Showing results by author "Alexa Aston" in All Categories

Phoebe Smythe, countess of Borwick, suffers a tragic miscarriage when she learns her husband and young son have been killed in a carriage accident. The grieving widow retreats to an isolated cottage on the coast of Cornwall, where she finds a smuggler who’s washed ashore, blood leaking from a bullet wound.

Emery Jenson came to Wildwood ten years ago with her parents, hired to be the estate's steward and housekeeper. She has taken on more responsibility as her father's mind grows weak and now runs the ducal country seat. When the new duke shows up, she schemes to hide her father's deficiencies, believing the Duke of Winslow won't remain long.

Aaron Hartfield is forced to leave the army and return to England to claim a title he never wanted when his brother is killed in a scandalous duel. Hart's friends convince him to attend the season in order to find himself a duchess and provide an heir—but he has no interest in making a love match. After a disastrous come-out, bluestocking Olivia Knight retreats to her uncle's vicarage in the country for five years. With his death, she returns to London and finds her father and loathsome cousin planning to choose a husband for her.

Cool, moody, and irresistible Donovan Martin finds himself the new Duke of Haverhill after his father and brother drown in a carriage accident. The womanizing Donovan decides to work his way through the numerous beauties of the ton because he has no intention of settling down. Until he encounters a most unusual woman—who informs him she never plans to wed. Wynter Day wants to maintain her independence and never become subservient to any man. Besides, no man has ever sparked her interest romantically. Then the new Duke of Haverhill crashes into her life, causing her to reconsider.

William Finchley carries a secret from childhood which he has never shared with anyone, not even his closest friends. When his brother commits suicide, Finch becomes the new Duke of Sommersby. He attend his first season with no plans to ever wed—until he meets Lady Pemberton, an optimistic, brave widow.

Wyatt Stanton served as a spy for Wellington until he receives word of his brother's death. Reluctantly, he returns to England as the Duke of Amesbury and to Amberwood, a place he once loved and was banished from after his brother falsely accused Wyatt of burning down the family stables with over two dozen horses inside. His soul seared by war, the man who lived for danger must now become a member of Polite Society and find himself a duchess so he has an heir.

Will a marriage of convenience blossom into one filled with love? At age 18, Hudson St. Clair learns he’s the Duke of Everton’s bastard. Though never clamed by his father, the new duke, Hudson’s half-brother, accepts Hudson into the family, gifting him with a university education and teaching him about the myriad of businesses controlled by the St. Clair family. His grandmother, Cor, guides Hudson in how to become a gentleman and molds his character, making him a man to be reckoned with.

Lady Samantha Wallace has been in love since childhood with her brother’s best friend, the Duke of Colebourne, but George only sees her as a little sister. She weds a viscount who is George’s opposite, only to find herself trapped in a miserable marriage. When she becomes a widow, she is held against her will and finally escapes, vowing to live life her own way and never be controlled again.

After returning to London from his Grand Tour, serious-minded Jeremy St. Clair, the Marquess of Sather, attends a ball and meets a luminescent beauty who draws him out of his shell. They share a searing kiss - her first - and though he never planned to wed, Jeremy desires to make this young woman his. But his life takes an unexpected turn when he leaves her that night.

Reed Davenport is a womanizer enjoying a carefree life until his beloved father dies. Now Viscount Boxling, Reed takes his responsibilities seriously, including providing an heir. He turns to the Duchess of Camden, famed for her matchmaking skills, and puts himself in her hands, hoping he will find not only his viscountess—but love.

1338 A.D. - Exiled to a convent after her father’s execution for treason, Katelyn de Blays has fleeting memories of the man she adored and the outside world. When her brother’s search leads him to find Katelyn after many years, she is eager to leave with Landon and begin a new life. He brings her to the court of her cousin, Edward III, who betroths Katelyn to a powerful earl of Northumberland, using her as a political pawn to show his continued support of his northern noblemen.

Life radically changes for Arabella Jennings, the daughter of an Oxford don, when her father becomes the Earl of Barrington. She’s an intellectual who would rather be discussing Shakespeare’s works but now finds herself navigating the vicious waters of Polite Society.

Sebastian Cooper, Marquess of Marbury, chooses to leave England and fight in the Napoleonic Wars for a decade. He comes home to find his father has died and assumes his role as the new Duke of Hardwick. When Lady Hadley Hampton’s parents die, she is made a ward to the Duke of Hardwick, a man estranged from his only son. She reads Sebastian’s letters aloud to her guardian and over the years falls in love with the dashing war hero. Sebastian fights his growing attraction to Hadley, believing she deserves much more than the broken, scarred man he has become.

Can love grow between a reluctant duke and an illegitimate shop girl? Anthony never wanted a wife and is abruptly saddled with one. He tries to keep his distance from the raven-haired beauty who is now his duchess, but Laurel proves to be irresistible. Passion erupts between them, and he finds himself longing for a child, though he fights growing closer to this new wife.

A duke broken by a terrible secret.... Lady Elise Ruthersby is with child when her husband is killed, and the family awaits the birth to see who will be the new earl. A daughter arrives, relegating Elise to the status of a servant as she becomes the unpaid governess to her two nephews. Weston Wallace, the Duke of Treadwell, learns a devastating secret about his fiancée the night before their wedding, causing him to break their engagement. He becomes London’s most notorious rake, with a rule that he only beds a woman once.

AD 1340 - After his treasonous father’s execution, Landon de Blays is raised alongside his cousin, the future King Edward III. Landon constantly fights to prove his own loyalty to the crown and becomes England’s youngest knight. Rewarded for bravery in battle, the king gifts Landon with a title and estate, something he’s longed for over the years as much as restoring his family’s good name. Cassiana Campion raises five brothers and nurses her ill father while managing Briarwood, her family’s estate.

A confident Colonel Winston Cutler finds himself a sudden duke when the brother he loathed perishes in a fire. Win returns to London, only to find he has two by-blow nephews to care for—and their specialty is running off their latest governess. Reserved Seraphina Nicholls returns to England after being stuck in Canada due to war with the Americans. Sera is slated to attend a house party, where she hopes to make a match with a man who is quiet and loyal. Instead, she finds herself volunteering to act as a governess to a neighboring duke's rowdy nephews.

Luke St. Clair, Earl of Mayfield, has tired of his empty, carefree life and seeks to find a spouse he can love and cherish, much as his brother and sister have done. Ridding himself of his mistress and lover, he commits to entering the upcoming season with an open mind. Before the season can even begin, however, Luke meets an independent beauty who does more than interest him.

Major Everett Wayland is stunned when his brother is murdered, making Ev the Duke of Camden. The shy duke meets a matchmaking beauty of the ton who, while unsuited to be his duchess, promises to help Ev find an appropriate woman to become his wife. Lady Adalyn Goulding is not easily intimidated and is a leader in polite society, occasionally matching couples together. Her cousin, Tessa, has made a love match and has a baby, causing Adalyn to rethink her stance on marriage. When she agrees to find a stodgy duke a bride who is dignified and unapproachable, Adalyn has no idea what she’s in for.

Major Owen Hasbury returns from the Napoleonic Wars as the new Earl of Danbury. He’s ready to enjoy life and make love to as many women as he can before settling down and siring an heir. His attitude irks his two closest friends, men who have come into recent titles and made love matches. Louisa Goulding has a reputation as a bit of a bluestocking. She has served as her father’s hostess since her mother’s death years ago and has been an active part of the meetings in their home with her father’s War Office colleagues, giving her little time for social events.