Books like 'The Shadow and the Star'
Readers who enjoyed The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical dark romance virgin heroine tortured hero victorian virgin hero love triangle regency cold hero boss & employee
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The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne
They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster… STEALING BEAUTY Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain... -
![Death from the Druid's Grove by Deb Marlowe]()
Death from the Druid's Grove by Deb Marlowe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSecrets hide in the Druid's Grove, in a murderer's heart, and in Niall Kier's past . .October 1851. After millions of visitors and months of success, the Great Exhibition is winding down. Mr. Niall Kier and Miss Kara Levett are busy with the celebrations planned for the last weeks-and with all the commissions their involvement has brought them...Categorized as:
victorian regency mystery historical multicultural dark mature couple heroine sleuth -
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![The Steel Rogue by K.J. Jackson]()
The Steel Rogue by K.J. Jackson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA scarred lady, living in the outskirts of society. A hardened rogue brought up from the worst of humanity. One seeks revenge. One seeks redemption. Neither is prepared for a love that will defy all odds.A scarred lady, living in the fringes. Lady Alton knows she doesn't fit into polite society. Her scars determined that long ago, and marrying a viscount never helped the matter... -
![Murder on the Mirrored Lake by Deb Marlowe]()
Murder on the Mirrored Lake by Deb Marlowe
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOld secrets dragged into the light . . . can turn deadly.Someone wants Niall Kier’s secrets exposed—even if they lead to scandal, unrest . . . and murder. Miss Kara Levett has discovered a talent for unearthing secrets and truths, but she’s vowed not to turn it on her friend—and more—Mr. Niall Kier. His secrets are his own, until he chooses to share them... -
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![The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro]()
The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsHis heart pounding, the man scribbles the words in his notebook as fast as he can: “Woman dead in Highgate. Man in caped coat. Milky way and red streaks. I’m being followed.”Hours later, the man’s cold body lies in the city mortuary, alongside the woman he couldn’t save. And his sister, unconventional nurse Gemma Tate, tracks down troubled police inspector Sebastian Bell to unravel the truth... -
![Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy]()
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 82 ratings"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."Anna Karenina (1877), by Leo Tolstoy, is a sweeping tale of passion, duty, and tragedy that stands as one of the cornerstones of world literature.At its heart is the unforgettable story of Anna, a beautiful, married woman who risks everything for her love affair with the dashing Count Vronsky... -
![The Frost of Springtime by Rachel L. Demeter]()
The Frost of Springtime by Rachel L. Demeter
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTo rescue her was to rescue his own soul. On a cold Parisian night, Vicomte Aleksender de Lefèvre forges an everlasting bond with a broken girl during her darkest hour, rescuing her from a life of abuse and misery. Tormented by his own demons, he finds his first bit of solace in sheltering little Sofia Rose. But when Aleksender is drawn away by the Franco-Prussian war, the seasons pass... -
![A Rogue to Remember by Chasity Bowlin]()
A Rogue to Remember by Chasity Bowlin
Welcome to Book One in "The Hellion Club", the nickname for the Darrow School, where miscreant noblemen send their illegitimate daughters to keep them out of sight, out of mind, and to make them employable...Categorized as:
regency victorian m-f historical forced proximity marriage of convenience mystery suspense -
![Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt]()
Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt
A MAN OF SIN Devastatingly handsome. Vain. Unscrupulous. Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, is the man London whispers about in boudoirs and back alleys. A notorious rake and blackmailer, Montgomery has returned from exile, intent on seeking revenge on those who have wronged him. But what he finds in his own bedroom may lay waste to all his plans... -
![Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath]()
Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath
Only one woman can break through his heart of stone... Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright... Lord Rafe Easton may be of noble blood, but survival taught him to rely only on himself and to love no one...Categorized as:
