A Midsummer Night's Romance

An Invitation to the Ball…By Fifteen of Your Favorite Historical Romance Authors!You are cordially invited to the most anticipated event of the Season—Lord and Lady Whitwell’s annual ball! This year’s theme is the most extravagant yet…A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filled with fairytale gardens and fantastical costumes, sparkling champagne, and heartwarming romance.Opportunities abound for secret trysts in the shadows of moonlit walks, mistaken identities, delicious unmaskings, and perhaps even a magical spell or two. But one thing is certain—fifteen pairs of hearts will never be the same again. Enjoy this collection of never-before-released novellas by your favorite historical romance authors!Season of Scandal by Alyssa AlexanderSecond son Noah Clarke expected to have a long career in the military. When he loses his brother to illness, Noah must return home and take his place as the new Earl of Parkwood. Yet Noah is not the same man he once was. Ton gatherings are now insipid and foolish—that is, until Noah makes the acquaintance of a masked lady scandalously clad as a soldier.But after six years on the Marriage Mart, Miss Prudence Chapman is too outspoken, too plain, and too intelligent to have received an offer of marriage. Deciding she is most firmly on the shelf, Prue is determined to spend her last spring as a Season of Scandal and doing exactly as she pleases before retiring to life as a spinster, including engaging in a battle of wits and stolen kisses with a masked stranger... assuming he is a stranger.A Kiss for Luck by Jennifer AshleyLord Guy Lovell, an avowed bachelor, has no interest at all in the married state. But when young, thrice-widowed Gemma Cooke suddenly rushes into his sanctuary, seeking rescue from a boorish swain, Guy’s life changes forever.Love Disguised by Grace BurrowesRupert, Earl of Esterly, kits himself out as a footman, hoping to avoid the matchmakers’ notice at a masquerade. His lordship catches the eye, not of the proper lady he’s supposed to start courting, but of Mary, a chamber maid who has no use for titled men. He’s not what she thinks he is, but then, she’s not what she appears to be either!Until You by Gina ConkleAn encounter with a smoldering Scot in a curiosity shop sets Emma’s heart aflutter. His stunning offer intrigues her—it could mean freedom. Her parents want her suitably wed, and she wants more of the dark-eyed Scot, Mr. Ramsay. But an air of mystery follows him... until Lord and Lady Whitwell’s ball, where Emma dances in a private garden grotto and sets herself free.Ill Met by Moonlight by Eileen DreyerWhen she sneaks into the conservatory at the Whitwell’s ball, all Anastasia Dunn wants is to escape the relentless fortune-hunters. Even her engagement to an absent duke hasn’t helped. Not that she is so anxious to meet him either. She’d rather just play amid flowers, even if they aren’t hers. So when she is joined by an unknown reveler, she expects to be annoyed. Maybe it is the fact that she can’t see his face beneath the ass’s head that is part of his costume, but she wants him to stay. Until she realizes just who he is. And why he is there.She Walks in Scandal by Elizabeth EssexNicholas Gowan is forced to make his way in the world with his sword, teaching fencing to young lordlings with more money than sense. But when he takes on a remarkable—and remarkably attractive—new student, his prospects begin to change.The Honorable Miss Violet Worth has always known exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to fight for it. Crossed swords soon lead to crossed hearts, but a viscount’s daughter can’t fall in love with a penniless swordsmen. But Violet devises a plan to parry those determined to keep them apart with a clever feint at the Midsummer Night’s Ball.The Awakening of Lady Flora by Bronwen EvansWidowed Lady Flora Stanton is attending the Whitwell's annual masquerade ball for one thing only: to finally have a little fun and find herself a paramour. A man who she can share everything with, except her heart. Her dead husband owns that, and it’s locked safely away. But is she brave enough to admit she’s lonely? The rest of her life is a long time to be without pleasure.Attending the Whitwell’s ball, James Tennison, Earl of Battling, recognizes the lady in the Grecian Goddess disguise. How could he not? She’s owned his heart for many, many years, and tonight, he’s putting the memory of his dead best friend to rest and going after what he wants—what he needs. He might never win Lady Flora’s heart, but he’s not prepared to step aside and let her take any other man into her bed.One Enchanted Evening by Anna HarringtonMason Granger is a victim of proximity. Although the wealthy businessman spurns all society events, his townhouse sits next to Lord and Lady Whitwell’s, which means he’...