Books like 'The Design of Dukes'
Readers who enjoyed The Design of Dukes by Kathleen Ayers also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical funny from hate to love virgin heroine strong heroine possessive hero forced proximity slow burn sassy heroine alpha male
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever... -
![Silence Breaking by Robert Thier]()
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... -
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![Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh]()
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... -
![My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long]()
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... -
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![The Unlovely Bride by Alice Coldbreath]()
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 possessive hero rich heroine angst slow burn strong heroine alpha male -
![His Forsaken Bride by Alice Coldbreath]()
His Forsaken Bride by Alice Coldbreath
Fenella Thane is a desperate woman. Her absentee husband of eight years has served her with divorce papers and she looks likely to lose her beloved home and be forced into a convent. There is just one slim chance to avoid this fate, one person of prominence at court who she knows has the ear of the King... -
![Truce by R.L. Mathewson]()
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 Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long]()
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... -
![How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long]()
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..Categorized as:
alpha male virgin heroine independent heroine angst other-man-woman super rich hero m-f cold hero -
![Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean]()
Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
The Lady’s Plan When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster... -
![What Happens in London by Julia Quinn]()
What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
RUMORS AND GOSSIP ... THE LIFEBLOOD OF LONDON When Olivia Bevelstoke is told that her new neighbor may have killed his fiancee, she doesn't believe it for a second, but, still, how can she help spying on him, just to be sure? So she stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, cleverly concealed by curtains, watches, and waits .. -
![A Secret Love by Stephanie Laurens]()
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.. -
![The Duke's Wicked Widow (Surprise! Dukes) by Caroline Lee]()
The Duke's Wicked Widow (Surprise! Dukes) by Caroline Lee
They 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...Categorized as:
forced proximity victorian m-f historical regency humor length-long explicit-open-door -
![Highland Justice by Heather McCollum]()
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... -
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![These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer]()
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer virtually invented historical and regency romance. Her witty writing and carful plotting forever changed readers expectations. These Old Shades was originally conceived of as a sequel to her first novel The Black Moth... -
![Her Ruthless Duke by Scarlett Scott]()
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... -
![To Fall for Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Renata McMann, Summer Hanford]()
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]()
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...Categorized as:
victorian virgin heroine independent heroine forced proximity super rich hero angst m-f slow burn -
![Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase]()
Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase
USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase continues her Difficult Dukes series with this delightful spin on Shakespeare's classic, The Taming of the Shrew.Cassandra Pomfret holds strong opinions she isn’t shy about voicing... -
![The Duke's Counterfeit Wife by Caroline Lee]()
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 victorian forced proximity cold hero m-f highlander historical humor -
![The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer]()
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
When the redoubtable Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on Diplomatic Business he parks his only daughter Sophy with his sister's family, the Ombersleys, in Berkeley Square. Upon her arrival, Sophy is bemused to see to see her cousins are in a sad tangle... -
![Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid]()
Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid
Miss Maryann FitzWilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas Ives climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable... -
![The Bride by Julie Garwood]()
The Bride by Julie Garwood
By the king's edict, Alec Kincaid, mightiest of the Scottish lairds, must take an English bride. And Jamie the youngest daughter of Baron Jamison, is his choice. From his first glimpse of the proud and beautiful English lady, Alec felt a burning hunger stir within him. This was a woman worthy of his fearless warrior's spirit. And he aches to touch her, tame her, possess her...forever... -
![Miss Fleming Falls in Love by Emma Melbourne]()
Miss Fleming Falls in Love by Emma Melbourne
A Girl. An Earl. A Battle of Wits . . .Miss Amelia Fleming has a very good reason to hate the Earl of Langley. A year ago, her father drowned in the Thames after losing a fortune to Langley at cards. Now her family is broke, her fiancé has broken their engagement, and the debt still hasn't been paid... -
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![The MacLeod Pirate by Caroline Lee]()
The MacLeod Pirate by Caroline Lee
The Black Banner is the Western Isles’ most notorious pirate…and he’s about to meet his match! Book 4 in "The Sinclair Jewels" is now available! Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited! Citrine is the last Sinclair Jewel left with any chance to save her clan, and she's not about to fail them... -
![So True a Love by Joanna Barker]()
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...Categorized as:
forced proximity victorian new adult m-f angst slow burn independent heroine sassy heroine -
![Duke the Halls by Felicity Niven]()
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... -
![Ten Kisses to Scandal by Vivienne Lorret]()
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... -
![To Wed a Wild Lord by Sabrina Jeffries]()
To Wed a Wild Lord by Sabrina Jeffries
Drowning in guilt over his best friend's death seven years ago, Lord Gabriel Sharpe, the Angel of Death, knows his only hope at redemption is a race against a shocking opponent. Shrouded in darkness for the past seven years, the infamous racer Lord Gabriel Sharpe is known to accept every challenge to race thrown at him... -
