Stories Tagged:

victorian

•ENGLISH WORK• •Victorian Era in England• *WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2025 In the heart of Victorian England, where power is law and love is war, a ruthless Duke will stop at nothing to claim the one woman who defies him. Feur Mendeleev never imagined that stepping into Castiliogni Manor would change her fate forever. Captured in a web of aristocratic power, she becomes the unwilling focus of Azrael Sartori von Castiliogni-a man feared by all, known for his cold heart, relentless control, and an obsession that borders on madness. But Feur is not a woman who surrenders easily. Trapped in his world of lavish wealth and dark desires, she fights to hold onto her freedom-even as Azrael tightens his grip, determined to possess her in body, mind, and soul. What begins as a battle of wills soon ignites into a passion neither can control. As secrets unravel and enemies lurk in the shadows, Feur must decide: will she escape the man who has claimed her, or will she let herself fall into his dangerous embrace? Book Cover: Yukine Ai

As Sutherland's new king, Emory Davercher faces countless challenges, but nothing as excruciating and frustrating as his mysterious, eccentric betrothed. *** When King Emory of Sutherland receives news that his betrothed is on her way to Sutherland, he sends her away before even laying eyes on the woman he has no intention of marrying. Months later, after a narrow escape from an assassination, he flees to his childhood home where he discovers a massive problem. Due to an unfortunate mishap, his betrothed has not left Sutherland. She's been in his secret estate all along. Grand Princess Florence Paulet of Gavaria and her cousin, Lucy, thinks her arrival in Sutherland will be easy. She doesn't expect that her betrothed, King Emory of Sutherland, will send her straight to an empty estate on an island where they fend for themselves for months. And when he finally shows up, he has the audacity to fool her by introducing himself as someone else. After having killed dozens of chickens with her bare hands to stay alive, and with lying as her ultimate weapon for survival since she left Gavaria, what else can an annoyed, blithe, and audacious Florence do? Of course, she has to return the favor and make him twice the fool. He thinks he's fooling her, and she finds fun knowing it's the other way around. As the harsh winter traps them in the estate, lies, little accidents, and undeniable attraction draw them together stronger than the snowstorm. But not as much as Florence's true reasons for leaving Gavaria, which are also making their way to Sutherland.

Miss Simone Priest met Daniel Cavendish when she was sixteen through a letter and a miracle. But her innocent and unrequited love turns mysterious when Daniel suddenly disappears. Now at twenty-five and stripped of her girlish hair ribbons and fantasies, Simone meets Daniel again. But he's completely changed. Long gone is the charming actor who inspired her to pursue her passion and dreams. He's now surrounded by an air of cold mystery and authority that makes him even more unreachable. It will not be long before Simone discovers why he disappeared, and why, when it seems that his feelings have changed, she is not the one he should want. The Abberton Series will center on the Stratford cousins and their life in their beloved home, Abberton. Cover by Shek

James Redwood has always loved women and feared marriage. When his parents force him into an arranged marriage against his will, he finds himself engaged to a woman he cannot stand and powerless to avoid what he fears the most. His only hope lies in prudish Grace Follet, his unwanted fiancee: if she breaks the engagement, he will be free. But how can James make Grace break the engagement when she has everything to gain by marrying him and everything to lose by leaving him?

In Belcourt, they rear weapons no man can contend with: women. Sasha was never meant to be in the Court of Flowers, one of the most sought-after courts in Belcourt, but when she is suddenly placed there without warning, she discovers a world far from what she expected--one that reeks of passion, seduction, secrets, and betrayal. ***** Belcourt, an orphanage for young girls, keeps many secrets within its walls. Among those are the four courts that rear the kingdom's most powerful weapons: the Ladies of Belcourt. Sasha is safely tucked away in the Court of Libraries when Belcourt makes a sudden decision it has never done before in more than half a century. She is transferred into the Court of Flowers, the most famous court of all, where she is expected to service gentlemen who paid their way in for a Belle, a woman trained to please, seduce, and spy. Things take a turn when she is introduced to the mysterious West Blackwood who has a very different service in mind, one too tempting and one that may ultimately change Sasha's safe life in Belcourt. Torn between powerful forces, both the kingdom and Belcourt itself, Sasha will have to determine where her loyalties lie: to the man who not only infuriates her at every turn but also awakens sensations she never felt before? Or to the place that has always been her home since the day she walked away from a cottage with two dead bodies?

