Laura Lee Guhrke

Everyone in society knows that the marriage of 35 year old Lord and 26 year old Lady Hammond is an unhappy one. Everyone knows they have barely spoken to one another in over nine years. But what no-one in society knows are the reasons why ... Lady Viola Courtland was a romantic and impulsive young girl when she fell instantly in love with the handsome and dashing Viscount Hammond. Unbeknownst to Viola, John Hammond had already given his heart to the only woman he would ever love - his cousin's wife - but he was in dire financial straits and desperately needed to marry a wealthy heiress. In Viola, he thought he had found the perfect woman - beautiful and rich with a sweet nature. But Viola was neither practical nor sensible when it came to marriage, for she fully expected her husband to love her and was determined to settle for nothing less. Soon, however, John's secret was unwittingly revealed, but by then they were married and it was too late. Until one day, John finally came to his senses and prayed it wasn't too late to win back the love of his very own wife.

Despite her father’s intention to buy her a husband, beautiful and headstrong American heiress Margaret Van Alden has no intention of chaining herself in matrimony to some impoverished, fortune-hunting peer. She longs for adventure and romance, not matrimony, and when stone-broke scoundrel Trevor St. James, Earl of Ashton, comes along, she’s less than impressed. To her surprise, however, Trevor doesn’t propose marriage. Instead, he offers her all the passion and adventure she longs for, and Margaret finds his wicked, delicious seduction impossible to refuse. Trevor never wanted the Ashton title or the responsibilities that come with it, but when his brother died, he inherited those responsibilities, along with a pile of family debts. His only way out is to marry an heiress, and when he encounters Margaret and her matchmaking father in Italy, the enticing heiress and the enormous dowry offered by her father seem the perfect solution to his financial woes. Trevor sets a trap to win her, tempting her with bait he’s sure she can’t resist. But though his seduction might succeed in winning her hand, will he ever be able to win her heart? (From the Author's web-site.)

When his mother causes a huge scandal by eloping with an artist, Henry, Duke of Torquil, is determined to unmask the advice columnist he blames for the affair, but his plan backfires when he finds himself falling in love with her.

She thought she was the luckiest woman in London...Surviving on a seamstress' income and a steady stream of fantasies, Prudence Bosworth has always longed for love and romance. Then she inherits a fortune from the father she's never seen, with the stipulation that she wed in one year. Prudence is determined to marry for true love, and after seeing firsthand the splendid chivalry of a certain duke, only one man will do...Rhys de Winter, the Duke of St. Cyres, hides his cynicism behind a quick wit and an even quicker smile. He must marry an heiress, and as luck would have it, the pretty little seamstress-turned-heiress is exactly what he needs. But he never expected to fall for Prudence, and when his shocking deception is revealed, he will stop at nothing to win her back...even if it means renouncing every last one of his wicked ways.

Dear Lady Truelove . . . My twin brother and I need a new mother, though Papa insists he'll never marry again. Must be nice, brainy, and fond of cats . . . Lady Truelove may be London's most famous advice columnist, but James St. Clair, the Earl of Kenyon, knows his wild young sons need a tutor, not a new mother. They need a man tough enough to make his hellions tow the line, and James is determined to find one. Miss Amanda Leighton, former schoolteacher and governess, knows she has all the qualifications to be a tutor. And while female tutors are unheard of, Amanda isn't about to lose the chance at her dream job because of pesky details like that. If Lord Kenyon insists on hiring a man, then she has only one option . . . Jamie isn't sure what to make of his new employee, until he realizes the shocking truth -- beneath the ill-fitting suits, his boys' tutor is a woman. An unconventional, outspoken, thoroughly intriguing woman. Despite Amanda's deception, he can't dismiss her when his boys are learning so much. Yet Jamie, too, is learning surprising lessons -- about desire, seduction, and passionate second chances . . .

Dear Lady Truelove, My ward is driving me crazy. I have to marry her off and get her out of my life. There's just one problem… When Jonathan Deverill promised a dying friend he'd be guardian to the man's daughter, he envisioned a girl in pigtails and pinafores, a child he could leave behind in some finishing school. Problem is, his ward is actually a fully-grown, defiant beauty whose longing for romance threatens to make his guardianship a living hell. New York heiress Marjorie McGann wants a London season and a titled husband who can help her spend the Yankee millions she's inherited, and she thinks her new British guardian is the perfect person to help her find him. But Jonathan has no intention of letting his friend's fortune be squandered. Under his watchful, protective eye, Marjorie finds romance hard to come by . . . until one fateful night when her own guardian's devastating kisses makes her wonder if the greatest romance of all might be right in front of her.

