In passionate love stories from four of romance's most prominent authors, meet women who've spent years thinking they've missed their shot at Mr Right - only to discover that fate is handing them one more chance.to win back the love of the one who got away

"Against the glamorous backdrop of Victorian high society, Liz Carlyle paints a dramatic tale of dangerous desire, the first in her sizzling new trilogy."

All Grace Gauthier ever wanted was the security of a good marriage, family, and home. Instead, despised by her aristocratic father's family because of her mother's foreign birth, she's taken a "safe" position as a governess. Now, unprotected and alone in London, accused of the shocking murder of her employer, she has no one to turn to except the mysterious--and possibly dangerous--Lord Ruthveyn.

A dark-eyed Lucifer, Ruthveyn guards his secrets carefully. His shadowed past is a source of pain and rumors--only whispered. Grace's plight--which echoes his own--moves him, as does her quiet beauty. Ruthveyn is determined to save Grace by unmasking a killer. But his growing passion places his own heart at risk and threatens to expose his dark gifts to the world.

Wealthy land owner Merrick MacLachlan is the polar opposite of his polished, ever-so-charming brother. While Sir Alasdair is fair and handsome, Merrick is dark and brooding, both in looks and in temperament. With his penetrating eyes and badly scarred face, Merrick has always made the ton deeply uncomfortable. Professionally, Merrick has attained a level of wealth and power which no one could have imagined when he was a brilliant but starving young architect. Privately, he has no lifewhich is just how he likes it. But his rigid, tightly-controlled existence is about to spin out of control. Because once upon a time, Merrick did have a life. And then, he made a terrible mistake. Her name was Madeleine. And if ever he is tempted to forget her, he has but to look at the scars she left behind...

From its opening scene to its breath-catching climax, Liz Carlyle's newest novel is a vividly etched portrait of passion and intrigue. When a woman consumed by sinister secrets opens the door to a strikingly handsome stranger, a powerful desire rushes in -- and a love she could not have imagined.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Jonet Rowland is surely that. But she is also lovely, rich, and -- it is rumored -- an unrepentant adulteress. When her philandering husband, the marquis of Mercer, is murdered in his own bed, it's whispered that Jonet is a femme fatale in more ways than one. Shunned by society, the daring widow steels herself to fight for what truly matters -- her children.
When his scheming uncle begs him to investigate the death of his brother, Lord Mercer, Captain Cole Amherst refuses. But it is soon apparent that treachery stalks two innocent boys, and Cole plunges into the viper's pit that is Jonet Rowland's life. Nothing could have prepared Cole for the lust Jonet inspires. But as danger swirls about them, he is tortured by doubt. Can an honorable soldier open his shuttered heart and let a wicked widow teach him how to truly love?

In this powerful and passionate novel from Liz Carlyle, one of romance fiction's brightest new stars, a high-society murder brings scandal to the lords and ladies of the ton -- and unexpected desire to a pair of unlikely lovers. No True Gentleman Lady Catherine Wodeway knows that no true gentleman would presume to kiss a lady senseless without a proper introduction -- not even to save her life. yet somehow, Maximilian de Rohan's dark good looks, brooding manner, and mysterious past make it all too easy for Catherine to forget that she's a lady. Although Max is stunned by Catherine's beauty, honesty, and charm, he knows that getting mixed up with a noblewoman can end badly, especially when her brother is a murder suspect. But when Catherine stumbles onto the key to Max's murder investigation and unwittingly places herself in the killer's hands he will risk everything to pull her out of danger and into the arms of love.

From Rita Award winner and New York Times bestselling author Liz Carlyle comes a spellbinding novel in which the ton’s most charming ne’er-do-well meets his match in a most unexpected fashion and discovers the true meaning of desire... Frederica d'Avillez is sure she will never marry. She's had a disastrous London season, and now her longtime beau has thrown her over for a more eligible miss. But if Freddie can't have a husband, she's hell-bent on experiencing at least one night of unforgettable passion. Where better than in the arms of the dashing rogue Bentley "Hell-Bent" Rutledge? So what if he's a rake, scoundrel, and all-round devil? Scandal trails in Bentley's wake and fair maidens usually steer well clear of him—and vice versa. But when the opportunity presents itself, Bentley can't resist Freddie's exotic beauty. When their wild, reckless passion has dire consequences, Bentley is forced to choose between honor and freedom. And Freddie soon realizes that Bentley's devil-may-care façade is just that—for she has unwittingly unleashed his dark secrets...and secret desires.

