Harper's Court: July 2018

Thank you as always for stopping by and your continued support. This month, I'm spotlighting books that have a wedding theme from the book cover, as well as historicals, and spotlighting author resources from Naleighna Kai Promo Partners. As always, this list is rarely complete (except for the NKPP resources) , just a sampling of stories I'm aware of.

Wedding Themed stories

1) When You Wish by Deidra D.S. Green

Sex is the foundation of many relationships. But what if sex was no longer on the table?

Alexis Bradley and Chance Eubanks have been a couple for nearly three years. Alexis said yes when Chance proposed marriage, but Alexis is struggling. She loves Chance true enough, but her sanctified upbringing and the shameful looks from her parents have made her reconsider the current dynamics of their relationship. Convicted by the sins of 'loving' her fiance, Alexis proposes celibacy for the 30 days preceding their nuptials. Chance balks at the proposition, but doesn't want to risk losing Alexis completely. Does Chance honor his promise to remain celibate or does he cave in to temptation? Find out in When You Wish...

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2NzyjLK

2) A Tempting Proposal (The Fortune Brothers Book 1) by Dara Girard

Straight-laced businessman, James Fortune, always does the right thing.  
So when his reckless twin brother, Jackson, gets cold feet the day of his wedding, James decides to pretend to be the groom to protect his family’s name and honor, until his brother comes to his senses.  
However, his new bride, Ava Hughes, is also not who she seems. Soon James and Ava find themselves trying to outwit each other in a sensual game of cat and mouse. 
Until one of them is forced to surrender…

Link to Purchase
https://amzn.to/2uEStgm

3) Between a Rock and a Hot Mess (The Sinclair Brides Book 1) by Phyllis Bourne (Book 1 of 2)

Riley Sinclair has man problems. Trouble is, everyone has one but her.

After years on the sidelines at weddings, the head of Sinclair Construction now sits home alone on what used to be girls night. Her only companions are television, a bottle of wine and a crush on a stranger she doesn’t have the guts to approach. Too bad she isn’t more like the daring heroine of her favorite show Hot Mess. Men want to bed and wed the glamorous Delilah Cole, while rough-around-the-edges Riley is relegated to the friend zone.

Enter the perfect solution - an interactive app where the star of Hot Mess dishes style, beauty and relationship advice guaranteed to transform any woman into a man magnet. Riley re-invents herself, and thanks to the app, is on the brink of landing her dream man…and another she didn’t count on. Soon Riley’s embroiled in her own hot mess and has to choose between the Cinderella fairytale with the man she wants or the soul deep passion found only in the arms of the man she needs.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2zZgrYL

4) Insert Groom Here (Unconventional Brides Romance) by K.M. Jackson (Book 1 of 3)

Eva Ward has won a lavish wedding on the nation’s hottest morning show and can't wait to kick off her happily-ever-after in style. Too bad her fiancé backs out on-air—and cameraman Aidan Walker makes sure her private meltdown goes viral, down to the last couch-kicking moment. The only way Eva can save face and keep her perfect nuptial plans on track is to star in a new “find-a-groom” reality segment. But finding Mr. Right in one month means ignoring her handsome new producer—none other than Aidan himself—and getting their instant, exasperating attraction out of her system…

Eva soon finds there's a lot more to Aidan than freewheeling charm. But one glimpse of his caring side can't make up for off-camera politics, Aidan's own secrets—or Eva's fear that they’re too different to ever trust each other. So it's time for her to flip this script, write twists no one will see coming—and risk her heart to get the real thing…

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2Levtiv

5) The Miserable Wives Club (Everybody Needs Joy Shorts Series) by E. N. Joy

The Miserable Wives Clubs; where the members don't want anyone to know they belong...especially their husbands!

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2O3KZvc

6) Yours Forever (Once Upon a Bridesmaid Book 1) by Sherelle Green

Mackenzie “Mac” Cannon likes her men the same way she likes her coffee. Strong, dark, and flavorful. However, while most women were trying to drink the entire coffee pot, Mac was more of a Keurig kind of girl, opting to have frivolous casual flings as opposed to meaningful relationships.

