A British officer’s life is saved when a young woman and her dog risk their lives and rescue him from beneath dead bodies while trying to escape the New Orleans battlefield before shooting begins.

Welcome to book 1 in the new Rakes of Mayhem series from bestselling author Anna St. Claire!

Colonel Matthew Romney, a favored son of the British military, is gravely wounded during the Battle of New Orleans. With most available British forces dead and his weak pleas for help muffled beneath the dead soldier he lies below, the British report him missing in the aftermath.

Bethany Phillips and her dog visit the Villeré Plantation’s gardens searching for herbs and food and unexpectedly become caught in the crossfire of grapeshot and cannon fire and forced to take cover until the battle ends. When the smoke clears, Bethany follows the sound of a man’s moans and pulls him from beneath a pile of dead soldiers being readied for a mass grave. Bethany saves Matthew’s life but in doing so, threatens her heart and her own life.

Against all odds, sparks fly between Matthew and Bethany. A hired investigator for his father finds Matthew and encourages him to journey home. Matthew and Bethany leave the safety of her home and travel a dangerous path through the wilderness of America and across a ravaged, war-torn ocean to reach his family.

Can their romance survive the dangers and uncertainty that follow them?

He saves her from a runaway horse. Too late, she realizes her hero is the man she left years ago for another.

Lucas Pemberton, the fourth Duke of Dorman, enjoys the freedom life affords him and has no plans for marriage, having experienced the fickle nature of women years ago. On the way home, a woman’s piercing scream and an out-of-control horse grab his attention. He rescues her, only to discover that she is the woman who had spurned his affections years ago in favor of another.

Unexpectedly, he becomes guardian to two young women—a forgotten promise made long ago. A confirmed bachelor, Lucas finds himself wholly unprepared for the challenges his wards create and force him to seek a solution.

Newly widowed, Lady Harriett Dudley flees her dead husband’s home and vows to never relinquish her freedom to any man. Distracted by threats from his family, she is almost killed when something spooks her horse, only to be saved by the man who had professed his affection the very day her father betrothed her to another.

Did she owe him an explanation? Would he understand? Could forgiveness revive a long-ago courtship and give them an opportunity to experience everlasting happiness?

A vengeful ghost wants them dead for crimes they didn’t commit.

Edward Baxter inherits an earldom upon the death of a distant uncle and within a Season, becomes betrothed to Lady Violet Hanson in a celebrated match. Shortly thereafter, strange, and vicious occurrences threaten their lives and the continuation of the Whitlock earldom.

Edward’s uncanny resemblance to his late cousin attracts not only the curiosity of the town but the vengeance of a ghost. When Edward recognizes the attacks are connected to tragedies from his late cousin’s family, he goes to extreme lengths to unravel the mystery before the ghost kills his betrothed.

Will Edward discover the dangerous curse and placate the ghost in time to allow him and Violet a chance at love and happiness?

(Note: This story was first published as part of the USA Today Bestselling Boxed set Upon a Midnight Dreary, October 2021)

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made... unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.

She needs a miracle to save her, but he refuses to consider marriage, until a pretend betrothal changes how he sees her.

Riddled with guilt and haunted by nightmares over the tragic death of his father, Henry Stanton, the Earl of Egerton, returns home a broken man and seeks solace in the excesses of the Lyon’s Den. He’s sworn to never marry, but a chance meeting with the woman who captured his heart over a decade ago forces him to rethink his decision. Unwillingness to change his mind may prevent him from discovering what his heart and soul needs most.

Lady Olivia Dawson wants a love match, but her family’s financial ruin upends her perfect life, and worse, the vile man who holds her family’s fortune demands her hand. When she meets the childhood friend she’s never forgotten, she realizes he’s everything she wants.

A mother desperate to save her daughter’s future appeals to the Black Widow of Whitehall who spins a web of hearts, high-stakes bets, and intrigue—but the widow’s plan places Olivia’s life in the path of a killer.

Henry and Olivia’s futures will hang in the balance unless they can find a way to trust one another with their lives and hearts.

A chance at love could cost them their lives.

Welcome to book 2, Marquess of Mischief by USA Today Bestselling author Anna St. Claire.

