Books like 'Only a Kiss'
Readers who enjoyed Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical regency tortured heroine military war forced proximity mystery cold heroine m-f childfree-couple
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The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Orphan comes an unforgettable historical novel about a secret collection of Dior gowns that ties back to the first female pilots of WWII and a heartbreaking story of love and sacrifice.England, 1939: The Penrose sisters couldn't be more different. Skye is a daring and brash pilot, and Liberty the one to defy her at every turn... -
A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA man dwelling in darkness...Lord Julian Caldicott has come home from the war in ragged health and with a reputation in tatters. All he wants is to recuperate in private without bringing any further scandal on the family’s good name... -
Hope by Beverley Watts
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThere was no doubt that things had definitely looked better for Gabriel Atwood, one time Viscount Northwood. Mainly because everyone who knew him or of him almost certainly believed him dead - the bastard who’d betrayed him had made sure of that...Categorized as:
forced proximity military mystery regency historical christmas suspense length-short -
Dragonfly by Leila Meacham
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Roses comes a gripping new novel about five young spies embedded among the highest Nazi ranks in occupied Paris At the height of World War II, a handful of idealistic young Americans receive a mysterious letter from the government, asking them if they are willing to fight for their country... -
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A Gentleman in Search of a Wife by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLord Julian Caldicott accepts a request to search for the missing wife of Mr. John Tait. Evelyn Tait disappeared five years ago, and as Julian attempts to follow a cold trail, he meets with resistance, lies, and suspicion from those who should seek most eagerly to aid him... -
A Michaelmas Truce by Mary Kingswood
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA family in trade moving up in the world. A family of landed gentry stepping aside for them. And the sons and daughters caught in the middle.Madge Paton has been the mainstay of the Fletcher household for a quarter of a century, and even though her role managing the household and raising the children has been usurped by Harry Fletcher’s new wife, there’s still work to be done for a spinster aunt... -
Taken to the Grave by Cara Devlin
The Bow Street Duchess Mystery series comes to a thrilling conclusion in the seventh and final book, Taken to the Grave.As Audrey Sinclair reaches the end of her mourning period, she and Hugh Marsden, the Viscount Neatham, are at long last looking toward their future together — and hoping for a respite from the dangerous criminal investigations they’ve found themselves entrenched in... -
Unmasked By A Devil by Wendy Vella
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe man who was loved by everyone… except herZachariel Deville knew what people thought of him. The youngest brother, all charm, and no substance. He knew better. His serious side came out when he performed his duties for the king or protected his family. He cared nothing about how others perceived him. Except her, of course. He cared very much about that... -
Into the Darkest Day by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsShe had to step outside and hold the paper up to the moonlight to read it, but when she was able to make out the words, her heart felt as if it would drop right out of her chest. Because the message was in German.1944, London:When Lily meets enigmatic GI Matthew in war-torn London, she doesn’t expect to fall in love... -
A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe's cheated death...Lord Julian Caldicott is summoned by his estranged mother to search for old love letters she has misplaced. Julian soon realizes the letters along with other items of sentimental value have been stolen. The thief is preying on wealthy women, purloining mementos both dear and scandalous... -
Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe “rich period detail [and] riveting action”* C.S. Harris delivers in her Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series reaches new heights as the aristocratic sleuth navigates dangerous political waters to bring a murderer to justice… Regency London: July 1812. How do you set about solving a murder no one can reveal has been committed? That’s the challenge confronting C.S... -
The Custom House Murders by Ashley Gardner, Jennifer Ashley
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsCaptain Lacey encounters an old army friend just returned from Antigua, who is being accused of smuggling and possibly murder. Lacey decides to help the man, whom he considers honorable, to clear his name.Meanwhile James Denis has given Lacey a task, to deliver a mysterious package to a man with an office near the Custom House on the bank of the Thames... -
Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThe beloved author returns with a remarkable novel of both raw suspense and lyric beauty— the story of a lost pilot and a wartime photographer that will leave its mark on your soul... -
Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh
Sometimes, just one person can pull a whole family apart. And sometimes, it just takes one person to pull it back together. For fans of Bridgerton, New York Times bestselling Regency Romance author Mary Balogh shows how love truly conquers all in this new Friends of the Westcotts novel... -
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Nature of the Crime by Cara Devlin
The Bow Street Duchess Mystery series continues in January 2024 with the sixth Audrey Sinclair and Hugh Marsden investigation...When a fellow passenger is found dead on Audrey’s packet ship from France, a mysterious note on the body points to her as the killer... -
What Remains of Heaven by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe latest request for help from Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin--from the Archbishop of Canterbury, no less--is undeniably intriguing: The bodies of two men have been found in an ancient crypt, their violent deaths separated by decades. One is the Bishop of London, the elderly Archbishop's favored but controversial successor... -
Love Blooms with the Duke by Alexa Aston
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA fourth son instantly propelled into a dukedom . . .A beautiful woman trying to support herself as a governess . . .Two people who want to be accepted—and who long for love . . .Xander Hughes, London’s biggest rake, suddenly finds himself in over his head, becoming the Duke of Brockbank and guardian to two nieces he has never met... -
The Duke's Wicked Widow (Surprise! Dukes) by Caroline Lee
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThey call him the Duke of Death, but he’s her last chance at a life worth living!To Society, Fawkes MacMillian is a nobody; a hanger-on at the edge of respectability with a murky past and an even murkier lineage. But to Lady Danielle Aycock, he is her only hope of salvation before a horrible Christmas deadline... -
The French Photographer by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsInspired by the incredible true story of Lee Miller, Vogue model turned one of the first female war photojournalists, the new novel by the bestselling author of The Paris SeamstressManhattan, Paris, 1942: When Jessica May's successful modelling career is abruptly cut short, she is assigned to the war in Europe as a photojournalist for Vogue... -
In the Dark with the Duke by Christi Caldwell
A lady of reserve and a fierce street fighter find common ground in the second Lost Lords of London novel by USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell.Eight years ago, Lady Lila March retreated to the safe shadows of her family’s estate after a devastating tragedy. Weary of being a whisper of her former self, she is determined to brave the dangers of the outside world again... -
Miss Desirable by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMiss Catherine Fairchild spent much of her life haring about the globe with her diplomat parents, though she grasped at a young age that as a legitimate by-blow, her social standing among Polite Society would be marginal at best... -
Murder in the Eternal City by Ashley Gardner, Jennifer Ashley
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhen I agree to take my family to visit Grenville in his villa near Rome, I hardly imagine that I immediately will become embroiled in mystery and mayhem. James Denis has requested that I purchase an antique from a collector, one Conte de Luca... -
Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA woman unlocks the mystery of her father’s wartime past in a moving novel about secrets, sacrifice, and the power of love by the bestselling author of Daughters of the Night Sky.Beth Cohen wants to make the most of the months she has left with her elderly father, Max... -
The Moonstone Major by Meara Platt
His scars ran deep. Only Chloe had the power to heal him.It is said moonstones shine brightest in the presence of true love. Will they shine for Chloe, the youngest of the Killigrew sisters, and Fionn, the battle-scarred hero who has closed himself off to love?Lady Chloe Killigrew is surprised to find herself much sought after in Moonstone Landing's elegant society... -
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The Moonstone Hero by Meara Platt
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe thought the moonstones were magic. He knew the magic was her.Ever since she was a little girl, Lady Ella Stockwell has spent idyllic summers at her uncle’s home in Moonstone Landing. But this year is slightly different, for a contingent of wounded soldiers has just arrived in the charming seaside village, including the handsome and highly decorated war hero, Caden Seaton... -
So True a Love by Joanna Barker
Danger and passion collide when a plucky young woman becomes embroiled in a Bow Street investigation alongside a handsome officer. London, 1803As the daughter of a renowned actress, Verity Travers is a privileged lady of high society —and the last woman one would suspect of working as a private investigator... -
