*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Petre is the perfect politician’s wife. She supports her husband’s climbing career to Prime Minister, she helps her mother with her father’s job as Prime Minister and she loves her two sons more than anything. However, she’s lonely. Her husband hasn’t touched her since she became pregnant with her youngest son and she’s determined to seduce her husband. But how to go about it when you’re a properly brought up Victorian wife? By arranging secret lessons with the Bastard Sheikh, Ramiel Devington, that’s how.  She refuses to cheat on her husband, so Ramiel gives her a book to read and demands that she return each morning for discussion of each chapter. However, during these intimate sessions, they become close until it’s nearly impossible to refrain from acting on their attraction. But when Elizabeth’s life takes a sinister turn, all the things she thought she knew are torn away from her and she’s left with the raw painful truth. Will their budding relationship survive a condemning and ruthless ton?

I derive a secret giddy pleasure from historical erotica. It’s just so very naughty! While this historical romance has erotic subject matter it’s all just discussion and the reading of the book until much later when Elizabeth and Ramiel finally give into their attraction. The buildup is delicious! I really like the characters, even the secondary ones. It’s a tad wordy for me, but the twists are wonderful even if the drama toward the end is a bit overdone. Still, this is a book that will tug at your heart as well as other *ahem* places.

Opposites Attract is one of my favorite themes. I love the fun of two very differnt people learning to love and then live with each other. 

Here are some wonderful Historical Romances with this theme!

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!

1. A Man and a Woman by Robin Schone

Widowed Megan Phillins longs to experience the intimacies shared with a man just once more. Playing the role of a harlot, she travels to the Land's End Inn, where she knocks upon the door of a mysterious stranger. After a night of forbidden passion Megan is shocked to discover the traveler is actually Connor Treffrey, an Englishman who was marooned and sold into slavery. But now Connor has returned to reunite with his well-bred family. And together, he and Megan will embark on a breathless journey of indescribable pleasure. . .

2. The Devil's Delilah by Loretta Chase

What’s a girl to do, when her father, known as Devil Desmond, is one of the most infamous rogues in all of England? Delilah Desmond is not happy. To provide for her, her father has sold his memoirs, filled with scandalous and embarrassing exploits—effectively ruining her chances for a suitable marriage, so she can support her family while saving her father from disgrace. 

But it seems the manuscript is in demand by all sorts of unscrupulous persons, and preventing its publication is going to be impossible; especially now that it has been stolen. Can the hot-tempered Delilah and her very unwilling accomplice, absent-minded, bookish, Jack Langdon with his soft grey eyes and tousled hair, salvage the disaster? It appears that deceptively quiet Jack may have a core of steel—and be the one man smart and strong enough to be the hero she’d been hoping for all along.

3. Garters by Pamela Morsi

Esme Crabb has spent a lifetime in the mountains trying to stir up good gravy from watery "poor-do". And she's had no help from her ne'er-do-well father or silly sisters. The family lives rough and gets by beholden to their neighbors. Esme was hoping the twins could marry well, but like everything that needs doing in her family, it seems she has to do it herself. Cleavis Rhy, Vader, Tennessee's prosperous storekeep hardly takes notice of the raggedy hill girl. That is until she asks him to marry her. 

4. The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

"I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows that."

Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London.

A marriage of convenience is the only solution.

No one would have ever paired the shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome viscount. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Evie is a woman of hidden strength—and Sebastian desires her more than any woman he's ever known.

Determined to win her husband's elusive heart, Evie dares to strike a bargain with the devil: If Sebastian can stay celibate for three months, she will allow him into her bed.

When Evie is threatened by a vengeful enemy from the past, Sebastian vows to do whatever it takes to protect his wife . . . even at the expense of his own life.

Together they will defy their perilous fate, for the sake of all-consuming love.

5. Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh

All of London is abuzz over the imminent arrival of Wulfric Bedwyn, the reclusive, cold-as-ice Duke of Bewcastle, at the most glittering social event of the season. Some whisper of a tragic love affair. Others say he is so aloof and passionless that not even the greatest beauty could capture his attention. But on this dazzling afternoon, one woman did catch the duke’s eye—and she was the only female in the room who wasn’t even trying. Christine Derrick is intrigued by the handsome duke…all the more so when he invites her to become his mistress. 

