May is filled with new budding flowers and budding romance, as well. I offer you a bouquet of books . . . and a Christmas novel. Just because!
THE SIXTH HENRY by Caroline Warfield
The passion of red—the sweetness of white. Together they may create a love for the ages.
When Henry Bradley, sixth of that name, is suddenly elevated to Duke of Roseleigh, he finds the responsibilities almost outweigh the privileges. Beset by litigious neighbors, needy tenants, and nagging relatives, he also endures pressure from all sides to make sure Roseleigh’s brilliant red roses best the Earl of Edgecote’s white ones at the York Rose Show in the spring. When the Earl’s daughter Margaret pays an unexpected visit to offer her condolences on the death of the old duke, he finds an unexpected ally in the long-standing family feud—and a balm to his lonely heart.
Can the two of them come up with a proposition—or perhaps a rose—to ambush all comers in the Rose Society and turn the competition upside down?
ALEXANDRA by Lauren and Devon Royal
♥ A swoon-worthy nobleman with a dark past
♥ A debutante with a flawless reputation
♥ A compromising embrace
♥ A close-knit, meddling family
♥ Sweet Regency romance!
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Royal and her daughter comes the first novel in their beloved Regency series featuring the “outrageously funny, loyal, and endearing” Chase family.
Lady Alexandra Chase has always liked being the perfect daughter, thank you very much. Why would she bother chafing against society’s restrictions when instead she could be basking in the warm glow of its approval? But when her brother’s best friend—and secret obsession—returns from a long spell abroad, she begins losing interest in the suitable young lord she’s expected to marry. Suddenly, family duty and a flawless reputation seem less important than the chance, however slight, that her girlhood crush might notice her now that she’s all grown up…
Tristan Nesbitt has done some growing up himself over the last few years, what with moving across oceans, inheriting a title, and facing a devastating scandal. But through it all, he’s never forgotten the Chases, the closest thing he had to a family back in his school days. When his old friend Griffin Chase requests a favor, he’s happy to oblige, as long as he can maintain enough distance from the family that his infamous past won’t tarnish their good name. Unfortunately, one Chase seems intent on getting much closer to him than she should…
(Note: This book is a SWEET & CLEAN ROMANCE. If you’d prefer to read a steamy romance with a similar plot, look for Tempt Me at Midnight by Lauren Royal.)
HOOK, LYON AND SINKER by Jude Knight
When Laurel jilts her fiancé will it bring her scandal? Or everything she has ever wanted?
When Lady Laureline Barker asks Mrs. Dove Lyons to find her a husband, she does not expect one of her choices to be the man she admired years ago, when she was still a schoolgirl—the man who rescued her from drowning. He is also a war hero, famed for trading his own freedom and health for the safety of others.
Laurel is committed to a contest, with the winner taking her and her dowry. Can she back out? And will he still want her if she does?
Angelico Warrington doesn’t expect Laurel to remember him. Even if she does, why should she favor him over other suitors? She is the respected sister to an earl, with only one flaw on her reputation—she refused to marry a cad who had been putting off their wedding date for five years.
Angel is a musician in a gambling den, unable to walk without crutches, and with no place in the Society to which Laurel belongs.
This apparently ill-assorted couple are a perfect match, but history must repeat itself and secrets be revealed before they can win their happy ending.
PRIDE OF ARMS by Andrea K. Stein
12 Days of Christmas, 4 well-intentioned matchmakers, & a chorus of ghostly cats
Widowed headmistress Grace Phippen seeks a mature husband for her niece Lucy to tone down the young woman’s obsession with volatile science experiments.
Lucy can’t stop concocting dangerous chemistry in her tiny closet laboratory, but she’ll do whatever it takes to help her aunt keep their London young ladies’ academy afloat.
Cupid’s arrow may run afoul of an excess of mistletoe, but true love strikes wherever it may . . .
An earl mourns the woman who walked away on the arm of his best friend and forsakes his gambling hell to come home and rebuild his family estate.
A broken Royal Engineer struggles to regain his hearing, and his wits, after a career of blowing things up and vows to do whatever it takes to repay the earl for his kindness.
Generations of lively (or not) 6-toed ship’s cats round out the cast.
Will it take a Christmas miracle to convince these two couples where their hearts actually lie? Will these lonely, misguided matchmakers find their true loves beneath the mistletoe before the clock strikes midnight at the Twelfth Night Ball?
BOND STREET BACHELOR by Annabelle Anders
A streetwise hero clashes with a refined lady resulting in an unforgettable opposites attract Regency Romance.
Leopold Beckworth, son of a London prostitute, was abandoned as a child on the docks of London at a very young age. The odds were stacked against him, and yet, relying on nothing but his cunning and eventually, brute strength, he did better than survive, he thrived.
Ironically, he’s amassed power most aristocrats envy—along with great wealth—all while holding little regard for society. His people are the poor, the pickpockets, and thieves of London, and amongst them, Leopold is known as the King of Bond Street.
Lady Amelia Crowley, daughter of a marquess, is Leopold’s opposite in every way. Having mastered all the skills to be a perfect society wife, she is naive and good-hearted, and also quite content to make her parents proud by marrying a wealthy and titled husband.
Until she meets Mr. Beckworth.
Amelia sees beyond his gruff exterior, recognizing a man starved for love—a man with a shattered and empty heart—and his very existence throws her life out of balance. Can she deny her feelings and live the life she’s been groomed for, or will she find the courage to reach for more—which involves turning her back on society to be with the man she loves?
(As an Amazon Associate, Sydney Jane Baily earns from qualifying purchases.
Some book links on this page provide her with a teeny-tiny commission.)