While attending one of her best friends’ weddings—in a moment influenced by too many mojitos—the Feng-Shui consultant foolishly agrees to a pact; to marry within the next year. Her friends don’t think she’s going to go through with it. Honestly, Mac is uneasy about the entire idea. But she doesn’t mind cuddling up with the most mouth-watering cup of coffee she sees in the meantime… the best man, Alexander Carter.

Alex is successful, talented, devastatingly handsome, and surprisingly celibate. At least, he was, until a beautiful bombshell rocked his world before leaving him with nothing more than a piece of paper with a kiss on it in her wake. It’s not that the CEO of an environmental engineer firm minds being used, but typically, if a woman wants him for only sex, he at least takes her to dinner first. Imagine his surprise when that same feisty vixen is placed into his life again, and as expected, she seems to be wearing her running shoes. Yet, this time, Alex is ready for the temptress. A little fun and games never hurt anyone, right? Unless fun and games starts looking a whole lot like promises and forever.
Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2O4jZvI

7) Beyond Forever (Once Upon A Bridesmaid Book 2) by Elle Wright

Ryleigh Fields has plans for her life that don’t involve weddings, marriage, or true love. Returning to her hometown is hard, but her agenda is clear: drink, eat, and leave as fast as she can. In that order. But when she stupidly agrees to a wedding pact with her besties and promptly runs into the one guy who could be a game changer, Ryleigh realizes that even the best laid plans can be derailed.

Martin Sullivan travels all over the world for Marshall and Sullivan Consulting. Each destination offers exposure for his software company, more money in his pocket, and a bevy of attractive women. But a trip to his cousin’s wedding, puts him in direct contact with the one woman he can’t stop thinking about.

After consulting on a project, Martin knew he’d met his match with Ryleigh. One perfect night in Brazil, and he was ready to let her know just how much she impressed him, but he never got the opportunity. Now, almost a year later, he has his chance. The problem? Convincing Ryleigh. And like always, he’s up for the challenge.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2LuIROS

8) Embracing Forever (Once Upon A Bridesmaid Book 3) by Sheryl Lister

After a string of failed relationships, and with three months left on the marriage pact she foolishly agreed to, Raven Holloway has just about given up on love. To take the sting out of her latest heartbreak, she does what she’s always done—seek consolation in the arms of her best friend, Bryson Montgomery. Only this time, comfort turns to white-hot pleasure and a night she can’t seem to forget. But the strong-willed physical therapist doesn’t want to ruin a friendship and isn’t ready to trust her heart again.

Marriage is definitely not on Bryson’s radar. He has his hands full running his teen community center. Yet, he isn’t prepared for the passion Raven unleashes in him and now he wants more. Raven is determined to keep him in the friend zone, but he’s just as driven to show her how good they can be together. So, Bryson devises a seductive campaign to persuade Raven to embrace what he is offering…a love that will last forever.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2uBCIH2

9) Hopelessly Forever (Once Upon A Bridesmaid Book 4) by Angela Seals

Hopeless romantic. Never did two words describe anyone more than Quinn Jacobs…or at least in her mind. Quinn refuses to believe that her fun-loving idealist ways and sentimental dreamer mentality can be mistaken for a creepy class A clinger.

When she makes a bet with her best friends from high school that she’ll be married within a year, her delusional skewed view makes her think the task seems simple enough. After, repeatedly misinterpreting her romantic partner’s affection for her, Quinn begins to think that maybe it isn’t ‘them’ after all. Maybe she’s the problem. And never has a person agreed with her more than the edgy and mysterious Paxton. They may be oil and water but if he can help her find a guy and accomplish her year-end goal, then who cares. But she slowly realizes that her whimsical ways may have agreed her to a world with Pax that she hadn’t bargain for!

