Dominic LaVeq is the son of a French nobleman and his mistress, a freed slave.  After the death of his mother, he and his father sailed the seas until his father's death.  Dominic is now a privateer in the time of the American Revolution.  When he takes a British ship, he demands that Clare, a slave woman who is with her Savannah mistress, come to his ship, or he will sink the captured ship. 

Clare has been a slave since her capture at the age of seven.  She does not want to go with Dominic because she has two children who were sold to a neighboring plantation that she is allowed to see on Sundays.  Her mistress has no problem sacrificing Clare to save herself.  Clare is afraid of Dominic, but soon finds he is much more than a pirate.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

James continues her "Desperate Duchesses" series by finally giving the Duke of Villiers his own story.  He has been in all of the other books of the series, as a rival, a foil, a help, or an observer.  He has decided to find and take more responsibility for his six bastard children, now that he knows that the employee who was supposed make sure they were cared for put them in awful situations and absconded with the money.  He also decides that he needs to find a wife of high standing so that he can bring these children into society.

Eleanor is the daughter of a duke who has said that she will marry no one less than a duke.  The boy she loved in her youth was heir to a duke, but his father arranged a marriage with another girl and he was unwilling to go against him.  He broke her heart, so she has put all suitors off by her declaration.  Villliers and Eleanor end up in a social situation the puts them together and they are suddenly engaged in the eyes of the ton.  Humor and wit are at the forefront of this fun romance.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Historical romances are filled with tortured heroes, but Gabriel St. Croix is the most powerful one in quite some time.  As a child, he was sold to a Paris brothel and was trained to please both men and women.  Several years later, another young boy arrives at the brothel and Gabriel agrees to do anything the owner asks to protect the boy from his own fate.  Five years later, the boy's brother and sister arrive when they discover him there.  They offer to take Gabriel with them back to England and he agrees to escape a life he hates.

So begins a story of redemption and salvation for a tortured man and the strong and determined woman who loves him.  It is also a period piece of early nineteenth century Europe as the story moves from England to France to the lands of the Corsairs and the seas that connect them all. 

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Meg Huxtable turned down a chance to marry her sweetheart and follow the drum because she promised her father that she would take care of her younger sisters and brother until they were old enough to make it on their own.  Now her sisters are married and Stephen is of age and the Earl of Merton.  Her old flame is back from the war, a widower with a small child, and wants to pick up where they left off. Duncan Pennethorne has fifteen days to find a suitable woman to marry him or he will be cut off by his grandfather from any income.  Five years ago, he caused a scandal when he jilted his fiancé on their wedding day and ran off with her married sister-in-law.

Meg and Duncan collide at a ball when she is fleeing from her old flame and he pretends to be her fiancé to save her, but he is serious, and the next thing Meg knows is that she must marry Duncan to avoid a scandal.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

The Huxtable family has become a part of the ton, but they've not lost their small village virtues.  Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, is known for not loosing a bet.  In a drunken gathering on his 25th birthday, he agrees to bed Katherine Huxtable, the most virtuous single woman the men can think of.  Katherine has turned down numerous proposals, because she is looking for a love match and none of the men she has met have given her that feeling.  But there is something about Jasper.  Will he win his bet and will she find love?

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Stephen, Earl of Merton, is often compared to an angel.  He is blonde, strikes an impressive figure, cheerful, generous, and kind.  He has not forgotten what it was like to grow up in genteel poverty nor has he forgotten how much his sisters sacrificed to save up for his schooling before he inherited a title and a fortune.  At twenty-five, he is being eyed by all the mamas of the eligible young ladies of the ton. 

Cassandra Belmont is a widow at twenty-eight and suspected to have murdered her older husband.  Turned out from her home by his son with no money and a small household to support, she sets out to seduce Stephen and become his mistress.  Stephen soon discovers that all is not what it seems with Cassandra and attempts to find the real woman behind the mask. 