What red-blooded woman wouldn’t enjoy a tumble in the bedsheets with a consummate lover—with no strings and no questions asked. An infuriating lady with very definite views on men, morals, and marriage, Christine confounds Wulfric at every turn. Yet even as the lone wolf of the Bedwyn clan vows to seduce her any way he can, something strange and wonderful is happening. Now for a man who thought he’d never lose his heart, nothing less than love will do.

6. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale

The Shadow is wealthy, powerful and majestically handsome, he is a man of dark secrets - a master of the ancient martial arts of an exotic distant land. Scarred by a childhood of shocking degradation, he has sworn to love chastely ... but burns with the fires of unfulfilled passion.

The Star is lovely, innocent and nearly destitute, and drawn to him by a fevered yearning she could never deny - following her enigmatic ′shadow warrior′ into a dangerous world of desire and righteous retribution.

7. She's No Princess by Laura Lee Guhrke

A Royal Pain... 

The illegitimate daughter of a prince and a notorious courtesan, Lucia has been confined to schools and convents for most of her life. But that hasn't stopped her from causing one scandal after another. Exasperated, her royal father decides that his exquisite hellion of a daughter must be married immediately. And Sir Ian Moore, Britain's most proper diplomat, is the perfect man to choose her a groom. 

Diplomacy, not matchmaker, is Ian's forte, but he vows to get Lucia married off as soon as possible so that he may return to his real duties. Yet, despite an abundance of very eager, worthwhile candidates, none is a match for Lucia's spirit and fire. And the more time Ian spends with the infuriating beauty, the more reluctant he is to marry her off. Could it be that he has already found Lucia the perfect husband...and it is Ian himself?

8. The Last Rogue by Deborah Simmons

Raleigh Hadn't Gambled On Finding A Virgin In His Bed—

but when he awoke next to Jane Trowbridge, he knew all bets for bachelorhood were off. Now, instead of a love match, he'd gotten a sparring partner.

Jane had never imagined herself anyone's lawfully wedded wife, and now ironic fate had bound her to a hedonistic viscount who was a Tulip of the Ton. Still, could a man who only pursued pleasure find any pleasure pursuing her? And could she restrain her maidenly blushes long enough to lethim…?

9. The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

Thrown off a wagon train with two other women and trying to avoid jail for a murder they committed, Bailee Moore agrees to enter a “Wife Lottery”—a ploy concocted by the Cedar Point sheriff to secure wives for the men in the small Texas town. For the sensible Bailee, however, marrying Carter McKoy is like exchanging one life sentence for another—especially since her new husband hasn’t even seen fit to utter a single word in her presence. But still, she can’t help thinking that something about this strong, silent farmer could be the key to leaving her troubled past behind…and making a worthy wager with her heart.

10. To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn

Eloise, a 28-year-old "spinster," flees London to visit her secret pen pal, Phillip, a troubled botanist and widower. The two plan to see if they are compatible, but Eloise's hopes plummet when she discovers that Phillip is not the romantic charmer of her dreams, but a grumpy father of twins. She agrees to remain for a fortnight, however, and as she interacts with him and his unruly children, she learns that he has a good heart, even if he is an emotionally distant father.

Did I miss one you love? I am sure I did because there are so many great reads!

Let me know!

Vote on my Goodreads list: Odd Couples: Opposites Attract in Historical Romance Novels 

Sometimes buidlings become characters in books. 

I sometimes select a hotel just because of its history.

These are some best Historic Hotels around the world.

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan

Yamanashi, Japan
Opened: 705

Zum Roten Baeren

Freiburg, Germany
Opened: 1120

The Old Bell Hotel and Restaurant

Malmesbury, UK
Opened: 1220

Hotel Interlaken

Interlaken, Switzerland
Opened: 1323

Hotel El Convento

Location: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Opened: 1651

Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Opened: 1904

Don't you just want to pack your bags? 

Here are some great Historical Romance Novels that featuring Inns that you can visit. 

My lists are never in particular order. Enjoy!

1. It Happened One Night by Stephanie Laurens,  Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Candice Hern  

It Happened One Night . . . and nothing was ever the same again!

