House of Haverstock Series by Cheryl Bolen

Cheryl Bolen has done it again with another sparkling Regency romance. . .I highly recommend it. – Happily Ever After Anna de Mouchet has the stuff of which Regency heroines are made – the right stuff, that is! – In Print *** Manipulated into a marriage of convenience to prove their patriotism, Anna and Charles, the Marquess of Haverstock, question each other's loyalties... moreCheryl Bolen has done it again with another sparkling Regency romance. . .I highly recommend it. – Happily Ever After Anna de Mouchet has the stuff of which Regency heroines are made – the right stuff, that is! – In Print *** Manipulated into a marriage of convenience to prove their patriotism, Anna and Charles, the Marquess of Haverstock, question each other's loyalties. But there's no question that Anna's silken touch has bewitched the powerful lord who has become her husband, and no question that she craves every moment in his arms. EXCERPT: Her eyes widened for a hint of a second, then she moved to the edge of the bed, blew out the candle, and began to unbutton her gown. "I want the candle lighted," he said harshly. "I am your husband, and I want to see what I'm getting." He scooped up the candle, strolled to the fireplace, and relit the wick from the flames. Walking slowly back to her bed, he watched her lift the gown over her head, then clutch the coverlet to hide her breasts, her face flaming. He set the candle on the marble top of her bedside table and leaned over her, lifting her chin with his finger. "I cannot believe the former Miss De Mouchet blushes over the prospect of displaying her lovely body." "It is just. . ." Anna whispered, "I did not know this act was performed . . .without clothing?" His laughter shook the room. "Yes, my dear, we shall perform the act totally naked. I pity your former lovers if they were denied the pleasure of your entire body." His hand moved from her chin, down the slope of her chest, where he flicked off the covering and cupped a full breast while his thumb plied her nipple. "There have been no lovers, my lord," she said in a shaky voice. He removed his hand and met her bewildered gaze. "Do you mean to tell me you're a virgin?" All he saw were her huge, brown eyes staring at him like a frightened doe as she nodded. "So you say. There are ways a man can tell if a woman has been with a man." She lifted her chin and spoke in a voice now devoid of shakiness. "I'm very happy to learn that. Then I will be exonerated of at least one odious deed." "Oh, but my dear," he said, sitting beside her on the bed and stroking her breast, "there is nothing at all odious about the deed." less

To extricate himself from financial difficulties, John Beauclerc, the Earl of Finchley, concocts a scheme to marry a stranger who's answered his advertisement. He'll show his grandmother! That lady’s withholding money until he can demonstrate more maturity and less scandalous behavior. At six and twenty, the last thing he wants is to settle down. He goes to the church at St... moreTo extricate himself from financial difficulties, John Beauclerc, the Earl of Finchley, concocts a scheme to marry a stranger who's answered his advertisement. He'll show his grandmother! That lady’s withholding money until he can demonstrate more maturity and less scandalous behavior. At six and twenty, the last thing he wants is to settle down. He goes to the church at St. George's Hanover Square to wed Miss Margaret Ponsby of Windsor, send her on her way with £100, and continue to pursue wine, women and faro with his fun-seeking friends. After the ceremony, he realizes he's married the wrong woman. Miss Margaret Ponsby of Windsor obviously thought the wedding was to occur at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Lady Margaret Ponsby was at St. George's in London. How can he extricate himself from this wretched marriage—a marriage over which his grandmother is ecstatic? If only Lady Margaret Ponsby weren't so shy. When the lanky young (though most disreputable) earl she's worshipped from afar for as long as she could remember asks her to move to the church's altar with him, she's powerless to decline. Even after a wedding ceremony begins, she still remains mute. She must be standing in for Lord Finchley's true bride. But once she realizes she really is married to Lord Finchley, she determines to do everything in her power to make this a dream marriage. Even if it means imitating her clever, talkative sister. less

Inheriting Darnley Lodge from old Lord Paxton is the best thing that’s happened to lovely widow Mary Milne, whose fondest desire is to remove her ailing little boy from London’s noxious air.Why in the devil did his dead father request that Lord Paxton spend Christmas at Darnley with the scheming woman who’s deprived him of his family’s old hunting lodge?Previously published in the Mistletoe and Mayhem anthology

Ever pragmatic, Lady Caroline Ponsby has given up hope she’ll ever receive a proposal of marriage from Christopher Perry, the wealthy man she’s adored for almost two years. She is determined to be an ex-spinster by Christmas. To that end, she has invited a prospective suitor to spend Christmas with her family. She knows very well that Lord Brockton would love to get his hands on her dowry, and she’d love to be a married woman with a home and family of her own... moreEver pragmatic, Lady Caroline Ponsby has given up hope she’ll ever receive a proposal of marriage from Christopher Perry, the wealthy man she’s adored for almost two years. She is determined to be an ex-spinster by Christmas. To that end, she has invited a prospective suitor to spend Christmas with her family. She knows very well that Lord Brockton would love to get his hands on her dowry, and she’d love to be a married woman with a home and family of her own. The very idea of his Lady Caroline throwing herself away on the likes of the vile Lord Brockton rankles Christopher Perry. A pity he cannot offer for her himself, but a duke’s daughter is too far above his touch, given his family’s humble origins. Nevertheless, Christopher attends the Duke of Aldridge’s Christmas house party with the intention of thwarting Lady Caroline’s grave misalliance with Brockton. If only he’s not too late . . . less