Books like 'The Governess Game'
Readers who enjoyed The Governess Game by Tessa Dare also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical funny regency class difference boss & employee poor heroine virgin heroine strong heroine working class heroine m-f
-
Silence Breaking by Robert Thier
Family - the most important thing in the world,right? If it's your own, maybe. But if it's the family of the incredibly powerful, incredibly alluring businessman with whom you've beenconducting a secret office affair, and they don't yet know about theaffair, things are a little bit different. Life is about to getreal for Lilly Linton... -
The Unlovely Bride by Alice Coldbreath
Lenora Montmayne leads a charmed life as the most beautiful woman at King Wymer’s court, surrounded by admirers. And then disaster strikes. The red pox sweeps the summer palace at Caer-Lyones and Lenora’s fair face falls victim to its ravages. Without her looks, what does Lenora have left to her? If ever there was a knight the crowd loves to hate, it’s Garman Orde...Categorized as:
virgin heroine cold hero angst strong heroine forced proximity tortured heroine grumpy sunshine m-f -
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules… Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife... -
Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
All of London is abuzz over the imminent arrival of Wulfric Bedwyn, the reclusive, cold-as-ice Duke of Bewcastle, at the most glittering social event of the season. Some whisper of a tragic love affair. Others say he is so aloof and passionless that not even the greatest beauty could capture his attention... -
-
The Finest Print by Erin Langston
One sensational love story.American journalist Ethan Fletcher traversed the globe to claim his late uncle’s Fleet Street print shop, only to find his unexpected inheritance is shackled by ruinous debt. To save his business and finally direct his own course, he needs to raise capital, and quickly... -
My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long
In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s latest installment in the Palace of Rogues series, a notorious rake meets his match in a doe-eyed girl from the country, changing the course of both of their futures…A London season is the chance of a lifetime for Catherine Keating...Categorized as:
virgin heroine regency m-f tortured hero grumpy sunshine cold hero sweet heroine bad boys -
The Marquis who Mustn't by Courtney Milan
One good fraud deserves another…Miss Naomi Kwan has long wanted to take ambulance classes so that she can save lives. But when she tries to register, she’s told she needs permission from the man in charge of her. It would be incredibly wrong to claim that the tall, taciturn Chinese nobleman she just met is her fiancé, but Naomi is desperate, and desperate times call for fake engagements... -
The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long
A blue-blooded beauty bartered to a Beast…He would pay any price to possess her. But even though Alexandra Bellamy sacrifices herself to save her family’s fortunes, a shocking betrayal sunders her marriage to a taciturn brute of a war hero, Colonel Magnus Brightwall, before it even begins... -
Truce by R.L. Mathewson
This is the story before everything... Elizabeth knows what’s expected of her, perfection. She’s the daughter of an Earl and expected to marry well, say and do the right things with a smile on her face when inside she’s dying for a chance to escape. Thanks to an inheritance her godmother left her years ago, her chance will come with her next birthday... -
The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan
An idealistic suffragette... Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has put her heart and soul into her newspaper, known for its outspoken support of women's rights. Naturally, her enemies are intent on destroying her business and silencing her for good. Free refuses to be at the end of her rope...but she needs more rope, and she needs it now. ...a jaded scoundrel.. -
Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library. •Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? •Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? •Perhaps the butler did it. All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing... -
Frederica by Georgette Heyer
LONDON IN "THE SEASON" Frederica Merriville and her three siblings have come to London for the glittering social season, in order to give young and beautiful Charis a chance to make a good marriage. Frederica herself, a witty charmer, believes herself happily beyond marriageable age -- she is twenty-four, after all... -
How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long
The Scandal Sheets call him Lord Ice. Ruthless, cold, precise, Julian Spenser, Marquess Dryden, tolerates only the finest-- in clothes, in horseflesh, in mistresses. And now he's found the perfect bride, the one whose dowry will restore his family's shattered legacy and bring him peace at last: the exquisite heiress Lisbeth Redmond. She's about to play with fire.. -
Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran
Sensible and lonely, Olivia Mather survives by her wits—and her strict policy of avoiding trouble. But when she realizes that the Duke of Marwick might hold the secrets of her family’s past, she does the unthinkable, infiltrating his household as a maid. She’ll clean his study and rifle through his papers looking for information. Alastair de Grey has a single reason to live: vengeance... -
-
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 Duke's Virgin Sister by Caroline Lee
They haven’t quite managed to tame her wild streak. It is to be The Match of the Season. At least, that’s what Lady Carlotta Merritt, sister to the cool and aloof Duke of Cashingham, has been told repeatedly by her mother. The Dowager is beyond thrilled about her daughter’s engagement to Society’s most eligible bachelor, Lord What’s-His-Face... -
Highland Justice by Heather McCollum
Without mercy, there is no love in this third installment of the Sons of Sinclair historical romance series by award-winning author Heather McCollum.Gideon Sinclair, the third Sinclair brother, judges everything in stark terms of good and evil. There is nothing in between, and he is efficient at passing judgment without mercy... -
A Secret Love by Stephanie Laurens
All of Regency London knows that no Cynster male would ever walk away from a lady in distress...but their protection can come at a tantalizingly high price. And now, Stephanie Laurens has created her boldest Cynster yet--Gabriel--a man who has known the pleasure of many women, but who has given his heart to no one. She was desperate for his help.. -
Ten Kisses to Scandal by Vivienne Lorret
The Bourne Matrimonial Agency has one rule—never fall in love with the client. However, they never said anything about kissing a rake…Briar Bourne’s matchmaking career could be summed up in two words—comic disaster. Unless she can learn about the irresistible forces that draw men and women together, her professional future looks rather bleak... -
Her Ruthless Duke by Scarlett Scott
From USA Today and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author Scarlett Scott comes a new, deliciously wicked Regency romance featuring scorching heat between a jaded guardian and his bluestocking ward, plus a delightful dash of mystery.Conscienceless seducer, cunning spy, confident scoundrel. Trevor Hunt, the Duke of Ridgely, has been called many things, most of which are true...Categorized as:
regency virgin heroine forced proximity sassy heroine independent heroine cold hero m-f historical -
A Lesson in Scandal by Adele Clee
Having read a secret letter, Sofia Moorland knows of her stepmother’s wicked plan to auction her virtue. With danger looming, escape is her only option. Armed with a knowledge of herbalism, she seeks refuge working for the brooding doctor, Mr Gentry. But freedom comes at a price—and Mr Gentry soon holds more than her fate in his skilled hands... -
To Fall for Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Renata McMann, Summer Hanford
How much trouble can Elizabeth get into on a walk in the woods?Despite the fear of injury, Elizabeth Bennet risks all to save a stranger, unaware that the threat to her person will be overshadowed by the threat to her future.Faced with doing what is right or what is preferred, Mr. Darcy proves he is a gentleman by choosing the path of right, but will that choice prove disastrous?To Fall for Mr... -
Willful in Winter by Scarlett Scott
Rand, Viscount Aylesford, needs a fiancée, and he needs one now. His requirements are concise: she must not embarrass him, and she must understand he has no intention of ever marrying her. Miss Grace Winter is the most stubborn of the notorious Wicked Winters. When her brother decrees she must marry well, she is every bit as determined to avoid becoming a nobleman's wife... -
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
They call him the Duke of Ruin.To an undaunted wallflower, he's just the beast next door. Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society—and now he wants to get even. Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart... -
-
The Duke's Counterfeit Wife by Caroline Lee
How did she end up make-believe married to the Grump Next Door?Spinster scientist Felicity Montrose has always been as curious as one of her pet cats. So when her dark and dangerous neighbor catches her breaking into his house, her body’s reactions to his manhandling raises all sorts of interesting questions...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine forced proximity cold hero m-f highlander historical victorian humor -
Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without? Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season--or any season--but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever... -
