R.C. Matthews

When attorney Madalyn Russell dumps her fiancé at the altar, she temporarily escapes the scrutiny of her friends and family on her honeymoon cruise. Too bad she forgot she is assigned to dine at the “newlywed” table on the fully booked cruise. Goodbye exquisite cuisine, hello standard buffet fare. Nothing will tempt her to enter that lion’s den. Or so she thinks. When the board of directors orders devilishly handsome Royce Spencer to seek rest alone on a cruise, he sets his sights on Madalyn and offers a deliciously indecent proposal to her dining room dilemma. He’ll pose as her husband in exchange for companionship during the cruise. Royce is a gifted liar with a great sense of humor that has everyone at the newlywed table laughing and no one suspecting the truth. Is the opportunity to enjoy all the ship has to offer worth the little white lies they'll have to tell? What is it about Royce that makes Madalyn want to engage in a fling at the age of thirty for the first time in her life and toss her tightly held beliefs overboard? The whirlwind love affair catches them both by surprise. Is it possible that in the midst of all the little white lies, they will each discover their soul mate? And when Royce is accused of white-collar crime with Madalyn as his key witness, will Madalyn finally learn that life is not always as black and white as it seems? Sensuality Level: Sensual

Little White Lies

Peggy Gaddis

Cait O'Sullivan

Angela Adams

Set a course for adventure with these four couples as they take to the high seas only to find new romance. Little White Lies: Attorney Madalyn Russell may have dumped her fiancé at the altar, but no way is she rejecting the honeymoon cruise. Unfortunately, she didn’t cancel the newlywed package, and now she’s stuck as a single in a lovebird world. That is, until a devilishly handsome man with a secret, Royce Spencer, offers a deliciously indecent proposal: He’ll pose as her husband in exchange for companionship during the cruise. She can’t deny their attraction, but will their little white lies make too many waves when Royce’s past finally catches up with him? Romancing the Seas: When a relationship gone bad sinks sous-chef Pippa Renshaw’s plans, she swaps her job in a prestigious London restaurant to become the head chef on a cruise ship sailing around New Zealand. It’s a great escape plan until a mix-up means she has to share a suite with her new boss, the delectable Jonathon Eagleton, who is no happier about the circumstances. These two can handle the simmer… but when the heat turns up, is it a recipe for true love? Reach for Tomorrow: Nurse Claire Frazier was devoted to her fiancé, until he threw that love back in her face. Disillusioned and burning with shame, she books passage on a world cruise, along with an intriguing collection of fellow passengers: an attractive second officer, a detective, and a confidence artist. Is love waiting once again at the next port of call? Magic Moment: Shortly after the FBI brings in Laura Roberts for questioning regarding activities at the warehouse where she keeps the books, a gang of thugs snatch her off the street. Chase Donovan boarded his boat intending to spend a few peaceful days getting his head together, but instead he finds trouble when he interrupts two men assaulting a woman in his cabin. What’s more, they claim his father told them to do it. Chase doesn’t want to believe his father could hurt anyone. Laura doesn’t understand why she’s a target. Can they put their mutual attraction and time on his yacht to work to discover the truth before someone dies? Sensuality Level: Sensual

4 Shipshape Romances

Cruising for Love

Curses and witches enliven this gothic romance, the second in Matthews’s Tortured Souls saga. Victor Blackburn is living on borrowed time. An ancient curse violently claims the life of each Blackburn male on his twenty-seventh birthday. As his approaches, his only hope of survival is a witch who vanished long ago without a trace. Mercy Seymour eagerly counts down the days until the curse will claim Victor’s life. She watched him murder her mother, and only his death will free her of the hatred and anger she harbors. When fate throws them together in Devil’s Cove, desire simmers between the handsome pirate and the spirited barkeeper’s niece until they learn the truth about each other. Desperate for her cooperation, Victor spirits her away to Blackburn Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where forces of magic and mists from beyond the grave weaken her resolve, opening her eyes to the truth of the past. As Victor and Mercy unearth the fabled stones needed to break the curse, they discover that the only weapon powerful enough to destroy hate is love. But will they have to sacrifice their relationship to save what means the most to them? Sensuality Level: Sensual

