Bøker av Mimi Matthews

PRE-ORDER THE FOURTH AND FINAL BOOK IN THE ENCHANTING BELLES OF LONDON SERIES NOW, from USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, MIMI MATTHEWSPERFECT FOR BRIDGERTON FANS'No one writes Victorian Romance like Mimi Matthews, and her Belles of London series just keeps getting better!' Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Rose Code---A silver-haired equestrienne and a charismatic artist turn a scandalous bargain into a vibrant portrait of love. Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist-and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother's pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic...like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who's ever really seen her. Aspiring painter Edward "Teddy" Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist's model, but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralysed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He'll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience. After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella's luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture.... ---READER PRAISE FOR THE BELLES OF LONDON SERIES***** 'Transporting and swoony, just why I read historical romance. ' Goodreads reader***** 'Can't stop thinking about Anne and Hart and their yearning!' Goodreads reader***** 'So sweet and tender.... unforgettable' Goodreads reader

Includes a reader's guide and an excerpt from Rules for ruin.

Fortune favours the bold. But is Lady Anne daring enough to accept a favour from a wicked gentleman? Lady Anne Deveril has voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford. The youthful torch Hart once held for Anne has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favour. Hart will play along with her little ruse - on the condition that Anne attends his grandfather's country estate. Away from society, Anne makes the tantalising discovery that beneath the roguish exterior is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions - and a tender heart.

"Fortune favors the bold-but is a confirmed spinster daring enough to loosen the reins and accept a favor from the wicked gentleman who haunts her dreams? Lady Anne Deveril doesn't spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she's the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother's devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, she's tempted to run...right into his arms. No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse-on the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather's country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare. Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions-and a tender heart"--

A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews's fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She's more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There's only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father's sworn enemy.Ivo Beresford doesn't believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he's looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents' oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest-at least where innocent young ladies are concerned-Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn't as though there's any danger of the two of them falling in love...

The marriage mart is calling, and Evelyn must answer. Evelyn Maltravers hails from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin so she knows she'll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London's attention she'll need a habit-maker who's not afraid to take risks with his designs-and with his heart. Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful - but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible. But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. The indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?Bridgerton meets Jilly Cooper in this sizzling Regency romp!

A marriage of convenience. An unlikely couple. Sparks will fly in the English countryside. Captain Jasper Blunt now requires a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood. For Julia, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she's on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can't spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins - she proposes to Captain Blunt. In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride-and to read-as much as she likes. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes... Bridgerton meets Jilly Cooper in this feminist Regency romance!

A reckless Victorian heiress sets her sights on a dashing ex-naval lieutenant, determined to win his heart as the two of them embark on a quest to solve a decades-old mystery in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews's sequel to her critically acclaimed novels The Work of Art and Gentleman Jim.Lieutenant Charles Heywood has had his fill of adventure. Battle-weary and disillusioned, he returns to England, resolved to settle down to a quiet, uneventful life on an estate of his own. But arranging to purchase the property he desires is more difficult than Charles ever imagined. The place is mired in secrets, some of which may prove deadly. If he's going to unravel them, he'll need the assistance of someone as daring as he is.At only twenty, Lady Katherine Beresford has already earned a scandalous reputation. As skilled with pistols as she is on horseback, she's never met an obstacle she can't surmount-or a man she can't win. That is, until she encounters the infuriatingly somber Lieutenant Heywood. But Kate refuses to be deterred by the raven-haired soldier's strong, silent facade. After all, faint heart never won handsome gentleman.From the wilds of rural Somersetshire to the glittering ballrooms of early-Victorian London, Charles and Kate embark on a cross-country quest to solve a decades' old mystery. Will the greatest danger be to their hearts-or to their lives?

He Needed Peace…Solicitor Tom Finchley has spent his life using his devious intellect to solve the problems of others. As for his own problems, they're nothing that a bit of calculated vengeance can't remedy. But that's all over now. He's finally ready to put the past behind him and settle down to a quiet, uncomplicated life. If only he could find an equally uncomplicated woman.She Wanted Adventure…Former lady's companion Jenny Holloway has just been given a modest independence. Now, all she wants is a bit of adventure. A chance to see the world and experience life far outside the restrictive limits of Victorian England. If she can discover the fate of the missing Earl of Castleton while she's at it, so much the better.From the gaslit streets of London to the lush tea gardens of colonial India, Jenny and Tom embark on an epic quest-and an equally epic romance. But even at the farthest edges of the British Empire, the past has a way of catching up with you…

A Courtship of ConvenienceSophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He's grim and silent. A man of little emotion-or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she's ready to put an end to things.A Last Chance for LoveBut severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn't as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there's Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What's a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there'll be no false formality. This time they'll get to know each other for who they really are.

She Wanted Sanctuary... Helena Reynolds will do anything to escape her life in London, even if that means traveling to a remote cliffside estate on the North Devon coast and marrying a complete stranger. But Greyfriar's Abbey isn't the sort of refuge she imagined. And ex-army captain Justin Thornhill-though he may be tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome-is anything but a romantic hero. He Needed Redemption...Justin has spent the last two decades making his fortune, settling scores, and suffering a prolonged period of torture in an Indian prison. Now, firmly established in the grandest house in King's Abbot, he needs someone to smooth the way for him with the villagers. Someone to manage his household-and warm his bed on occasion. What he needs, in short, is a wife and a matrimonial advertisement seems the perfect way to acquire one.Their marriage was meant to be a business arrangement and nothing more. A dispassionate union free from the entanglements of love and affection. But when Helena's past threatens, will Justin's burgeoning feelings for his new bride compel him to come to her rescue? Or will dark secrets of his own force him to let her go?

A complete overview of Victorian fashion and beauty history, giving a decade-by-decade look at what Victorian women wore and when they wore it; how they styled their hair; and what types of cosmetics they used.