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

This fifth book in James' "Desperate Duchesses" series completes the story of Jemma and Elijah, the anchor couple of the whole series.  After a bad misunderstanding early in their marriage, Jemma fled to France and stayed there for years.  Elijah, a serious type very involved in trying to humanize the British government, realizes that he may have the same heart problems that killed his father at an early age, so he demands that Jemma come home so that they can produce an heir.  The negotiations and learning about each other that they missed in their youth must be undertaken now so that they can have a life together, even if Elijah's is a short one.  Woven throughout the story is the game of chess, something at which both of them excel.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Author Mary Jo Putney returns to historical romances with this wonderful story.  Mariah finds a man barely alive on the beach near her estate.  She calls him Adam and tells him that they are married.  Although he doesn't remember anything, he feels right with Mariah.  As he struggles to regain his health and memory, she worries about her lies to him because she is also very comfortable with him.  These two people who feel very much on the outside of society find an anchor with each other as friends and enemies appear all around.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Court intrigue abounds in this tale set in Victorian England.  Rebecca becomes a maid of honor in Victoria's court and discovers that secrets and gossip are everywhere.  When the woman in charge of the maids asks her to secretly search a room, she is discovered by Rupert St. John, a friend of the court who is also on the lookout for trouble.  This unfortunate meeting leads to a complicated relationship as only Lindsey can write.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Nathanial Harrington is an adventurer who has returned to London for his younger sister's debut.  His oldest brother has the title and his middle brother is also an adventurer, but a bit more unorthodox than Nathanial.  At his sister's ball, he spots a beautiful woman he would like to meet.

Gabriella has crashed the Harrington ball on a mission.  Her brother named four men he thought might have stolen an artifact from him.  After he died looking for it, Gabriella decided to find it.  The two younger Harrington brothers were both named by her brother.

After the family catches her sneaking around, she explains her mission and Nathanial vows to help her find the truth, but the world of antiquities is a dangerous place, so the two of them find trouble very quickly.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Eyes-of-the-Sky is pulled away from her Comanche family by the soldiers during a raid when they discover that she is white.  She has no memory of her previous life and mourns the loss of her adopted family.  

Hattie survived a brutal Indian attack that killed her husband and young daughter.  Her only surviving family member is her son, Joe.  He was away from the farm and has blamed himself for not being there during the the raid.  Hattie has to convince him to help the young woman who needs some hope.

The author does a good job of showing the various points of view involved while establishing a relationship between Joe and Eyes-of-the-Sky.  This is a Christian Historical Romance title.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Victorian London holds many secrets. But none are so closely guarded as those of the shadowy Arcane Society. In her suspenseful new novel, New York Times-bestselling author Amanda Quick delves into this underworld of passion, greed, and powers that lie beyond this realm . . . P lagued by rumors that she poisoned her fiancé, Lucinda Bromley manages to live on the fringes of polite society, tending her beloved plants-and occasionally consulting on a murder investigation. For the notorious botanist possesses a unique talent: She can detect almost any type of poison, especially ones that have their origins in the botanical kingdom. But the death of a lord has shaken Lucinda to her core. At the murder scene, she picks up traces of a poison containing a very rare species of fern. So rare, in fact, that only one specimen exists in all of England-and it was stolen from her conservatory just last month. To keep her name out of the inquest and to find the murderer, Lucinda hires fellow Arcane Society member Caleb Jones who runs a psychical investigation agency. A descendant of the founder of the Society, Jones is very skillful at protecting its secrets-and frighteningly good getting at the truth. Immediately, Lucinda senses both a raw power and an undeniable intensity in the imposing man. But as a nearly overwhelming desire blooms between Caleb and Lucinda, they are drawn into the dark heart of a deadly conspiracy that can be traced to the early days of the Arcane Society -and to a legacy of madness that could plunge Caleb into the depths of his own tortured soul. . . .

Against his better judgement, Jonas Tallent hires Emily Beauregard to manage the local inn.  Emily and her four siblings are in Colyton to find the family treasure and need the work at the inn as cover.  But danger follows the family and Jonas must earn Emily's trust to both help and protect her.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

In the first of a dazzling linked Regency quartet by a "New York Times"-bestselling author, Viscount Lygate is drawn to the many attractions of the Huxtable family, but which one of the daughters will answer his prayers? Original.

The Duchess of Cosway yearns for a man she has never met--her husband--in this fourth installment of the Desperate Duchesses series from a "New York Times"-bestselling author.

Red Meyers looks forward to returning to Hideaway and to Bertie Moennig. However, Red is gravely wounded during the last stages of World War II. Red feels Bertie deserves a whole man and stays away. When a tragedy reunites them, Red must summon his faith to protect the woman he still loves. Original.