Duke the Halls by Felicity Niven
A ray of sunshine gives the perfect Christmas present to a disagreeable duke. The Duke of Kittredge is that rarest of men—a wealthy, tall, and still-unmarried duke at the age of thirty-one. As such, he’s perennially at the top of the “Most Eligible Bachelor” list of the ton. And yet, he’s never gotten close to landing a wife. Young ladies don’t seem to like him. Scratch that. They revile him... -
In Which Winnie Halifax Is Utterly Ruined by Alexandra Vasti
In 1811, Winifred Wallace told one tiny lie. To secure her future as an independent sheep farmer, she invented an estranged husband named Mr. Spencer Halifax and forged their marriage record. Ten years later, her deception catches up with her: in the form of the disturbingly real, distressingly attractive earl on her doorstep... -
After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long
Sparks fly when a daring diva clashes with an ice-cold war hero in the newest thrilling romance in USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues series.She arrives in the dead of night, a mob out for blood at her heels: Mariana Wylde, the “Harlot of Haywood Street,” an opera diva brought low by a duel fought for her favors...Categorized as:
regency class difference cold hero m-f sassy heroine single-father super rich hero poor heroine -
It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret
USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret launches a new series with a sparkling romance about a spinster, a duke, and a fake engagement that blurs the lines between enemies and lovers…Verity Hartley always tells the truth. Well, mostly...Categorized as:
regency virgin heroine cold hero m-f independent heroine sassy heroine angst forced proximity -
Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews
From USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews comes a swashbuckling tale of Regency era romance and revenge.She couldn’t forget…Wealthy squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it’s bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart... -
The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham
The scandalous women of the USA Today bestselling author Scarlett Peckham’s Society of Sirens are back with the final stage in their fight for female rights—and this time the battle is to be waged in bed… She’s the most infamous harlot in London…and she’s up for auction. Thaïs Magadalene is a legend... -
The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
He thinks she's an annoying know-it-all... Hugh Prentice has never had patience for dramatic females, and if Lady Sarah Pleinsworth has ever been acquainted with the words shy or retiring, she's long since tossed them out the window. Besides, a reckless duel has left this brilliant mathematician with a ruined leg, and now he could never court a woman like Sarah, much less dream of marrying her... -
The Hawk by Hildie McQueen
Peace has finally come to Clan Ross of Skye and the laird’s younger brother, Gavin Ross, finds himself adrift, grappling with a sense of purposelessness. His days are filled with mundane tasks of training and patrolling, leaving him restless and yearning for something more. Suddenly their hard-won peace is on the brink of shattering, when a man’s death means years old strife may not be dormant...Categorized as:
regency angst m-f boss & employee forced proximity hurt-comfort competent heroine strong heroine -
-
Borrowed by Victoria Ashley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsI was never supposed to want to keep her.She was meant to be borrowed.Mine for six days and not a day longer.She doesn’t belong to me.She belongs to someone else.My brother…The closest person I have outside of the screaming fans and paparazzi—a constant in my new life— other than the whiskey I drown myself in to numb the pain left by someone else...Categorized as:
super rich hero forced proximity angst m-f from hate to love humor new adult contemporary -
To Forge Her Fate by Kasey Stockton
Two worlds. Two hearts. Can they ever meld together as one?Eliza Rose: accomplished in pianoforte, riding, drawing, three languages, and the art of flirtation using only a fan.Jacob Ridley: skilled blacksmith, honest tradesman, appreciates a hot meal, and not susceptible to any lady’s charm.Until Eliza needs help, and Jacob cannot turn her away. Now she has him wrapped around her dainty finger... -
Matchless Margaret by Christina Dudley
With her two older sisters married, managing family affairs has fallen to capable Miss Margaret Hapgood, leaving little time for thoughts of marriage. But a trip to Bath to find her uncle a wealthy bride throws her in the path of a handsome recuperating soldier, who is equally determined to keep his mother’s fortune out of grasping hands... -
The Duke's Diary by Ashtyn Newbold
