UNITED STATES AUTHOR · FICTION · GENERAL
Joan Wolf
Joan Wolf is a USA TODAY bestselling American writer, whose acclaimed Regency romances have earned her national recognition as a master of the genre. Her many historical and contemporary romances, some of which have been chosen as Literary Guild selections, have been highly praised by reviewers and authors alike. Joan was born in 1951 and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. A former English teacher, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mercy College and Master in English and Comparative Literature at Hunter College. An avid rider and horse owner, Joan lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two grown children, Jay and Pam.
IT WAS THREE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, ON A beautiful but blowy day in mid-May, and I was, as usual, in the Earl of Cambridge's stable office talking with his head groom.
— from The pretenders, 1969
Most acclaimed
Fool's Masquerade
Valentine Ardsley disguised herself as a teenaged boy to take a job as a groom on the magnificent Yorkshire estate of the arrogantly self-assured, imperiously handsome, Lord Diccon Leyburn. But her daring escape from the narrow confines of young ladyhood did not last long. — Valentine was unmasked by Lord Leyburn with shameful ease. Even worse, when Leyburn made her an offer of marriage, he made it insultingly clear that this was a matter of duty on his part, and certainly not desire. Never would Valentine accept such an odious offer. Instead she would go to London to find a gentleman who would really love her -- even if this meant pretending she could love any man but the infuriatingly irresistible Lord Leyburn in return.
The Counterfeit Marriage
Enchantingly beautiful Catherine Renwick had good cause to despise darkly handsome, insufferably arrogant James Pembroke, Earl of Allandale. It was this deplorable man who on a night of wild debauchery caused Catherine to be abducted and brought to him at a country inn. It was he who took her virtue by force, and left her threatened with disgrace. True, he now was willing to make amends by giving her his name in marriage. And equally true, she had no choice but to accept. But Catherine was sure that nothing in the world could erase her hatred for him or her horror of his embrace. Marriage a la mode. By the standards of aristocratic London, the marriage between the Earl of Allandale and Catherine Renwick seemed the most perfect of pairings. After all, both of them each had the perfect partner. The Earl had ravishing, superbly sensual Lady Caroline Amberly not only as his mistress, but she was passionately in love with him. Catherine had her childhood sweetheart, Ian Maxwell, still totally enamored of her and willing to devote himself to her happiness. What more could a married couple want? The answer came as a shock -- not only to Regency gossips, but to a husband and a wife fighting against their own uninvited desires...
A Regency Valentine
The unique joys and passions that surround St. Valentine's Day are captured in an extraordinary collection of all-new stories by five of the most beloved and highly acclaimed Regency authors. — Fair ladies... courtly gentlemen... romantic intrigue... here are the timeless tales of sweethearts young and old -- richly drawn stories of innocence and surrender, of infatuation, yearning, and of tender devotion. An exquisitely beautiful collection to be savored, shared, and treasured, A Regency Valentine lets you enjoys the magical spirit of Valentine's Day all year round. GOLDEN ROSE by Mary Balogh THE SECRET BENEFACTOR by Katherine Kingsley LADY VALENTINE'S SCHEME by Emma Lange FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS by Patricia Rice THE ANTAGONISTS by Joan Wolf