The Duke's Protector
Series: The Duke’s Guard #2
Author: C.H. Admirand
December 1st 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing
London’s most sought-after modiste’s shop has been broken into…but only Lady Aurelia’s gowns have been destroyed…
A formidable foe resurfaces as vile and vicious slander spread through the ton. The target—Earl Lippincott and Lady Aurelia…
Sean O’Malley, head of The Duke’s Guard at Lippincott Manor in Sussex, is sent to London to investigate the latest attack on the Duke of Wyndmere’s family. Accustomed to putting himself in between danger and those he vowed to protect, O’Malley has been shot at, earned cracked and broken ribs, cuts, and bruises. It is part of the job. When he rescues the modiste’s petite seamstress—a beauty with blue-black hair and eyes the color of melted chocolate, he is awed by her bravery and spirit and unable to forget her smile.
Mignonette de Chauret loves working for Madame and is temporarily living in the back room of her shop. Her nightmare returns when the shop is broken into--again, forcing her to hide in the false bottom of an old wardrobe. A blond-haired, green-eyed giant of a man dressed in black from head to toe pulls her free. Mignonette is drawn to the handsome Irishman and feels safe in the shelter of his arms.
As O’Malley lays the groundwork to expose the culprit bent on destroying Earl Lippincott and Lady Aurelia, he is attacked outside the duke’s town house. His arm flayed open to the bone, the threat of infection and the reality he may lose his arm changes everything in a heartbeat. His vow to protect and provide for the lass who has stolen his heart has him asking the duke for a favor…
Mignonette must make a choice: Follow her heart and the Irishman who holds it in his hands or help him heal and return to her life working for Madame.
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Witcha Gonna Do
Series: Witchington #1
Author: Avery Flynn
December 6th 2022 by Berkley
An unlucky witch and her know-it-all nemesis must team up in the first of a new, hot romantic comedy series from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.
Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you’re a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I’d say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can’t stand him. Even if I also can’t stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we’re going to pretend I never told you that part.
So yeah, my life isn’t the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister’s spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super hot jerk.
Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what’s happening between Gil and I sure feels like it.
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Duke in All But Name
Series: The Entitled Gentlemen #1
Author: Caroline Warfield
December 7th 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Secrets and lies threaten to pull them under, but a forced marriage may be their salvation.
Gideon Kendrick grew up as the despised bastard son of the Duke of Glenmoor. Exiled to the mines by his father, he has not only survived but thrived and prospered. He lives apart, wanting nothing to do with the duke, the estate—or anything in his past, except his younger brother Phillip, the new duke.
When Phillip disappears, leaving behind a letter asking his brother to care for his affairs, Gideon can’t refuse. Armed with authority making him the duke in all but name, he returns to the scene of his worst memories, facing vicious rumors and his family’s past. He also finds a grasping would-be heir, a steward with secrets, and a woman who stirs in him a desire he thought buried with his beloved wife.
Mia Selwyn lives in the shadows, an unwanted poor relation in the house of her viscount uncle. When her cousin's hoydenish attempt to meet the supposed heir sees her drenched, ill, and in need of nursing, Mia is sent to care for her. Though warned to stay clear of the despised Kendrick, she is drawn into the dark undercurrents among the mismatched collection of residents and enthralled by the enigmatic Mr. Kendrick.
She quickly realizes he is not the monster he is rumored to be, twisted in body and mind. Instead, he is a resilient resourceful man with a deep love of family. As family, household servants, and villagers take sides on whether Gideon is the source of all the estate's problems or its salvation, Mia and Gideon forge a partnership.
Together they struggle to unravel secrets and the tangle Phillip left behind, and in the process, find a future for themselves.
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A Fire Endless
Series: Elements of Cadence #2
Author: Rebecca Ross
December 8th 2022 by Harper Voyager
East and West. Humans and Spirits. Breccans and Tamerlaines. The Isle of Cadence has always held itself and its residents in a tenuous balance. But now Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, has pushed everyone and everything in his path off-kilter in a bid to claim dominion over all.
In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the last role she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.
In the East, Jack is adrift without Adaira until he sings to the ember-weak fire spirits, acquiring a dangerous mission he never expected. One that is destined to lead him westward. Likewise, Torin and Sidra are consumed by a new mystery as sickness spreads first amongst the crops, and then to the people of the Tamerlaine clan. While Sidra desperately searches for a cure, Torin dares to strike a bargain with the spirits—a precarious folly anytime, but especially now as the days grow darker.
With the island falling further out of balance, humans and spirits alike will need to join together to face Bane, and Jack’s gift with the harp will be called upon once more. Yet no one can challenge the North Wind without paying a terrible price, and the sacrifice required this time may be more than Jack, Adaira, Torin, and Sidra can bear to pay.
In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.