Blackburn Castle

Clarissa Ross

Suzanne Hoos

Joanna Lowell

Elizabeth Boyce

Strange and frightening events may surround these couples, but the dark world doesn’t hold a candle to the power of love. Discover the mystery and passion that awaits in the shadows in these five thrilling romances. Honor Among Thieves: Ladies don’t rob graves, but Lorna Robbins must take drastic measures to pay off her recently deceased brother’s debts and save her family estate and younger sibling. Surgeon and anatomy teacher Brandon Dewhurst relies on resurrectionists to bring him the specimens he needs to further his research. When Lorna and Brandon both target the same body—a pregnant woman who is still very much alive—they find themselves powerfully drawn together time and again—but this daring duo is courting danger, and romance is a complication neither can afford. Dark Season: When doctors tell Ella Arlington that her epilepsy will prevent her from living a normal life, she flees to London to avoid an institution, determined to control her own destiny. There Ella’s epileptic fit is mistaken for spiritual possession, and Viscount Isidore Blackwood sets out to prove her a con artist. But when some surprising truths come to light about his former fiancée’s death, Isidore makes a devil’s pact with Ella to flush out a killer. Will Isidore let his fury and guilt consume his own soul in the process? And can Ella trust him enough to gamble on a future she never thought she could have? The Pirate’s Lady: Cate Whitfield is stunned to learn that Captain Alexander Chase, the bloodthirsty pirate who murdered her betrothed, is someone her father holds in high regard. Feisty Cate mesmerizes Alex, but the former pirate isn’t about to let her public accusations deter his own agenda for vengeance. He’s returned to Promise, New Jersey, to retaliate against the man who murdered his father…the man who just happens to be Cate’s father. Can these two wounded hearts find out the truth before it’s too late, or is their love doomed to walk the plank? Devil’s Cove: Captain Devlin Limmerick, the pirate feared as the Devil on the high seas, eagerly takes ownership of the abandoned Devil Cove’s Manor in his quest for vengeance on his past. Only Grace, a beautiful but blind medium, can aid him with his nefarious plan. Yet even though she finds herself drawn to the Devil’s darkness, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set his revenge in motion. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out of the evil closing in on them is to summon the courage to believe in true love. Jennifer by Moonlight: Lucy Dorset came to Moorgate as the happy bride of a dedicated young doctor. But she soon discovers that the old stone house is inhabit by a pale and lovely ghost, a victim of a fatal romantic triangle long ago. Is Lucy imagining her husband’s sudden jealous moods? And is the sultry Sheila Farley a rival for his affections? It’s possible the unhappy spirits of Moorgate are pushing Lucy toward a reenactment of a violent, century-old tragedy—and she alone must rid the house of the menacing presence threatening her marriage. Sensuality Level: Sensual

5 Gothic Romances

A Darker Passion

Shrouded in unspeakable horror and spoken of only in whispers, the abandoned Devil's Cove Manor lures Captain Devlin Limmerick and his unquenchable thirst for revenge to its doors. Feared as the Devil on the high seas, the pirate's desire to avenge his past is matched only by his hunger for the powerful young medium he has coerced to aid him in his nefarious quest. Blinded from youth and touched with an ability to communicate beyond the grave, Grace is both feared and revered by the uneasy town folk. Yet she is powerless against the unrest brewing within the manor walls and finds herself drawn to the Devil's darkness. Still, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set Devlin's unspeakable plans in motion. But an evil lurks within these walls, and their very souls are in jeopardy. Grace's presence at the manor spurs inexplicable happenings, forcing Devlin to believe nothing is as dead as it seems--not even his heart. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out is to search deep within and summon the courage to believe in true love. Sensuality Level: Sensual