victorian virgin heroine tortured hero cold hero super rich hero m-f slow burn historical -
![The Villain by Victoria Vale]()
The Villain by Victoria Vale
Book 1 of 2 in the Villain Duology, a Dark Regency Erotic Romance duet set in the wilds of Scotland. A heartless villain… Lady Daphne Fairchild braves the journey from London to the wilds of Scotland alone with one purpose in mind: confront the man who purposely and methodically set out to ruin the men of her family...Categorized as:
regency virgin heroine cold hero tortured hero m-f super rich hero historical mystery -
![The Devil in the Duke: A Revelry’s Tempest Novel by K.J. Jackson]()
The Devil in the Duke: A Revelry’s Tempest Novel by K.J. Jackson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA man accustomed to hiding secrets. A woman with a lost past. Love that cannot be denied. A man accustomed to hiding secrets. His dark silver eyes are haunted, and for good reason. Logan Lipinstein lost his wife years ago in the war and has been a living shell of a man ever since, attempting to atone for past sins. Until one fateful day, when she walks past him carrying a basket of bread...Categorized as:
regency victorian tortured hero historical friends to lovers second chances tortured heroine abuse -
![The Highlander’s Auctioned Wife: A Medieval Historical Romance by Lydia Kendall]()
The Highlander’s Auctioned Wife: A Medieval Historical Romance by Lydia Kendall
“I’m here for yer hand. Who do I have to kill?” Snatched or these are Anna's only options, thanks to her 'gift' of fertility.But Anna wants no bairns unless she falls in love.So she must chase away any Laird that joins the auction for her hand.Until the Devil of the Highlands shows up...Now Anna is truly trapped.For she knows what happens...when the Devil gets obsessed...Categorized as:
m-f slow burn sweet heroine virgin heroine cold hero super rich hero tortured hero medieval -
![The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne]()
The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne
The bravest of heroes. The brashest of rebels. The boldest of lovers. These are the men who risk their hearts and their souls—for the passionate women who dare to love them… He is known only as The Rook. A man with no name, no past, no memories. He awakens in a mass grave, a magnificent dragon tattoo on his muscled forearm the sole clue to his mysterious origins...Categorized as:
victorian virgin heroine tortured hero sweet heroine cold hero m-f regency historical -
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![Finding Gabriel by Rachel L. Demeter]()
Finding Gabriel by Rachel L. Demeter
Colonel Gabriel de Laurent departed for the war intending to die. After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon's army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger. But fate has a different plan. Ariah Larochelle is a survivor... -
![Lord of Black Castle by Kathryn Le Veque]()
Lord of Black Castle by Kathryn Le Veque
The ultimate enemies to lovers trope has arrived as a brutal Irish knight conquers his hatred of the English to win the heart of the sister of his English enemy.Welcome to the wilds of Medieval Ireland...1323 A.D. - Devlin de Bermingham, an Irish knight to the core, is the bastard son of the Earl of Louth and the descendant of Irish kings... -
![Her Villain by S.M. LaViolette]()
Her Villain by S.M. LaViolette
She deserves a hero. How unfortunate that he can only ever be her villain…. David Remington is…lacking. Lacking empathy. Emotion.In fact, it’s what he lacks that makes him such an efficient agent of the Crown. He can carry out any mission—no matter how dark—ruthlessly. Coldly.Until he met her.Calliope Fowler is most inconvenient. Beautiful. Smart... -
![Virtue and Vice by Kimberly Brody]()
Virtue and Vice by Kimberly Brody
When Isabelle Beaumont’s father betroths her to a dreaded roundhead for economic gain, she vows to find a way to thwart the marriage, no matter the cost. Believing her only recourse is to break the terms of the betrothal agreement, Izzy plans to sacrifice her virginity before her wedding day dawns. Her scheme is simple enough... -
![Masquerade by Joel Abernathy]()
Masquerade by Joel Abernathy
An MM Phantom of the Opera Retelling We all wear masks. He came to me like a ghost singing songs of the past… An angel, promising redemption. Now I know the truth of the man behind the mask, and Erik’s soul is more broken and twisted than I ever imagined. ~ Even an angel’s wings can be broken. The moment I heard his voice, I knew he was mine. Mine to teach. Mine to mold... -
![Anger by Lily White]()
Anger by Lily White
