Books like 'The Secret Life of a Lady'
Readers who enjoyed The Secret Life of a Lady by Darcy McGuire also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical funny victorian from hate to love heroine sleuth suspense mystery m-f forbidden love age difference
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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... -
![Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean]()
Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean
New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean follows her highly acclaimed Bombshell with Heartbreaker, featuring a fierce, fearless heroine on a mission to steal a duke's secrets. .. and his heart. HEARTBREAKER Hell's Belles, Book 2. A Princess of Thieves... -
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![Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar]()
Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar
The prophet Nehemiah has a cousin who can speak several languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls of parchment and tablets of clay, and solve mysteries. This cousin is catapulted into the center of the Persian court—working long hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and completing high-level tasks as a scribe for the queen. Not bad, for a woman living in a man's world.Categorized as:
mystery suspense m-f strong heroine tortured heroine virgin heroine plain heroine poor heroine -
![Watching the Detectives by Julie Mulhern]()
Watching the Detectives by Julie Mulhern
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsEllison Russell wanted a decorator, not a corpse. Too bad she finds Mrs. White in the study killed with a revolver. Things go from bad to worse when she finds Mr. White in the dining room killed with a candlestick... -
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![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... -
![Valiant by Adele Clee]()
Valiant by Adele Clee
Meet Valiant—the third of four gentlemen who work to right injustices—in the new heart-stopping series Gentlemen of the Order. As the grandson of a marauding pirate, Evan Sloane strives to earn his moniker, Valiant. His work as an enquiry agent for the Order gives him the perfect opportunity to make amends for his ancestor’s misdeeds. But even the bold and bravely courageous have their limits...Categorized as:
victorian m-f mystery suspense from hate to love forced proximity abduction virgin heroine -
![Four to Score by Janet Evanovich]()
Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 118 ratingsStephanie Plum, Trenton, New Jersey's favorite pistol-packing, condom-carrying bounty hunter, is back - and on the trail of a revenge-seeking waitress who's skipped bail. With the help of 73-year-old Grandma Mazur, ex-hooker Lula, a transvestite musician named Sally Sweet, and the all-too-hospitable, all-too-sexy Joe Morelli, Stephanie might just catch her woman...Categorized as:
heroine sleuth suspense mystery m-f contemporary 20th century historical love triangle -
![Aurora by D.G. Rampton]()
Aurora by D.G. Rampton
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 16 ratings70,000+ readers have already discovered the Regency Goddesses Series. The books, which can be read in any order, are regularly in the U. S. top 20 for Historical Romance and Humor & Satire. ♥ an opposites-attract romance. ♥ a formidable hero. ♥ an irrepressible heroine. ♥ a menagerie of lovable characters... -
![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. . -
![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 . . -
![An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn]()
An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn
While investigating a man claiming to be the long-lost heir to a noble family, Veronica Speedwell gets the surprise of her life in this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn. London, 1889. Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian beau Stoker are summoned by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of Special Branch...Categorized as:
mystery victorian suspense heroine sleuth historical ["to-read", "currently-reading", "mystery", "historical-fiction", "2022", "2022-releases", "series", "historical-mystery", "historical", "fiction", "adult", "wishlist", "romance", "coming-soon", "arc", "mysteries", "mystery-thriller", "upcoming", "next-in-series", "historical-romance", "not-yet-released", "to-be-released", "victorian", "netgalley", "audible", "kindle", "2022-tbr", "to-buy", "unreleased", "series-in-progress", "preorder", "2022-release", "giveaways", "february-2022", "requested", "veronica-speedwell", "2022-february", "2022-new-releases", "mystery-suspense", "wish-list", "february", "need-to-buy", "veronica-speedwell-series", "adult-fiction", "read-2021", "england", "arcs", "for-review", "2021", "edelweiss", "on-hold", "tbr", "waiting", "next-up", "unpublished", "not-released", "must-read-2022", "2022-to-read", "deanna-raybourn", "preordered"] regency contemporary -
![The Hidden Hand: Love, Intrigue, and Gender Roles in Victorian Fiction by E.D.E.N. Southworth]()
The Hidden Hand: Love, Intrigue, and Gender Roles in Victorian Fiction by E.D.E.N. Southworth
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsEmma Southworth's 'The Hidden Hand' is a captivating novel that delves deep into the themes of mystery, romance, and intrigue. Set in the 19th century, this work of literature features a powerful narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats... -
![Henrietta by Beverley Watts]()
Henrietta by Beverley Watts
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHenrietta Carew has always been practical, sensible, and generally immune to flights of fancy. Until she meets Raphael Augustin. King William IV's most dangerous intelligence agent is everything Henrietta shouldn't want - ruthless, secretive, and devastatingly handsome... -
![An Infamous Betrayal by Lynn Messina]()
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...Categorized as:
