With his breathtaking good looks, sizable fortune and relentless luck in the gaming halls, Sebastian Hunter was a man the Ton admired and feared in equal measures. Having spent years indulging his passions for women and gambling, Sebastian had never thought that he would tire of the long and exhausting whirl of wild parties, drunken debauchery and reckless womanizing which had characterized his life for so long – until the sudden death of his father. With his mother deciding to cut all ties with her irresponsible son, Sebastian had decided to step away from the profligacy of society and lick his wounds at Blackloch Hall, the family’s manor house on the windswept Scottish moors. Sebastian is determined to put the past and his errant ways behind him and to be the kind of man his late father would have been proud of. However, when Sebastian’s mother comes to Blackloch Hall and brings her companion, Phoebe Allardyce, with her, Sebastian quickly finds himself intrigued by this beautiful innocent –and by the secret he’s sure she is hiding…

Having heard all the stories about Sebastian Hunter’s sordid past, Phoebe is determined to give the dastardly rake as wide a berth as possible. The spirited companion has got a lot on her mind – she certainly does not want or need to have to worry about becoming Sebastian’s latest conquest! But not even Phoebe can deny the fact that she’s finding herself drawn to Sebastian. However, Phoebe cannot afford to let Sebastian get too close to her because she is keeping a secret so shocking, that if anyone finds out the truth about her she could lose everything!

Resisting Sebastian’s expert seduction proves harder than Phoebe initially anticipated. With every passing day, Phoebe begins to realize that there is more to the man she had initially written off as a dissolute scoundrel than meets the eye. Sebastian proves to be an honorable and charismatic man whom Phoebe cannot stop herself from falling passionately in love with, but when she is forced to choose between protecting her secret or the man who has managed to breach all the defenses which she has built around herself, will Phoebe opt for duty over desire? Or will she condemn herself to a lifetime of regret because of a secret she is too scared to reveal?

A marvelous tale richly imbued with atmospheric period details, nail-biting danger and powerful romance, A Dark and Brooding Gentleman is a spellbinding Regency romance that is absolutely impossible to resist. Margaret McPhee is an outstanding storyteller with a keen eye for detail and an awe-inspiring knowledge of the Regency period who never fails to bring the past vividly to life and to create stunning historical romances that hold the reader in thrall from start to finish.

With its captivating blend of richly drawn characters, breath-taking intrigue and poignant romance, A Dark and Brooding Gentleman is a sublime Regency romance fans of the genre will not want to miss.

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Thirty-five year old Bella is single – and happily so. With a thriving jewelry business that’s going from strength to strength and a great social life, Bella does not want a man in her life. Having long accepted the fact that she’ll never have the perfect family she had fantasized about as a child, Bella invests all of her time and energy into her business – and into persuading her blissfully married friends to stop setting her up on blind dates. However, Bella’s resolve to stay single is severely tested when a hot new client knocks on her door who looks like he’s just stepped out of one of her most scorching fantasies – William Cameron, the Duke of Hawksley.

Drop dead gorgeous does not being to describe Will! Rich, titled and as handsome as sin, Will has heard of Bella’s reputation as one of the industry’s most learned experts on diamonds and wants her opinion on some priceless items of jewelry. Will is convinced that somebody’s been tampering with some of his family’s most prized possessions and he needs Bella to confirm his suspicions. Yet, Will is unprepared for the rush of attraction which consumes him when he claps eyes on Bella…

Bella knows that she should stop fantasizing about Will and keep her mind on the job at hand. But how can she possibly keep things professional between her and Will when just his presence makes her want to throw caution to the wind and give in to the sizzling flame of desire that burns between them?

Will has always preferred to keep his relationships casual. Although he’s never had any qualms about sharing his bed, sharing his heart is completely out of the question. Yet, he’s never met a woman who has managed to get under his skin quite like Bella. Unable to keep his hands off the sexy jeweller, Will loses no time in seducing her. But nobody told Will that red-hot passion was going to lead to something deeper and far more complicated than no-strings sex…

Is Will ready to put his heart on line and tell Bella that he wants more than just a quick fling? And will Bella realize that Will is the only man who can truly make her happy?

Lucy King has become one of my go-to authors for red-hot romance sprinkled with class and sass! Emotionally satisfying, fast-paced, wonderfully written and absolutely impossible to put down, Say It with Diamonds is a spellbinding sizzler packed with heart, delicious humour and first class romance. Bella is a fantastic heroine who gives Carrie Bradshaw and Becky Bloomwood a run for their money with her quick wit, intelligence and candidness and Will was a gorgeous hero I simply adored.

Funny, emotional and riveting from beginning to end, Say It with Diamonds is another winner for Lucy King!

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All of Matthew Kincaid’s money cannot buy a cure for his son’s illness. There is only one person who can help – the surrogate who carried his son for those nine months. As it turns out, she is also his biological mother. Susannah Parrish was more than happy to help save the child’s life. She comes at once to help. Arriving in Charleston, Susannah stays with Matthew and the two find themselves feeling such passion for that it cannot be denied and the two embark on an affair with mistake written all over it. Susannah knows the relationship cannot last. It is based on deception and secrets. And her life is in Georgia. Is there any hope?