Miss Devoted by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPsyche Fremont has known two constants in life: Her passion for her art, and society’s determination to ignore her talent. She isn’t looking for anything other than a handsome model when she crosses paths with Michael Delancey, and he’s only interested in making a few discreet coins lounging about in the altogether... -
The Queen and the Knave by Sarah M. Eden
Romance and mystery come full circle in the fifth and final book of Sarah M. Eden’s best-selling Victorian Proper Romance series.London, 1866Móirín Donnelly has spent the last five years working in the shadows for the Dread Penny Society, but spending so much of her life in secret is taking a toll on her soul—and her heart... -
The Berlin Apartment by Bryn Turnbull
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“Wholly immersive and impeccably researched, Bryn Turnbull’s tale brings the time vividly to life.” —Toronto Star on The Paris DeceptionFor fans of Kate Quinn and Kristin Hannah, this sweeping love story follows a young couple whose lives are irrevocably changed when they’re separated overnight by the construction of the Berlin Wall... -
An Infamous Betrayal by Lynn Messina
Having solved the two murders that somehow fell in her path, Beatrice Hyde-Clare is on the lookout for a third. Through a absurd quirk of stupid fate, the shy spinster has fallen in love with the thoroughly unattainable Duke of Kesgrave and is desperate for something, anything, to occupy her mind. A dead body would do nicely... -
A Precarious Gamble by Laura Beers
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIs Love worth the gamble?Lord Hugh Calvert has managed to disgrace himself again. He gambled and won a small fortune, as he usually does, but this time the pot included a ward. He has never been responsible for someone other than himself. Perhaps it would be best if he just turns the care of his new ward over to his mother, washing his hands of her... -
Daughters of Paris by Elisabeth Hobbes
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsParis 1930s A promise that binds them together. A war that pulls them apart. Childhood companions Fleur and Colette make a vow, under the trailing ivy of their secret garden, that they will be secret sisters forever. But as they grow up, the promises of childhood are put to the ultimate test... -
The Shameless Flirt by M.A. Nichols
A rogue with a silver tongue. A spinster with an iron heart. Ambrose Ashbrook has spent his life hiding. Even his family see nothing but the roguish facade he has carefully crafted to conceal the secret burdening his heart. But when he finds an abandoned infant, all his pretenses are upended with one look at her dimpled smile...Categorized as:
regency m-f grumpy sunshine cold heroine competent heroine sweet-hero sunny hero christian -
Schooled by the Bastard by Annabelle Anders
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSecond Chance * Secret Past * Bastard Hero In this second chance Regency Romance by Annabelle Anders, an independent headmistress fights to keep her all-girls school open even as the only man she’s ever loved—and lost—barges back into her life. As the daughter of a cruel marquess, Augusta Primm has fought tooth and nail to establish her independence... -
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Miss Dignified by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLydia Lovelace has taken the housekeeper’s post in the London home of Captain Dylan Powell. The captain is short on charm, but he’s known for his rapport with, and support of, former soldiers trying to make a peacetime life in London... -
Forever Her Rake by Scarlett Scott
After spending all her life pinned beneath her overbearing mother’s thumb, Lady Edith Smythe is desperately weary of being a respectable, dutiful daughter... -
The Last Restaurant in Paris by Lily Graham
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsParis 1944. To save her people, she served the enemy.In enemy-occupied Paris, as the locals go to bed starving and defeated by the war, music and laughter spills through the door of a little restaurant, crowded with German soldiers. The owner Marianne moves on weary feet between its packed tables, carrying plates of steaming, wholesome food for the enemy officers... -
From the Fields of Porthlenn by Deborah M. Hathaway
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Regency Romance—Cornwall, 1818Poppy Honeysett wants to be seen as the woman she is—not as the naive young lady she was. She will no longer race across beaches or collect seashells like a child. And she will not, under any circumstances, pine after the lieutenant who broke his promise—and her heart—two years before... -
Never Wager With A Scoundrel by Alyssa Clarke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings#Forbidden Love#Best friends to loversLady Marianne Ayles has always been acutely conscious of her stepbrother, Julian Montgomery, the dashing and mysterious Viscount Hardwick. When her stepfather, the Marquess, expresses concern over Julian’s prolonged withdrawal from social events and increasing reclusiveness, he implores Marianne to intervene...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine forced proximity regency m-f historical friends to lovers forbidden stepsibling -
