Those Scandalous Taggarts Series by Tammy Jo Burns

Penelope Presley has suffered through unspeakable loss and scandal. Forced to live under her cruel Grandfather’s thumb, she finds herself both relieved and frightened when he tells her she will be marrying the man known as the Beast of Yorkshire. Having already lost two wives and a fiancée, Duncan Taggart, Duke of Yorkshire, is desperate for an heir... morePenelope Presley has suffered through unspeakable loss and scandal. Forced to live under her cruel Grandfather’s thumb, she finds herself both relieved and frightened when he tells her she will be marrying the man known as the Beast of Yorkshire. Having already lost two wives and a fiancée, Duncan Taggart, Duke of Yorkshire, is desperate for an heir. To have an heir, he must have a wife, but who is ever going to willingly marry a man with a reputation such as his? He takes matters into his own hands and pays Penelope’s grandfather an exorbitant amount of money to marry her. When Penelope arrives at Taggart Hall, it is to find her future husband is not the old man she believed she would find. Instead, he’s a handsome, virile man that makes her heart race and her body ache for his touch. The longer she’s around Duncan, the more certain she is that not only does he not deserve the horrible nickname he has been given, but that he also had absolutely nothing to do with those women’s deaths. While he is away tending to business, Penelope’s world falls apart. Uncertain who to trust, she flees to London with only the clothes on her back. When Duncan arrives home to find her gone, he wastes no time going after her. Will he be able to find Penelope before the killer does? And will Penelope and Duncan ever be able to find the happiness they deserve? less

He wants to forget the past… Having just survived a duel, Reese Taggart, has decided he needs a change of scenery. Remembering a sugarcane plantation he won in a long ago card game, he sets off on an adventure where he hopes he can outrun the demons of his past. She wants to carve out a future… Circe Hayhurst just wants to escape the reputation of her parents, find a man to love, settle down have children. She also wants to be respectable... moreHe wants to forget the past… Having just survived a duel, Reese Taggart, has decided he needs a change of scenery. Remembering a sugarcane plantation he won in a long ago card game, he sets off on an adventure where he hopes he can outrun the demons of his past. She wants to carve out a future… Circe Hayhurst just wants to escape the reputation of her parents, find a man to love, settle down have children. She also wants to be respectable. Sounds simple enough, right? Not so, when your shipboard companion to a Caribbean island is none other than Wild Lord Taggart. She is determined from the outset to stay away from him and see her plans through. Fate wants to mess everything up… Circe does not feel as welcomed as she thought she would at her uncle’s plantation on Barbados. Reese has found the plantation he won in a shambles with the only inhabitants a family of squatters and some errant mice. Nothing seems to be turning out the way either one wanted, but they always seem to seek each other out for comfort and solace. When situations go from bad to worse, will Reese and Circe reach out to one another, or are they both too stubborn to see what is in front of them? By the time they do, will it be too late? less

Lady Bridget Patterson has spent the majority of her life living up to her family’s scandalous reputation and thumbing her nose at society. Well, and truly, on the shelf, she has given up all hopes of finding a man that meets all of her requirements and has resigned herself to becoming a nun and working with the poor. Until she sees him… Earl Augustus St. Clair is practically a pauper and one of the most brilliant Principal Officers, Bow Street Runner’s, London has ever seen... moreLady Bridget Patterson has spent the majority of her life living up to her family’s scandalous reputation and thumbing her nose at society. Well, and truly, on the shelf, she has given up all hopes of finding a man that meets all of her requirements and has resigned herself to becoming a nun and working with the poor. Until she sees him… Earl Augustus St. Clair is practically a pauper and one of the most brilliant Principal Officers, Bow Street Runner’s, London has ever seen. But when someone begins abducting women off the street, he will have to go undercover to ferret out the person responsible. He has worked undercover before, but never as a member of London’s elite society — the beau monde. With the support of a duke, he expects to go in, infiltrate and apprehend the men responsible, and return to his job. Easy enough, until he sees her… Gus and Bridget’s lives quickly become entwined and she is falling in love with a man she believes to be everything she ever dreamed of in the perfect man, when in reality he is none of those things. Bridget puts her own life on the line when her chaperone is kidnapped. Will Gus be able to save her from the kidnapper? Will he be able to convince her she does know him, despite the lie he lived? But most importantly will he be able to save her from herself and prove to her that she is worthy of everlasting love? less