![The Notorious Lord Sin by Tamara Gill]()
The Notorious Lord Sin by Tamara Gill
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsLove might be the only luxury she can’t afford…Paris Smith remembers the days when she was penniless all too well. The pain of being deemed unsuitable for marriage by her first love never truly faded. Now, she’s a widowed Countess with more money than she could ever spend, and the man who nearly destroyed her wants a second chance... -
![The Parfit Knight by Stella Riley]()
The Parfit Knight by Stella Riley
The Marquis of Amberley is rich, assured and thirty-four years old, with the reputation of being a law unto himself and a degree of charm which even his friends consider disastrous. When his coach is waylaid by highwaymen and his coachman shot, he is forced to take shelter at the first house he finds and is subsequently trapped there for a week by a severe snow storm... -
![It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas]()
It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born. It happened at the ball... Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing... -
![The Laird's Prize by Eliza Knight]()
The Laird's Prize by Eliza Knight
A new sizzling, irresistible, adventure-filled, medieval Scottish romance series from USA Today bestselling author, Eliza Knight. Three Scottish brothers, born minutes apart, must safeguard the lands their father left each of them as their legacy, against their enemies, and the feisty, independent ladies who remind them what it is to be human and loved... -
![The Taste of Love by Meara Platt]()
The Taste of Love by Meara Platt
Will the mysterious Book of Love lead Penelope to her true love? Lady Penelope Sherbourne is not—absolutely not—going to fall in love with Thaddius MacLauren, Laird of Caithness, even if he is a big, handsome Scottish brute and ridiculously protective of her... -
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![Crying Wolfe by Kerrigan Byrne]()
Crying Wolfe by Kerrigan Byrne
A new trio of siblings learn that it is impossible to be a Goode without being a little wicked…He’s the man with the Midas touch…Elijah Wolfe is just as ruthless and aggressive as his name suggests. Born in harsh Nevada desert, he used his sharp wits and sharper fists to fight for survival mining ore for terrible men... Until one day he struck gold, literally... -
![Matchless Margaret by Christina Dudley]()
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]()
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... -
![The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean]()
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... -
![Let Sleeping Dukes Lie by Emily Windsor]()
Let Sleeping Dukes Lie by Emily Windsor
“Strait-laced. Ruthless. Arrogant.” Alexander Westhide, the Duke of Rakecombe has no quarrel with such faint praise as he has forever shunned marriage, women and anything remotely resembling love. Indeed, the damning words merely serve to enhance his haughty façade. But beneath the controlled demeanour lies a duke beset by tragedy, a man turbulent and restless. “Forthright...Categorized as:
victorian sassy heroine alpha male cold hero possessive hero tortured hero m-f height-difference -
![The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret]()
The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret
USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series with a debutante who believes she is destined to marry the lord next door until a fateful encounter with a rogue makes her wonder... if she might be falling for the wrong marquess!The wrong place...Elodie Parrish can feel spinsterhood breathing down her neck... -
![The Notorious Lord Knightly by Lorraine Heath]()
The Notorious Lord Knightly by Lorraine Heath
Who is the villainous Lord K? New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath’s next novel in The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction series where revenge is best served hot… A scandalous book by an anonymous author takes London by storm, and everyone is convinced its villainous “Lord K” is the greatly admired Earl of Knightly... -
![Temperance by Beverley Watts]()
Temperance by Beverley Watts
In this funny romantic series, the Shackleford sisters descend on a Regency society that doesn’t know what’s hit it…Reverend Shackleford was at a loss. He’d truly believed that in marrying his eldest daughter Grace to an extremely wealthy peer of the realm, his problems would be over...Categorized as:
cold hero sassy heroine m-f from hate to love virgin heroine slow burn other-man-woman historical -
![The Duke's Unexpected Bride by Lara Temple]()
The Duke's Unexpected Bride by Lara Temple
From country miss to London duchess!Sophie Trevelyan has been enjoying her visit to London, even if her closest companion is an overweight pug! Then she encounters the dashing Duke of Harcourt, who intrigues her more than is strictly properMax knows he must marry... -
![This Earl is on Fire by Vivienne Lorret]()
This Earl is on Fire by Vivienne Lorret
The sheltered daughter of a country baron, Miss Adeline Pimm comes to London looking for adventure… and finds it in the form of a bloody, unconscious man slumped in the doorway of her family’s rented townhouse. Though his identity is a mystery, Adeline is inexplicably drawn to the handsome, injured man and vows to nurse him back to health... -
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![The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn]()
The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
She was in the wrong place... Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smugglers' hideaway tucked inside a cave... -
![Chasing the Bride by Erica Ridley]()
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:
victorian forced proximity grumpy sunshine historical regency humor office length-short -
![The Player by Stella Riley]()
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... -
![After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long]()
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... -
![Knight of the Jaded Heart (The Eglinton Knight Series) by Margaux Thorne]()
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... -
![The Matchmaker's Request by Ashtyn Newbold]()
The Matchmaker's Request by Ashtyn Newbold
His new challenge: Keep himself from falling in love again at all costs.At odds with love, Matthew Northcott has firmly decided that he will never marry, much to the dismay of his relatives...and nearly every young lady he meets. Rather than seek a marriage for himself, he attempts to find matches for others, grateful to see that love is not entirely cruel—just cruel to him...Categorized as:
m-f forced proximity slow burn cheerful heroine new adult angst sassy heroine super rich hero
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