Lady Hermia Briarwood loves being a wallflower. Invisible to the ton, Hermia has made a habit of studying the mad antics of society, and few antics are madder than her own eccentric family's. Love them as she does, she wishes they all enjoyed a bit of quiet. Alas, they do not. Now, in her opinion, being a wallflower is far better than dancing with foolish fellows! Frankly, she can't wait until her required seasons are done, whereupon she can retire to the country and spend her life in blissful solitude. After an accidental encounter with the Earl of Drexel, he offers her everything she's ever dreamed of. A life alone. But how can she possibly keep her sensible heart in check when he unleashes his charm and wounded soul upon her? The Earl of Drexel must find a wife. His family is the very devil. How could he bring anyone else into it? When he discovers Lady Hermia blending into the silk-covered walls at a ball, he cannot deny that she would make him the perfect wife as her only desire is to be left to her own devices. She will expect nothing of him. It's ideal. Quickly, he offers a marriage of convenience. All they have to do is make it to the wedding, then they both will be free! However, he never expects just how much he'll long to seduce his wallflower. Or how she will quite unexpectedly capture his heart. But he has sworn to never make the terrible mistake of naively believing in love. Not when that love might break Hermia’s heart and destroy what is left of his soul.

Lady Juliet, sister of the Duke of Westleigh, is determined to marry an earl, at least. A duke would be best! After all, she’s the diamond of the season. While her mother is proud of her role as an actress, married into a notoriously eccentric family, Juliet hates those that sometimes treat her mama as if she’s beneath them. Juliet can’t wait to show everyone just how perfect she can be and how marvelous her mama is at making matches. Still, she can’t quite ignore the wild streak that runs through her blood. One night while visiting her aunt in secret, backstage at Drury Lane, she meets a ridiculously handsome, and impossible, American rogue who mistakes her for a lady of the night. When they meet again at a ton ball, sparks fly, and passion cannot be denied. Nor can it be denied that he finds the English intolerable, arrogant, and beneath his ideals. Yet, despite the fact that they have every reason to stay away from each other, an undeniable connection keeps pulling them back together where wars of words and kisses of longing threaten to steel her heart. Even though the American heats her blood and tempts her with his gruff wit, he’s far from a duke and Juliet can’t sacrifice everything she’s always worked for. . . Not even for love.

The Duke of Westleigh does what he wants. He says what he wants. He takes what he wants. As one of the most powerful men in England, nobody wants to get in his way. After all, he comes from a notorious, mad-capped family. A family that acts first and deals with consequences later. But his family has always been on the side of good. Yet, the duke has a secret fear. One that plagues his heart. So, when the American woman, Mercy Miller, comes into his life, he immediately asks her to marry him. It is an outrageous thing to do, perfectly in keeping with his family tradition of marrying who they please, despite the ton. But. . . In this match, meant to keep him safe from his fears, will he awaken them instead? Mercy has a mind of her own, and as she embraces the duke’s wild family, the joy the Briarwoods' antics bring, and the passion the duke sparks within her, can she accept Westleigh's secrets? Or will Mercy’s love save him from the darkness he so desperately tries to hide from the world?

Lord Hector Briarwood is the ton’s favorite rake. And he absolutely loves it. One day, he will marry, but he’s certain that won’t be for years! After all, there’s too much fun to be had. Yet, when he runs into Lady Priscilla at a ball as he is climbing out of a window into the gardens, he immediately knows she’s the one for him! There’s just one problem. She wants nothing to do with a rake. All his years of having a bit too much fun are about to come back to haunt him, unless he can prove to her that a reformed rake really does make the best husband. Lady Priscilla has no wish to reform anyone. She’s quite happy as she is. Frankly, she thinks it is a load of nonsense that a rake can change so entirely once he’s wed. Even so, she absolutely adores Lord Hector. He makes her laugh and sends her heart aflutter. Now, if she can figure out how to keep him as her friend, she shall be satisfied, or so she tries to tell herself. But when his stolen kisses fan the flames of her heart, she cannot deny how much she wants him. Dare she chance marriage with a rake? Or will she marry for duty, as her family desires?