For the sake of a little boy, Susannah was willing to drop everything and come to help. She was quite the heroine. Matthew had a few issues that he needed to resolve but he could be her match in every way. What Happens in Charleston… is part of the Kincaid Dynasty series. Each book brings you a little closer to the final resolution.  Matthew and his brothers were surprised when, with his father’s death, it was revealed he had another family. With secrets having such a dramatic effect on his life, Matthew has a few decisions to make. Will he make the correct one? Only by reading Rachel Bailey’s excellent addition to the Kincaid Dynasty, What Happens in Charleston… can you find out. Get it quick before they run out.

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The first book taking place in Whispering Oaks, California and focusing on one of the Grady siblings is filled with real-life drama and a full range of emotions. Lynne Marshall has written a wonderful story for her Harlequin Special Edition debut, where the reader becomes totally drawn into the lives of the spirited characters.

When her parents are involved in an accident, Anne Grady takes a leave of absence from her work as a clinic nurse and comes to help with their special needs at home. Shortly after arriving home, she has a chance meeting at the hospital with Jack Lightfoot, a man she has not seen in over twelve years. Anne and he were in high school together, and he started dating her best friend after she introduced them to each other. This left her secretly wanting him for herself, and then experiencing guilty feelings because of what happened to her friend. She may have returned to her hometown, but there is no way she is going to let Jack back into her life as more than a friend.

From the moment Jack encounters Anne again, he wants to see if the feelings shared in high school are still alive and can be revived. He knows there are numerous past concerns for them to overcome before their relationship can development into something more lasting, but he is willing to give it his all for a chance to be with her.

Emotions are in abundance all throughout Lynne Marshall’s compelling story. While feelings are sometimes conveyed with anguish because of inner guilt and other situations are brimming with pleasurable joy, there is never an instant in COURTING HIS FAVORITE NURSE when every single scene does not come across as absolutely true-to-life. The second chance at love theme in this story is skillfully depicted, as one incident after another throws together two individuals who were once very close friends but a tragedy drove them apart. With so much time having gone by, Anne believes there is no hope for a relationship with Jack. However, he is not ready to give up and grabs any opportunity to be with the woman who still means much to him. Ms. Marshall takes Jack and Anne through quite a few ups and downs, as memories are recalled and long-held dreams are still greatly desired. Their intimate responses to each other are expressed with sincerity and much caring, thus proving how they really feel with actions if not words. The past and present lives of this couple are strongly entwined, and their futures are intensely influenced by whether they listen to the minds or their hearts. Plenty of everyday activities associated with taking care of someone make the story more genuine, and there are even several scenes where humor is portrayed and had me chuckling. The Return to Whispering Oaks trilogy will have two more stories, and I am definitely eager to see what else happens when the other two Grady siblings return home. COURTING HIS FAVORITE NURSE is a deeply affecting romance about love and emotional healing.

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The Stealth Knights miniseries has a hero who gets justice against those who oppress the people in his country by using methods that are not always legal, yet he is a man whom you come to admire because of his commendable reasons. Gail Barrett keeps adding complications to the already troublesome lives of the main couple in HIGH-STAKES AFFAIR, where resolutions are repeatedly uncertain.

While Dante Quevedo may not always follow the law in how he helps the poor people in his area, he believes his actions are justified because of the way his country is ruled. When he is thrown in prison, he readily agrees to a proposition of being let go if he helps an unknown woman sneak into an apartment above a casino, especially since the club is where his sister suspiciously died. There is also a need for retribution because of a tragic incident in his past, and it looks as though this assignment may even doubly help his objectives be accomplished.

When Dante realizes the person he will be aiding is Princess Paloma Vergara, who is part of the family against whom he seeks vengeance, he demands to know her reasons for breaking into someone’s home. She is trying to keep her brother from being blackmailed by preventing evidence of any erroneous wrongdoings from being made public, so she needs Dante to use his talent as a thief to help her steal any supposed proof. What they discover makes them remain together and try to learn what is in fact happening.

Adventuresome exploits are numerous in a romantic suspense novel by Gail Barrett. From start to finish, the author packs stories in this genre with daring acts where dangerous threats frequently affect the lives of the hero and heroine. Many of the escapades Dante and Paloma must face in HIGH-STAKES AFFAIR are not only death-defying but filled with intense emotional responses. When these two initially meet up, their opinions are only based on assumptions. However, the longer they are together, the more they come to understand what motivates the other. Ms. Barrett gives enough background about them to let the reader know exactly what past incident causes a particular reaction in the present. At first glance, I was not too sure if either of them warranted the label of hero or heroine, but they proved themselves to be worthy of these titles over and over again. While danger does crop up often and sometimes with no warning, the emotions conveyed by Dante and Paloma are constantly just as compelling. As their inner feelings surface and attitudes change, a deep sense of caring enters their relationship and results in heartfelt intimate encounters. Both of these characters demonstrate how much compassion they feel for others in a number of ways, and these disclosures had me liking them more with each new revelation. The Stealth Knights miniseries may have a fictional setting, but the colorful descriptions of the locale will have you believing there really is an area called Pais Vell in the mountainous region of Europe. HIGH-STAKES AFFAIR is an emotional romantic story filled with hidden dangers, passionate feelings and nonstop suspense.

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