Devil's Cove

Pirates, witches, curses, and voodoo form a thrilling backdrop for this sensual gothic series that “keeps readers absolutely riveted” (Library Journal). Devil’s Cove: Captain Devlin Limmerick, the pirate feared as the Devil, eagerly takes ownership of the abandoned Devil Cove’s Manor in his quest for vengeance on his past. Only Grace, a beautiful, blind medium, can aid him with his nefarious plan. Yet even though she finds herself drawn to his darkness, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set his revenge in motion. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way free from the evil closing in on them is to summon the courage to believe in true love. Blackburn Castle: An ancient curse violently claims the life of each Blackburn male on his twenty-seventh birthday, and Victor Blackburn’s only hope of survival is tied to a witch who vanished long ago. Mercy Seymour eagerly counts the days until Victor’s death will free her of the hatred and anger she harbors after watching him kill her mother years ago. Yet when fate throws them together, desire simmers between the handsome pirate and the spirited barkeeper’s niece…until they learn each other’s true identities. Desperate, Victor spirits her away to Blackburn Castle, where they discover that the only weapon powerful enough to destroy hate is love. But must they sacrifice their relationship to save each other? River Road: An ancient curse has killed two of Charles Moore’s loves, and the pirate known as Hatchet blames New Orleans’s Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau herself, for the hex. Creole widow Hope Leblonc bristles under the city’s Black Codes that have forced her practice of voodoo underground. When Hatchet treats her like the respectable woman she is, she offers him a deal: she’ll lift the curse if he’ll steal back a family relic she needs. But they’re both holding secrets, and ghosts from the past reveal a connection between Hope and Hatchet that makes the curse more powerful than ever. Is love enough to survive the coming darkness? Sensuality Level: Sensual

The Complete Series

Tortured Souls

When a pirate and voodoo priestess must lift a deadly curse on those they love, do they dare let a relationship blossom amid danger? River Road is the gothically satisfying end to this fan-favorite series! Charles Moore relishes his dangerous life as the pirate Hatchet, since manning a clipper ship keeps his mind off the role he played in the brutal Civil War. But now an ancient curse has killed two of his loves, and he can’t ignore the whispers that New Orleans’s Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau herself, has hexed his family. Creole widow Hope Leblonc bristles under the city’s Black Codes that have stripped her of so many freedoms and forced her practice of voodoo underground. When Hatchet treats her like the respectable woman she is, she offers him a deal: she’ll lift the curse if he’ll steal back a family relic she needs to become a mambo in her religion. But they’re both holding secrets that endanger their lives. When ghosts from the past exact revenge for the skeletons in the Moore family closet, they reveal a connection between Hope and Hatchet that makes the curse more powerful than ever. Will they discover that love is worth the risk in time to survive the coming darkness? Sensuality Level: Sensual

River Road

Jennifer Lawler

Michele Arris

Rena Koontz

You’ll have a devil of a time resisting these sexy romances and their damnably delectable heroes. Devil’s Deal: CEO billionaire Lucas Marx isn’t used to hearing the word “no.” So when the gorgeous Bailey Walters coldly turns down his lines, he becomes focused on finding a way into her heart. Golden boy Lucas is especially dangerous for Bailey, since he’s her boss’s ex, and the woman wants him back. But when the firm assigns Bailey to a design project at Lucas’s home, their attraction soon becomes too hot to handle. Is this love or just a game with high stakes? An RWA Golden Heart winner. Devil’s Cove: Captain Devlin Limmerick, the pirate feared as the Devil, eagerly takes ownership of the abandoned Devil Cove’s Manor in his quest for vengeance on his past. Only Grace, a beautiful, blind medium, can aid him with his nefarious plan. Yet even though she finds herself drawn to the Devil’s darkness, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set his revenge in motion. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out of the evil closing in on them is to summon the courage to believe in true love. Date with the Devil: Victoria Everett has paid the ultimate price for her past: her daughter’s life. So when the man she blames for all of her problems asks for help, she refuses to play. But her refusal doesn’t stop this rogue FBI agent—Victoria must confront her past in order to solve a murder, protect her family, and find the love of her life. The Devil She Knew: Cassidy Hoake was the only witness to a reputed mobster murdering his girlfriend. Now the man’s skipped bail and hiding is Cassidy’s only option. She certainly can’t afford complications like Clay Cestra, whose police uniform fits like a second skin and who looks even better with his clothes off. But he is the law and she is a fugitive. A life with him means risking everything to confront her demons and defeat the devil. Sensuality Level: Sensual

R.C. Matthews

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