Goodreads
The Regal
Series: A Series of Worthy Young Ladies #6
Author: Kate Archer
December 8th 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
A Regal Lady and a Resourceful Gentleman
The Duchess of Stanbury is the last of the matrons of The Society of Sponsoring Ladies to take on the mantle and launch her own girl. She knew that would be the case, as she is very particular. Finally, she has found her girl—Lady Isabel’s family has a long and winding history, going all the way back to the Plantagenets. Her rarified blood is precisely what the duchess has sought, and this lady will marry at the highest echelons of society. The duchess has her eye on Lord Lymington as, after all, he is to be a duke.
Isabel Beaufort, daughter of the Earl of Somerdon, may live in a grand house, but there is nothing grand left inside it and even the dining table shows the pinch. The Earl, being disinclined to exert any sort of effort at all, has allowed the estate to fall to ruin. Isabel has taken her education into her own hands, practices the pianoforte on an instrument forever out of tune and has studied a book on how things are to be done properly. She has one goal in life—marry into a family that will provide her with the security she has never known. She had not any idea how she would get there until she receives news that the Duchess of Stanbury will show her the way.
Harry Vance is well-liked by the ton, and why shouldn’t he be? He is handsome, engaging, a wit, and will inherit a barony. Being well-liked, though, does not equal undiluted approval. Mr. Vance is the grandson of a tradesman, and that history is not quite distant enough to be washed clean. Especially for the likes of the Duchess of Stanbury.
There is an instant attraction between Isabel and Harry, but he does not have what her soul longs for—a long history in the ton, coming along with the sort of deep family connections that have so often come to the rescue of her father.
Isabel is determined to resist her feelings and follow the sensible plan she has set out for herself. Harry is determined to upend her plan and have the lady he has so long looked for.
As the gentleman follows his heart and the lady battles her own, the matrons of the society set tongues wagging, as they always manage to do.
Goodreads
How to Win a Wallflower
Series: Rebels with a Cause #3
Author: Samara Parish
December 13th 2022 by Forever
A wallflower will put everything on the line . . .
When John Barnesworth inherits unexpectedly, he abandons his solitude and returns to London to settle his brother's affairs, only to discover his estates are crumbling and he is now betrothed to his brother’s unpleasant fiancée. Her dowry might save him from ruin, but at what cost? His only hope lies with the vivacious, charming Lady Charlotte Stirling, whose audacious solution to John's troubles might actually work. If only he can keep his feelings for her out of the equation . . .
Lady Charlotte Stirling knows she can’t fall for John. He’s her brother’s best friend, he’s engaged to her mortal enemy, and he wants to return to America. Not to mention he’d never survive in her bustling social life. She can, however, try to solve his money problem. But the closer she gets to ensuring his freedom, the harder it is to let him go . . .
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Fell in Love with an Earl
Series: Games Earls Play #3
Author: Anna Bradley
December 13th 2022 by Oliver Heber Books
There aren’t many young ladies who’d be eager to accept a governess position with wild twin boys in a lonely castle deep in the Oxfordshire countryside, but Helena Templeton has never been much like other young ladies. She’s just settled into her new post when the boys’ father, the rakish Earl of Hawke returns home unexpectedly, half-dressed and fleeing his latest London scandal.
Adrian Chatham wasn’t aware he even had a governess until her returns home after months of London debauchery have failed to chase his dead wife’s memory from his mind. The last thing he wants is a high-handed, meddlesome chit like Helena Templeton in his house, but his boys need her, and maybe, just maybe…he does, too.
But just as they’ve reached a fragile truce, Helena’s sisters summon her home. Heartbroken, she leaves Hawke’s Run, but Adrian isn’t willing to let her go so easily. He wants Helena to use her miraculous matchmaking skills to find him a wife, and he has just the lady in mind…
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Isabelle
Series: None
Author: Sophia Holloway
December 15th 2022 by Allison & Busby
Isabelle Wareham, whilst caring for her beloved widowed father, has not seen much of the world. After his death, Isabelle finds she is no longer her own mistress but under the guardianship of her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold, who sees her as a way to improve his own fortunes.
The outlook looks bleak until events throw Isabelle and the impoverished Earl of Idsworth together. However, Dunsfold is determined to force her into a more lucrative match and Isabelle will need to rise above her circumstances to reach her chance of happiness.
Goodreads
A Wicked Game
Series: Ruthless Rivals #3
Author: Kate Bateman
December 27th 2022 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
If there’s one thing impossible for a Davies to resist, it’s a challenge from a Montgomery. . .
A teasing bet.
Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact sweet revenge on the cartographer responsible for his suffering. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize―three kisses―in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, the prickly, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. His incarceration has clarified his feelings for her, but convincing the infuriating woman he wants to marry her is going to be his greatest challenge yet. When Harriet’s revealed to be the very mapmaker he seeks, Morgan decides to combine revenge and seduction into one delightful package. . .