Paxton Wolfe prides himself on “keeping it real.” Growing up in Orange Mound, Tennessee, taught him that if you want anything in life you had to work for it. When he starts his own flooring business, he kindly kissed away his thuggish lifestyle and entered the world of entrepreneurship. Women, money and full control are the perfect combination. Romance is just an unnecessary distraction and the last thing Pax is looking for. However; he hadn’t planned for the bubbly, outgoing and clueless Quinn Jacobs to walk into his life. He’s prepared to put in the work to help her land her dream man, but the one thing he didn’t count on is the slow burning affection he starts to feel for the neurotic – yet mesmerizing – woman. Her uncontrollable honesty, endearing cuteness and inability to not wear her heart on her sleeve, makes her the most dangerous woman to fall for. But he’s not in danger of that… right?

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2O7Q1Ho

10) Something Old (Brides of Cedar Bend Book 1) by Lena Hart (Book 1 of 4)

Jilted by the one woman he’s ever loved, small town sheriff Guy Lawson vows never to let himself be so vulnerable. But when the woman who broke his heart returns to Cedar Bend, he is forced to uphold an old promise he made long ago…

After two years of running from her father’s death, Zamya “Mya” Daniels is ready to win back the man she loves. Except Guy doesn’t believe in second chances. When Mya sets out to repair their broken relationship, Guy’s guarded heart is helpless against his body’s desires.

Will their old bond be enough to save their love—or will they come to accept that some things just aren’t meant to last?

Link for Purchase https://amzn.to/2uRdfZu

11) Stacy's Wedding by Aisha Ford

As a professional wedding planner, Stacy Thompson has seen the best, and the worst, in love-everything from the joyous couples to towering wedding cakes toppled by unsteady caterers. Then she meets Max Edwards, and finds herself in the whirl of romance. Her fear of a serious relationship is on a collision course with the overwhelming attractions he stirs in her whenever their gazes meet. But as Max and Stacy get acquanted, they each struggle with personal fears and real communication. When the revelation of a well-hidden secret threatens to shatter the foundation of their developing love, will their growing honesty strengthen their love, or will Stacy's dream wedding disapear in the harsh light of reality?

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2JY1plN

12) Summer Vows (Hideaway Legacy series Book 14) by Rochelle Alers

Twins Ana and Jason, along with their cousin Nicholas, are successful thirtysomethings who are single—and loving it. They have no idea that their relatives are betting on which one of them will get married first. But by the family's New Year's Eve reunion, will all three have learned what it means to be really lucky—in love?

As CEO of Serenity Records, Ana Cole never backs down. Now the hot new recording artist she's signed has made her the target of death threats, forcing her to go into hiding. And protecting her is U.S. marshal Jacob Jones.

Jacob has better things to do on his vacation than play bodyguard. Until he gets a glimpse of the body he'll be guarding… Spending days and nights together in close quarters stokes their mutual attraction into an inferno of desire. But if Jacob can outwit a would-be assassin, will their love outlast his assignment?

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2LCSDzd

13) Forgive us This Day By Barbara Joe Williams

"What happens after the I do's? What happens after the courtship, wedding and honeymoon celebration fades? Barbara Joe Williams pulls back the curtain on these particular lives who seem to have it all in Forgive Us This Day.

Bad decisions, temptations, intentions and myriad other vices infiltrate the perfect union. Although we know what is coming, the breakdown is a painful one. The beauty of the story is also in the rebuilding of the marital foundation. Williams turns the screws on the characters' flaws and vulnerabilities that do a fantastic job to power up the tension to the very end." Michelle Monkou, USA Today

Alese Dean-Wayne is a happily married woman, at least she was happy when the New Year's Day started. However, her entire life is about to change over the course of this day. After receiving an anonymous message that her husband has been intimate with one of his employees, she ponders if her long-term marriage is worth saving.

Michael Leron Wayne is a wealthy businessman, devoted husband, and a new father. However, he also happens to be human. After spending just one lustful night with one of his employees, he's consumed with guilt, and contemplates whether or not to confess to his doting wife.

Alese and Michael Wayne have been married for fifteen years and weathered many storms together. They have forgiven each other many times before, but will each one be forgiven for this day?

This is a rewritten version of the original novel published in November 2004. The special anniversary edition has more main character development and added drama for your reading pleasure. It was also selected online as a USA Today "must read romance novel."