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFifth CircleAngerAlso Known as Damon CrossThere is darkness that surrounds this man.One fueled by his past and ignited by his presentHe knows what it means to lose, but he never stops fightingHe wears his heart on his sleeveBut exists within nightmaresHe is shrouded in the name the Inferno gave him.Angry.Feral.Wild and CarelessDamon is an unpredictable storm without rhyme or reason... -
![To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney]()
To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney
Suave, cynical, and too handsome for his own good, Sebastian Verlaine never expects to become a magistrate judging the petty crimes of his tenants and neighbors. Nor can the new Viscount D’Aubrey foresee that, when a fallen woman appears before him, he’ll find himself beguiled against all reason to alter her terrible fate...Categorized as:
victorian plain heroine boss & employee regency working class heroine m-f sweet heroine historical -
![The Blood of Roses by Marsha Canham]()
The Blood of Roses by Marsha Canham
The stunning sequel to The Pride of Lions! In a novel that sizzles with passionate intrigue and breathtaking romance, Marsha Canham whisks the reader back to war-torn Scotland as a legendary warrior fights for the two things most precious to any man: his country and the woman he loves... -
![The Dove by Victoria Vale]()
The Dove by Victoria Vale
Book 2 of 2 in the Villain Duology, a Dark Regency Erotic Romance duet set in the wilds of Scotland. A quest for vengeance… Lord Adam Callahan, Earl of Hartmoor has spent the past five years destroying the Fairchild family as recompense for the ruination of his sister. Yet, it never seemed like enough … until the family’s only daughter appeared on his doorstep searching for answers... -
![Marek by Bella Jewel]()
Marek by Bella Jewel
Marek is a novella, and can be read as a standalone, however it is suggested to read the Prisoners of Purgatory MC series, starting with Nightmare, to get a better understanding of his character. My name is Ellie.Ellie Mae, if you will.Before you ask, no, it’s not a cruel joke.My parents thought the name suited me and, well, here we are.That’s the mildest part of my story, though... -
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![Le Moulin du loup by Marie-Bernadette Dupuy]()
Le Moulin du loup by Marie-Bernadette Dupuy
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCharente, 1897. Claire vit heureuse avec sa famille et le loup qu'elle a recueilli, dans le moulin transformé par son père, Colin, en fabrique de papier. Mais les affaires sont mauvaises et ce dernier doit céder à un terrible marché : il promet la main de sa fille à Frédéric Giraud, fils d'un riche voisin, contre un prêt inespéré...Categorized as:
virgin heroine victorian historical war strong heroine age difference military men in uniform -
![No Choice But Surrender by Meagan McKinney]()
No Choice But Surrender by Meagan McKinney
PRISONER OF PASSION Penniless and alone, Lady Brienne had come to Osterley Park, back to the house of the father she despised. She found a stranger waiting -- an arrogant American whose sensuality set her heart beating wildly, rendering her powerless as his kiss deepened into a brand of fire, searing his mark on her tender flesh...Categorized as:
regency virgin heroine slow burn cold hero tortured hero sweet heroine super rich hero historical -
![Stepping on Roses, Vol. 9 by Rinko Ueda, 上田 倫子]()
Stepping on Roses, Vol. 9 by Rinko Ueda, 上田 倫子
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsPoor Sumi Kitamura… Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a bizarre proposition: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him... -
![His Harlot by S.M. LaViolette]()
His Harlot by S.M. LaViolette
What’s the most ruinous mistake a harlot can make?Falling in love with her client …Edward Fanshawe is everything Nora Hudson wants in the bedroom—and everything she should avoid out of it. He gives her the pain, humiliation, and domination she craves from a sexual partner, but his search for the perfect, blue-blooded wife means the last thing Nora should do is fall for him. Except…it’s too late...Categorized as:
victorian plain heroine love triangle other-man-woman cold hero m-f bisexual historical -
![Wicked Hunt by Cari Silverwood]()
Wicked Hunt by Cari Silverwood
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThis book is part of a dark kinky fiction trilogy and may disturb some readers. The full warning is at the bottom. This is not a standalone read.What happens when the victim becomes the killer?Killing isn’t right, but it's better than the wrong people being dead.That’s what Zorie tells herself, until the day she makes a mistake and the hunter becomes the hunted... -
![Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden]()
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha... -
![A Penny For Your Wish: A Pride And Prejudice Variation by M Pomegranate]()
A Penny For Your Wish: A Pride And Prejudice Variation by M Pomegranate
