Dangerous is the first in Minerva Spencer’s new Outcasts series of Regency romances, and it has such deliciously juicy backstories for its charming protagonists that it’s impossible to imagine anything topping it. The devilishly delectable hero—Adam de Courtney, Lord Exley—is known as the Murderous Marquess due to the mysterious deaths of both of his former wives, and the heroine has spent nearly two decades in a sultan’s harem! Though English born and bred, Lady Euphemia “Mia” Marlington was abducted by corsairs while sailing through the Mediterranean when she was just 14. She survived 17 years of cutthroat palace intrigue before she was rescued and returned to England, to the shock and embarrassment of her extremely stuffy father, the Duke of Carlisle. The duke is, in fact, so very eager to marry her off and get his scandalous daughter out of his house that he’ll even push her towards the widely-shunned Lord Exley, who has three daughters from his previous marriages but lacks a son and heir.

It’s a match made somewhere very far from heaven, and yet, despite a bumpy beginning, a strong relationship quickly falls into place. Mia’s spent too much time being judged by society to give credence to the rumors about Adam, who is so frustrated by society’s fakery that he relishes his wife’s uninhibited boldness. Not only is Mia stubborn and outspoken, she’s also sensual and passionate, with none of the bashfulness or uncertainty about her body sometimes seen in Regency heroines. While the intimacy between the characters quickly steams up the pages, it is actually remarkably sweet to see how his wife’s open, easy affection softens Adam’s long-frozen heart. The tenderness that develops between them makes it all the more dramatic when the secret Mia has kept—the one that has driven all her decisions, down to her choice to marry Adam—rises up and threatens to tear their marriage apart.

With so much going on, and such high stakes, it’s perhaps inevitable that some elements feel rather unfinished. Characters who seem important in early scenes disappear entirely in the book’s second half. Some plot elements are mentioned once and then never brought up again. But with a story this giddy and exciting, it’s hard to blame the author for getting a little carried away. Spencer certainly succeeds in sweeping the reader up in the same dizzying whirl! Sexy and wildly entertaining, Dangerous is a promising romance debut.

Katharine Ashe transports readers to Edinburgh, Scotland, for The Prince, the fourth entry in her Devil’s Duke series. There is much to enjoy in this wonderful novel, including the beautiful city of Edinburgh, the intriguing historical details and all the twists and turns of a murder mystery steeped in danger. But the shining stars of this romance novel are its unique main characters.

Elizabeth Shaw is the brilliant daughter of a respected physician in Edinburgh. Determined to become a member of the city’s Royal College of Surgeons, she’s stymied at every turn, as the medical school will only accept men. When her father accepts a year-long appointment in London, leaving Elizabeth to stay in Scotland with friends, she embraces the opportunity to launch a plan. Dressed as a male, she attends a public surgical dissection. None of the other students seated with her in the theater balcony see through her disguise. One observer in the general audience, however, recognizes her immediately. Gifted portraitist Ziyaeddin met Libby Shaw only once, two years earlier, but he has never forgotten her. In fact, he’s still fascinated by the shape of her lips—and everything else about her. The artist in him instantly sees the woman beneath her disguise of male clothing and glued-on facial whiskers.

Worried at first that Ziyaeddin will expose her charade, Libby soon conceives a plan that requires his cooperation. Ziyaeddin is stunned when she arrives on his doorstep and declares she will agree to sit for a portrait if he will allow her to live in his home and pose as a male student. He refuses at first, for the plan is wildly outrageous. But after some consideration, he accepts. He has never met a woman with Libby’s fierce determination, blunt honesty and brilliant mind. She clearly must be a surgeon, and, just as clearly, he must aid her. Ziyaeddin is well aware that he’s breaking society’s rules. He doesn’t care.

Thus begins a deeply emotional and fascinating journey for these two amazing individuals. Ashe delves into the complicated lives of both Libby and Ziyaeddin. Libby has OCD and struggles to balance her compulsions with her commitment to medicine. Ziyaeddin was born a prince of the (fictional) Middle Eastern country Tabir, but was ripped away from his birthright as a child. Saved by a benefactor, he was trained by a gifted artist, only to be later enslaved and scarred by the amputation of a foot. Rescue by a duke brought him to Edinburgh, where his portraits have brought him both fame and fortune. When Ziyaeddin and Libby begin to live in the same house, sharing daily life, the sexual tension between them is strong and grows more powerful by the week. Ashe amplifies the slow burn of attraction between them, focusing on how their genuine respect for each other rises with every interaction.