Just a few short years ago, Carson and Sophia were madly in love, but a promise made when she was but a babe tore them apart. Now, Sophia is a widow torn between society's dictates and living life on her terms. Amid the beautiful, and ostentatious, backdrop of London's last Frost Fair, Sophia will be reunited with Dr. Carson Matthews once more. But just as all seems to be going well for the couple, fate deals them a cruel hand and threatens to tear the couple apart forever... moreJust a few short years ago, Carson and Sophia were madly in love, but a promise made when she was but a babe tore them apart. Now, Sophia is a widow torn between society's dictates and living life on her terms. Amid the beautiful, and ostentatious, backdrop of London's last Frost Fair, Sophia will be reunited with Dr. Carson Matthews once more. But just as all seems to be going well for the couple, fate deals them a cruel hand and threatens to tear the couple apart forever. Carson's physician's skills will be put to the test as he uses them to save the love of his life and ensure they have the happy ending they have both desperately longed for. less

He needs to find out her secrets… Grayson Patterson, Lord Dervish, is the ultimate rake. He answers to no one and does as he pleases. He doesn't work at life, he plays…and he enjoys every minute of it. Helping the various government agencies extract information is something he considers a lark and does free of charge... moreHe needs to find out her secrets… Grayson Patterson, Lord Dervish, is the ultimate rake. He answers to no one and does as he pleases. He doesn't work at life, he plays…and he enjoys every minute of it. Helping the various government agencies extract information is something he considers a lark and does free of charge. But when he's called into a government office and told his beloved grandmother's life could be in jeopardy, by her chaperone no less, he sets out to do what he does best—seduce her chaperone until she reveals her secrets. She wants peace and stability… Finally settled and stable working as a chaperone, all widow Abigail Thompson wants is to take care of her precocious daughter Jemma. Her family long ago turned their backs on her, forcing her to forge her own path after losing her husband in the war. She definitely doesn't need her companion's grandson showing up, disrupting her perfectly sedate life, and encouraging her daughter's mischievous ways. She especially doesn't need the extremely handsome and charming Lord Dervish to show her what had been lacking in her marriage. All he brings is chaos… When Grayson realizes Abigail is innocent, in so many ways, he is too far gone…his heart well and truly belongs to her. But Abigail has been burned once, and refuses to be made a fool of again, for what rake in his right mind would marry a woman with her past that has a child? Will he be able to convince her to trust him, not only to keep her and Jemma safe, but with her heart? Or will he lose her before he has the chance to prove to her that sometimes love is the best kind of chaos. less

She is a healer living alone...Jacqueline Grey (or Jack as she prefers to be called) is content to live life alone in her little cottage, treating the villagers' illnesses. But when her grandmother arrives with a mysterious ailment that is affecting her memory, Jack cannot stand to do nothing. So she packs up the few things she owns, and goes to London. Little does she know that when she arrives, her grandmother plans to introduce her to the beau monde... moreShe is a healer living alone...Jacqueline Grey (or Jack as she prefers to be called) is content to live life alone in her little cottage, treating the villagers' illnesses. But when her grandmother arrives with a mysterious ailment that is affecting her memory, Jack cannot stand to do nothing. So she packs up the few things she owns, and goes to London. Little does she know that when she arrives, her grandmother plans to introduce her to the beau monde.He is an investigator uncertain where he belongs...Dominic Grantham has been found by his family and he's not quite certain how he feels about it, especially the fact that he now has to interact with members of the ton on a regular basis considering his long, lost parents are the Earl and Countess of Davenport. Thanks to the eye patch he wears, the women twitter and whisper about him being a pirate while the men just do their best to ignore him.Can two lonely hearts find love?Months earlier, Grantham, a private investigator, found Lady Jack on behalf of her grandmother. So when the women's lives are endangered and the situation turns desperate, he is the only person Lady Jack feels she can turn to for help. As they work to find out who wants Jack permanently out of the way, the two grow closer until feelings can no longer be denied. But will love be enough for a free-spirited, independent woman? And will they find out who wants Lady Jack dead before it's too late?This is a part of a series, but it does not have to be read in any particular order. A guaranteed HEA with no cliff-hangers. (You will see some familar faces from other books in the series.) less