Just because this heiress can buy an earl of her very own, doesn't necessarily mean that she should... But then again, it's not permanent. Just temporary. It's more like an earl rental, really. What's the worst that might happen? That’s what Miss Charlotte Pennington asks herself when she puts a notice in the paper. Her goal? To hire a lord to help her conduct an investigation into murder. And perhaps give her life it’s missing meaning. That’s not too much to ask is it? Surely there is an impoverished lord somewhere willing to help her. But when the handsome Earl of Westmoreland answers her ad, Charlotte didn’t count him being quite so dashing or mysterious. Does he know she’s the very heiress he’s been searching for? But as the murder plot thickens so does the air between them. And Charlotte must answer the question…does she catch a murderer or allow herself to be caught by an earl? Perhaps she should kiss him to find out…

She is not stalking the duke. She’s just following him. Very closely… When Miss Mona Ayers finds herself betrothed to a marquess older than her father’s father, there is only one thing to do. Find a better suitor. But who is better than a marquess? A duke, of course. The problem is the only one currently on the market, the Duke of Durham, is as derelict as he is determined not to marry. She knows, she’s done her research. She’s read every article ever printed about him in the London Times. She might have even cut them out and saved them. And when the opportunity to catch him alone and make him an offer he hopefully can’t refuse, Mona doesn’t hesitate. Any fate is better than be married to an elderly marquess. But that’s when things really start to get tricky. He refuses the offer. Worse yet, some woman from his past is seeking retribution and just because Mona’s saved a few articles, all right, several, he thinks she might be said lady. She’s determined, yes. But deranged? Most certainly not. But how to prove that to the Duke of Durham, convince him her plan for a marriage of convenience is sound, and save him from whatever woman wishes him ill? It’s a big task. Mona, however, is up for the challenge. The only other dilemma? Her heart has decided that convenience just won’t do.

The Baron Brightmore is the exact sort of rake a debutante should stay far away from… Not that Miss Alexi Starlit need worry about rogues. She’s too busy blending into the wall to catch the eye of a man like that. That is until this wallflower stumbles across a derelict and drunk baron having a tryst in the garden with an unknown lady. And when that woman escapes into the dark, Alexi is left alone with the worst sort of lord. She can’t imagine the situation could get any worse until her hosts happen upon them and mistake her for the tryster. And then the entire affair gets published in the paper. And, of course, her father insists she weds Baron Brightmore. Luck is not on her side. But Alexi is determined to prove her innocence and change her fate. With the baron’s help, can they track down the mysterious woman who was breaking all the rules? And why is she tempted, every time she looks at Brightmore, to break them too? They are only investigating together to escape a marriage, not become further embroiled. Still, Alexi can’t deny, rakes are nothing if not tempting. When might she have an opportunity like this again? And is there truth to the saying that rakes make the best husbands? Perhaps, she should find out…

This duke will chance anything…except his heart. The Duke of Durham, better known as the Duke of Chance, is an unrepentant rake, a gambler, a club owner, and an all-around sinner. Which is why, taking over the gaming hell, the Den of Sins, suits him perfectly. And while he knows he'll have to marry at some point, he looks upon the institution the way some might consider having a tooth extracted. The act is to be avoided until the last possible moment. But when an opportunity falls into his lap to have the best of both worlds, marriage and freedom, it's an offer he can't refuse. She's loved Chance forever… How could Lady Daisy Longrove forget her childhood infatuation? He's her brother's best friend, after all. The handsome and powerful duke has never seen her as anything but a little girl. That is until she finally sets her silly girlhood fancy aside and falls in love with another man, one who also happens to be a rake. All right, perhaps she has a type. But when the Earl of Edgemere doesn't keep his promise of marriage, she's all but ruined. That's when Chance makes her an offer. He'll save her by marrying her, if she'll provide him with an heir and then allow him the freedom to do as he chooses. It's an offer she likely can't refuse. But all those feelings she'd thought she'd forgotten long ago? They're back with a vengeance. How can she be his wife when she's in love with him, knowing he'll never return her feelings? There in only one answer. Daisy has to find a way to break down the high walls he's constructed around his heart. Can she convince this duke to take a chance on love?