Sophie Haversham would give anything not to have the gift of foresight. After all, her "talent" has already cost her one fiancé. And reporting a crime that hasn't happened yet is no easy task, especially to a tough, street-wise Scotland Yard detective. Inspector Mick Dunbar doesn't believe in visions, and he's convinced Sophie is actually shielding a would-be murderer. Only when Sophie's life is in danger does Mick realize he has fallen in love with this beautiful, courageous woman who can see into his very mind and heart, but will the knowledge come too late to save her? (From the Author's web-site.)

Home, freedom, liberty . . . those were mere words to Katie Armstrong, a savvy thief and indentured servant on the run in colonial Boston. For the sake of survival, she agreed to a British lord's bribe: unmask the identity of the patriot known as John Smith, or be returned to her brutal master. But soon the cagey John Smith was making the same threat–unless she spied for him. Katie planned to play both men against each other . . . until, masquerading as Smith's mistress, she lost her heart to the seductive stranger she had set out to undo. Ethan Harding's steely heart was ready to risk anything to end British tyranny–even if it meant taking on the false identity of John Smith, putting his own life in jeopardy, or blackmailing a beautiful and terrified young woman. And if that woman's angelic face made other men spill their secrets, so much the better. But now, Katie Armstrong's charms were about to betray his heart and his cause–and his desire for the elusive temptress would turn the tables on everyone and everything he had pledged to protect.

As Lady Beatrix Danbury, the woman he loves, but who he jilted six years earlier, prepares to marry another, William Mallory is hell-bent on stopping the wedding of the season and winning Beatrix back.

Her proposition . . .London Society is harsh for a young woman with no family connections who has to work for a living. But when Daisy Merrick is sacked from yet another job, the feisty and outspoken miss comes up with a plan that could give her a future beyond her wildest dreams. There's only one problem. Her success depends on a man, the most infuriating, impossible, immovable man she's ever met. His resolution . . .Sebastian Grant, Earl of Avermore, is England's most infamous author. Known for his notorious reputation, he is more interested in play than work, and has no intention of cooperating when Daisy shows up on his doorstep with a mad plan. The provoking, fire-haired beauty stirs his senses beyond belief, and Sebastian knows he has only one way to stop her. Seduction.

Olivia Maitland needs a man. Determined to hang onto her family’s Louisiana farm no matter what, Olivia knows she needs a big, strong man to help her, a man who’s not afraid of hard work. But in the aftermath of the Civil War, men like that are hard to come by, and when she finds ex-boxer Conor Branigan lying unconscious in the road, Olivia takes him in, even though the hard, brawling Irishman isn’t exactly what she had in mind, especially when he ignites a passion in her she’s never felt before. Conor knows what it’s like to pour all your hopes, dreams, and sweat into a piece of land only to have it come to nothing. He’d already seen his family destroyed and their lands taken during the Irish famine when he was a boy, and he has no intention of sticking around long enough to watch a corrupt man with power do the same thing to Olivia. But she and her three adopted daughters touch dreams in Conor he thought he’d forgotten long ago. Can he let go of the bitterness of his past and make a new future with Olivia? Can he believe in love again, or is it just too late for his cynical heart? (From the Author's web-site.)

"The youngest of the Crompton heiresses, Blyth yearns to marry into the aristocracy to bolster her family's place in society. The widowed Duke of Savoy seems to be the perfect choice, yet it's another man who sets her heart to pounding: the new footman, James. He's devilishly handsome and far more fascinating than any of her noble suitors. And he alone has the power to stir her romantic dreams. Little does she know, however, James Ryding is the true heir to the Crompton fortune. He's posing as a servant in order to find evidence to prove her parents are imposters. By charming Blythe, he hopes to use her to regain his rightful inheritance. But as heat flares between them, he realizes that fulfilling his quest will mean ruining the beautiful, spirited woman who has captured his heart."--P. of cover.

Beautiful widow Mara Elliot has only one goal—to save her London factory from the creditors. A no-nonsense woman of business, Mara has no patience with impractical schemes and risky ideas. But when she is forced into accepting handsome inventor Nathaniel Chase as her business partner, Mara has no choice but to go along with his reckless plans, plans which put everything she’s worked for at risk. Nathaniel knows success doesn’t come to those who play it safe. Mara’s factory is the perfect place to transform his innovative ideas into reality, but his new business partner isn’t cooperating. The provoking beauty questions his judgment at every turn and fights his plans every step of the way, but she also sparks his desire like no woman he’s ever met before. Can Nathaniel convince her to trust him and follow his dream, or will he have to give up everything he’s ever wanted in order to win her heart? (From the Author's web-site.)

