The Husband Hunt

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.

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.

When Vampires Go On Vacation . . .

Escaping a horrible marriage, Carolyn Connor has no desire to think about men—a vow she's determined to keep while on vacation in St. Lucia. She'll take the Caribbean sun and sea and plenty of tropical drinks with those cute umbrellas poolside, thank you. She absolutely does not need male company, no matter how tan and rock-hard his body may be.

Easy enough, but then Carolyn meets the charming Marguerite Argeneau, who is infamous among her family for her matchmaking prowess . . .

Christian Notte has well known the power of finding a life mate. He's seen enough of his Argeneau relatives taken down for the count, but he never imagined he'd let himself fall in love—until he meets the enthralling, charmingly skittish, and oh-so-mortal Carolyn. But how will he reveal what he is and still convince this once-bitten mortal to trust him with her heart . . . and her forever?

Bastard daughter to the king, Rosamunde was raised in a convent and wholly prepared to take the veil . . . until good King Henry showed up with a reluctant husband in tow for her. Suddenly, she found herself promising to love, honor, and obey Aric.

But Rosamunde's education had not covered a wedding night, and the stables were a poor example for an untried girl. Would Aric bite her neck like the animals did their mates? The virile warrior seemed capable of such animal passion, but his eyes promised something sweeter. And Rosamunde soon learned that while she may have trouble with obeying him, it would not be hard to lover her new husband forever.

He'd been warned that Lady Clarissa Crambray was dangerous. Stomping on toes and burning piffles, the chestnut-haired beauty was clearly a force with which to be reckoned. But for Adrian Montfort, Earl of Mowbray, veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, this was just the challenge he needed. He could handle one woman and her “unfortunate past.” Could any woman handle him?

Lady Clarissa Crambray wanted a husband, but maybe not as much as her stepmother wanted one for her. Really! Doffing her spectacles might make a girl prettier, but how would she see? She'd already caused enough mayhem to earn a rather horrible nickname. Yet, as all other suitors seemed to shy away in terror, there came a man to lead her to the dance floor. A dark, handsome, blur of a man.

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.

Everyone knew Lady X... or, at least, everyone knew of her. The masked courtesan was reputedly a noblewoman fallen on hard times. What Lord James had not known was that she was Lady Margaret Wentworth -- the feisty sister of his best friend. Gerald claimed his sibling was beautiful, virtuous, naive; and he had forced James into an oath of protection. But when James tracked the girl down to a house of ill repute, what other explanation could there be but that Maggie was London's most enigmatic wanton?

Snatching the wench away would be a ticklish business, and after that things would get harder. James had to ignore his quarry's violent protests that he was an idiot, that she was never the infamous X. He had to find a way to reform the hoyden, to save her from scandal. He had to steer clear of his own meddling aunt -- all while keeping his hands off those luscious goods that the rest of the ton had reputedly sampled. And, with Maggie, hardest of all would be keeping himself from falling in love.

When they first met Lord Jeremy William Radcliffe, Charlie and her twin sister, Elizabeth were escaping from their uncle-taking turns acting the young gentleman to avoid detection. But Charlie couldn’t help falling head over heels-and out of a window-for the handsome lord. Of course, that was only the beginning; Lord Radcliffe insisted on showing “him” and her lovely sister to London.

But how could he do that? With every touch, Radcliffe seemed unknowingly to incite indecent desires in Charlie, and his fraternal intent was certain to land her in a fine mess. Though it was a great game to play a boy, there was more fun in being female. And after one brush of his fiery lips when her guise was gone, Charlie swore to be nothing but his fiery woman forevermore.

Out of the frying pan...

Circumstances had changed; they had gotten worse. Valoree no longer had to masquerade as her murdered brother and scourge the oceans as Captain Red. She no longer had to command his pirate band in a quest to regain his birthright. She had been named heir to Ainsly Castle. But no executor would ever hand over the estate to an unmarried pirate wench and her infamous crew—no matter to whom she'd been born. And the will had distinctly stated that in order to inherit, Valoree must be married to a nobleman...and pregnant.

Into the fire...

Upon learning that, the virgin captain had been ready to return to the seas, bur her crew had put it to a vote—and for those rascally cusses she would do anything. Reluctantly, she agreed. If they could find a way—Henry and One-Eye and Slully—to put on her a sweet face that would fool the ton, she would handle the rest. Even with a drunken prostitute as an "aunt" and her merry cutthroat crew as "servants." But to herself she swore one thing: she could only marry a man who fired her blood, a man who was not afraid of a ...Lady Pirate.