2020 Blues Hall of Fame Classic of Blues Literature Jimi Hendrix called Earl Hooker "the master of the wah-wah pedal." Buddy Guy slept with one of Hooker's slides beneath his pillow hoping to tap some of the elder bluesman's power. And B. B. King has said repeatedly that, for his money, Hooker was the best guitar player he ever met. Tragically, Earl Hooker died of tuberculosis in 1970 when he was on the verge of international success just as the Blues Revival of the late sixties and early seventies was reaching full volume. Second cousin to now-famous bluesman John Lee Hooker, Earl Hooker was born in Mississippi in 1929, and reared in black South Side Chicago where his parents settled in 1930. From the late 1940s on, he was recognized as the most creative electric blues guitarist of his generation. He was a "musician's musician," defining the art of blues slide guitar and playing in sessions and shows with blues greats Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, and B. B. King. A favorite of black club and neighborhood bar audiences in the Midwest, and a seasoned entertainer in the rural states of the Deep South, Hooker spent over twenty-five years of his short existence burning up U.S. highways, making brilliant appearances wherever he played. Until the last year of his life, Hooker had only a few singles on obscure labels to show for all the hard work. The situation changed in his last few months when his following expanded dramatically. Droves of young whites were seeking American blues tunes and causing a blues album boom. When he died, his star's rise was extinguished. Known primarily as a guitarist rather than a vocalist, Hooker did not leave a songbook for his biographer to mine. Only his peers remained to praise his talent and pass on his legend. "Earl Hooker's life may tell us a lot about the blues," biographer Sebastian Danchin says, "but it also tells us a great deal about his milieu. This book documents the culture of the ghetto through the example of a central character, someone who is to be regarded as a catalyst of the characteristic traits of his community." Like the tales of so many other unheralded talents among bluesmen, Earl Hooker, Blues Master, Hooker's life story, has all the elements of a great blues song--late nights, long roads, poverty, trouble, and a soul-felt pining for what could have been.

USA Today Bestseller New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath pens another richly satisfying romance in her Sins for all Seasons series. She’s looking for a nobleman to wed… Though born out of wedlock, Fancy Trewlove is determined to fulfill her mother’s wish that she marry into nobility. Fancy’s keen intellect and finishing school manners make her the perfect wife for any gentleman—if he’s willing to overlook her scandalous lineage. But Fancy’s plans are thrown into chaos when an intriguing commoner begins visiting her bookshop—and she finds herself unable to stop thinking about him. He’s looking to escape his title… Widowed just a year ago, the reclusive Matthew Sommersby, Earl of Rosemont, has been besieged by women hoping to become his next wife. Desperate for anonymity, he sheds Society life to search for the peace that eludes him. Fancy’s shop is his one refuge, until the night their passion erupts into a kiss that nearly leads to her ruin—and leaves both longing for much more. Together, they discover an unlikely love… As Fancy finds herself torn between her family’s expectations and her growing feelings for Matthew, secrets are exposed—secrets that force Fancy to question if she can trust her heart’s desire...

Lady Sophia Colley, daughter of the late Earl of Tremont, faces mercenary relatives demanding she marry the money her funds-poor father failed to leave them. Gabriel Whitney, Marquess Eastlyn (East to his friends), is tasked by the Crown with opening new trade with China. Calling upon his three boon companions: South, North, and West--The Compass Club--for aid, two things stand in East's way: The Society of Bishops, a group of men who were East's boyhood tormenters, and false rumors of his engagement to Lady Sophia Colley. When East arrives at Lady Sophia's doorstep to dispel the rumor, the last thing he expects is to be entranced by a woman who's lived beneath his notice. East proposes on the spot. Sophie turns him down flat. The desire between them may be impossible to deny, but deny it she must to protect East from a past intrigue that is about to place them both in very present danger. REVIEWS: "Jo Goodman is a master at historical romance." ~Fresh Fiction THE COMPASS CLUB, in series order Let Me Be The One Everything I Ever Wanted All I Ever Needed Beyond A Wicked Kiss THE DENNEHY SISTERS, in series order: Only My Love My Heart's Desire Forever in My Heart Always in My Dreams Only in My Arms THE MARSHALL BROTHERS, in series order: Her Defiant Heart His Heart's Revenge THE THORNE BROTHERS TRILOGY, in series order: My Steadfast Heart My Reckless Heart With All My Heart