Recommendations based on "Julie Garwood Highlands' Lairds Series: Books 1-2: The Secret & Ransom"

'Fascinating' Choice 'This well-researched novel draws you straight into the heart of this engaging story' My Weekly 'A stunning evocative novel... I was completely captivated' Clare Marchant, author of The Queen's Spy Can she tread a dangerous line between love and duty? Raven-haired and fiercely independent, Joan Guildford has always remained true to herself. As lady-in-waiting and confidante to Queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII, Joan understands royal patronage is vital if she and her husband, Sir Richard, are to thrive in the volatile atmosphere of court life. But Tudor England is in mourning following the death of the Prince of Wales, and within a year, the queen herself. With Prince Henry now heir to the throne, the court murmurs with the sound of conspiracy. Is the entire Tudor project now at stake or can young Henry secure the dynasty? Drawn into the heart of the crisis, Joan's own life is in turmoil, and her future far from secure. She faces a stark choice - be true to her heart and risk everything, or play the dutiful servant and watch her dreams wither and die. For Joan, and for Henry's Kingdom, everything is at stake... Praise for Joanna Hickson: 'Intriguing... told with confidence' The Times 'Rich and warm' Sunday Express 'Bewitching' Woman & Home 'Evocative' Woman's Weekly 'A great tale' Conn Iggulden 'Thoroughly engrossing'The Lady

“A living legend." -- Julia QuinnThe newest novel in USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins’s compelling Women Who Dare series features a fearless grifter who goes undercover to reclaim the stolen Declaration of Independence.Lying and cheating may be sins to some people, but for Raven Moreaux, it is a way of life. She comes from a long line of grifters and couldn’t be prouder…Until she’s forced to help the government.A former Confederate official is suspected of stealing the Declaration of Independence, and Raven, posing as his housekeeper, is tasked with getting it back. Her partner is the too handsome Braxton Steel. Masquerading as a valet/driver, Brax is also supposed to be her “husband.” He has his own reasons for doing this job, but when their pretend marriage ignites into fiery passion, they’ll have to put everything—including their hearts—on the line.

New York Times bestseller Lisa Kleypas returns with an enthralling and steamy romance between a Scot with a mysterious past and strong-willed lady looking for adventure—and love.  “The devil never tries to make people do the wrong thing by scaring them. He does it by tempting them.” Lady Merritt Sterling, a strong-willed beauty who runs a shipping company, knows London society is dying to catch her in a scandal. So far, she’s been too smart to provide them with one. But then she meets Keir MacRae, a rough-and-rugged Scottish whisky distiller, and all her sensible plans vanish like smoke. They couldn’t be more different, but their attraction is powerful, raw and irresistible. From the moment Keir MacRae arrives in London, he has two goals. One: don’t fall in love with the dazzling Lady Merritt Sterling. Two: avoid being killed. So far, neither of those is going well. Keir doesn’t know why someone wants him dead until fate reveals the secret of his mysterious past. His world is thrown into upheaval, and the only one he trusts is Merritt. Their passion blazes with an intensity Merritt has never known before, making her long for the one thing she can’t have from Keir MacRae: forever. As danger draws closer, she’ll do whatever it takes to save the man she loves . . . even knowing he might be the devil in disguise.

New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands delivers another captivating historical romance set in the Highlands of Scotland! Highlander Galen MacDonald is on a mission of revenge: kidnap his enemy's bride and make her his. But what he doesn't count on is a clever, fiery lass wielding a blade. When he realizes Kyla is delirious with fever, Galen wastes no time in wedding her. While Kyla is grateful for the Scottish laird who saved her from marrying a loathsome man, she is just as furious that Galen has claimed her for his bride. But when they share an unforgettable night of passion, will it lead to a marriage of the heart, or will an enemy tear them apart?

They call him many names, but Angelic isn't one of them . . . Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with the "Bane and Blight of the Ballisters"—and he wants nothing to do with respectable women. He's determined to continue doing what he does best—sin and sin again—and all that's going swimmingly, thank you . . . until the day a shop door opens and she walks in. She's too intelligent to fall for the worst man in the world . . . Jessica Trent is a determined young woman, and she's going to drag her imbecile brother off the road to ruin, no matter what it takes. If saving him—and with him, her family and future—means taking on the devil himself, she won't back down. The trouble is, the devil in question is so shockingly irresistible, and the person who needs the most saving is—herself!

