by Laura London (1980)
She was a damsel in distress, rescued by a brash golden-haired stranger she knew only as David. Frances Atherton, a country parson's daughter, had a lot to learn about London's wicked city ways. But nothing, not even David's sinful charms, could sway her from her mission--to trap the Blue Specter, the infamous smuggler for whose crimes her own father was imprisoned. The Blue Specter was none other than Edward Kennan, England's most famous actor, so Frances became an actress, the better to stalk her dangerous prey. It was a shocking profession for a lady...but more shocking still was the discovery that David--Lord Landry--was the most renowned and scandalous playwright of the day...the one man who could truly help the parson's daughter--if she would only let him have his way!
Elizabeth Morgan
Cast out by her family, Amanda Waverly ends up traveling to Paris with a mysterious gentleman escaping a London scandal. Pretending to be his sister, Amanda must decide how to move forward with her life, even as she is increasingly drawn to the man who brought her to France.
Georgie Lee
To save his family legacy Rafe Densmore must seize a courtesan's infamous register. No one can ever know how his father betrayed his country! One person stands in Rafe's way - the beautiful Cornelia, Comtesse de Vane. In the card rooms of Paris, Rafe and Cornelia once made an unbeatable ... intimate team. Until, convinced of Rafe's desertion, desperate Cornelia married an elderly comte. Now, returning to London an impoverished widow, she'll do anything to possess the register. Even if that means becoming Rafe's partner once again ...
Laura Paquet
A PASSION HIDDEN Widowed from an unhappy arranged marriage, Emily Wallace, The Dowager Viscountess Tuncliffe, is determined to become an independent woman. Finding her newly inherited London townhouse in desperate need of repair, she hires Duncan McAllister, a disquietingly attractive Scottish architect, to undertake renovations. She soon finds her Berkeley Square home is not the only thing that seems to be reviving under his expert ministrations... A LOVE DISCOVERED Intrigued by the promise of a prestigious Mayfair commission, Duncan McAllister is nonetheless skeptical of working for the widow of an erstwhile nemesis--surely she would make an unpleasant client? But from the moment he meets Emily Wallace until he stumbles upon an intriguing secret she keeps, he finds nothing to be further from the truth...as his designs for her home become designs on her heart.
Amanda Quick
From the moment the stranger burst into her antiquities shop in Rome, Lavinia Lake knew he was nothing but trouble. He said he was in pursuit of a killer. He swore he was only trying to save her. Yet Lavinia was convinced that Mr. Tobias March was bent instead on destroying her. When the self-described spy hustled her all the way back to England, Lavinia vowed she would find a way to repay him in full. She never dreamed that Mr. March had in fact been telling the truth, that he had been hired to track down a powerful villain. And just as his investigation was heating up, he found it complicated by the most ungovernable, exasperating–and slightly shady–woman he had ever met. Lavinia most certainly never dreamed they would meet again, forced into partnership under shocking circumstances–or that their fiery disputes would spark a sizzling desire as overwhelming as the danger they faced.... Lavinia Lake and Tobias March Series: Slightly Shady (Lavinia Lake and Tobias March, #1) Don't Look Back (Lavinia Lake and Tobias March, # 2) Late for the Wedding (Lavinia Lake and Tobias March, # 3)