Rexanne Becnel

She's called "the Bridemaker", but Hester Poitevant prefers to think of herself as the gentle facilitator of marital union. Hester's popular Mayfair Academy has helped teach many the awkward society miss how to find her way to the altar with the eligible bachelor of her choice. But while her students flirt and mingle, Hester possesses as a prim widow--rather than reveal herself as the never-been married beauty she truly is... He made his fortune in America. Now the dashing, scandalously sired Adrian Hawke is in London, determined to fight off the season's most wily débutantes. Adrian isn't fooled by Hester's thin disguise--for she possess the soft, womanly curves no sombre gown can hide. The question is, why does she dress like a schoolmarm when she could easily make a better match than any of her student? Adrian vows to reveal Hester's most precious secrets. But what he discovers is a woman with a past more complicated than he could ever imagine--and whose beauty is not just skin-deep...

All her life, Linnea de Valcourt has been reviled as the cursed daughter of Maidenstone Castle. The younger of identical twins, she narrowly escaped a death sentence at birth. To save her beloved sister from marriage to the savage Norman conqueror who has laid siege to their castle, Linnea will sacrifice her own happiness by engaging in a dangerous deception. Years of exile have driven Axton de la Manse to the brink of despair. Now he will have his vengeance by taking his enemy’s most prized possession, his eldest daughter. Once they wed and she is carrying the de la Manse heir, no one can dispute his claim to Maidenstone, the stronghold stolen from his family. That is, until the unthinkable happens: He loses his heart to his bride, whose own desires ignite a fierce longing deep within Axton. Is their growing love enough to overcome the lies and treachery that could drive them apart?

In return for safe escort to her ancestral castle, Lady Rosalynde is forced to marry the black-hearted rogue known only as Blacksword. But, unbeknownst to Rosalynde, the condemned outlaw possesses a secret identity--a noble name that his dreaded enemy seeks to destroy. A fast-paced medieval romance set in 12th-century England.

From four authors who make their homes in Louisiana--Rexanne Becnel, Anne Logan, Deborah Martin, and Meagan McKinney--come four separate tales of love and risk, in which three women and one man must put their souls at stake to attain their hearts' desires. Louisiana: the enigmatic bayou, the moss-draped river trees, the ghostly city of New Orleans, a setting for devilish intrigue and dangerous love. Four talented authors who make their homes in this mysterious state conjure tales of three desperate women and a man who, long ago, dared to dance with the devil, risking souls for hearts' desire...and finding love. The Wager by Rexanne Becnel Spirited and bold, Amanda wasn't about to let the notorious gambler called the Devil ruin her brother. But the wager the handsome rake offers pits her innocent virtue against his closely guarded heart. The Haunting of Sarah by Anne Logan When her childhood sweetheart rejected her, lovely Sarah married his twin to provide for her family. Now, trapped in a cruel marriage, she offers her soul for one night in the arms of the man she should have wed. Out of the Night by Deborah Martin Dr. Victor Drouet would risk anything to save seven dying children...But when a beautiful healer appears in answer to his plea, he learns that he already sold himself to the devil and, to win her heart, he must reclaim his soul. The Monk by Meagan McKinney The death of her father left spoiled beauty Leila penniless, facing an empty future--marriage to a fortune hunter she did not love, or her father's partner, whom she despised. Then a mysteriously appealing monk offers another alternative...at the price of her very soul.

SOMETIMES BLESSING COME IN UNEXPECTED PACKAGES Charles Montgomery seems to have everything -- money, health, intelligence, the perfect family. But everything is not enough. His wife is threatening divorce. His children are spoiled rotten, And he has become blind to the things money can't buy. Now he is determined to save his family -- before it is too late. In an act of desperation, he whisks them away to a mountain retreat for a week at Christmas, It's a sure-fire recipe for disaster -- until a blizzard forces them to fend for themselves without heat or electricity...and until the Walker family, a motley crew of five stranded during the storm, seeks shelter with the Montgomery's. Togetherness was never so uncomfortable -- or enlightening. The blizzard passes, the Walkers leave. But the Montgomery's lives will never be the same again.

"There's a first time for everything as thirty-nine-year-old Zoe Vidrine learned the hard way. She was pregnant! Now the aging rock'n'roller had to change her tune fast. Her plan: leave behind the temptations of L.A.--and her famous hard-partying ex who had got her into this mess--and return to her family's Louisiana homestead to regroup....It had been twenty years, and the Day Glo hippie haven where Zoe had spent an unhappy childhood was gone, remodeled in the signature pastels of her...sister Alice. Alice's aesthetic sense was hard enough to swallow, but her holier-than-thou attitude set the stage for a showdown. Still, as the sisters gradually came to terms with their shared past, would there be a meeting of the minds? Talk about firsts..."--Book description.