She only meant to read one page...until she saw her name.Rather than being forced to marry the vile man her father intends for her, Nora Rothwell plans to escape...Categorized as:
regency forbidden love m-f forced proximity grumpy sunshine sassy heroine strong heroine cold hero -
The Player by Stella Riley
Tragedy drove him into unwilling exile. Death demands his reluctant return. In the decade between, he has answered to many names and amassed a variety of secrets... -
A Governess Should Never... Deny a Duke by Emily Windsor
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“So tell me, Miss Beaujeu, why should I employ you as governess?”A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess but for Isabelle, a lady with impeccable references and tightly pinned hair, it barely raises a brow...Categorized as:
regency strong heroine virgin heroine forbidden love historical victorian humor from hate to love -
Turnabout: A Regency Romance inspired by P&P by Sydney Salier
What if a wealthy aunt ensured that Mrs Bennet and her daughters had a secure future and a proper education?What if Darcy arrived at Netherfield a month after the Bingleys – just in time for the assembly and his famous insult?What if Mr Bennet was just a little more engaged and the inhabitants of Meryton a little less impressed with the visitors – resulting in the whole party getting kicked out...Categorized as:
regency m-f competent heroine cold hero historical humor length-medium glimpses-kisses -
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . . As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities. And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off... -
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean
When Wicked Comes Calling... When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber and offers his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees—on one condition. She's seen enough of the world to believe in passion, and won't accept a marriage without it. The Wallflower Makes a Dangerous Bargain..Categorized as:
class difference virgin heroine tortured hero angst strong heroine cold hero regency m-f -
The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean
LADY SOPHIE'S SOCIETY SPLASH The youngest of the infamous Talbot sisters scandalized society at the Liverpool Summer Soiree, striking her sister’s notoriously philandering husband and landing him backside-first in a goldfish pond... -
-
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France, and Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon and proud of his soubriquet 'Satanas', flourishes as well. Then, from a dark Parisian back alley, he plucks Leon, a redheaded urchin with strangely familiar looks, just in time for his long over-due schemes of revenge on the Comte de St. Vire... -
The Earl and the Spinster by Collette Cameron
Formerly titled Brooke: Wagers Gone Awry An angry earl. A desperate spinster. A reckless wager. For five years, Brooke Culpepper has focused her energy on two things: keeping the struggling dairy farm that’s her home operating and preventing her younger sister and cousins from starving... -
The Magic of You by Johanna Lindsey
As wild and reckless as the most incorrigible of her male cousins, Amy Malory has reached a marriageable age and has set her sights on a most inappropriate mate: the straight-laced American ship captain who once nearly had her Uncle James hung hanged for piracy. Warren Anderson is shocked by the brazen advances of his despised enemy's beautiful niece... -
Chasing the Bride by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this fast, feel-good romp from a New York Times bestselling author, forbidden love blooms between a runaway bride and the man sent to find her…Lady Tabitha Kerr was promised at birth to be the Viscount Oldfield’s bride. Their families had warred for generations, and this union will heal the longstanding rift. But Tabitha doesn’t want to be a pawn—or a consolation prize...Categorized as:
regency forced proximity grumpy sunshine victorian historical humor office length-short -
The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley
A NYT bestselling author kicks off a new Regency series of "irresistible romance and a family of delightful scoundrels" as a woman looking to recover a stolen painting accidentally kidnaps a duke instead. (Eloisa James) Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd... -
Knight of the Jaded Heart (The Eglinton Knight Series) by Margaux Thorne
It’s all fun and games until someone falls in love. Lover of the Gothic craze sweeping the nation, Miss Georgiana Spence only has one thing on her mind this summer—the Eglinton tournament...Categorized as:
regency virgin heroine m-f class difference betrayal competent heroine strong heroine cold hero
Find out more about romance.io.
Get recommendations by genres & tropes
Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.