mystery m-f heroine sleuth super rich hero historical regency humor competent heroine -
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![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 -
![The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham]()
The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsClue meets Indiana Jones with a fiction-loving twist only Grace Percy can provide. Newlyweds Lord and Lady Astley have already experienced their fair-share of suspense, but when a honeymoon trip takes a detour to the mystical land of Egypt, not even Grace with her fiction-loving mind is prepared for the dangers in store...Categorized as:
mystery suspense victorian historical christian marriage of convenience humor length-medium -
![A Matchmaker for a Marquess by Christi Caldwell]()
A Matchmaker for a Marquess by Christi Caldwell
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBe prepared to smile, swoon, and sigh in Christi Caldwell's latest 'Heart of a Scandal' installment where a matchmaker firmly on the shelf is about to fall head over heels for her best friend's younger brother. She lived by a strict set of rules…. Meredith Durant believes those who won’t marry, matchmake, and she’s made a notable career for herself helping young women find the perfect mate... -
![Charity by Beverley Watts]()
Charity by Beverley Watts
In this funny Regency romance series, the Shackleford sisters descend on a Regency society that doesn’t know what’s hit it…. While Charity Shackleford might be considered far more outspoken than her twin sister Chastity, she was much less inclined to make a complete cake of herself. Something her twin appeared to be doing with increasing regularity... -
![Entranced by the Earl by Jillian Eaton]()
Entranced by the Earl by Jillian Eaton
Sometimes love is hiding in the unlikeliest of earls . . . Evelyn Thorncroft wants to marry a duke, but she'll settle for an earl. The Earl of Hawkridge, to be precise. The only problem? Weston cannot stand the sight of her. At least, that's what he says. Their passionate kisses, however, tell a very different story . .Categorized as:
victorian from hate to love class difference regency historical humor audiobook open-door -
![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...Categorized as:
from hate to love m-f forced proximity abduction strong heroine alpha male possessive hero medieval -
![In the Family Way: Another John Pickett Mystery by Sheri Cobb South]()
In the Family Way: Another John Pickett Mystery by Sheri Cobb South
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith a beautiful and clever wife, a growing investigative business, and a baby due any day, former Bow Street Runner John Pickett finally has a respectable life far removed from his beginnings as a juvenile pickpocket in the rookeries of St. Giles. Then his father returns from transportation to Botany Bay, and Pickett’s hard-won respectability threatens to collapse like a house of cards... -
![Under the Harvest Moon by Collette Cameron, Caroline Warfield]()
Under the Harvest Moon by Collette Cameron, Caroline Warfield
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war. But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge...Categorized as:
mystery military age difference victorian historical regency pregnancy marriage of convenience -
![Defying the Earl by Erica Ridley]()
Defying the Earl by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsEnjoy a fun, flirty guardian-and-ward forced proximity romp from a New York Times bestselling author! Miss Matilda Dodd refuses to be any man’s property. She’s a month shy of her majority, and cannot wait to live life on her own terms. Rather than meet her unwanted new guardian as instructed, she attends a ball and comes kiss-to-kiss with an adorably befuddled handsome lord instead... -
![Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen]()
Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsNothing is simple when you’re thirty-fifth in line for the British crown, least of all marriage. But with love on their side, and plans to elope, Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her beau Darcy O’Mara hope to bypass a few royal rules. . -
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![Only a Lady Will Do by Tamara Gill]()
Only a Lady Will Do by Tamara Gill
She’s exactly what he isn’t looking for. .. and everything he never knew needed. .. Josh Worthingham, Duke of Penworth, must marry—and not just any bride will do. He needs a true lady to be his duchess. It’s what’s expected of him, and he can accept no less... -
![A Governess Should Never... Deny a Duke by Emily Windsor]()
A Governess Should Never... Deny a Duke by Emily Windsor
“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... -
![A Scandalous Deception by Lynn Messina]()
A Scandalous Deception by Lynn Messina
As much as Beatrice Hyde-Clare relished the challenge of figuring out who murdered a fellow guest during a house party in the Lake District, she certainly does not consider herself an amateur investigator. So when a London dandy falls dead at her feet in the entryway of a London Daily Gazette, she feels no compulsion to investigate... -
![God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen]()
God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsGeorgie is back and hanging the stockings with care when a murder interrupts her Christmas cheer in this all-new installment in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen. Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home...Categorized as:
mystery suspense heroine sleuth christmas historical humor 20th century length-medium -
![No Earls Allowed by Shana Galen]()
No Earls Allowed by Shana Galen
It is a truth universally acknowledged. that a lady can do anything a man can do:. backwards and in high-heeled dancing slippers. Lady Juliana, daughter of the Earl of St. Maur, needs all the help she can get. She's running a ramshackle orphanage, London's worst slumlord has illicit designs on her, and her father has suddenly become determined to marry her off... -
