The Promise in a Kiss

Anna Snow grew up in an orphanage in Bath knowing nothing of her family. Now she discovers that the late Earl of Riverdale was her father and that she has inherited his fortune. Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, keeps others at a distance. Yet something prompts him to aid Anna in her transition from orphan to lady. As London society and her newfound relatives threaten to overwhelm Anna, Avery steps in to rescue her....

Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's younger sister, has devoted her life to the care of orphans. But lately, her charges seem to be disappearing without a trace. Penelope enlists investigator Barnaby Adair to solve the mystery. Adair agrees, intrigued by both the case and by Penelope.

It's December 1837, and the young adults of the Cynster clan have succeeded in having the family Christmas celebration held at snowbound Casphairn Manor, Richard and Catriona Cynster's home. Led by Sebastian, Marquess of Earith, and by Lucilla, future Lady of the Vale, and her twin brother, Marcus, the upcoming generation has its own plans for the holiday season.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Miss Heather Cynster... but not before she encounters kidnappers, danger, and a daring rescue at the hands of Viscount Breckenridge. Determined to hunt down her very own hero, one who will sweep her off her feet and into wedded bliss, and despairing of finding him in London’s staid ballrooms, Heather Cynster steps out of her safe world and boldly attends a racy soiree. But her promising hunt is ruined by the supremely interfering Viscount Breckenridge, who whisks her out of scandal....

Raised by an unloving father who told him he was actually a bastard, Gareth St. Clair, the second son of a viscount, has plenty of private demons to battle. Years later, after ironically becoming the heir to the St. Clair title when his older brother dies, Gareth still doesn't understand why his father, Lord St. Clair, hasn't publicly denounced his position in society.

When the Marquis of Amberley's coach is waylaid by highwaymen and his coachman shot, he is forced to take shelter at the first house he finds and is subsequently trapped there for a week by a severe snowstorm. Oakleigh Manor is the home of Rosalind Vernon who lives alone but for her devoted servants and an ill-natured parrot, cut off from the outside world by the tragic result of a childhood accident.

Sebastian Cynster knows time is running out. If he doesn't choose a wife soon, his female relatives will line up to assist him. Yet the current debutantes do not appeal. Where is he to find the right lady to be his marchioness? Then Drake Varisey, eldest son of the Duke of Wolverstone, asks for Sebastian's aid.

Miles from anywhere, Darracott Place is presided over by irascible Lord Darracott. The recent drowning of his eldest son has done nothing to improve his temper. For now he must send for the unknown offspring of the uncle whom the family are never permitted to mention. Yet none of that beleaguered family are prepared for the arrival of the weaver’s brat and heir apparent.

Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from marriage: he will pretend to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry.... Although, there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. But Daphne soon finds herself forgetting that their courtship is a complete sham....

When the Duke of Ashbury returns from war scarred, he realises he needs an heir - which means he needs a wife! When Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter turned seamstress visits wearing a wedding dress, he decides on the spot that she'll do. His terms are simple: They will be husband and wife by night only. No lights, no kissing. No questions about his battle scars. Last, and most importantly...Once she's pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again. But Emma is no pushover. She has secrets and some rules of her own....

Michael Stirling and his cousin, John, the Earl of Kilmartin, are as close as brothers. However, Michael is secretly in love with John's wife, Francesca Bridgerton. When John suddenly dies, Michael is wracked with guilt and pain. Even though he is determined to remain simply Francesca's friend and confidant, the temptation is far too great.

This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry; he's also chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield: the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his dreams....

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except...she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her... and more. Did he think she was mad?

Life for Victoria Lacey should be perfect. And it is - perfectly boring. Agree to marry a lord who has yet to inspire a single, solitary tingle? Why, of course. Smile as though this is not the thousandth time he's mentioned hounds and hunting? It's all in a day's work for the oh-so-proper sister of the Duke of Blackmore. Surely no one would suspect her secret longing for heart-racing, head-spinning passion. Except, perhaps, a dark stranger...on a terrace...at a ball where she should definitely not be kissing a man she has only just met.

This Regency-era tale closes best-selling author Julia Quinn's popular and critically acclaimed Bridgerton series. Gregory Bridgerton has watched love simply walk into the lives of his six siblings, so he has just been waiting for his turn. When he sees beautiful Hermione Watson, he is sure he has found his soul-mate. But then Hermione's friend Lucy informs him that Hermione's heart belongs to another.