Difficult Dukes

Not all dukes are created equal. Most are upstanding members of Society. And then there's the trio known as Their Dis-Graces. Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley, will never win prizes for virtue. But even he draws the line at running off with his best friend's bride. All he's trying to do is recapture the slightly inebriated Lady Olympia Hightower and return her to her intended bridegroom. For reasons that elude her, bookish, bespectacled Olympia is supposed to marry a gorgeous rake of a duke. The ton is flabbergasted. Her family's ecstatic. And Olympia? She's climbing out of a window, bent on a getaway. But tall, dark, and exasperating Ripley is hot on her trail, determined to bring her back to his friend. For once, the world-famous hellion is trying to do the honorable thing. So why does Olympia have to make it so deliciously difficult for him . . . ?

USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase continues her Difficult Dukes series with this delightful spin on Shakespeare's classic, The Taming of the Shrew. This time, who's taming whom... Cassandra Pomfret holds strong opinions she isn't shy about voicing. But her extremely plain speaking has caused an uproar, and her exasperated father, hoping a husband will rein her in, has ruled that her beloved sister can't marry until Cassandra does. Now, thanks to a certain wild-living nobleman, the last shreds of Cassandra's reputation are about to disintegrate, taking her sister's future and her family's good name along with them. The Duke of Ashmont's looks make women swoon. His character flaws are beyond counting. He's lost a perfectly good bride through his own carelessness. He nearly killed one of his two best friends. Still, troublemaker that he is, he knows that damaging a lady's good name isn't sporting. The only way to right the wrong is to marry her...and hope she doesn't smother him in his sleep on their wedding night.

USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase continues her “Difficult Dukes” series with this charming brother's best friend second-chance historical romance. Of all the dukes in all the world, why does it have to be him? Lady Alice Ancaster needs a husband, and fast, because her reckless brother is going to get himself killed, leaving the dukedom—and her future—in their repellent cousin's clutches. The Duke of Blackwood has known Alice since childhood, and they've always had a special connection. But years ago, he broke it, when he chose a riotous life with his two best friends instead of a reasonable one with her. The trouble is, the tall, dark, sardonic rogue keeps turning up exactly when needed, and ready—though he sometimes needs a push—to play the hero, if only for as long as it takes. Being irresistibly drawn to the Wrong Man is not convenient, but when events come to a crisis, Alice has to make a choice. The question is, can she live with it?