ln the intricate dance of societal expectations, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Bennet becomes an unwitting pawn in her mother's scheme, bound in marriage to a man more than thrice her age. As the newly minted Lady Fairfax, she finds herself exiled to the tranquil but stifling confines of her husband's Derbyshire estate, her only companionship being that of a governess...Categorized as:
regency sweet heroine historical length-medium glimpses-kisses dark england sweet-hero -
![The Captain by Christi Caldwell]()
The Captain by Christi Caldwell
From USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell comes a dark tale of betrayal, jealousy, and the dangerous passion ignited between a vengeful captain and the young woman who loves him.Miss Linnie McQuoid Smith has spent a lifetime dreaming of love, but the man she’s always longed for is no longer the one she remembers...Categorized as:
virgin heroine regency other-man-woman love triangle vengeance historical from hate to love mafia -
![Wicked Weapon by Cari Silverwood]()
Wicked Weapon by Cari Silverwood
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThis book is part of a dark kinky fiction trilogy and may disturb some readers. The full warning is at the bottom. This is not a standalone read.Zorie is lost, again.Friends can become enemies and enemies can become friends.What is a man who declares himself your knight in cracked and bloody armor, when he seems to be leading you to your doom?Mavros, once known as Mister Black, has vanished... -
![On Good Authority by Briana Una McGuckin]()
On Good Authority by Briana Una McGuckin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRepressed desires, irresistible obsessions, and perception-twisting games.When lady’s maid Marian Osley and footman Valentine Hobbs assume their positions at the cliff-top estate of Valor Rise, they already share a history. Raised together as paupers in a London workhouse, they escaped through games of imaginary crimes and sublime punishment... -
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![On Good Authority by Briana Una McGuckin]()
On Good Authority by Briana Una McGuckin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRepressed desires, irresistible obsessions, and perception-twisting games.When lady’s maid Marian Osley and footman Valentine Hobbs assume their positions at the cliff-top estate of Valor Rise, they already share a history. Raised together as paupers in a London workhouse, they escaped through games of imaginary crimes and sublime punishment... -
![Veils of Silk by Mary Jo Putney]()
Veils of Silk by Mary Jo Putney
Gaunt and wearing an eye patch, Major Ian Cameron returns to India after being freed from horrendous captivity in Central Asia. Thoughts of his beautiful fiancée helped him survive his imprisonment, but much can happen when a man has supposedly been dead for two years, and his return brings him face to face with how much he has lost... -
![Her Wanton Wager by Grace Callaway]()
Her Wanton Wager by Grace Callaway
An Heiress on a Mission… After two failed Seasons, Persephone Fines has vowed to reform her hoydenish ways. But when her beloved brother falls into the clutches of wicked gamester Gavin Hunt, she must take action. Hunt offers her a shocking proposition: he will release her brother… if she can resist six nights of seduction...Categorized as:
regency virgin heroine tortured hero m-f sweet heroine cold hero super rich hero other-man-woman -
![Once in a Blue Moon by Penelope Williamson]()
Once in a Blue Moon by Penelope Williamson
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThose who knew spoke of the infamous Trelawny men in hushed, shocked whispers. But to flame-haired Jessalyn Letty, wild, captivating child of the storm-tossed Cornish moors, McCady Trelawny was the most fascinating man she had ever met. Few knew of the dream that burned in McCady's secret soul - a dream destined to change the world. But Jessalyn knew and shared his passion...Categorized as:
victorian regency virgin heroine historical dark strong heroine shy heroine cruel hero -
![Ethan: Lord of Scandals by Grace Burrowes]()
Ethan: Lord of Scandals by Grace Burrowes
Ethan Grey's life was shattered... Estranged from his family, widowed, and weary from fighting his troubled past, Ethan Grey now has a chance to replace loneliness with love. His sons' beautiful and stubborn governess might help him battle his ghosts, but it's been a long time since he let himself get close to anyone. Alice Portman has more in common with Ethan than she can comfortably admit... -
![Barons Adore Curves by Jemma Frost]()
Barons Adore Curves by Jemma Frost
An evil aunt intent on auctioning off her innocent niece.An obsessed baron who'll stop at nothing to claim the curvy woman for his own...Categorized as:
virgin heroine victorian regency tortured hero super rich hero sweet heroine m-f dark -
![Love Slave by Bertrice Small]()
