most refreshing and delectable lady, who claims to be thrilled by his penury. Now all Daniel has to do to find true happiness is to keep a little white lie alive . . . while avoiding a villain who's determined to prevent this union by any means necessary.