Can She Trust a Privateer? Miss Harriet Chase has been in desperate financial straits since the closing of the Ladies’ Academy where she taught. Marriage to Sir Percival would provide for her mother and younger brother, and give her the safe, stable life she craves. But Percy won't propose unless she has a dowry. The treasure left by her father before he died might provide it, but it's in Spain. A thief just stole Harriet’s copy of the map. She has to go find the treasure now. Half the treasure belongs to the heir of her father’s friend, Viscount Sheffield. Rumors swirl around Sheffield like the capes of his greatcoat, that he’s a privateer who’s killed a dozen men and bedded over a hundred women. He has a ship and can take her to Spain, but can she trust him ... with her life, her virtue, her half of the treasure? Nicholas, Viscount Sheffield, inherited nothing but the title and entailed estates; his father gave away everything else. Nick is eager to claim the treasure his father didn’t want him to have, even if he has to bring this timid but tenacious woman with him. She has memorized what she thinks is the only copy of the treasure map. As they follow clues, sailing from London to Spain to Portugal, they discover other hunters, not just the thief, are also racing to find the treasure. Amidst their adventures, Nick discovers the most important treasure is the woman at his side. But this journey opens Harriet’s eyes to a world of possibilities. Will she still want a staid life with Percy, or can Nick persuade her that he’s the prize she wants? A lighthearted Regency historical romance, with a dash of adventure and spice. ​

The New York Times bestselling author of Too Dangerous for a Lady returns with another roguishly delicious Regency romance... Since being widowed two years ago, Kitty Cateril has been trapped in her late husband's home, where she is expected to mourn forever. Desperate to escape, Kitty will consider any option—even a hasty marriage to a stranger with no intention of abandoning his bachelor ways. London life suits Beau Braydon, especially his work keeping Britain safe. So when he inherits the title of Viscount Dauntry, he has no intention of resettling on a rural estate. He can’t resist the opportunity to marry a sensible widow who can manage Beauchamp Abbey for him—until he realizes Kitty is more than he bargained for... Before Kitty and Dauntry can adjust to each other, a threat to the royal family takes them to London. Soon someone is determined to prevent Dauntry from exposing the villain, and secrets in Kitty's past threaten their growing love...

The Naked Truth . . . Alistair, Viscount Moncreiffe, is much more interested in celestial bodies than the conniving ladies who are trying to trap the astronomer into marriage. But when dauntless, determined Charlotte Parnell literally drops into his arms one night, he’s quick to tender a marriage proposal when they are discovered in this scandalous position. Better a Spy Than a Bride . . . Charlotte would rather continue spying for the Crown than obey her brother’s wishes that she marry and live a quiet life. She's determined to solve an important and dangerous case before he does. After a misstep on a London rooftop lands her in Viscount Moncreiffe's embrace, the handsome scholar’s offer of a fake betrothal will simplify life for both of them. With a fiancé by her side, she'll arouse fewer suspicions. They’ll end their engagement once her mission is completed. A close call has Alistair realizing his emotions are real, and he confesses he wants their engagement to end … in marriage. But Charlotte’s plans for her future don’t include a husband or a new partner. Will she have to give up the independence she’s fought so hard for in exchange for the love Alistair offers? Originally published in 2006. Lightly edited for 2021 as part of the Scandalous Ladies series. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone -- each is a complete story arc with no cliffhangers -- though most readers prefer to read them in the order published.

All Miss Sophia Walden has left is her reputation. Unemployed since the school where she taught music abruptly closed, she's found temporary work helping an elderly widow write her memoir. When a runaway former student asks Sophia to help her avoid an unwanted marriage, both of them could be ruined. The last thing Sophia needs is her employer's handsome nephew poking his patrician nose into her secrets. Vincent, Viscount Fairfax, is on his way to Italy. He plans a quick detour to check on his aunt, to dispel the rumors of ghosts roaming his aunt's seaside estate, and then he'll be off again. But he didn't count on his aunt's intriguing new employee, a petite bluestocking who seems to be hiding something—though it isn't her talent playing the pianoforte or angelic singing voice. Is she connected to the "ghostly" activity? As Vincent and Sophia engage in playful banter and musical duets, their connection deepens. Vincent believes this could be the prelude to something more … but he's just passing through. Unwilling to betray her student, Sophia tries to resist Vincent's charm. He's on his way to Italy, and as soon as the memoir is complete, she will be on her way to employment far away from this manor by the sea. It will break her heart to leave but she doesn't see a future for a bluestocking teacher and a viscount … no matter how much he makes her heart sing. In this lighthearted Regency romance, love and laughter mingle with secrets and intrigue. A slow burn, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story with more humor than heat, just a little too naughty to call it sweet. Author's note: This story does not follow the current trend of the hero and heroine meeting in the first scene. Or even the first chapter. But when they do meet… well, I wrote the entire story around that scene. Heat level: 3/10

Allan Everard, an earl's illegitimate son, is dismissed from his employment at his father’s death but inherits a former coaching inn. Needing to make a new life in London, he begins by leasing the inn to a charity. Unexpectedly orphaned, Rosabel Stanbury and her younger sister are made wards of a distant, unknown cousin. Fearing his secretive ways and his intentions for them, Rosabel and Oriana flee to London where they are taken in by a women’s charity. Drawn into Rosabel's problems, with his inn under surveillance by criminals, Allan has only a handful of unlikely allies, including an elderly general, a burglar, and an old lady who knows criminal slang. A traditional romance.

Richard Cathar recalls his recently deceased father, Alfric, as a delusional hippie, one who fancied himself an intellectual and historian. One of many far-fetched claims was that he had discovered-and then lost-documentation of a meeting between his hero, Richard the Lionheart, the scrappy Robin Hood, and the great sultan Saladin. Further, he had seen proof that Richard the Lionheart reclaimed from Saladin, at that meeting, the True Cross. Hoping to sort out the fact and fiction of his father's life, Richard (named for the great king) travels to Jerusalem to follow the trail of the holy relic, a journey that takes him throughout the Middle East and Europe, kicking up romance, mystery, and self-reckoning. Justin Cartwright's latest novel is an utter original -- exciting, funny, and profound.