Will Lacie Montgomery hold fast to her greatest deception, or succumb to the seductive stranger who is bent on learning the truth? From acclaimed romance writer Rexanne Becnel comes a story of passion and hidden identity in the post war American South. As a dark figure on horseback approaches the resplendent Louisiana estate of Sparrow Hill, a chill runs through Lacie Montgomery, the lovely head of the Sparrow Hill School for Young Ladies, because she is not exactly who she appears to be — and the exposure of her darkest secret could mean the closing of her beloved school and the end of its rightful place in the Kimbell family legacy. But Dillon Lockwood, the bastard Kimbell son, can see right through her, and he plans to extract her secret and save his family’s fortune, even if it means taking her to his bed, where deceit will crumble in the heat of a lover’s embrace.

"Living well is the the best revenge..."Well, maybe. But when it came to a woman scorned — not to mention two women scorned — maybe revenge was the best revenge. Thus when Joan Hoffman and Liz Savoie, both systematically dumped by the men they thought they loved, worked out side by side at the gym one fine day, they formulated a plan. A club, if you will. Why not go after each other's husbands? See them. Seduce them. And drop them....The plan was simple. The reality, however, was complicated by pregnant mistresses, embittered new wives, surly grown children — and then one of the exes went missing. And the members of the Payback Club were in for it now: Would they get even? Would they get everything?Or would they get twenty years to life?

All her life, Linnea de Valcourt has been reviled as the cursed daughter of Maidenstone Castle. The younger of identical twins, she narrowly escaped a death sentence at birth. To save her beloved sister from marriage to the savage Norman conqueror who has laid siege to their castle, Linnea will sacrifice her own happiness by engaging in a dangerous deception. Years of exile have driven Axton de la Manse to the brink of despair. Now he will have his vengeance by taking his enemy’s most prized possession, his eldest daughter. Once they wed and she is carrying the de la Manse heir, no one can dispute his claim to Maidenstone, the stronghold stolen from his family. That is, until the unthinkable happens: He loses his heart to his bride, whose own desires ignite a fierce longing deep within Axton. Is their growing love enough to overcome the lies and treachery that could drive them apart?

In a heartbeat, life changes. A sunny, Sunday afternoon, a family barbecue, and Naomi Baxter and her boyfriend Alex celebrate good news. Driving home, Naomi's recklessness causes a fatal accident, leaving nine-year-old Lily Vasey dead, Naomi fighting for her life, Alex bruised and bloody and the lives of three families torn apart. Traumatised, Naomi has no clear memory of the crash and her mother Carmel is forced to break the shocking truth of the child's death to her. Naomi may well be prosecuted for causing death by dangerous driving. If convicted she will face a jail term of up to 14 years, especially if her sister's claim that Naomi was drink-driving is proven. In the months before the trial, Carmel strives to help a haunted and remorseful Naomi cope with the consequences of her actions.

Dana Thunder Eagle is a beautiful woman with a fierce heart and powerful gift. But after the murder of her husband and mother, she ran away from the Rosebud reservation, hoping to leave the past behind her forever. Now, two years later, the killer is still on the loose.And only Dana has the mystical power to stop him.After six months of daily torture at the hands of South American rebels, Chase knows his latest mission may be his hardest: to whip Dana into fighting shape in just five weeks. Even more challenging will be to ignore his cinnamon-eyed student's graceful beauty. United in a life-or-death mission, Chase and Dana must learn to lean on each other if there is any chance of stopping a madman who seeks to destroy a people's history...and future.

Picking The Perfect PartnerThe dead always have a story to tell. All he has to do is wait for the truth to be revealed to him. The living trust him with their grief—and their dirty little secrets. Only then can he set about playing matchmaker, uniting the dead with their true soul mates…for all eternity… Exhuming a body is the last thing former FBI profiler Greer Lomax wants to do. Just the thought of it brings on the panic attacks she’s fought for two years. Now, as deputy sheriff, Greer Lomax is going to have to face her darkest fears. Because the body she’s exhumed isn’t alone. He’s joined by a young woman whose name is on a missing person’s list.The one person Greer can call for help is FBI agent Ash Keller. Ash hasn’t forgotten the hot blonde with the too-sexy smile and he hasn’t forgiven her for leaving him behind when she quit the Bureau. Working the case sparks the attraction they’ve tried to deny for too long and unleashes a passion they can’t control—one that could blind them to the most dangerous mistakes of the past…