Love Slave by Bertrice Small
It is no act of love that Regan experiences the night she takes her sister's place in the marriage bed, a counterfeit bride to sate the lust of her twin's new husband. Come morning, her sister, carrying another man's child, resumes her place and Regan is spirited away to a nunnery. But a more exotic fate awaits the fiery Celtic beauty: Regan is sold to a slave trader... -
![Stolen by the Ruthless Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Novel by Harriet Caves]()
Stolen by the Ruthless Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Novel by Harriet Caves
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratings“I told you I would find a way for you to obey, didn’t I, wife?” Forced to marry a man she doesn’t love, Lady Ophelia still does not appreciate the Ruthless Duke interrupting her wedding. Or his declaration that he has completely ruined her already...Duke Maxwell swore to the man who saved his life he’d protect his daughter. To honor that promise, Ophelia must now become his bride of convenience...Categorized as:
regency m-f slow burn virgin heroine sweet heroine cold hero tortured hero super rich hero -
![The Price of Desire (Lady Rivendale's Connections, Book Four): Regency Romance by Jo Goodman]()
The Price of Desire (Lady Rivendale's Connections, Book Four): Regency Romance by Jo Goodman
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsForbidden Desires and a Hidden Past Collide in The Price of Desire, by Jo Goodman a Historical Regency Romance from Jo GoodmanNo stranger to society's scandalous whispers, Griffin Wright-Jones, Viscount Breckenridge, operates a gaming hell teeming with temptation—a sanctuary for those eager to test their luck... -
![Gabriel's Woman by Robin Schone]()
Gabriel's Woman by Robin Schone
In the erotic tour de force The Lover, readers met not only brooding, passionate Michel des Anges, but his lifelong friend―the mysterious Gabriel, a man with a past as dark as the London night. Now, renowned author Robin Schone explores one of her most talked-about characters in a novel that reveals the blackest secrets of a man's soul...and the explosive heart of a woman's desire... -
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![Breathless by Anne Stuart]()
Breathless by Anne Stuart
Ruined beyond repair and shunned by London society, lovely Miranda Rohan rebelliously embraces the freedom that comes from having nothing left to lose. However, this dangerous course throws her under the power of the darkly enigmatic Lucien de Malheur—known to many as the Scorpion...Categorized as:
victorian tortured hero regency m-f plain heroine cold hero super rich hero historical -
![A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan]()
A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 25 ratings"To seal their bond, they must break the ties that bind. " Painfully introverted and rendered nearly mute by a heavy stammer, Lord George Albert Westin rarely ventures any farther than the club or his beloved gardens... -
![The Portrait by Megan Chance]()
The Portrait by Megan Chance
The reigning master of the New York art world, Jonas Whitaker was brilliant and compelling, a man of dark passions and uncontrollable emotions. Terrified of his own dangerous nature, and scarred by the horror of his past, he hid behind his talent in a world of glittering emptiness--until Imogene Carter pushed her way into his life... -
![The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys]()
The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys
Amid the gilded opulence and dark intrigue of Renaissance Italy grew a love that knew no bounds.... No woman's heart is safe from the Silver Devil. From the moment he sees the beautiful Felicia, he must have her. Overnight he changes Felicia's nightmare world of tavern drudgery into an erotic adventure as his royal mistress. He is the Duke of Cabria who holds his subjects in constant fear...Categorized as:
tortured hero virgin heroine slow burn cold hero sweet heroine working class heroine m-f historical -
![Scandal by Carolyn Jewel]()
Scandal by Carolyn Jewel
From an author known for her "pulse-pounding action, well-drawn characters, and sexy romance",* comes the tale of a proper young widow and the rake who is out to steal her heart... The Earl of Banallt is no stranger to scandal. But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction... -
![Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey]()
Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey
CAPTIVE OF LOVE Spirited Rowena Belleme must produce an heir--or incur the dangerous wrath of a ruthless stepbrother, who stands to forfeit his ill-gotten wealth. And the magnificent Warrick deChaville is the perfect choice to sire her child--though it means imprisoning the handsome knight...and forcing him to bend to her amorous whims...
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