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2JYhVlR

14) Something Old? Something New? (Something About Love Series Book 1)

by Marlee Rae

Dawn is sad, emotionally broken, and recovering from a recent family tragedy when she meets a handsome new neighbor. The new neighbor, Macon, is kind, chivalrous, and determined to win Dawn's heart. But, what will Dawn's boisterous and overly confident best friend, Dre, have to say about this new neighbor. Will he embrace her new love interest or will he want her for himself? Travel on the highs and lows of Dawn's journey as she decides if someone old or someone new is best for her.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2LT1xEX

15) Never (Lassiter Sisters Book 1) by Joy Avery

How does love repair a shattered heart…

After her recent divorce, a new relationship is the last thing on Sadona Lassiter’s mind. Who needs the complication? Unfortunately, Mount Pleasance, North Carolina’s handsome veterinarian is starting to grow on her. A huge complication. She can’t deny her attraction to Keith Fremont, but is she ready to risk her heart again?

…piece by delicate piece.

Keith’s content with his mundane life—all work and no play—until Sadona strolls into his practice with an injured dog. Captivated by the beautiful woman, he’s determined to get to know her. And he does. But will he allow a devastating betrayal in his past to keep him from securing a future with the woman he loves?

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2NW3Pnb

16) Wife 101 (The Wife 101 Series) by A'ndrea J. Wilson

Final Exam Question #1
Is an independent woman destined to remain single forever or can a wife training course turn a mess into a Mrs.?

Thriving Atlanta mogul Amber Ross thinks she is the perfect woman. But when she finds out that her recent ex-boyfriend is marrying someone else, she begins to question what men really want. Frustrated with the dating scene and her failing interactions with men, Amber enrolls in a course at her church geared towards teaching women how to be effective in their relationships: Wife 101. Amber expects the class to shed some light on her courting flaws, but it does more than that; it challenges many of her life choices and ideas about romance. Her new attitude brings unexpected love, but has she learned enough to make the right choices and snag a great husband, or like a foolish woman, will she tear down her home with her own hands?

Link For Purchase
https://amzn.to/2LSecru

17) Until Ray: Book 1 of the Until Ray Trilogy (Book 1 of 3) by Cheryl Robinson

She’s trying to find love.
He’s trying to find himself.

Sarita Deering has all the right letters after her name—MBA, CPA—to be a rising, upper-level business executive, but she hasn’t been successful in gaining the attention of men. Her well-to-do background has provided much for her, and her parents expect her to marry a doctor. But Sarita isn’t convinced that Dr. Graham Emerson, someone she’s known her entire life, is the one for her.

A blind date with the accomplished Sarita Deering could turn Ray Saint’s world around. He’s frustrated that he’s still stuck in a dead-end job, stuck living with his distant and disturbed mother. Picking up women in Detroit’s club scene—or anywhere, really—is finally getting old for Ray.

Sarita likes Ray’s charm, sense of humor, and good looks. But his womanizing reputation precedes him. Has Ray really changed and now is the man who could put her loneliness to an end?

UNTIL RAY, the first book in a series, explores Ray and Sarita’s life and love during the 1980s through the lenses of family dysfunction and judgments about class and skin color.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2uSpVQD

18) Marrying Up by Nina Foxx

The Ring Is Not Enough ...

... not if, like Paris Montague, you come from a long line of women whoknow how to marry. In her family, the unspoken rule has always been:never wed someone who's not as well off as you, and her mother wants herlast unattached daughter to find a wealthy "Mr. Right" right now.

But Paris is doing just fine with her no-strings-attached relationship withher sexy secret lover, Tyson. The man may not have money, but he knowshow to push all the right buttons!

Then JaBari Nolan enters the picture -- rich, charming, and oh-so-fine,with definite husband potential. But Paris can't shake the feeling thatthere's something shady going on with the all-too-perfect Mr. Nolan.

Time's running out, and Paris is going to have to choose between sweetTyson and seductive JaBari.

And maybe "up" is not the way to take it ...

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2NQtqOz

19) The Complete Clique with Happily Ever Elisa (Faith, Love, Hope, and Destiny Book 5) by Mia Caldwell

Four of your favorite heroines are married off to fabulous billionaires in the full series found in this boxed set collection.