Confident, independent, and beautiful, Lady Cecelia is the envy of every woman in London. Nothing ever breaks her composure, not even the handsome rake Major Godfrey being in love with her. Then her childhood sweetheart Sebastian Price returns to London, and everything falls apart. 21,000 words, completed.

FOR FANS OF BRIDGERTON. To save her family's reputation, Isabella must impersonate her twin sister to deceive her sister's husband in a scheme that depends on her not falling for him. ****** Identical twins Isabella and Arabella Garvey have nothing in common except their looks: where Arabella is a confident socialite, Isabella hides from society, ruined by scandal. But when Arabella runs away with a secret lover to escape her loveless marriage, Isabella must impersonate her sister in order to save her family's reputation. The only problem? In order to outfox Arabella's cruel and clever husband, Isabella must start living with him, and it doesn't take long for her to discover a passionate and respectful man under his icy exterior. But is she willing to destroy her sister's reputation in order to be with the man she loves? [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

SHE IS CONFLICTED... Emma Everard has said yes to marrying Samuel Theobald, a dear friend of hers. Emma cannot find a single fault in her decision, but she also has trouble recognizing if it is the correct one, especially when someone else comes along to pique her interest, both intellectually and physically, as he exposes her into a completely different world in the Town she has never seen before. HE WANTS IT ALL... Samuel Theobald has always been in love with the beautiful, intelligent and opinionated Emma Everard. And now that she has said yes, he cannot be happier. The Town loves him for his bold articles and he revels at the freedom the pen provides, but trouble and intrigue will soon make him face choices that may change the course of his career forever. THE INTRUDER... For Wynne Hastings, getting close to Emma Everard is beyond knowing more about his friend's future wife. He is on a mission to shake the Everards and those they protect. Wynne is quite willing to do anything to get closer to Emma and the secrets of the Everards, even if it meant seducing her and losing his best friend. But there is one thing Wynne does not know: Emma Everard is on to him and she is ready. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL... In the end, it is a battle of good and evil; of wits and tricks; and of loyalty, ambition and love. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this final book in the Everard Family series follows one man obsessed to push society to fight while struggling to keep those he loves, another man who slowly falls for the wrong woman his family wants to ruin, and the heroine who happens to be in the middle of a silent, brewing war against herself, the man she adores, and the one she is fighting not to love. [This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series] [This is a FREE book with PAID exclusive chapters]

THE BANDIT She merely meant to steal and get away with it. She did not mean to find a dying woman and be chased for it. She merely meant to help. She did not mean to be dressed in a gown and be a target for murder. THE GUARD He was tasked to chase them. He was not expected to work with them. He merely meant to pay for an oddly professional service. He was not expecting it to be complicated and sexually dangerous. (This story is a title in the Everard Family series.)

Scarred and broken from a disastrous marriage, Laura Maidstone vows never to love again. And it's not love, when she seduces Richard Armiger, Lord Albroke, on her library room floor. It's only desire. And anger. And loneliness. Which, as she discovers, can be quite as dangerous... COMPLETED

SHE IS DIFFERENT... Sophia owes her life to none but one man: Marcus Durley. After saving her from hell, he took her to Rock'oles, the most affluent and sophisticated brothel in the Town, where women are given more freedom, a far cry from the brothel slum Marcus rescued her from. But unlike the others, her role is not to service men in bed, instead, she serves them to serve Marcus. She does what Marcus wants for she knows of his secrets and shares his pains. He has always been the only true man in her life. A PLAN... Marcus is part of the illegal slave trade in the Town and Sophia is helping him achieve his true goals with loyalty and trust. The Town Guards, particularly Ralph Everard, has been making things difficult. But Marcus has a plan and Sophia is a willing participant. UNTIL HE CAME ALONG... Nicholas has always been curious about the mysterious woman behind one of the most wanted chambers inside Rock'oles and he is not the only one who tried to get an invite and failed. The woman only allows entry to selected gentlemen, men who make his Town Guard brother, Ralph, raise a brow in suspicion. Nicholas is urged to court an invite into the mysterious woman's chamber with the belief that she is the key to solving the slavery case. And as if by some miracle she welcomes him into her dark, quiet world. He is there to spy on her, but the more he learns of her secrets, the more he discovers things that put his playful, tender, and seductive reputation to its greatest test thus far. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this sixth book in the Everard Family series follows two people determined to protect those they value most. And in their quest to help those they love to escape failure, they find themselves a victim of their own plans and of the undeniable passion and love that will never ebb even after the certain tragedy of which they are heading to. (This story is a title in the Everard Family series.)

