Showing results by narrator "Jessica Bright" in All Categories

Lady Janet Fraser didn't earn her reputation as Scotland's most notorious sinner by following the rules. A former mistress of King James IV, she's content to live her life from pleasure to pleasure. Even if those pleasures - and people - are forbidden.

Lady Jessica Whitmoreland has been waiting for her first Season her entire life and she has her eye on the best catch of the season, but when the gentleman of her dreams turns out to be a nightmare, what's a debutante to do?

Lady Eliza Whitmoreland just wants to be left alone. A season and a husband are the last things she needs or wants. But when the ton's biggest rake tries to charm her, instead of rolling her eyes, she sees her chance. She challenges the blowhard to a game of chess. The prize? If she wins, he has to pretend to be her fiance for the rest of the season to get her mother off her back.

To protect her family, she has done the darkest of deeds, and now she is determined to find the protection of a good marriage. A marriage that will let her pursue her dreams. A powerful friend has arranged for her to marry the Earl of Derby. But when she arrives, the earl does nothing as expected. He demands a trial. Drawn to the Earl, who seems to carry a shadow in his heart, she agrees. Margaret cannot deny her desire for him, but if he learns the truth, will he cast her out? When her heart begins to long for him, she is determined to keep him... and her secrets.

When a beautiful stranger ducks into his bookshop during a rainstorm, Cale Cameron, well-known rake, is instantly attracted to her. Elizabeth, Lady Thornhill, is restless and hungers for something she cannot name. Society would never accept a countess and a mere bookseller, so they agree to a one week affair to indulge their desire. As their passion ignites and their connection grows, Elizabeth threatens the one thing Cale has protected above all else—his heart.

Hampshire, 1818. To her family, Olivia Middleton is a problem of the most vexing sort. With her older two sisters married off, Olivia is now the target of her mother's matrimonial scheming. Shy and somewhat plain, Olivia prefers the thrill of a gothic novel to the hunt for a husband. And as far as her family is concerned, something must be done. But Olivia has no interest in the men paraded before her—except, perhaps, the sought-after bachelor William Cross. But she's not about to inflate his already oversized ego by telling him so.

The Duke of Clyde has been a friend to many, but none can climb the walls around his heart. None can thaw the ice that he has wrapped his soul in. Until a bluestocking invades his castle and his life and threatens to upend everything he has ever known.

Anne Middleton never plays by the rules. She is willful when she should be obedient and unabashed when she should be decorous. Worse still, she can never resist a good wager . . . or a very naughty book. And Confessions of a Courtesan is about as risqué as a book can be. Michael Grey—Earl of Thornhill—had once courted Anne's sweet and modest sister. But whilst Anne is certainly no lady of decorum, her bold impulsiveness slips through his armor, and propriety is forgotten. Now he too is immersed in the book of forbidden delights, where each page is an invitation to sin.

A dutiful lady's maid, Miss Madeline Atwater knows precisely what her future holds: countless nights of dressing her mistress in silk gowns, pinning her hair in elegant curls, and selecting the perfect pair of slippers before sending her off to the ball. But Madeline harbors a secret dream. Just once, she'd like to be the one who attends the grand party—and tonight could be her chance. All she needs to do is borrow her mistress's cast-off dress and sneak downstairs during the Twelfth Night Ball . . .

When a governess of great talents is required, there is only one place the nobility of England go: The Governess Bureau. And one of the most trusted? Miss Anne Gilbert. She's known for keeping her employer's secrets, and when she is selected by the Earl of Clarcton, that is precisely why. Because the Earl, Timothy Lexington, has secrets. Secrets he has worked hard to keep from the world. While scandal waits in the wings, Clarcton Castle has entire wings that are shut off and the Countess is nowhere to be found.

