Heartbeats of History: Steamy Historical Romance Shorts Series

I choose nothing in my life. I want to choose this. And if you will, I choose you. Lillian has always been terribly good. She has always tried to live up to her family name and avoid scandal to help improve the marriage prospects for herself and her siblings. When she learns that a wealthy but uncaring man is planning to seek her hand, she is torn between her dreams of love and her duty to her family. After years away adventuring, Huxley has been called home. Rugged, wild and handsome, he is facing a tawdry future married to a woman with no sense of adventure.   When the two meet by chance, the energy between them is undeniable. Lillian suggests one small indiscretion–a tryst–before the two of them are betrothed. Huxley is happy to oblige, and when Lillian confesses that this time will be her first time, Huxley promises to make it a night she will never forget.   Tryst with a Viscount is a steamy short story for fans of romantic historic fiction between consenting adults.

"Welcome home, Mrs Fitzherbert." Maria has remarried, and unlike her unreformed rake of a first husband, her dear second husband Frederick is sweet, kind and incredibly proper. He is not the sort of man to take liberties with a lady who is not his wife. Except now, after a quiet service in the village chapel, Maria is his wife. The boundaries have shifted. And after a two-year courtship and an agonising one-year engagement, Maria and Frederick can barely keep their hands from one another once they enter the front door. Perhaps a brief respite before departing for their honeymoon might make the long train ride bearable? Interruptions abound, and to keep themselves distracted until they can have some privacy, Maria proposes they play parlour games. But during a game of Hide and Seek, Maria finds more than she was expecting. Is Frederick really the man he claimed to me? Or has Maria been duped by a cad again? Hide and Seek is a light-hearted, steamy, romantic short story about love, trust and second chances. It is the perfect quick read for those who believe that nice guys really do finish last.

WINNER 2023 Romance Writers of Australia RUBY for Best Novella   A heartbroken photographer. An overlooked widow. One photographic plate. Clarke Metcalfe is down on his luck. Heartbroken and penniless, Clarke has one last chance to clear the debt he was saddled with when his beloved Emmaline left town to pursue the bright lights of Broadway. It's an opportunity that will clear his debts and save his kneecaps. But when the mysterious Mrs. Price arrives at his studio, she is not at all what he was expecting. Francine Price has spent her marriage trying to meet her husband's impossible standards, which included keeping her simple, intimate desires at bay. Now her husband is gone, she has begun sorting through his things. And what an eye-opening discovery she has made. Francine and Clarke come together for an afternoon—he, the photographer, her the model. But as the afternoon progresses, desires are voiced, and heartaches are laid bare. Clarke and Francine learn the power of passion exposed, but what does it mean to be truly seen by another? The Portrait Sitting is a slow burn steamy novelette for fans of romantic historical fiction between consenting adults.

Lord Julian Ashford, Baron Moncrief, detests London. Detests society. Since his wife died over a decade ago, he has had little thought for anything other than his own grief. Filling his life with work and duty, he exists as a shell of his former self. And while he can think of nothing worse than entertaining a hoard of freeloading guests, the weekend house party is his daughter's celebration, and while happiness eludes him, he would do anything for her. Blythe Flintwood knows a thing or two about the hard knocks life can throw at a girl. Orphaned, alone, and reliant on her skills as an art conservator to pay her way, she appreciates the small things. A beautiful painting. A special friendship. A weekend house party at a country estate to celebrate her best friend's birthday. She takes nothing for granted. If only the grubby old lords in attendance would stop propositioning her at every opportunity. If only they would listen to her when she tells them she's not interested. But they are powerful men, accustomed to getting what they want, especially when it comes to women like herself. So, to keep them at a distance, she tells a lie. Just a little lie. She tells them she is mistress to her best friend's father. And when she tells Julian what she has done, he, unbelievably, agrees to play along. My Fake Mistress was previously released as part of the Love for Maui anthology. My Fake Mistress is a steamy novella set in the late Victorian era. Its main tropes are best friend's father, age gap, blue stocking and widower baron. With a guaranteed HEA, My Fake Mistress has HOT consensual scenes. It includes strong language and sexy times. This novel also contains themes of parental death, spouse loss, grief and misogyny that some audiences may find confronting.