When Hannah Templeton ran away from an arranged marriage, she did not expect everything to go so wrong, so quickly. Now she's snowed into a barn on her first night of freedom - along with a drunken, obnoxious stranger. In the cold light of dawn, perhaps arranged marriage will be the least of her troubles...

"They may see you as how you try to be, but what I see is what you try not to be." SHE IS A BASTARD... Maxine Theobald hid from the rest of society to protect her father's name. But as she grows tired of her role-playing games every year during the famous Theobald weekend parties, she starts to question how she has been living her life. She starts to wonder about the other part of her that she was deprived of--her mother and why she left her. A DISGUISE... Having finally found the courage to search for the one thing that she believes can help her understand her true nature, Maxine cuts her hair, puts on her breeches, and runs away from the only home she has ever known. She travels to the affluent town of Wickhurst and found herself employed as the valet of the famous rake Nicholas Everard, a game she will later find to be quite dangerous. SOMETHING DIFFERENT... Maxine set out into an adventure with none but one goal, yet found herself stumbling upon an unlikely find for the search of something else--romance. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this fifth book in the Everard Family series follows one heroine who has chosen to defy the norm and her own fears in an attempt to understand her own nature, the first step to a discovery of not just about her lineage, but of love so unexpectedly, irritatingly and undeniably powerful. (This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series.)

"A love not shown is more painful than a love rejected." SHE IS DETERMINED... The town of Wickhurst sees Ysabella Everard as a spoiled, rich young girl. What Ysa believes on the other hand is that she will someday get the man of her dreams and that is no other than the elusive rake William Hayward, the Lord of Wakefield. He also happens to be her brother's friend and the man she had been secretly writing letters to for years as Lady Weis, letters that started in a foolish wager with a friend. But one problem is at hand: he does not know she is Lady Weis, the woman he has fallen in love with, in letters. HE AVOIDS HER AT ALL COST... Wakefield has many rules, but one stands out the most: never dally with a friend's sister or relative, most particularly Ysabella Everard. As the sister of his friend, she is not to be touched at all costs. She has never been on his list from day one and he is quite determined to keep it that way. But years of her obsessive chasing and his desperate attempts to avoid it have not tired the woman at all. She has suitors she ought to focus her attention on and Wakefield cannot understand what she sees in him to waste her precious time over. He cannot be with her for many reasons and one of them was the fact that he was utterly in love, for the first time in his life, with one woman: Lady Weis. THE CHASE BEGINS... Her chase for the man she loves continues. His chase for the identity of the woman he is willing to sacrifice everything for begins. It is merely a matter of time for the truth to be revealed and how they face it has great potential for yet another Wickhurst scandal. Still set in the fictional place of the Town, this fourth book in the Everard Family series follows one heroine who is determined to win her game and her love for the man who might very well be her first ever failure. (This story is a standalone title in the Everard Family series.)

When Margaret Everard is asked to investigate the man she once loved for the murder of the Prime Minister, she knows he's innocent, until clues start to prove otherwise. ***** Years ago, Margaret Everard was engaged to be married to Cole Devitt, but a series of tragic events ruined it all. Now, ten years later, she's forced to infiltrate his life for reasons other than romance. Cole Devitt is the prime suspect to the murder of the Prime Minister and Margaret can hardly believe it. But as a member of a secret elite group of spies, she's given one difficult task: spy on him. Taking on the challege, Margaret has to fight old feelings buried in layers of pain of the past. But when she stumbles upon more clues, she realizes that the case she's working on is more complicated that it seems. As secrets of the past and their feelings start to unravel, Cole and Margaret have to learn how to trust again. However, one of them is bound to betray the other. Trigger warnings: abuse, violence, mental trauma, sexual assault, mental health illness