![An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina]()
An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhy, yes, the former Beatrice Hyde-Clare is distracted. Having settled comfortably into marriage to the Duke of Kesgrave, she is nevertheless surprised to find herself in an interesting condition. And it has to be that—the unsettling prospect of motherhood—that causes her to overlook the obvious clue that Roger Dugmore had indeed been killed in his sleep...Categorized as:
mystery super rich hero poor heroine heroine sleuth regency historical humor length-medium -
![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. Oh, how the tables have deliciously turned…... -
![The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer]()
The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
THE RUNAWAY. When Sir Richard Wyndham, an accomplished Corinthian, comes across a beautiful young woman climbing out of a window in a bid to escape, he finds the ideal opportunity to realise his own escape. Behind lovely Penelope Creed was the lavish life of a brilliant London heiress, and a proposed marriage to a man she loathed... -
![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... -
![Every Duke Has a Silver Lining by Tamara Gill]()
Every Duke Has a Silver Lining by Tamara Gill
He can’t deny her anything…except maybe his heart…. Ashley Woodville didn’t mean any harm when she broke into Grady Kolten’s office. It was only a dare from her friends. She wasn’t supposed to get caught. And she certainly wasn’t supposed to talk the notorious gaming hell owner (and disturbingly sexy rogue) into showing her London’s wilder side. Falling for him? Also not part of the dare... -
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![Dare To Be Scandalous by Tamara Gill]()
Dare To Be Scandalous by Tamara Gill
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter inheriting a small fortune, Willow Perry has everything she’s ever wanted. Except a husband, that is. But not just any husband will do. She’s looking for a grand love—someone who will challenge and excite her. It’s just her folly that the one man who interests her is a notorious rake. He’s as wild and passionate as Willow is sheltered and staid... -
![A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder: A Brilliant Victorian Historical Mystery by Dianne Freeman]()
A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder: A Brilliant Victorian Historical Mystery by Dianne Freeman
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 28 ratings“Pure unadulterated fun” ( Publishers Weekly ) for fans of Ashley Weaver, Deanna Raybourn, and Tasha Alexander, the Agatha Award-winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries are a witty romp through the high society of Victorian England with a touch of romance, an independent female lead, and rich historical detail... -
![These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer]()
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...Categorized as:
victorian mystery virgin heroine military age difference strong heroine alpha male poor heroine -
![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... -
![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. -
![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... -
![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... -
![My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley]()
My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 17 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:
from hate to love mystery suspense forced proximity historical regency humor dual-pov -
![A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman, Sarah Zimmerman]()
A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman, Sarah Zimmerman
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsSet in Victorian England, this witty and lighthearted cozy historical mystery from award-winning author Dianne Freeman will delight fans of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, as an American-born amateur sleuth investigates misdeeds among the British aristocracy. For Frances Wynn, widow to the late Earl of Harleigh, life has a cosmopolitan flavor of late... -
![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... -
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![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...Categorized as:
virgin heroine tortured hero from hate to love mystery possessive hero victorian humor regency -
![Four Play by Cindy Blackburn]()
Four Play by Cindy Blackburn
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBad news comes in . . . fours? For romance author and former pool shark Jessie Hewitt it does. She hasn’t written a decent sex scene in months, she hasn’t shot a decent game of eight ball all year, and don’t even ask about her supposed love life. And just when Jessie thinks things can’t get any worse, a body lands on her car... -
![The Charmed Heir by Merry Farmer]()
The Charmed Heir by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsMistaken identity is only the beginning…. Miss Charlotte Benning has lived a charmed life as the daughter of a wealthy, eccentric industrialist. Her only aim in attending the house party at Nedworth Hall is to find a nice man to marry and have a family with. She certainly doesn’t think she’s witty or clever enough to engage in all the excitement about Lord Carshalton’s mysterious heir... -
![A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder by Dianne Freeman, Karen Cass]()
A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder by Dianne Freeman, Karen Cass
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn Dianne Freeman's charming Victorian-era mystery series, Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, finds her sisters wedding threatened by a vow of vengeance. London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets... -
![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... -
![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...
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