Added to the suspense of the ever-present possibility that Libby’s disguise may be uncovered is a very real threat to her life when she realizes someone in the college is selling cadavers for profit and possibly committing murder to satisfy demand. Ziyaeddin is terrified Libby will be harmed by the threats that surround her but knows that perhaps it is he, himself, who poses the greatest threat to her happiness. The steady, careful character development Ashe devoted herself to earlier in the novel pays off in spades, as readers will find themselves desperately anxious that these two amazing people find their way to happily ever after.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

Mary Balogh returns to her lush Westcott Family series with Someone to Care, an immersive story of a disgraced former countess searching for her new normal.

Two years after the death of her husband, the Earl of Riverdale—and the very public revelation of some very scandalous family secrets—Viola Kingsley finds herself stuck in place, unable to move on the way her children and loved ones have. She panics and runs from the embrace of her family to an obscure country inn, where an accident strands her and she finds herself captivated once more by the ardent gaze of Marcel Lamarr, the Marquess of Dorchester.

The marquess also finds himself caught in the memory of his brief flirtation with Viola 14 years prior, which ended when she became one of the only women in his long history of dalliances to turn him down. At the inn, he takes a risky step away from his pride, she takes a chance and meets him halfway, and the two of them unconsciously begin to heal the hurts of their past and grow together.

Someone to Care is a truly unique offering from an already accomplished author. With this latest novel, Balogh brings insight, innovation and maturity to a genre that can often feel repetitive. Much of what makes this story so fresh is its mature leading couple. Romance novels often focus on young, bright-eyed heroines or dashing, boyish rogues, but Someone to Care dares to delve into what the world looks like after decades of chasing empty dreams, and the insecurities that come with rebuilding after life has done its worst.

The narrative shows sensitivity and refinement, but for all her elegance of language, Balogh nonetheless gives her love story a delectably sexy streak, crafting pictures of intimacy that leave the reader longing for just one or two more gorgeous details. This element, plus all the aristocratic scandal and intrigue to be desired in historical romance, makes this latest Westcott novel a master class in romance.

Someone to Care is fresh, uplifting and absorbing. Don’t miss this perfect addition to any summer romance reading list.

In her latest installment in the Penhallow Dynasty series, The Bride Takes a Groom, Lisa Berne takes all the classic elements of a Regency romance and turns them upside down. The most charming surprise is the hero himself, Hugo Penhallow, who stands out from the legion of Regency leading men before him by being kind, pleasant and affable. Hugo is not a cad or a rake, nor is he the relentlessly proper image of decorum. He’s not cold and bitter from a broken heart, nor sarcastic and snide from a chilly upbringing. Instead, Hugo is a genuinely sunny soul, reared by a delightfully quirky family he adores. While he is marvelously well connected through his influential family name and strikingly handsome (in a gentle jab at the usual tropes, nearly everyone he meets compares him to a Greek god while he politely refrains from rolling his eyes), Hugo is so impoverished after his military service that he must marry well or see his family become destitute. Despite this, Hugo never seems gloomy or desperate. He genuinely believes he can live happily ever after, and hopes to build that happiness with heiress Katherine Brooke.

As the daughter of absurdly wealthy and deeply shallow parents (a clever bit of set dressing has their library filled with handsome leather volumes, with weighty and important titles stamped on the spine, and pages that are entirely blank), Katherine’s sole responsibility is to be a dazzling social success. So of course, her greatest wish is simply to be left alone. When she’s forced to socialize, she plays at taking on the personas of the heroines she admires from the novels she sneaks in under her mother’s nose. After all, being herself has never worked out well.

Katherine and Hugo marry quickly, but a true union takes longer to form. The forthright Hugo struggles to connect with a Katherine, who has always known who she was supposed to be but hasn’t the faintest idea who she truly is. It’s her journey to selfhood that makes Katherine so frustrating and fascinating—especially when she starts to move from being the leading lady of a melodrama to being a heroine in her own life. Does she really want to be a belle dame sans merci, or can she let herself choose to be kind? The answer, once she discovers it, is as sweet as the chocolates she also used to sneak behind her mother’s back and that she comes to share with the husband she eventually allows herself to adore.

Meredith Duran delivers an emotional love story of reconciliation and healing in her return to the Rules for the Reckless series.

The Sins of Lord Lockwood begins with a whirlwind romance between the charming William “Liam” Devaliant and Anna Wallace, a confident and courageous Scottish heiress. Though their marriage is one of convenience, their attraction is palpable, and it’s easy to see that their arrangement would lead to something more, if not for a dreadful tragedy.

