Annie Dresden is twenty-six years old, with no fortune, and nothing but a quick, practical mind to recommend her. Taken in by her apothecary uncle after her father's death, she's happy to be his assistant but there's no future for her as an apothecary. The only proper career for a woman is as a wife and mother, but for Annie the possibility is dwindling.When a long-forgotten suitor returns, it seems fate has given her another chance. A man turned away by her father years ago for lack of fortune is unexpectedly wealthy after his brother drowned aboard the Brig Minerva. For eight years he's dreamed of marrying Annie, and she's not about to throw away her last opportunity for a family of her own. He loves her, and he's a respectable man - that's a strong enough foundation for marriage, isn't it?But Annie soon finds that her husband has his own ideas about marriage, making her new life unexpectedly difficult. And when disaster strikes, all her hopes of a happy future are thrown into turmoil and she is left wondering who she can trust.

"Ten years have passed since the sisters of Woodside found happiness. Their grief for their young brother, Jeremy, tragically drowned at the age of twelve, has faded. The sadness of losing their home, Woodside, to strangers is but a memory. They no longer wonder just what became of their mother’s fabulous jewels, which should have guaranteed their dowries. They are looking forwards, not back into the past. But the past is not always willing to be left behind. In the industrial north of England, a young man can only step into his own future if he revisits the past. And so he begins a journey that will change everything the sisters thought they knew, and reveal the darkest secrets of the Winterton family of Woodside."--Back cover.

Caroline Milburn and her younger sisters live in two cramped rooms, struggling to survive by their skills in lace making and weaving. When their previously unknown grandfather drowns on the Brig Minerva and bequeaths them a cottage in the country, their lives seem set to improve. But where will the daughters of a linen draper fit into rural life, now that they are better off? How will Caroline find husbands for her younger sisters? Why have purses of money been buried in the garden? And why are the neighbours so interested in them? Charles Leatham was happy in the army, where all he had to do was to follow orders. With both his older brothers dead, he’s forced to return home and he knows where his duty lies - he must marry, and soon, to secure the inheritance. He doesn’t care who he marries, but why is his step-mother so keen to pair him with the ill-bred linen draper’s daughter? She’s a termagant and a shrew, but he always follows orders so he resigns himself to the inevitable. At least she’ll be grateful for the offer... won’t she?

A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom. Miss Fanny Winterton has only one wish in her romantic heart — to surrender to overwhelming love. She will accept nothing less than to be struck by the thunderbolt of everlasting passion. Real life isn’t quite so obliging, however, so while she waits for the fires of love to ignite, she is content to ply her needle as a lowly seamstress for her noble patroness.The Honourable Ferdinand Makenham has no wish at all to marry, until one glimpse of Fanny’s sweet expression convinces him that he has found the love of his life. Now all he has to do is to persuade her to accept him, but is he romantic enough to win her affection? As he sets about his courtship, he and Fanny are drawn into the mysterious death of a young woman and life gets complicated.

Escaping into the countryside to nurse his wounded pride and heart, Simon Hurst encounters the lovely but eccentric Mimi (half English, half Indian and all mischief) who promises him three favors—then only grudgingly doles them out. If he can capture that last one—that kiss—before she learns the truth about his identity, he should transform into an earl once again. Regency Romance by Carola Dunn; originally published by Walker

A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom. Poor and widowed, Lucy finds a post as chaperon to two young ladies while their mother is awaiting the birth of her child. It sounds like easy work, well suited to her sociable nature, but the sisters squabble over their suitors, and there are tensions below the surface of the seemingly happy family. Then there is the charming Mr Audley, who is more interested in flirting with Lucy than in discovering where his sisters have disappeared to. And as for Lucy’s uncle, who lives nearby, she’s quite convinced he is hiding something. Curiosity is Lucy’s abiding sin, and one day it will get her into trouble. Mr Leo Audley is rich, handsome and very successful with the ladies - until he meets widow Lucy Price, who isn’t the least bit susceptible to his flirtatious charm. His pride is piqued - surely he can find a way to seduce her? But Lucy challenges everything about him, and he finds himself unexpectedly falling for her. He’s never been in love before, but can he convince her that he’s more than a heartless rake? And when she draws him into her investigations of the mysteries surrounding his family and hers, they find themselves in deeper trouble than they could have imagined, and facing the possibility that someone in the family is a murderer.