Jordan Buchanan is thrilled that her brother and best friend are tying the knot. The wedding is a lavish affair–for the marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna is no ordinary occasion. It represents the joining of two family dynasties. The ceremony and reception proceed without a hitch–until a crasher appears claiming to be a MacKenna guest. The disheveled and eccentric professor of medieval history warns that there’s “bad blood” between the couple’s clans, stemming from an ancient feud that originated in Scotland, and involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure. Jordan has always led a cautious life and has used her intelligence and reason to become a successful businesswoman. So she is intrigued but skeptical of the professor’s claims that the feud has been kept alive by the grave injustices the Buchanans have perpetrated over the centuries. But when Noah Clayborne, a close family friend and a man who has never let a good time or a pretty girl pass him by, accuses Jordan of being trapped in her comfort zone, she determines to prove him wrong and sets out on a spontaneous adventure to the small, dusty town of Serenity, Texas, to judge the professor’s research for herself. Maneuvering through a close-knit community in which everyone knows everyone else’s business, Jordan never anticipates the danger and intrigue that lie in her path, nor the threat that will shadow her back to Boston, where even in familiar surroundings, her life is at risk. A powerful thug who rules by fear, a man who harbors a simmering secret, and an unexpected romance that pierces all defenses–beloved author Julie Garwood weaves these dazzling elements into a brilliant novel of romantic suspense. Shadow Dance is a searing tango of passion and peril.

One of the brightest stars of romantic fiction, the incomparable New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens flings wide the gates of the Bastion Club -- an elite society of unmarried London gentlemen dedicated to determining their own matrimonial futures. Here, in one volume, are two of the author's most captivating and sensuous novels: a "prequel" that brilliantly sets the stage for the popular series and an early Bastion delight. Captain Jack's Woman Rebellious Kathryn "Kit" Cranmer finds adventure at the head of a rag-tag band of smugglers. But her dashing, ruthless rival, the notorious Captain Jack, rules the night -- and becoming this bold man of mystery's woman will carry Kit to new heights of excitement beyond anything she's ever dreamed. A Gentleman's Honor Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, believes Alicia Carrington when the frightened young beauty swears she's innocent in the murder of the villain who was blackmailing her. But it is more than honor that compels the handsome nobleman to protect her, and to do everything in his seductive power to make Alicia his. Two classic novels in one volume!

In a dazzling new novel in the Mamma Lou series, matchmaker Louise Gates helps two adversaries turn their simmering anger into fiery passion. For historian Sheri Summers, Crescent Island is an unspoiled treasure, and she hopes to keep it that way. If that means shutting down a new beachfront project that could destroy the historic site, so be it. Sheri can deal with developer Jordan Hamilton's anger. But what she doesn't count on is their combustible chemistry.... Jordan has powerful allies, and asks Mamma Lou to help arrange a truce. Sheri is as sexy as she is stubborn, but every kiss and heated caress is just one more complication in their ongoing dispute. With no compromise in sight, it's not just a battle of wills that's at risk, but something far more precious....

UNCONTROLLABLE PASSION AND DARK VENGEANCEEXPLODE IN A CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH TOWN.Feisty, independent Katie MacKenzie spends her days working at her father's saloon in the mining town of Columbia, writing for the local paper and dreaming of the Sierra's own heroic Robin Hood, known only as the Griffin. Though newcomer Jack Adams arouses her ire with his mocking words -- and her interest with his knowing eyes -- her heart belongs to the masked highwayman.But her fantasy romance is shattered when her father is shot down by the Griffin. Disillusioned and enraged, she vows to bring her father's killer to justice -- even as she finds herself falling in love with Jack.There is much that Katie doesn't know -- about her father's death, about the Griffin, and about Jack, who takes her to the limits of ecstasy, yet hides a secret that, once revealed, may destroy the fragile trust that Katie has so innocently placed in him....

THE LEGEND OF THE HIGHLAND GUARD CONTINUES. . . .  Handpicked by Robert the Bruce to help him in his quest to free Scotland from English rule, the elite warriors of the Highland Guard face their darkest days. When Bruce is forced to flee, his bid for freedom rests on the shoulders of one extraordinary warrior. Erik MacSorley is a brilliant seafarer who has never encountered a wind he could not harness or a woman he could not win—until he drags a wet, half-naked “nursemaid” out of the waters off the Irish coast. Ellie’s ordinary appearance belies the truth: She is in fact Lady Elyne de Burgh, the spirited daughter of the most powerful noble in Ireland. Worse, this irresistible woman is determined to prove herself immune to Erik’s charms—a challenge he cannot resist. Her captor may look every inch a rugged warrior, but Ellie vows that it will take more than a wickedly suggestive caress to impress her. Yet Erik will sweep away Ellie’s resistance with a desire that resonates deep within her heart. Still, he is a man driven by loyalty, and she is a woman with secrets that could jeopardize Bruce’s chance to reclaim his throne. As the battle for king and country sounds across the shores, will Ellie’s love be enough to finally tame the legend known as the Hawk? Surrender to the pleasure of this novel from the Highland Guard series