But what about Elisa? Will she ever find her Happily Ever After?

Billionaire and innovator Aaron Davis hopes that money can buy happiness. When he plans a fabulous event for his artist girlfriend, he figures that getting the best party planners in town will finally make her happy. But when he meets Elisa Roman, all bets are off. With her professional, warm demeanor and those wild curves, he finds himself attracted beyond measure.

Elisa has watched all four of her best girlfriends and colleagues move on from Clique, and all she has left is her best friend James, her cuddly cat Merlin, and her job at The Elite Party Planners to keep her warm at night. But when dashing Aaron Davis walks in, she's not sure what's up and what's down. Her best friend James is her rock, but when sparks fly with her and Aaron, James walks out of her life.

With her best friend gone, a happy ever after seems more and more out of reach.

THE EXCLUSIVE BONUS Happily Ever Elisa can be read as a standalone contemporary romance, or as the stunning conclusion to the Faith, Love, Hope and Destiny series. One of your favorites by Mia Caldwell. Enjoy the Clique world of tender fantasy with a touch of steam.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2AbJU1w

20) 12 Honeymoons: A Novel by K.L. Brady

Being one of DC’s most eligible socialites couldn’t spare Miki from heartbreak, but her fail-proof Honeymoon Plan just might work – if she’s freed from jail.

Miki Vincent's entire life stalled because she's addicted to the beginnings of things, especially relationships. She relishes in the emotional highs, first hugs, first kisses that new love brings. But sex always ruins it. That's why abstaining during the first three months of a relationship—following the 90-day rule—was supposed to help land her down the aisle with Mr. Right. Miki finds out the hard way, Mr. Wrong can wait that long, especially if his ultimate prize is her inheritance.

One assault charge and depression later, Miki devises the Honeymoon Plan, guaranteeing her a lifetime of firsts and zero heartaches. But following her own rule sends her life into an out-of-control spiral in which she's sentenced to more than perpetual break-ups. A new pursuit and a string of sexy suitors offer her the opportunity to jumpstart her life and test her new strategy. The only problem? It just might work.

Miki's best friend Pam, a repressed artist, struggles to keep her honeymoon alive but she can no longer ignore the blatant evidence staring her in the face: Her husband is having an affair. A different kind of "honeymoon plan" designed to free her from her troubles, and a chance meeting with a handsome artistic stranger, help reignite her passions. But will they destroy her marriage in the process?

Miki and Pam both learn the hard way that sometimes you have to lose your way to find yourself.

12 HONEYMOONS is an award-wining contemporary romance featuring a hilarious, quirky heroine and the sexy, charming bachelors who try to love her. Discover whether Miki can find the will to grow and the courage to love after her bumpy trip to rock bottom when you buy this story today!

LInk for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2Kfv2iI

21) The Fall of The Prodigal by Michelle Lindo Rice

A condemned man, his two brides, and one untimely death.

The third installment of the "On the Right Path" series.
Michael Ward is at the top of his game, and he doesn't need anyone or anything. Money is his new best friend--until he's arrested for a heinous crime. As much as he hates to admit it, Michael needs the help of his brother, Keith Ward, the man who stole his wife and children. Will Michael open his heart to forgive his brother?

Verona "Tiger" Stachs has been Michael's attorney for years. She's in love with him but is tired of being treated as his guinea pig. A lapsed Christian, Verona thought she was through with God, but she soon discovers He's not through with her. Which relationship will she choose?

Keith Ward's a prominent minister and family man, yet he yearns to rekindle his relationship with his brother. When Michael calls him, explaining that he desperately needs his help, Keith jumps at the chance to set things right with Michael. Will Keith be able to lead Michael into the light?

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2AkrtHY

Historicals
1) A Sweet Surrender (Hearts at War Book 1) by Lena Hart

New York, 1777…

Siaragowaeh of the Onyota’aka tribe has a love for all things living and when a fallen British soldier becomes severely wounded, Siara secretly nurtures the officer back to health, putting her own position in her tribe at risk.