A dangerous enemy.
Harriet’s always wanted witty scoundrel Morgan, and now he’s back; as handsome and as taunting as ever. She has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s failing eyesight and a rival mapmaker copying her work to play wicked games with a dastardly Davies―however tempting he might be. But when a threat from Morgan’s past puts them both in danger, Harry discovers that she and Morgan might not be enemies at all . . .
Goodreads
Cinderella and the Duke
Series: Renegade Dukes #1
Author: Lydia Drake
December 27th 2022 by Entangled: Amara
Miss Julia Beaumont has exactly one night to find herself a husband…
The Weatherford Ball is the last chance Julia Beaumont has to escape the clutches of her horrid stepmother. Any potential husband will do—rich, poor, even a reasonably well-groomed walrus. But all of Julia’s matrimonial chances are completely obliterated…thanks to the actions of an infuriating and utterly rakish duke.
Gregory Carter, Duke of Ashworth, would never risk his cherished bachelorhood by flirting with marriage-starved debutantes. But one look at the luscious and refreshingly clever Julia, and he simply can’t resist a stolen kiss—scandal be damned. Then just as things start getting deliciously interesting, the lady flees…leaving only a slipper behind.
And it must have been one dandy of a kiss. Because now Julia has proposed to him. After all, the lady needs a husband, and this roguish duke will certainly do. It’s simply a matter of making him the perfect scandalous offer…
Goodreads
Queen of Myth and Monsters
Series: Adrian X Isolde #2
Author: Scarlett St. Clair
December 27th 2022 by Sourcebooks
The next book in the epic fantasy series by USA Today bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair.
Isolde, newly coronated queen, has finally found a king worthy of her in the vampire Adrian. But their love for each other has cost Isolde her father and her homeland. With two opposing goddesses playing mortals and vampires like chess pieces against one another, Isolde is uncertain who her allies are in the vampire stronghold of Revekka.
Now, as politics in the Red Palace grow more underhanded and a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova, Isolde must trust in the bond she's formed with Adrian, even as she learns troubling information about his complicated past.
Goodreads
A Match to Fool Society
Series: Matchmade Marriages #3
Author: Laura Martin
December 27th 2022 by Harlequin Historical
A funny, heartwarming Regency romance.
A convenient arrangement…
…a complicated attraction
Jane Ashworth dreams of being an author, yet Society insists she become a debutante—so play the game she must! Jane finds an unlikely ally in notorious rake Tom Stewart. As a new guardian to his nephew, Tom is out of his depth and intent on remaining a bachelor. They agree to fool society with a pretend courtship, but both are unprepared when the lines of their agreement start to become blurred…
Goodreads
Nice Earls Do
Series: Goode's Guide to Misconduct #0.5
Author: Susanna Craig
December 27th 2022 by Zebra
The prequel novella to a new series that offers a modern twist on the genre, from Susanna Craig, one of the most acclaimed voices in Regency romance. Will appeal to fans of Ella Quinn, Sabrina Jeffries, and those who love faster-paced, innovative historical romance featuring strong women.
Award-winning author Susanna Craig launches a new Regency series, based around a daring new ladies’ magazine, with this sparkling novella about old friends—and new secrets...
To readers of her popular magazine, Goode’s Guide to Misconduct, “Mrs. Goode” is an expert in all domestic matters. Household management, home décor, entertainment... there is nothing about which she lacks an opinion. Who better to assist the Earl of Bennett, newly appointed guardian to his niece and nephew, in turning his house into a home?
The widowed Lady Manwaring is the farthest thing from a domestic doyenne, so when asked to pose as Mrs. Goode on behalf of the book’s true author, she warily agrees. On arrival, she’s surprised to discover that Lord Bennett is actually her childhood friend, Kit Killigrew. Tabetha might be an imposter, but her attraction to Kit is all too real...
After years separated from the woman of his dreams, Kit’s eager to do more than play house. Will Tabetha’s big reveal ruin everything, or lay the foundation for true love?
Goodreads
A Laird in London
Series: Lairds of the Isles #2
Author: Catherine Tinley
December 27th 2022 by Harlequin Historical
A Scottish Highlander causes a stir in Regency London!
There’s a new laird in town
Will he leave with a wife?
Angus MacDonald has just arrived in London to reclaim his land when he rescues Lady Isabella Wood from a cattle stampede! Their instant attraction is undeniable, but Isabella must wed this Season and Angus isn’t looking for a bride. His wild Hebridean home is a world away from London Society, so Isabella is completely out-of-bounds. Even if their connection is unlike anything he’s felt before…
Goodreads

What has caught your eye for December? Have you read any of these? Let me know :)