Lady Winifred has resigned herself to a life as a spinster. But when her family decides that she must now retire to the country and spend the rest of her days as a nursemaid to her great aunt, Winifred knows she needs at least one adventure in her life. There’s plenty of time to live quietly without making a fuss. When it comes to a once in her lifetime experience, who better to seek out than the legendary Lord Ajax? However, when she gets to know him, she cannot deny the way her heart yearns for enduring excitement and maybe a romance that lasts for all time. Lord Ajax Briarwood is surrounded by people getting married. It’s quite shocking and seems to be catching! So, Lady Winifred’s suggestion to escape for a bit of pleasure seems just the thing. A master at embracing life, he’s happy to give her exactly what she desires. Yet, every kiss with Winifred makes him question everything he’s ever wanted. And as he sees the woman behind the spinster, Ajax might have other ideas about their future.

Lady Aurelia Pritchard is too busy to get married! After all, a bluestocking has a great deal to fight for. But her parents insist she have a Season. So, what’s a passionate young lady to do? Approach the Briarwood family for help, of course. And when it’s suggested that she make an extremely long betrothal to the charming, handsome, and oh so tempting Lord Achilles, how can she say no? A long engagement seems perfect. No doubt, she’ll find a way to end it before she marches down the aisle. Yet every moment with Achilles sparks a desire she’d never have believed possible. Can Aurelia learn to lead with her heart instead of her sense of logic? Lord Achilles Briarwood secretly can’t wait to get married. All his siblings have blissfully happy marriages, and he yearns to find that sort of happiness too. So, when his eccentric mother suggests a betrothal to assist a young lady, he’s more than happy to oblige. After all, Aurelia Pritchard is a vital young lady, and he finds he desires her intensely. A kiss convinces him there’s no point in delaying. So, how can he convince her that an immediate wedding is the best thing for a bluestocking when she seems terribly insistent on avoiding wedlock for as long as possible? With his powers of seduction, can he win her heart and make her his?

Lady Perdita Briarwood knows the right man for her when she sees him. Still, she never imagined he would be a grumpy earl with tormented eyes and a penchant for barking at everyone. Drawn to his wounded heart, as she is drawn to all wounded things, Perdita surrenders to the power of his kiss. But can her spirit convince him that life is merry? The Earl of Hythe is entirely disappointed by the world and the people who populate it. Frankly, after years of trying to fix things, he’s quite finished and ready to retire to the country and live as a hermit. But one final invitation to the Duke of Westleigh’s estate might very well change his life. When he meets Lady Perdita, she sparks a hope within him he fears long snuffed out. But dare he risk allowing his heart to be crushed by the world yet again?

When Lord Zephyr Briarwood meets the governess at his family’s estate, he’s immediately drawn to her intelligence and sense of honor. But that very sense of honor might just ruin everything! Destroying a young governess’s reputation doesn’t interest him. Oh no, he’s ready to lead her straight to the church. It’s what Briarwoods do when they find love. But it seems she’s decided there’s no chance she can have a duke’s brother. Lord Zephyr fears the lovely but dutiful governess is destined to break his heart. Not that he’ll let that stop him. Miss Abbot knows there is one thing she mustn’t do. Fall for any of the gentlemen in the household of her employer, the powerful Duke of Westleigh. She’s made a vow never to cross that line. Yet, Lord Zephyr Briarwood’s wicked smile and devilish humor tempt her to abandon that very vow. Even though she longs for Lord Zephyr, betraying her sense of honor can never happen.

Beloved child of Lady Juliet Briarwood and American printer Tobias Miller, Portia cannot wait for her first London Season! When one is part of the Briarwood family there is always fun to be had. When a duke who seems her opposite in every way begins to pursue her, she’s captivated by his quiet ways. But can such a serious fellow fit in with the rowdy, ever-expanding Briarwood family? One fiery kiss suggests he might be perfect, if he can release the perfection he seems so intent on finding. Rufus Barret, Duke of Ferrars, is the catch of the ton and extremely shy. All his life, he has worked to be a great duke, as his family expects, but sometimes, he wishes he could simply slip away from the public eye. Until he meets Miss Portia Miller, someone who seems to be at every event and reveling in it. It’s true her family is wild, but she’s also niece to a duke. With her effervescent personality, surely she could be his perfect duchess. All he has to do is convince her that following the rules is the best thing for everyone. Yet, when he holds her in his arms, all rules disappear. Something he mustn’t allow, not even for a taste of her love.