Once upon a time, four superstar storytellers—New York Times bestselling authors Stephanie Laurens and Mary Balogh, along with Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern—came up with a delicious idea. What if they each wrote a story about a proper young lady stranded at a remote inn away from society's constraints? What would happen? And how long would it take for her to give in to desire?

In these four amazing tales, four heroines will come face-to-face with the men who got away . . . only to discover that, instead of anger, there is still a passionate connection that cannot be denied. And while each of their lives is quite different, and their pasts utterly unique, they will all make a common discovery—that one night can change everything . . . forever.

2. Parting Gifts by Lorraine Heath

Marrying Maddie, a woman who works in a brothel in order to survive, widower Charles Lawson hopes to provide his three children with a loving mother until his terminal illness causes him to arrange a match between Maddie and his brother.

3. Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal--only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy--except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm's length…but the sharp, beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all...

4. A Man and a Woman by Robin Schone

Widowed Megan Phillins longs to experience the intimacies shared with a man just once more. Playing the role of a harlot, she travels to the Land's End Inn, where she knocks upon the door of a mysterious stranger. After a night of forbidden passion Megan is shocked to discover the traveler is actually Connor Treffrey, an Englishman who was marooned and sold into slavery. But now Connor has returned to reunite with his well-bred family. And together, he and Megan will embark on a breathless journey of indescribable pleasure. 

5. The Grand Hotel by Elisabeth Fairchild, Barbara Metzger, Carla Kelly, and Allison Lane

London's luxurious Grand Hotel is the perfect setting for romantic rendezvous, glittering celebrations--and Cupid's good works. The impeccable staff and a host of most intriguing--and attractive--guests, will pamper, entertain, and romance readers in five heartwarming stories of love by five award-winning writers.

6. Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn

Mariah Eller was only trying to save her inn from being trashed. So how did the widow manage to attract the unwanted—and erotic—attention of the Prince of Wales? Not that being desired by royalty is necessarily bad… Only, Mariah much prefers the prince's best friend….

Jack St. Lawrence is very tempting, and very loyal. And he knows that the prince gets involved only with married women. So he figures sexy Mariah is safe…until the prince demands Jack find her a husband!

The problem? Jack and Mariah can't fight their sizzling attraction. And once they give in to their desires, the situation is even worse. Because the prince's man has found a husband for Mariah.

Himself…

7. A Place Called Rainwater by Dorothy Garlock

The small town of Rainwater, Oklahoma, has become a notorious boomtown now that a gusher has flooded its streets with drillers, welders and roustabouts of every description. Jill, a young woman who runs the hotel for her aunt, is unprepared to cope with the attention she receives from the woman-hungry men.

8. In the Heart of the Highlander by Maggie Robinson

Ever since Mary Evensong’s elderly aunt Mim got sick, Mary’s masqueraded as the owner of the Evensong Agency, finding housemaids and husbands, and solving pesky problems, for the peerage. Someday she’d like to shake off her silvery wig and spectacles and be the young woman she truly is, but desperate clients are waiting for “Mrs. Evensong” at the office.
 
Like a scandalous Scottish baron. Honor forbids Lord Alec Raeburn from explaining the suspicious circumstances surrounding his wife’s death, but he knows who’s responsible. He just needs to hire an actress to lure the scoundrel into a trap. 
 
After listening to Raeburn’s story—and seeing him in his kilt—Mary knows the perfect person for the role. Letting her red hair down, she heads off to the Scottish Highlands to pose as a seductress, but soon finds herself with more than her virtue at stake in a tug-of-war between two powerful men. She could wind up in danger—or in the heart of the highlander.

9. Hooked by Stef Ann Holm

Using an alias, stunt reporter Matthew Gage arrives in Harmony, Montana, to uncover the cheating going on in the town’s famous annual fly-fishing contest—not to tangle lines with a husband-hunting miss. But as soon as Meg Brooks gets stuck under his hotel bed, he’s hooked on her high-spirited charm. Besides, he hopes she’ll provide him with insider information—and a few kisses—while he snoops around.

But innocent Meg believes Matthew is “Vernon Wilberforce,” a polite carpet-sweeper salesman, the gentleman caller of her dreams. As the fishy scandal threatens to upset Harmony, Meg employs every lure in the book to land Matthew. But her heart will be broken by a man who isn’t what he seems…unless they each learn the truth: The best prize in life is given, not won. It’s love.

