Once Upon a Bride

Well-bred, well-dressed, and well-read, Henrietta, Harriet, and Hero are best friends who have bonded over good books since their schooldays. Now these cultured ladies are ready to make their own happy endings-each in her own way... Lady Henrietta Parker, daughter of the Earl of Blakemoor, has turned down many a suitor for fear that the ton's bachelors are only interested in her wealth. But despite the warnings of her dearest friends, Harriet and Hero, she can't resist the challenge rudely posed by her stepsister: transform an ordinary London dockworker into a society gentleman suitable for the "marriage mart." Only after a handshake seals the deal does Retta fear she may have gone too far... When Jake Bolton is swept from the grime of the seaport into the elegance of Blakemoor House, he appears every inch the rough, cockney working man who is to undergo Retta's training in etiquette, wardrobe, and elocution. But Jake himself is a master of deception-with much more at stake than a drawing room wager. But will his clandestine mission take second place to his irresistible tutor, her intriguing proposal... and true love?

Best friends since their schooldays, Henrietta, Harriet, and Hero are wise and witty young ladies, embarking on the sometimes bumpy road to happily-ever-after, each in her own brilliant way . . . Hero Whitby has harbored long-buried fears since a devastating attack by two young men of the privileged class. Now, while her peers aspire to husband hunting, Hero pursues her passion to be a doctor, working alongside her father, a respected Devonshire physician. But when a badly beaten stranger is carried in to his practice, Hero is stunned by her reaction. Over three days of tending to the man, along with her instinct to heal, she finds herself intensely drawn to him . . . Robbed and left for dead for highwaymen, Alexander Sterne has no memory of his past as a soldier in Wellington's army-or as a carousing playboy. But as he becomes aware of his surroundings and the plight of the locals, Alex realizes only he can break the corrupt hold of an evil land steward. And when Hero's tender kiss awakens him from sleep-and restores his identity-he knows that he must regain not only his strength but a newfound compassion . . . which can only be ignited by Hero and a meeting of hearts that may heal them both . . .

Witty and well-read, best friends Henrietta, Harriet, and Hero know that real love is rarely as simple as a fairy tale. But with the right partner, it can be sweeter-and even more satisfying... A single woman of means generally does not choose the company of seven rambunctious children over the haut ton. Yet since the tragic loss of her sister and brother-in-law, the Honorable Harriet Mayfield has found purpose and pleasure in caring for her orphaned nieces and nephews. If her unorthodox views about how to raise the newly minted Earl of Sedwick and his siblings put her at odds with their strict grandmother, well, so be it. The children's uncle, Colonel Lord Quinton Burnes, however, is a far more complicated-and charismatic-problem... Accustomed to having his slightest word obeyed, Quint hardly knows what to make of the bewitching bluestocking who has taken on the role of guardian in his absence. Quint's mother wants Harriet gone, the sooner the better. She has the perfect bride in mind for him-someone not at all like kindhearted, loyal Harriet. But if he and Harriet can only withstand meddling and misunderstandings, their unconventional attraction might yet come to a delightfully happy ending...