Following their wedding, Liam goes missing, and Anna’s heart breaks at the thought that her new husband has abandoned her and that she’s misinterpreted their chemistry all along. In reality, he was kidnapped, imprisoned and sent to a penal colony. It takes nearly four years for the pair to be reunited, and even then, their marriage is fraught with dark and dangerous feelings.

Liam is out for revenge, consumed with his desire to unmask the men responsible for his disappearance. He also suffers from severe PTSD, and trying to rebuild a life with the wife he left behind is a huge uphill battle. Duran doesn’t go into the gritty details of Liam’s imprisonment, instead hinting at the traumas and abuse he endured in well-deployed pricks of memory. Anna has had to live with her feelings of neglect and abandonment for years, as well as the knowledge that she’s been a source for all kinds of gossip. And even after Liam returns, she realizes the man she married may still be lost to her.

Duran is incredibly adept at piecing together each part of Liam and Anna’s relationship, flashing back to pivotal moments throughout The Sins of Lord Lockwood. We see their courtship and flirtation, the pain their separation causes both of them, and how much their time apart has changed them. Liam worries he has no room in his heart for love when he’s so fueled by anger. He’s very much a wounded animal, so unlike the charismatic lord Anna married. Tears will be shed over how desperately Anna wants to convey to Liam that she’s there for him, despite how much his shame makes him push her away.

The romance is hard won but worth it. Seeing Liam and Anna fight tooth and nail for one another is exactly what makes a happily ever after so satisfying. It’s raw. It’s real. And honestly, it’s easy to feel jealous of Liam. Anyone would be lucky to have Anna and her perseverance for the people she loves most.

The Sins of Lord Lockwood is a book that readers will adore, even as their hearts are being put through the wringer. Trust me, it hurts so good.

A Devil in Scotland is the satisfying conclusion to Suzanne Enoch’s No Ordinary Hero series. Once upon a time in 19th-century Scotland, in a drunken rage, Callum MacCreath destroyed his relationships with his brother, Ian, and his best friend, Rebecca. Upon discovering they were about to become engaged, Callum demanded she marry him instead and ranted about the dangers of the partnership Ian was about to enter with Rebecca’s father. Rebecca firmly refused him, and his beloved brother ordered Callum to leave and never come back.

Callum spent the past 10 years growing up and building a business in America. But when he learns that his brother has drowned under mysterious circumstances, he ends his exile. Callum realizes now that Ian was justified in banishing him, but he also knows he wasn’t wrong about everything he spewed the last time he saw his brother. He returns to Scotland with a heart bent on revenge. And if those old feelings for Becca are still there, well, he’ll work around them.

Marrying Ian was the smart and practical thing to do, but in Becca’s weaker moments, she still remembers the feelings she once harbored for his younger brother. She has just begun to emerge from mourning not only Ian’s death but also her father’s. Then Callum, whom she believed to have died during the past decade, appears on her doorstep to take his rightful place as the new Lord Geiry. He’s steadier—and stronger—than the wild and reckless boy she remembers. Yet he still inspires the same sneaky fire in her heart that he did as an 18-year-old. But can he give up his thirst for revenge?

Enoch always displays a deft touch with family relationships, and A Devil in Scotland is no exception. The details of how Rebecca’s properties and inheritance are handled are particularly insightful. Enoch’s characters leap from the page, especially Callum, who evolves from a man willing to die for justice to a true hero who seeks a solution that won’t leave mayhem in his wake.

Callum and Rebecca grab the reader’s heart in this rich, sexy and nuanced tale of love and intrigue.

Love strikes amid the unexpected in Earl Interrupted, the second novel of Amanda Forester’s Daring Marriages duology.

The Earl of Darington and Emma St. James meet through a most unusual set of circumstances: He is kidnapped by mysterious ruffians and Emma risks her life to save his, forcing the two strangers to go on the run together. Dare, who goes by Captain Robert Ashton among privateers and pirates, wonders if these bizarre circumstances have anything to do with his recent windfall at sea. To complicate matters, Dare finds that he is falling hopelessly in love with the beautiful, strong-willed and innocent Emma, who claims to be engaged to a stranger in America. Dare endeavors to win her regardless, until he learns the truth behind his father’s death, the details of which could prevent him from marrying altogether.