The Emerald Threads by Lynn Morrison, Anne Radcliffe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCan they stitch together fragile trust and unravel a sinister tapestry in time to save the Christmas season?Northumberland, 1813: Lord Roland and Lady Grace arrive in Northumberland expecting to celebrate the Christmas season. Instead, they are drawn into a frantic search for a group of local children who have disappeared overnight... -
Code Name: Crimson by Casey Morales
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWill Shaw and his friends are typical college students, enjoying dances and parties without much care for life beyond. When Thomas, a handsome Naval officer and newly arrived student, nearly stumbles into Will and his friends, Will's heart spins, though he doesn't understand why. Sparks of something new burst within, opening his eyes to possibilities he'd never dreamed... -
Crimson by Casey Morales
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 11 ratings(Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0CHHBZJ6C.) What if two Ivy League boys were dropped into a James Bond movie? Harvard University, 1941 Will Shaw and his friends are typical American students, still celebrating the end of the Depression and dreaming about a future filled with success. The war in Europe is far away and someone else's concern. Until it isn't... -
The Codebreaker's Secret by Sara Ackerman
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsA brilliant female codebreaker. An “unbreakable” Japanese naval code. A pilot on a top-secret mission that could change the course of WWII. The Codebreaker's Secret is a dazzling story of love and intrigue set during America’s darkest hour.1943... -
A Duchess for the Duke by Sally Britton
The Duke of Montfort takes a wife. Gregory Dinard, a young duke caught unprepared for his role, needs a companion. When he meets Cecilia, he knows she has the grace and intelligence his duchess will need. Lady Cecilia never expected more than a marriage of mutual benefit, but she's still surprised when the duke proposes an alliance between them... -
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Duke of Renown by Alexa Aston
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWho doesn’t love a duke? How about five of them?Welcome to bestselling author Alexa Aston’s new Regency romance series, the Dukes of Distinction! These five aristocrats all come with nicknames Polite Society has bestowed upon them. Renown. Charm. Disrepute. Arrogance. Honor.A woman with a broken heart...A soldier who never dreamed he’d become a duke..Categorized as:
regency m-f dual-pov tortured heroine victorian historical miscarriage third-person-pov -
The Secret Agent: An emotional and totally gripping WW2 historical novel by Elisabeth Hobbes
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy name is Sylvie Duchene and I am a dancer. There is no network. I am just a dancer. I know nothing. Please…I swear it…An unknown location, occupied France, 1944Dropping silently behind enemy lines, Sylvia Crichton, codename Monique, is determined to fight for the country of her birth and save it from its Nazi stranglehold... -
Discovering Dahlia by Jennifer Moore
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFollowing a painful public humiliation, Dahlia Lancaster was left heartbroken, friendless, and shunned by London Society. But rather than dwelling on the balls she’ll never attend, Dahlia has turned her attentions to her unconventional inheritance—a steamship company. After a year of work, she’s preparing to launch The Aurora, a luxury ocean liner that promises to revolutionize travel... -
Miss Dauntless by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMatilda Merridew, former hoyden of the first water, finds herself widowed, weary, and in want of coin. Along comes Marcus, Lord Tremont, with an interesting–and decent–proposition. Tremont will provide Matilda a handsome salary and keep a commodious roof over her head if she will relieve him of the burden of managing a houseful of unruly former soldiers... -
My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe riotous Wynchester family has taken on a new case to expose a forger, but the prime suspect isn't at all what he seems in this captivating Regency romp from a New York Times bestselling author.Lord Adrian Webb is a no-good, roguish, rakish scoundrel of the first order, which is why his father sends him to the Continent and cuts him off without a farthing...Categorized as:
regency mystery dual-pov forced proximity historical from hate to love humor suspense -
Chasing the Earl by Kathleen Ayers
Spinster Emmagene Stitch doesn’t believe in love…until she meets the worst earl in London.Welcome to book 2 in the new steamy historical romance series set in Victorian London by Kathleen Ayers.There is no gentleman in all of London considered more rude, impolite, blunt, and just plain awful than the Earl of Huntly...Categorized as:
regency forced proximity m-f dual-pov cold heroine independent heroine historical victorian
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