What happens when a carefree, disreputable, stone-broke bachelor is forced to find a wife in a hurry? He hires a matchmaker, of course. What happens when the matchmaker doesn’t want to help him? Well, that’s when the fun begins… Nicholas Stirling, Marquess of Trubridge, loves his life just as it is: dissolute, scandalous, and deuced good fun. His father, the Duke of Landsdowne is not amused, and when he cuts off Nicholas’ trust fund, the fun-loving marquess is forced to find an alternate source of income—in other words, he has to marry an heiress. Every new-money American heiress knows Lady Belinda Featherstone is the key to social acceptance. Once a new-money nobody herself, Belinda discovered first-hand how heartbreaking the game of love and matrimony could be after a reprobate British earl married her for her money. Now a respectable widow, Belinda has become England’s most successful matchmaker, guiding young American heiresses through the hazards of the London season and helping them to find husbands worthy of them. To her mind, the Marquess of Trubridge is nothing but a fortune-hunting scoundrel and she has no intention of allowing him to charm his way into any American girl’s heart, including her own.

Four friends from Mrs. Rochambeaux's Gentle School for Girls find an old sixpence in their bedchamber and decide that it will be the lucky coin for each of their weddings. "Something Old" Julia Quinn's prologue introduces her heroine, Beatrice Heywood, and the premise of Four Weddings and a Sixpence. "Something New" In Stefanie Sloane's unforgetabble story, an ever-vigilant guadian decrees that Anne Brabourne mus marry by her twenty-first birthday. But love finds her in the most unexpcted of ways. "Something Borrowed" Elizabeth Boyle tells the tale of Cordelia Padley, who has invented a bethrothed to keep her family from pestering her to wed. Now she'll need to borrow one to convince them she's found her true love. "Something Blue" In Laura Lee Guhrke's story, unlucky Lady Elinor Daventry has her sixpence stolen from her and must convince the rakewho pilfered the coin to return it in time for her own wedding. "... And a Sixpence in Her Shoe" Julia Quinn finishes with the story of Beatrice Heywood, who never believed that the sixpence was anything but a tarnished old coin.... Until it all led all of her friends to true love. But her faith in the coin is tested when it keeps sending her to the wrong man!

Ella era la casamentera ... Él era el hombre perfecto ... El trabajo de lady Belinda Featherstone consistía en asesorar a herederas americanas para que contrajeran matrimonio y en alejarlas de hombres como Nicholas, el marqués de Trubridge, pero aquel hombre encantador y de pésima reputación necesitaba encontrar una esposa rica y la contrató para que le ayudara a lograrlo. La tarea de Belinda parecía sencilla, tan solo tenía que encontrarle a aquel granuja la esposa que se merecía ... pero el ardiente y apasionado beso de Nicholas no tardó en demostrar que él no iba a ponérselo nada fácil. Nicholas se había propuesto casarse con una joven rica y bella para solucionar sus problemas de dinero y estaba dispuesto a pagar por los servicios de una casamentera, pero bastó con que besara los labios de Belinda una sola vez para que su sensato plan de casarse por dinero se tambaleara, para que anhelara demostrarle a su hermosa casamentera que él era el hombre perfecto ... perfecto para ella.

Lord Denys Somerton, 32, is determined to settle down and find a respectable wife, until an unexpected inheritance brings Lola Valentine, the socially unacceptable American with with whom he shared a passionate romance, back to London.

Once Upon a Time... Maria Martingale was going to elope. But Phillip Hawthorne, Marquess of Kayne, put a stop to those plans when he learned his younger brother intended to marry a cook's daughter. Now, twelve years later, Maria discovers that the man who holds her fate in his hands is none other than the haughty gentleman who sent her packing—and he's as handsome and arrogant as ever. Happily Ever After? Always the proper gentleman, Phillip will do anything to protect his family from scandal, and when Maria dares to move in right next door, he knows scandal will surely follow. She is as tempting as he remembered . . . and the more he sees her, the harder it is for Phillip to keep his own secret desire for her a secret

Annabel is about to marry the perfect man… The last thing 25 year old Miss Annabel Wheaton desires is true love. She learned the hard way that love makes a woman foolish and only leads to heartache. That’s why she agreed to marry an earl who needs her money. He’s got a pedigree and a country estate, and he won’t ever break her heart. There’s only one problem… Christian isn’t about to let her marry that pompous prig… Christian Du Quesne, 37 year old Duke of Scarborough, thinks this stubborn heiress is about to make the biggest mistake of her life, and he’s determined to stop her. Tempting beautiful women is Christian’s forte, after all. When her family offers him a nice sum of money to stop the wedding, he’s happy to accept. Falling in love with Annabel wasn’t supposed to be part of the bargain…