Plenty of emotional and sexual tension is woven into this riveting tale of destiny. Earl Interrupted focuses on Dare’s perspective on love and life (as opposed to its companion read, If the Earl Only Knew, which presents the romantic tale of Kate, Dare’s twin sister). Dare may be of noble blood, but his life is riddled with hardship—something that he and Emma have in common. Earl Interrupted is replete with a continual string of twists, turns and lighthearted yet steamy sexual moments.

A Scottish hero gets more than he bargained for when he promises to take care of his friend’s daughter in Amy Jarecki’s return to the Lords of the Highlands series.

Handsome, broad-shouldered Captain Reid MacKenzie is no stranger to adventure. It’s during a fearsome battle on the high seas that he gives his solemn vow to protect and see to the safety of Nicholas Kinnet’s daughter, Audrey. Reid expects Audrey to be a child, a girl that he can easily ship off to some boarding school until she’s of marriageable age. Much to his surprise, Audrey is already of marriageable age. She’s hopelessly shy, but beneath her wallflower exterior is a spitfire of the highest order.

When a strange man shows up on Audrey’s doorstep, giving her news of her father’s death and announcing that she’s now his ward, she thinks the man has gone mad. To make matters worse, he insists that she be married off immediately. However, as Reid’s claim to guardianship proves true, a battle of wills ignites between the two of them. Audrey wants nothing to do with marriage, unless it’s on her own terms. Reid sees marriage as a way of ensuring Audrey’s welfare while getting her out of his hair.

The Highland Guardian is a true gem when it comes to compelling, dynamic characters. Reid’s sense of duty and responsibility is ingrained into everything he does, despite his often brusque manner. Meanwhile, Audrey is the star of the show, possessing a hidden intelligence and finding strength in the face of uncertainty and danger.

Though Reid and Audrey aren’t quite enemies, there is a crackling tension between the two. Audrey isn’t used to having her life upended by some bossy Highlander, however handsome he may be. And as a captain, Reid’s direction isn’t often questioned. He sets upon finding suitors for Audrey, insisting on taking her to various events and balls, despite Audrey’s hatred of being put on display. She’s also a dreadfully terrible dancer.

When Wagner Tupps stakes a claim for Audrey’s hand in marriage, Reid senses that something isn’t quite right. He refuses, igniting Wagner’s thirst for revenge on Reid, Audrey and the reputation of her late father.

Jarecki takes on a heavy responsibility in capturing the turmoil the Jacobites faced by setting The Highland Guardian in the 18th century, but she does an extraordinary job. The book’s sense of place is easily its own character, and the era’s cultural upheaval adds an additional element of foreboding to Reid and Audrey’s romance.

With clever, enchanting writing, elements of life-or-death danger and a romance that takes both Reid and Audrey completely by surprise, The Highland Guardian is an historical romance so on point it’ll leave readers awestruck.

Joanna Shupe spins a clever, opulent tale in the first book of her Four Hundred series, A Daring Arrangement.

The year is 1890. Lady Nora Parker is the daughter of an earl who is sent to America when her father sees her together with Robert, a commoner. She can return to London once she finds an upstanding man to marry. Nora, determined to reunite with Robert, contrives a plan guaranteed to get her father’s attention—feigning an engagement with the “outrageous and improper” financier, Julius Hatcher. Julius has no intention of marrying, but agrees to Nora’s arrangement if she helps ingratiate him into high society. Problems develop when Nora’s schemes to create scathing gossip constantly go awry, but the one thing she doesn’t expect is falling in love with Julius.

Shupe presents a set of flawed yet absolutely charming, well-developed lead characters in her new series. Weaving in a variety of aspects that capture the Gilded Age, A Daring Arrangement balances the glamour and the glitz with the reality of the social norms that stifled men and women during this era. Nora is surrounded with wealth and prestige, but at a great price since they dictate her individuality. Julius may be a wizard with numbers, but smarts don’t always win out, especially if you’re not a blue blood. Shupe slowly builds the sexual tension as both Julius and Nora refuse to admit their feelings for each other, yet find themselves growing inexorably closer. With its witty, revealing dialogue and fascinating looks at both high and low society in turn of the century America, A Daring Arrangment is a highly entertaining and engaging read.

With comedic elements that soften the gritty politics of medieval life, Alyson McLayne’s Highland Promise raises the bar of Scottish historical romances with an earnest heroine, a brawny hero and two clans on the verge of war.

