Games Earls Play

A lady hidden in the shadows... It's never been easy to be one of the five Templeton sisters, but for quiet Emmeline, the silver lining surrounding the dark cloud of her family's disgrace is a quiet life of comfortable obscurity. But when her sister accepts an outrageous wager that takes her to London for a season, an unexpected kiss with a handsome earl thrusts shy Emmeline into the middle of a shocking public scandal. A dazzling earl with the ton at his feet... Johnathan Parrish, the Earl of Melrose, never meant to kiss Emmeline Templeton. Emmeline Templeton is perfectly wrong for him, and he's never before spared the shy wallflower a single glance, but after one kiss the memory of her warm curves are imprinted forever on Johnathan's fingertips, and he can't forget the sweet taste of her lips against his. A dizzying spark of desire... But wherever the Templeton family ventures, gossip and rumor inevitably follow. If the secret wager is revealed, it will shake London to its foundations. Will the blazing passion that brought Emmeline and Johnathan together end in a happily ever after, or will their hearts fall victim to the consuming flames? Contains mature themes.

Juliet Templeton didn't embark on a risky London season in search of a fairy-tale. Fluttering hearts, yearning glances and stolen kisses are for starry-eyed debutantes, not disgraced, penniless females approaching spinsterhood. But when her quest to find a dull, respectable husband leads her to grumpy, maddening, brilliant Lord Cross, her foolish heart overrules her head, and insists on beating for him alone. Flirtatious, witty Juliet Templeton is the last lady Miles Winthrop should have trusted with his heart, and the only lady he ever has. He leaves for the country to escape her tempting lips and teasing eyes, vowing to forget her. But when Juliet turns up at his house party in the wake of a disastrous ton scandal, he discovers he's still a captive to his deep desire for the bold, audacious beauty. The passion that began in London soon flares to life again, sparking a battle of wits and wills that has them balanced on the brink of heartbreak, or happily-ever-after. Will their dangerous game of seduction end in ruin, or will two people who were never meant to be together, find they can't bear to be apart? Contains mature themes.

There aren't many young ladies who'd be eager to accept a governess position with wild twin boys in a lonely castle deep in the Oxfordshire countryside, but Helena Templeton has never been much like other young ladies. She's just settled into her new post when the boys' father, the rakish Earl of Hawke, returns home unexpectedly, half-dressed and fleeing his latest London scandal. Adrian Chatham wasn't aware he even had a governess until her returns home after months of London debauchery have failed to chase his dead wife's memory from his mind. The last thing he wants is a high-handed, meddlesome chit like Helena Templeton in his house, but his boys need her, and maybe, just maybe . . . he does, too. But just as they've reached a fragile truce, Helena's sisters summon her home. Heartbroken, she leaves Hawke's Run, but Adrian isn't willing to let her go so easily. He wants Helena to use her miraculous matchmaking skills to find him a wife, and he has just the lady in mind . . . Contains mature themes.

Christopher Egan, heir to the notorious Prestwick Earldom, is one of London's most scandalous rakes. He's never credited the gossips' claim that fate cast an ancient curse on every successive Earl of Prestwick as punishment for their wickedness, but once he inherits the earldom after his infamous uncle's untimely demise, it looks as if he may be the next to lose his head. Determined to cheat the curse and avoid his ancestors' grisly fate, Kit abandons his life of merry debauchery and embarks on a London season to wed the lady he's long been promised to. Mathilda Templeton has a knack for causing scandal. Wherever she goes, it follows on her heels. London is the last place such a provocative lady should dare set foot, but when her shy friend Harriett is sent to London for a season, Tilly is determined to protect Harriett from all the scoundrels salivating over her impressive dowry. All she has to do is find her friend a proper match without falling prey to another scandal. When the scandalous Earl of Prestwick makes a play for Harriett's hand, Tilly vows to do whatever she must to stop him. But when the battle of wills between them leads to a stolen kiss, Tilly fears she may have fallen in love with London's most charming scoundrel. Contains mature themes.

Euphemia Templeton can't wait to put the London season behind her forever, but before she can retire to the country in blessed obscurity, she has one final promise to keep. She must find a proper match for Lady Harriett Fairmont, who is embarking on her second season. Matchmaking is easy for a lady with Phee's skills, but when Harriett's elder brother James, the arrogant, infuriating, and far too handsome Earl of Fairmont accompanies his sister to London, she soon has cause to regret her promise. James doesn't believe in matchmaking, he doesn't approve of Harriett's favored swain, and most of all, he doesn't trust Euphemia Templeton, no matter how clever she is, or how charmingly her lips purse when he argues with her. James and Phee challenge each other at every turn, but when a battle of wills becomes a battle for hearts, will Phee discover the only lady in London she can't successfully match is . . . herself? Contains mature themes.