As a second son, Christopher Anglesey never planned to become the Marquess of Banbury. However, his brother's death forced him to assume the title and its responsibilities. Still, he refuses to relinquish his dangerous job with the Crown or marry. His job requires he maintains a presence at most ton events. However, Christopher avoids the marriage-minded mommas and their vapid daughters.

On the heels of a successful first Season, a carriage accident on the way home from London leaves Lady Diana Lawrence blind. She resigns herself to a life without love or marriage and still attends ton gatherings only to please her mother—who still believes love will find her daughter. While attending a museum tour with her best friend, Diana overhears plans to kill the Prince Regent, placing her in the crosshairs of a killer.

Christopher's assignment brings him to the museum, where he discovers a beautiful young woman desperate to escape and recognizes her as his sister's best friend. She may be the one person who can help save the Prince Regent's life. Sparks fly as he tries to protect her and find a killer.

Can they survive the danger that pursues them and gain a chance at love neither thought could happen?

Can a ghost show Agatha the way to happiness?

Years after the death of her husband, Lady Agatha Wendt has become a surly, cold-hearted miser, increasingly left to her own company, particularly during the holiday season. Childless and with little family, the wealthy widow fears falling into unexpected poverty and spurns even the smallest gestures of Christmas giving. A determined spirit visits Agatha and forces her to see how others regard her. He warns her change must happen.

Charles Bentley, her butler has been the one constant in a revolving household of embittered staff. Charles sees goodness in her, a trait she takes pains to hide, and finds himself attracted to the real Agatha—despite knowing he could never be with her, given the class difference between them.

Can the spirit awaken Agatha to her real fears and help her overcome them in time to realize the gift she has always wanted?

He’s determined to find out the truth…
Alexander Douglas, the fifth Earl of Wrotham, returns home from the war to discover his estate in financial ruin, thanks to his late father’s greedy mistress. Convinced that Mrs. Dorothy Marble duped his father out of huge sums of money and forced him to sign over one of the family’s townhouses, Alex makes it his mission to expose her as the criminal she is. With a widowed mother and younger siblings to support, Alex enters the notorious Lyon’s Den to use his considerable skill at cards to win enough to repay the creditors. When he encounters a mysterious young man who manages to beat everyone he plays, Alex uncovers the youthful cardsharp’s clever ruse.

She’s determined to hide the truth…
Lady Priscilla Gifford despairs she will never find a husband. Her well-meaning but overbearing mother insists on purchasing horrible gowns that make Priscilla and her sisters look like puffed-up peacocks. Worse still, Priscilla and her sisters must perform in endless musicales, even though they have no musical talent. Between the dismal dresses and pitiful performances, Priscilla is finding it a challenge to control her stutter, something she’s had since childhood. Tired of being the focus of the ton’s ridicule and determined to break free, Priscilla devises a plan to boost her financial independence and bolster her self-confidence, a daring plan that requires the discrete assistance of Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the matron of the infamous Lyon’s Den. When she encounters Alex at the Den, Priscilla realizes the earl is as clever as he is handsome.

But as feelings begin to bloom between Priscilla and Alex, a sinister plot threatens to destroy any future they might have.

Haunted by his wife’s death, he vowed to never marry again...until he meets her!

Evan Prescott, the fifth Earl of Clarendon lost his wife during the birth of their child. Broken, Evan seeks solace in the Lyon’s Den, a world of drink, cards, and excess—where wins and losses are easier to navigate than responsibilities. Overconfident and in his cups, he makes a bet that will change his life.

Still mourning the loss of her father and elder brother…
Lady Charlotte Grisham saves her young brother from the path of a speeding carriage. In a fit of pique, she throws propriety to the wind and storms up the steps of the owner’s London townhouse—and meets the man that upends her world.

The stars align when his high-stakes bet and her lapse in judgment give the Black Widow of Whitehall the perfect opportunity to spin her web of hearts, while untold danger lurks a step behind.

Can a marriage of convenience give rise to love in time to avoid a deadly disaster?

(Note: This is an introductory novella to the Rakes of Mayhem Series -The Earl of Excess, Book One.)