Sergeant James Blake of His Majesty’s elite assault troops vaguely remembers the ambush that left him at the mercy of a beautiful native woman…a woman he isn’t yet certain he can trust. When a narrow escape from Siara’s village forces them on the trail together, desire soon flares even brighter between them.

Yet in a journey driven by duty and complicated by loyalty, Siara and James must determine if they will follow their predestined paths or surrender to their hearts and chart anew…

Link for Purchase https://amzn.to/2JIHGGn

2) Love's Sweet Melody: Decades: A Journey of African American Romance by Kianna Alexander

*LOVE'S SWEET MELODY is part of the Decades: A Journey of African American Romance series. Each book explores a decade between the 1900s and the 2010s. This book covers the 1940s.*

Autumn, 1946

Warner Hughes returns home from war with the lingering effects of battle. Abandoned by his sweetheart and ostracized by his community, he feels he has no real home.

Elizabeth “Betty” Daniels has one love: music. Betty’s family wants to see her married, busy with affairs of the home, leaving no time to pursue her art.

Warner’s only solace is in the sweet melody of Betty’s music. To Betty’s mind, marriage means giving up the freedom to pursue her art. Can Warner let love in, and can Betty make room for love?

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2uRPkd4

3) The Brightest Day: A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2K4GKg0

4) A Hope Divided (The Loyal League) by Alyssa Cole

The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor—but for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, war could bind them together . . .

For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother’s traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her—until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie’s home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause.

Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible.

When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie’s freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love—and freedom—before they ever cross state lines.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2JZxWaU

5) Daughters of a Nation: A Black Suffragette Historical Romance Anthology

The fight for suffrage was long, hard, and carried out on many fronts.In Daughters of a Nation, a black suffragette historical romance anthology, Kianna Alexander, Alyssa Cole, Lena Hart, and Piper Huguley bring you four novellas full of spirit, hope, and, most importantly: LOVE.

IN THE MORNING SUNby Lena Hart

With the election of 1868 underway, Madeline Asher's mission is clear: educate and enlist the freedmen of Nebraska to vote. But when Union veteran James Blakemore comes back into her life, Madeline must choose either him and the future they've always wanted--or the chance to shape a greater nation.

THE WASHERWOMAN'S WARby Piper Huguley

1881: Mamie Harper, a new teacher at Atlanta Female Baptist Seminary, hears of mistreatment from her washerwomen students and tells them to strike. She re-encounters summer pastor Gabriel Harmon, who has other ideas to help the washerwomen. Will these combatants be able to win in the war of love?

A RADIANT SOULby Kianna Alexander

In 1881, Sarah Webster returns home to Fayetteville, NC for her mother's milestone birthday. Her suffrage work is unknown to her family. Carpenter Owen Markham is intrigued by Sarah, and her father is playing matchmaker. When Owen discovers Sarah's suffrage work, he's not sure a love match can be made.

LET US DREAMby Alyssa Cole

Harlem - 1917. Cabaret owner Bertha Hines is focused on women winning the vote, but when ornery chef Amir Chowdhury shows up in her kitchen, he proves to be a delicious distraction. Sparks fly, but between the vice squad and unfair immigration laws, can they hold on to their growing love?

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2Aav6jT

6) The Underground Railroad Brides Collection: 9 Couples Navigate the Road to Freedom before the Civil War featuring Terri J. Haynes

Join the journey as nine couples employ daring resourcefulness that leads them along the Underground Railroad in search of freedom and justice for all.

Link For Purchase

https://amzn.to/2NOLFng

7) The Bashful Bride (Advertisements for Love) by Vanessa Riley

A friend's newspaper advertisement for a groom nets the most famous actor in London, Arthur Bex. Shy heiress Ester Croome proposes to elope with the handsome man, who she's secretly loved for two years, in order to escape an impending engagement arranged by her overbearing family.

Trying to outlive the shadow of his villainous uncle, Bex needs to marry quickly—to a woman of good character. And smart, beautiful Ester fits the bill. But a harrowing trip to Gretna Green and dangerous abolition rallies prove to be a more treacherous stage than either imagined. Infatuation and a mutual love for Shakespeare might not be enough to bind a couple looking to outrun the chains and secrets of family and the past.