10. The Earl of Her Dreams by Anne Mallory

Facing the choice of flight or a wedding she cannot abide, Kate Simon has chosen to flee. Disguised as a boy, she takes refuge in a roadside inn, and finds herself rooming with intensely secretive Christian Black. Kate is breathless in the presence of this handsome, mysterious rogue whose piercing gaze seems to strip her naked. But neither suspects that a savage storm and a murder will draw them closer together still. But not the passion in their hearts

Christian dares not let anyone learn of his haunted past—or that he is, in truth, the Earl of Canley—especially not a slip of a girl whose masculine attire cannot disguise the exquisite female form beneath. But now that destiny and a dastardly crime have united them, Christian can no longer contain his desire to taste the nectar of Kate's sweet kiss. Danger certainly abounds, but the gravest peril might be resisting a once-in-a-lifetime passion that can heal all wounds.

Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Room for the Night: Inns in Historical Romance.

Read Historicals because of the clothes. Yep. Many differnt outfits.  Here are some of my five star Historical Romance Reads. 

It takes a brave hero or heroine to escape the the horror of breaking covenants- infideilty, abadonment, addiction, neglect, belittlement, cruelty, abuse through divorce before this century and the last. 

For you history buffs, check out this great article The Heartbreaking History of Divorce. 

Here are some wonderful Historical Romacne Novels where the hero or herorine is divorced or seeking one and the HEA is with a new love. 

My lists are never in any particular order. 

1. Enchanted Afternoon by Susan Wiggs

Beautiful, charming and respected as the wife of an ambitious senator, Helena Cabot Barnes is the leading lady of Saratoga Springs. But beneath the facade lies a terrible deception. Helena married for all the wrong reasons – and discovered too late that her husband is a dangerous man. Fearing for her safety, she ends her marriage and flees to legendary Moon Lake Lodge, where she creates a refuge for other women in need of a safe haven. And there she finds the courage within to become the woman she was meant to be. 

But Helena can’t outrun her past. 

In desperation, she turns to Michael Rowan, a man she once loved, a man who broke her heart. A brilliant inventor, Michael is still ruggedly handsome, still defiantly unconventional. For Helena, the road to trusting Michael again is long and hard. And danger lies ahead. But Michael has just discovered a shattering truth... and a reason to stay and fight for the woman he once lost.

2. Cry For Passion by Robin Schone

Married twelve years to a man who does not desire her, Rose Clarring is dying of loneliness. She seeks the help of renowned barrister Jack Lodoun to challenge English Parliament and win her a divorce. Cynical and haunted by personal tragedy, Jack will only take the case if Rose can prove to him that there exists a passion that supersedes marital vows.

And so meeting by meeting...touch by touch...the two embark on a journey of discovery that leads to intimacies neither could have imagined: sex that knows no sin; love that has no limitations; a carnal bond which heals both grief and guilt. Together Rose and Jack will explore the ultimate in pleasure, but what must they sacrifice to claim the passion they so desperately desire?

3. The Bride Says No by Cathy Maxwell

What happens when a bride says no? 

He is the bastard son of a duke, arrogant, handsome, a little bit dangerous, and, of course, one of the most sought-after bachelors in London. He is also about to be publically jilted by some chit of a girl! Blake Stephens' pride isn't about to let him be humiliated, so he charges after his bride to the wilds of Scotland, determined to bring her to the altar.

What happens when the heart says yes? 

He is promised to one woman, but discovers his soul stirred by . . . the chit's sister! Lady Aileen Davidson's reputation was ruined ages ago, which is why she's buried herself in the country, but her fiery spirit and bold beauty threaten to bring Blake to his knees, making him wonder if he has proposed to the wrong lass.

And now he must make a choice: marry for honor . . . or marry for love?

4. Wild Oats by Pamela Morsi $2.99! 

Territory bachelor, Jedwin Sparrow, was merely hoping to sow some wild oats. And from what he’d heard, a logical place to start might be the cottage of Mrs. Cora Briggs, a notorious divorcee. 

Cora’s first instinct was to slap his face! Then a better plan occurred to her. Why not call the tune and string him along. What better way to exact revenge on those gossipy hens than to ensnare one of their own in that wicked web of lies. 

An unexpected love story, two people who discover the truth about themselves within the heart of each other.

