Reluctant Hearts

James Drake, Marquess of Devlin, had everything--until he was found covered in blood, standing over a dead girl. Now locked away in a madhouse, he has one short year to prove his sanity, or be condemned for life. But the demons inside Devlin's head are far easier to battle than the evil surrounding him at Ballencrieff Asylum. Anne Winton hardly expects to find her calling-or love-while working in a lunatic asylum. But despite all warnings, the "Mad Marquess" proves dangerously fascinating to innocent Anne. She vows to save him not only from his adversaries, but from himself. But can she save her heart? Initially, Anne is only a pawn in Devlin's bid to gain his freedom, until he begins to see her not just as a means to an end, but as a beautifully passionate woman. He must choose; compromise the woman he loves, or languish forever in hell.

Destitute after the mysterious death of her husband, Nora St. James, notorious Countess of Havermere, is desperate for a benefactor to support her growing gaggle of orphans. The surest way? Remarry. But, after finally tasting freedom, the thought of trusting her fate to another man is unbearable. And reentering ton society to beg for a handout seems equally daunting-especially when gossips gleefully whisper, "Murderess!" Sick of blood and death, Farren Cavanaugh flees civil war-torn America to scour England for his missing brother and niece. But a captivating woman keeps turning up at each stage of his quest, proving a sore distraction. Or is she? Might the bewitching countess and her charity home hold the key to finding his family-and healing his wounded heart?