Infamous courtesan Julia Forsythe is the former mistress of a ruthless marquess. She's also expecting his child. But while she longs to flee from his cold clutches, the welfare of her unborn babe prevents it. Now she must find a way to remain a "mistress" in name, if not in deed. Fifteen years ago, Adam Radcliff once shared a close friendship with Julia. Now they stand worlds apart in both lives and statuses, sharing only the memory of that old friendship. But even as Julia slips out of the marquess's lascivious clutches, she finds herself seeking the pleasure of Adam's company.

When a governess of many languages is required, there is only one place the nobility of England go: the Governess Bureau. Of course, Miss Elizabeth Fletcher doesn't broadcast that information. Constantly under-estimated and treated like the children she's responsible for, all she wants is a duke assignment and the respect of her peers.

Raised in a foundling home and now proprietor of a successful club, Gabriel Cadieux hasn’t ever been welcomed by polite society. But when he discovers he’s the legitimate heir to a dukedom, he must make a choice: accept the debt-ridden title and the trappings of the peerage who shunned him or decline and leave his six rebellious half sisters to fend for themselves. As much as he hates the idea, Gabriel can’t abandon his siblings, even if it means making a deal with the most frustrating—and aggravatingly beautiful—woman he’s ever met.

When you wake up with no memories from the last ten years, what do you do? For Miss Rachel Herriot, she has only one option—to be sent to a quiet manor house with one charge, Violet, to care for. A little governessing and recuperation, that's all she needs. Unfortunately, that's not what she'll get. Waiting for her at Quintrell Hall is not the idyllic quiet country life she was promised, but a gentleman called Timothy Astor. Mysterious, frequently absent from his home, and kissing her passionately in corridors with no introduction, Mr. Astor is not what Rachel expected.

Miss Helena Patrick is not a governess. At least, not really. The famed and celebrated actress is a little down on her luck, and grasps the chance to masquerade as a governess until better luck comes around. Worse luck for her, she's stuck out in the country with a master who is afraid to leave his house with a wife who died but no one will speak of, his sister who mysteriously disappears whenever anyone wants her, and a brother who . . . a brother who absolutely should not be kissing her. Especially as he's a duke.

Scandal. Intrigue. Love matches. The Governess Bureau was never supposed to be full of these things, but over the last few years, no fewer than five matches have been made. It's something the proprietress, Miss Vivienne Clarke, simply cannot allow to continue. With only one client remaining for the previously esteemed Governess Bureau now it has been called into disrepute, Vivienne has no choice but to take on the assignment herself; caring for the daughter of Edwin, Viscount Bysshe.

An enforcer for his kind, Dominic’s job is to protect Succubi’s from other immortal races and hide them from the humans. His job simple, until a rogue female hits his radar and sets off every protective instinct he has.

In the vein of Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist, but wholly its own, Girl is a provocative, heartbreaking and frequently hilarious collection of original essays on what it means to be Black, a woman, a mother and a global citizen in today’s ever-changing world. Black women have never been more visible or more publicly celebrated. But for every new milestone, every magazine cover, every box office record smashed, the reality of everyday life remains a complex, nuanced, contradiction-laden experience.

Cold, arrogant, and demanding Henry Eldridge, Marquess of Riverton, would never dally with a mere servant. But when Henry is injured in a horrible fire, his pretty housekeeper Cassandra nurses him back to health, throwing them together, day and night. As he slowly heals from his burns, their friendship blossoms, and the class walls between them start to crumble. Cassandra is surprised by glimpses of a kind and thoughtful man beneath her employer's hard façade—and even more surprised when she develops tender feelings for him. But anything between lord and servant is impossible....

In the months since their father, Rory, died, the MacLeod sisters have had to contend with bands of smugglers convinced he left a treasure buried within the walls of their home at Castle Cairncross. Only the most mystifying occurrences have foiled the thieves—stirring whispers that the sisters are sorceresses. Yet, they have no treasure, nor are they witches. However, each inexplicably possesses a unique ability. The eldest, Catriona, is a brilliant healer and alchemist—a skill she is about to put to unforeseen use.