5. One Wicked Sin by Nicola Cornick

Once the toast of the ton, Lottie Cummings is now notorious for being divorced. Shunned by society, the destitute beauty is lured to become a Covent Garden courtesan. Until a dangerous rake saves her with a scandalous offer.

The illegitimate son of a duke, Ethan Ryder rose to the ranks of Napoleon's most trusted cavalry officer—until his capture landed him in England as a prisoner of war. Now on parole, Ethan is planning his most audacious coup yet. But he needs Lottie's help to create a spectacular diversion. Yet their pact ignites a passionate bond that may scandalize even these two wicked souls….

6. Tallie's Hero by Sara Luck

wept up in adventure . . . 

With nothing left for him in Texas after his fiancée breaks his heart, Jeb Tuhill heads to Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains to work the huge ranching operation of wealthy English squire Moreton Frewen. In an attempt to lure investors to the beautiful, and oftentimes dangerous, American West, Frewen and Jeb travel to England. The British gentry don’t impress Jeb much, but one spirited lady lassoes his attention with her intellect and charm. 

Bound together by passion . . . 

Tallie Somerset is a bestselling novelist who is forced into a divorce by the improprieties of her husband, a British lord. Fleeing the scandal, she takes a trip to New York with a friend who later convinces her to travel to Wyoming. Captivated by the big sky of the plains—and the handsome cowboy who calls it home—Tallie might be persuaded to leave England, and its bad memories, behind. But Jeb thinks she is still married, and she is afraid to tell him about the shame of her divorce. Tallie models the hero of her latest novel on Jeb . . . but can she make him her hero for a lifetime?

7. Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke

One tryst was all she wanted . . .

From their very first meeting, Julia knew that Aidan Carr, the oh-so-proper Duke of Trathen, had a bit of the devil in him, a devil who secretly yearned for what he could not have, a devil who harbored a desire for her. So when she needed to be caught in a compromising situation, Aidan was the answer to her prayers.

One tryst just wasn't enough . . .

Aidan is supposed to be looking for a bride, yet his scandalous liaison with Julia is all he can think about. Hot, erotic memories of kissing her skin, falling into her bed, pulling her naked body on top of his own continue to torment and tempt him. What is it about this brazen seductress that he finds so hard to resist? And how can he stop himself from falling into her bed a second time?

8.The Lawman Takes a Wife by Anne Avery

Sheriff DeWitt Gavin was quite an assortment of surprises to merchant Molly Calhan. Saddled with a scandalous past and a giant-size sweet tooth, he also had a truly giving heart. Now if only she could convince him to give his heart to her…!

Witt Gavin had enough to handle, being the new lawman in a town rife with gossip and kids convinced bank robbers were hiding down every alley. His one daily treat was a visit to Molly Calhan's candy counter. But was it the confections that drew him—or the sweet shopkeeper herself?

9. Impulse by Candace Camp

Torn from the arms of the woman he loved and cast into the night by her highborn family, Cam Monroe vowed revenge on those who had wronged him.

Fifteen years later, after amassing a small fortune of his own, Cam returns to England with but one ambition. Now the power is his, power to ruin the Stanhope family if they refuse his demands. And what he demands is simple: that Angela Stanhope be his wife.

Then the mysterious "accidents" begin. Are the Stanhopes trying once again to remove him from their lives? Or is it someone from Cam's past, someone desperate enough to kill to prevent him from uncovering a shocking lie?

10. The Bedding Proposal by Tracy Anne Warren

Lord Leo Byron is bored with the aristocratic company he keeps; he needs a distraction, preferably in the form of a beautiful new female companion. So when he sets eyes on fascinating and scandalous divorcée Lady Thalia Lennox, he’s determined to make her intimate acquaintance. But the spirited woman seems to have no intention of accepting his advances no matter how much he chases—or how hard he falls....

Once a darling of Society, Thalia Lennox now lives on its fringes. The cruel lies that gave her a notoriously wild reputation have also left her with a broken heart and led to a solemn vow to swear off men. Still, Leo Byron’s bold overtures are deliciously tempting, and, for the first time, she finds herself wondering whether it just might be worth the risk to let the attractive rake into her life—and her bed....

Have a recommendation? Let me know!

Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list:  The D Word: Divorce in Historical Romance