Lord Nestor Briarwood has years and years to find a wife! But when he meets Lady Margery Barret, he finds his soul aching to bring her the joy she’s never known. After all, his family knows the art of joy like no other. When he asks her to marry him, knowing her smile will make his heart soar, he’s astonished to find that society, furious that he is off the market so soon, is eager to tear her down. But Nestor will not stand for that. Not for one single moment. As a child, Lady Margery Barret knew loneliness intimately. The only friends she was allowed were picked by her parents. Her brother did all he could to shield her, but now, on the marriage mart, with her parents long gone, she wants love and family and affection. Lord Nestor Briarwood has the kindest family she's ever known. And whenever he walks into a room, she cannot deny the love she feels for him and his bright view of the world. When he offers to marry her, she can’t resist. But deep in her heart, she fears that society is right. He has picked her out of pity, and she will never know true love.

Major Lord Marcus Newfield, Maximus to everyone he knows because of how large he lives, is the eldest son of the Earl of Drexel and Lady Hermia Briarwood. A soldier, daredevil, and lover of a good time, nothing stops Maximus from living fully until a battle gone very wrong leaves him wounded in both body and mind. When he encounters a mischievous pickpocket masquerading as a lady, he wants to help her rather than turn her in. But with each day he knows her, he finds that she is a skilled thief who just might steal his heart. Peggy Cutmore knows how to charm a fellow whilst stealing his pocket watch, but now she’s onto bigger game. Using the skills she’s learned from her grandmother, a skilled actress who fell on hard times, Peggy chooses to slip into the ton and steal right from under their toffee-noses! But Maximus is another story. When he catches her, she’s certain she’s bound for Australia, but he offers her a chance at a very different life. Can she learn to trust the man who awakens her heart, or will he prove a disappointment, as everyone else always does?

The Duke of Baxter loves wielding his power. He loves everything about being a duke, especially making people do as he pleases. He's used to getting his way. Perhaps too used to it. So, when he meets a fiery young woman one night, a woman who refuses to do a damned thing he says, he's certain he's met his match. Cymbeline Briarwood is in the middle of her first season and is reveling in it! Being a member of the Briarwood family, she has no intention of giving in to convention. Still, try as she might, she just can't find the man for her, until she meets the Duke of Baxter. She is certain that he might be the only man in London for her. Some passion, however, burns too intensely, leaving everyone scorched in its wake. Will their passion for each other prove a perfect love or a perfect path to destruction?

Elspeth Graham, Duchess of Donaldoon, dreams of a beautiful life after the death of her best friend and husband. Despite the sufferings of his illness, she adored their life together! At her husband’s urging, she has promised to live on with fun and joy. After years spent nursing the duke, Elspeth does not even know how to begin. Oh, she knows how to be feisty enough, every good Scottish lass does, but it hasn’t been easy. And giving in to joy feels difficult, given the circumstances. But one day on her brother’s estate in Scotland, she meets an Englishman who might just hold the key to her healing and how to begin again. Lord Octavian Newfield, second son of the Earl of Drexel and Hermia Briarwood, is a military man who has seen the darkest days on battlefields all over the Continent. He also knows how to laugh at life and mock the darkness before it can claim him! No morose fellow is he. So, when a fellow officer and laird invites him and his rather large family to get away to the Highlands to revel in the glories of life, he cannot refuse. But once in those glens, instead of merry antics, he finds the temptation of a beautiful woman and her wounded heart. Still, Octavian cannot give in to love. His life is war. Death lurks on every battlefield. And he will never chance leaving a woman he loves behind. Not even if that woman causes him to dare to hope for a future free from war.

Every single duke must eventually search for the woman who will be his duchess. The Duke of Rossbrea is no different. He’s quite certain he’s found her in Miss Josephine, adopted daughter of Achilles Briarwood. However, she is not so easily convinced. Miss Josephine is not certain she’s the right choice for him, despite the fact that their kisses could warm any cold Highland night. When she agrees to an affair during the London Season to see if they’d suit, he’s determined to convince her that she belongs in his heart and in his castle. Miss Josephine Briarwood sees the shadows the Duke of Rossbrea hides from everyone else. Mostly, because she has them too! Her nights, despite the love of the Briarwood family, are often plagued with memories of the war that shaped her earliest years as a child on the Continent. But she’s not willing to give him up. Not truly! And the affair she’s made him agree to? It’s a chance to see if all their kisses and the passion between them can form a love greater than any painful past. Will their kisses conquer all? Or will their affair end in the sort of failure that produces permanently broken hearts?