From the grandeur of regency Mayfair to the dark danger of London's East End, Liz Carlyle sweeps you away with a powerful story of a love born against all odds, as an honorable young widow stands fast against the cynical rogue who seems determined to consume her, heart and soul.
"A Woman of Virtue"
In the lonely months since her husband's death, Cecilia Lorimer has hidden her emptiness by devoting herself to a charity mission for the unfortunate women of London's slums. But when the dashing Lord Delacourt takes control, she feels an uncharacteristic urge to flee. Just six years earlier, Delacourt had proven himself to be the immoral rake society called him, nearly ruining her reputation in the bargain.
It's whispered that the womanizing Delacourt is vain, vindictive, and merciless. But he's a man who honors his wagers -- and one result lands him in his brother-in-law's godforsaken mission, face-to-face with the woman who has long haunted his dreams. When treachery closes in, only he knows how to guard Cecilia from the consequences of her own principles. Can a profligate knave persuade a virtuous woman that he is worthy of her trust -- and her love?

National bestselling author Liz Carlyle presents her most tempting romance to date -- a sinfully sensual tug-of-war between heavenly desires and earthly delights....

"He was a scoundrel, a scamp, and a hopeless skirt-chaser." So it shouldn't have been so surprising when Sir Alasdair awoke after a night of debauchery to see a young lass on his doorstep...with a baby in her arms.

"She was beautiful, brazen, and utterly bankrupt." So it shouldn't have been so shocking when Miss Hamilton accepted the rogue's scandalous proposal to move in with him...and become the baby's governess.

"One little sin brought them together." But when one man's wicked charms are matched by one woman's fiery spirit, one little sin can lead to another...and another...and another....

National bestselling author Liz Carlyle presents the second book in her scandalous new romance series -- a fiery duel of desire and deception with love as the ultimate prize....

"Once, he spurned the woman he loved. The Earl of Wynwood was far too reckless to handle a sophisticated woman like Viviana Alessandri. And the beautiful opera singer was far too famous to make a suitable wife for Wynwood.

"Twice, she wagered with her heart. Crushed by Wynwood's refusal to marry, Viviana offered her hand to another, a wealthy count. But fate has a way of playing with lovers' hearts -- and passion has a way of setting them on fire.

"Two little lies tore them apart. But now, at a gala affair celebrating Wynwood's recent betrothal, Viviana will get one last chance to win back his love...again...and again.

The acclaimed author of "The Devil You Know" pens a shimmering novel about a Scottish noblewoman on the run from her past and a powerful English lord brought to his knees by desire.
Aubrey Montford claims to be a widowed housekeeper. Desperate to keep her new post -- and her secrets -- she transforms desolate Castle Cardow into a profitable estate. Yet soon after her employer, Lord Walrafen, returns from long years of absence, Aubrey is suspected of murder. Sparks and tempers ignite whenever she and the smoldering earl meet, but he may be her only hope.
Walrafen returns reluctantly to the childhood home he loathes. Cardow is said to be haunted -- by more than the earl's sad memories -- but it was no ghost that murdered his uncle. Is the castle's beautiful chatelaine a murderess? At the very least, she's a liar -- he has proof. Yet the truth of his soul is that he's drawn to her with a kind of fierce passion he's never known....

"Beauty is like the night, fleeting and hard to hold, a truth the forbidding Lord Treyhern is about to discover. Let the opulence of Liz Carlyle's prose immerse you in the beauty of England while plunging you into the midst of the outrageous Rutledge family, where scandal is served up like a soup course and dangerous secrets are everywhere."
The daughter of London's wickedest widow, Helene de Severs has struggled to overcome her heritage. Renowned within Europe's emerging psychiatric field, Helene has a gift for healing children. When fate sends her back to England, the country she left in disgrace, Helene is confident she has learned to govern her own reckless emotions.
Ruthlessly, Treyhern has dragged his notorious family from the brink of ruin. But a disastrous marriage has left him with a traumatized child, and his rebellious brother is just one step ahead of the bailiffs. When his dissolute father drops dead while debauching the governess, Treyhern's infamous temper is truly tested.
But the forceful earl means to straighten everyone out -- as soon as he has hired a reputable governess. Yet the moment she steps from his carriage, Treyhern's cold reserve is melted by a rush of desire he had long thought dead. With her elegant clothing and mountain of luggage, the woman is not who he expected. Or is she? Sometimes the workings of the mind are as dangerous as those of the heart. And soon, danger is truly everywhere...