When Darach MacKenzie sees Caitlin McInnes unconscious and thrown over the back of a horse belonging to an enemy clan, his noble nature refuses to ignore the woman’s obvious distress, and he, along with his men, sets about rescuing her. Caitlin is young and innocent, but incredibly lively. She’s a riot, and causes all sorts of shenanigans while on the trip back to Darach’s castle. She’s immediately taken by Darach’s beauty and has no problem saying so in front of his clansmen. She insists on him helping her rescue a bird. She takes in a litter of kittens to be nursed back to health. Not to mention, her presence nestled in Darach’s arms while riding causes him some noticeable (ahem) discomfort.

After arriving at the castle, Caitlin quickly becomes a nurturing force. Like her late mother, she has an affinity for healing wary souls and coaxing skittish animals. She’s a fairy-tale princess come to life, but with a refreshing habit of saying exactly what’s on her mind. She has no qualms disagreeing with the hero despite her sheltered upbringing. Caitlin was used as a marriage pawn by her uncle following her parents’ deaths, and she’s insistent that she will determine her own life from here on out.

Darach has vowed never to become besotted with a woman again. He once loved a woman from another clan, and her deceit has left lasting scars—both physical and emotional—on Darach’s clan. But there’s a palpable, aching tenderness in Darach and the way he views Caitlin. From the very first second they meet, his concern is only for her safety and wellbeing.

While Caitlin finds a temporary home at Castle Mackenzie, she knows she cannot stay forever. She hopes to locate her mother’s family in France and prevent her uncle from seeking retribution on the man to which she’s grown attached. It’s an addicting back and forth—Darach wants to protect Caitlin, while Caitlin is trying to protect Darach.

For readers who love their romances swathed in plaid, McLayne’s Sons of Gregor McLeod series is one to watch and of course, read! There’s a swoon-inducing amount of heroes for future installments, but they won’t soon forget the couple who started it all—Darach and Caitlin.

The year is 1860. Iain MacEnroy and four of his seven brothers are traveling through the Arkansas Ozarks when Iain smells smoke. Their investigations lead not only to the brutal murders of a young couple, but also to two escapees—Emily Stanton, a well-bred English woman, and her young nephew, Neddy. While transporting her and Neddy to the MacEnroy residence to tend to her wounds, Iain finds himself falling for her, and Emily feels likewise. Although Iain and Emily have more in common than they think, there is also more to Emily than Iain is aware of. When the men who killed her sister and brother-in-law discover where she and Neddy are staying, she must decide whether to trust her rescuer with her secrets.

Set in the ruggedly beautiful but essentially lawless American frontier, The Scotsman Who Saved Me is a fascinating new take on the highlander romance. Howell introduces a whole set of memorable characters with Iain, the oldest of the MacEnroy brothers, and Emily at the forefront. Iain and Emily may come from two different worlds—English gentry and Scottish commoner—but Howell makes sure that both her protagonists are more than class stereotypes. Howell also gives her audience plenty of time to get to know the rest of the cast by slowly and steadily ratcheting up the action.

If the upcoming books share The Scotsman Who Saved Me’s assured mix of character development and suspense, Howell fans have much to look forward to in this new series.

Love tames the beast in Tessa Dare’s refreshing romance between a vicar’s daughter and a war-scarred duke.

A duchess-to-be breaks off her engagement to the Duke of Ashbury (Ash to his friends) because of the burn scars that cover his body. The situation is not only a blow to his manhood, but also puts him at a disadvantage since it is imperative for him to have an heir to his estate. Unaware of Ash’s unfortunate circumstances, seamstress Emma Gladstone, who was never paid for creating an elaborate wedding gown for the upcoming bride, makes an audacious move by showing up at Ash’s doorstep dressed in the ornate garment to ask for her money. Ash takes advantage of the serendipitous moment by countering Emma’s demands with an unusual proposition—he’ll make her a duchess. What Emma and Ash don’t expect is for romance to enter into the picture.

Candid and hilarious dialogue abounds in this slow-burning, steamy read. Dare’s attention to emotional detail creates driving sexual tension between her headstrong yet damaged leads. She utilizes Emma’s low social status and gender to shine a light upon the flaws of the wealthy and powerful—creating a clear contrast between the prestigious, cold facade Ash attempts to display to the world and the truth of a man marred by cynicism even before his injuries. This clash is especially noticeable during the burgeoning romance between Emma and Ash, as their disparate life experiences heavily influence their respective views on love and relationships.

With her light touch and sparkling humor, Dare effortlessly weaves in social commentary alongside the perfectly crafted love scenes and declarations of affection, making The Duchess Deal a novel that is bound to become a new favorite among romance buffs.