Knave of Hearts Series Series by Annette Blair

Lady Patience Kendall crossed the sea to marry, but her intended died before she arrived. Penniless and stranded, she found only one way to get home: charge four hapless American Colonials to find them titled husbands in London. At the ship, she realized their mothers expected each to wed the Marquess of Andover, but how hard could it be to seek an introduction? Meanwhile, Captain Grant St. Benedict was anything but friendly... moreLady Patience Kendall crossed the sea to marry, but her intended died before she arrived. Penniless and stranded, she found only one way to get home: charge four hapless American Colonials to find them titled husbands in London. At the ship, she realized their mothers expected each to wed the Marquess of Andover, but how hard could it be to seek an introduction? Meanwhile, Captain Grant St. Benedict was anything but friendly. Why? Because her girls set fire to the rigging? Grant had never met a woman more irritating, or more desirable, than the Lady Patience Kendall. But however dangerous his interest, he couldn't resist teaching the delicious distraction that independence was nothing to passion. less

CAPTIVE SCOUNDREL, (Lady Faith, the uncut version) Knave of Hearts, Two of Four A carriage sent over a cliff, a greedy brother and an unfaithful wife leave Justin Devereux, Duke of Ainsley, more dead than alive. Faith Wickham, the woman hired to nurse him—as much a captive as her patient. Meanwhile, locked in a coma, Justin calls from his tormented dreams ... and an angel answers with her heart.

PROPER SCOUNDREL (Formerly: Scoundrel in Disguise) Lust muddies a high-stakes battle only one can win. Marcus adores Jade the minute he sees her; she despises him as fast. Jade Smithfield’s late grandmother unwittingly sold a land option to the railroad before she died. Nevertheless, to keep a family secret and save the downtrodden women in her care, Jade is determined to stop the South Downs Railroad from laying track on her property... morePROPER SCOUNDREL (Formerly: Scoundrel in Disguise) Lust muddies a high-stakes battle only one can win. Marcus adores Jade the minute he sees her; she despises him as fast. Jade Smithfield’s late grandmother unwittingly sold a land option to the railroad before she died. Nevertheless, to keep a family secret and save the downtrodden women in her care, Jade is determined to stop the South Downs Railroad from laying track on her property. To save his disabled brother’s railroad, and the families who will lose their living without it, Marcus Fitzalan applies for a job with Jade to conceal his investigation into the railroad accidents halting construction. While Jade wreaks havoc on the railroad, and leads Marcus a merry chase, her new man of affairs teaches her a lesson contrary to everything she has learned since birth: Not all men are created equal—some of them are good. less

January 2013: Holy Scoundrel is a brand new, full-length novel. Lacey Ashton, unnoticed in the midnight shadows, fixed her hungry gaze upon Gabriel Kendrick, the most formidable of the ghosts she had come home to face. Gabe, who now despised her as much as he once loved her. Five years before, unmarried and forced to name the father of her expected child, Lacey had named another, which broke Gabe’s heart, and he vowed never to let passion rule him again... moreJanuary 2013: Holy Scoundrel is a brand new, full-length novel. Lacey Ashton, unnoticed in the midnight shadows, fixed her hungry gaze upon Gabriel Kendrick, the most formidable of the ghosts she had come home to face. Gabe, who now despised her as much as he once loved her. Five years before, unmarried and forced to name the father of her expected child, Lacey had named another, which broke Gabe’s heart, and he vowed never to let passion rule him again. Lacey, after bearing a stillborn child, was sent away. Gabe later married Lacey’s cousin, Clara, a widow home from Scotland, and became stepfather to Clara’s daughter, Bridget. Now that Clara has passed, Lacey wants a hand in raising Bridget. Surely a joyful relative is better for a child than a righteous, brooding stepfather. less