Link for purchase

https://amzn.to/2NKsqLN

8) Oney: My Escape From Slavery

With freedom secured, the general has been persuaded to accept a second term as president of the new nation. But in his heart he wants to go back to being a farmer. And being a farmer means he has slaves. Leading a nation is a demanding and often lonely business and Lady Washington is unable to persuade her husband to give up his public ‘duty’.

At least she has help. Oney Judge is her ‘personal servant’ – and soon-to-be confidante. Oney is a ‘quadroon’ – three parts white and one part black. So, unlike the white people who so recently gained their independence from the Mother Country, Oney is not free. She is Lady Washington’s inherited property, though the word ‘slave’ is never spoken. Oney works in “the big house” at Mount Vernon, sewing dresses and serving tea. Lady Washington treats her as well as her own grandchildren. But though she is often mistaken as a Washington relative by visitors, Oney remains in bondage.

In the spring of 1796, Lady Washington tells Oney that she will make her granddaughter Eliza a nice wedding gift. Oney soon discovers this does not mean sewing a negligee or a quilt for a gift. No, it means that she will be the gift.

This is the day that Oney decides to escape – to put her forced bondage behind her and make her bid for freedom. On May 21, 1796, Oney walks straight past the Washingtons and out the front door. Although they make several attempts to capture her, she lives the rest of her life in freedom.

Diana Rubino’s Oney: My Escape From Slavery is a painstakingly re-imagined account of a true and painful story told generations on. At its heart is the paradox of liberty – for an individual, for a race, for a nation. In a modern world where cultures and histories collide, it is a timely reminder of perspectives on ‘slavery’ and ‘freedom’ that we may have become blind to. It is a big, strong, uplifting book with a soul.

Link for Purchase

https://amzn.to/2AdKSdL

9) BLACK (The Black Series Book 1) by Joan Vassar (Book 1 of 3)

In August 1831, Nat Turner leads a group of escaped slaves in a rebellion that rocks the South. The revolt comes to a quick and violent end. In November, Nat is publicly hanged, and as his body swings, a false sense of peace washes over Jerusalem, Virginia.

Unbeknownst to the world, on the day Nat Turner dies, his son, Nat Hope Turner, is born. Reared by Big Mama on the Turner plantation, young Nat's identity is kept secret to keep him safe. As Nat grows to manhood, he leads his own uprising against slavery and is forever after known as Black.

Fate-by way of Big Mama-leads Black to rescue a young female slave, Sunday, before the plantation owner can sell her. Black has lived for liberty until the day he comes face to face with the alluring Sunday. As the two embark on a sexually charged ride toward love and freedom, they set off a chain of events that forces Black to risk his own liberty for hers.

Black shares the appealing tale of a passionate love between a man and a woman bound together to change their destiny.

Link for Purchase
https://amzn.to/2AabyvO

10) Tempest by Beverly Jenkins (Book 3 of 3)

From USA Today Bestselling Author Beverly Jenkins comes a new novel in a mesmerizing series set in the Old West, where an arranged marriage becomes a grand passion . . .

What kind of mail-order bride greets her intended with a bullet instead of a kiss? One like Regan Carmichael—an independent spirit equally at home in denims and dresses. Shooting Dr. Colton Lee in the shoulder is an honest error, but soon Regan wonders if her entire plan to marry a man she’s never met is a mistake. Colton, who buried his heart along with his first wife, insists he only wants someone to care for his daughter. Yet Regan is drawn to the unmistakable desire in his gaze.

Regan’s far from the docile bride Colton was expecting. Still, few women would brave the wilds of Wyoming Territory for an uncertain future with a widower and his child. The thought of having a bold, forthright woman like Regan in his life—and in his arms—begins to inspire a new dream. And despite his family’s disapproval and an unseen enemy, he’ll risk all to make this match a real union of body and soul.

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What are some of your favorite wedding or historical themed stories not mentioned, Let us know

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