Mrs. Ambrosia Bloomington is finally free. Widowed and ready for a fresh start, she’s set her sights on Mayfair—determined to live life on her own terms, without the shadow of her late husband.

She doesn’t expect the maddeningly confident—and disarmingly charming—Frenchman Mr. Bateman to derail her journey and turn it into an unexpected adventure. Nor does she anticipate his laughter, his warmth… or the sparks that fly between them.

But Mr. Bateman carries secrets of his own—and Ambrosia won’t realize just how big they are until it may be too late.

A shorter version of this story was first published as Cocky Duke in 2020, as part of the Cocky Hero Shared World. 

The Duke That I Lost , however, includes enhanced material and significant changes, and is Book One in Annabelle Anders’ newest Regency series, Scoundrels with Secrets.

To get out of town I hop on a plane, and just my luck, we hit epic turbulence—so epic that I grab Hot-Aisle-Seat-Guy like these are our final moments alive.

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“Just breathe,” he says. But that's easier said than done.

Because his voice is the perfect kind of grumbly, and his face… let’s just say I’m not looking out the window anymore.

​

After my melt down, I console myself with the fact that I’ll never see him again. Right?

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Wrong.

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Fate has put us both (grudgingly) on the same Southwest bus tour, surrounded by a pack of tech-challenged retirees who treat smartphones and iPads like loaded weapons.

​

And yet… somewhere between letting go of the past, exploring majestic canyons, and yeah, Hot-Aisle-Seat-Guy, my “avoid men” plan is slowly turning into a “trust the broody doctor” plan.

​

Maybe I didn’t board this bus to fall in love… but suddenly, I can’t imagine going home without him.

If you like heartwarming escapes filled with adventure, unforgettable characters, and a slow-burn romance that keeps the pages turning, climb aboard The Love Bus.

Following the untimely deaths of more than half the men in his family, the Earl of Standish inherits a title tainted with suspicion and shame. To restore his reputation, he'll need to take drastic action.

When Lady Marigold Hathaway, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Crossings, suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of this handsome earl's attentions, she initially questions his motives—but does that even matter when this is likely the best offer she’ll get?

With hints of danger lurking around every corner, the two will have to navigate the unforgiving judgement of the ton, the scandalous and potentially deadly secrets of the past—and their own tangled hearts, as this marriage of convenience threatens to become something far more real.

Book 1 in the Rakes of Rotten Row Series

Lady Gardenia has no desire to marry the man her father has chosen for her, but since her sister’s escape, the Duke of Crossings has become more domineering than ever.

On the day of her wedding ceremony, she is presented with one final choice: marry the horrible Duke of Dewberry, or reach for freedom and run away from, not only this unwanted union, but her family as well.

Even if she were to run, where on earth could she go?

Perhaps the Baron of Westcott may be of some assistance…

Book 2 in the Rakes of Rotten Row Series

When scandal threatens her brother, there is only one thing for Lady Caroline Rutherford to do: use her wit and pluck to land a position at the Gazette and stop the lies before they ever make it to print.

Maxwell Black, the Earl of Helton, took ownership of the London Gazette to reestablish the paper as a legitimate source of news, but it seems the paper’s issues run far deeper than he ever imagined.

Between rooting out the corruption and keeping the newly hired Lady Caroline both out of his heart and out of trouble, he’s sure to have his hands full.

Book 3 in the Rakes of Rotten Row Series

The Marquess of Winterhope is known for three things: his flashy yet dapper sense of fashion, his love of all things related to horse racing, and perhaps most importantly, his strict adherence to the gentleman’s code of honor.

He has always done the proper and expected thing, but when he begins to fall for his all-but-promised bride’s hired companion instead, Winterhope will have to make a decision between his love of duty and the love of his heart.

Said companion, Miss Clementine Buckingham, will have to make a choice as well, one between loyalty to her family—ahem, employers—and a future with the man she can no longer live without.

Book 4 in the Rakes of Rotten Row Series

Abandoned as a child on the docks of London, Leopold Beckworth entered the world with the odds stacked against him, but fueled by spite, he has since amassed power and wealth that most aristocrats envy.

Lady Amelia Crowley is the perfect darling of the ton, and as such, she is surely destined to fulfill her parents’ dreams by marrying a wealthy, titled gentleman—or so she believes until that scoundrel, Mr. Beckworth swoops in and upends her entire life without so much as a by-your-leave.

With the clashing of their two worlds, understanding can be hard to come by, but as time wears on, these two may yet find something worthwhile in the other—something more precious than even the rarest of Mr. Beckworth’s hidden treasures.

Book 5 of the Rakes of Rotten Row Series

After a devastating family tragedy, Lady Melanie Rutherford has become more comfortable in the shadows than in the spotlight—until a new scandal threatens to destroy her family for good. Desperate to protect her loved ones, she makes a shocking proposal to the Duke of Malum: a fake betrothal to quiet the gossip.

With a mysterious past, a dangerous reputation, and a risqué gentlemen's club to his name, Malum is the last man anyone would expect to play hero, but when a baby is left on his doorstep—and a determined young lady barges into his life—he finds that what’s left of his conscience won’t allow for anything less.

Last in the Rakes of Rotten Row Series

Miss Collette Jones, as the illegitimate daughter of a baron, is determined to become a respectable teacher.

The Duke of Bedwell isn’t interested in respectable teachers. He’s interested in being proper, honorable, and fulfilling his duties to his title.

So what is Bedwell to do when honor demands he shows more than a little interest in one particular respectable teacher? Why, marry the chit, that’s what.

Book 1 in Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings

Miss Victoria Shipley has long since abandoned hope for a happily-ever-after. She is straightlaced, proper and takes her position as assistant headmistress quite seriously.

The Earl of Rosewood, however, has different ideas for Miss Shipley. He's decided to provide her with an educations she most certainly cannot obtain while teaching at Miss Primm's.

Book 2 in Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings

Lady Priscilla, declared ruined the year of her come-out, loves teaching home economics and history at Miss Primm's Private Seminary for the Education of Ladies. She adores most of her students and will do almost anything for them. In fact, under the direst of circumstances, she's even willing to pretend to impersonate one of them...

Everything goes swimmingly until she finds herself falling in love with Emerson Huntington, the Baron of Middlebrook--aka—her student’s betrothed…

Book 3 in Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings

Miss Chloe Fortune went straight from being a student to a teacher at Miss Primm's Seminary for the Education of ladies. She teaches philosophy, dance, and a smidgeon of self-defense. Men are not to be trusted--especially those who claim to be gentle.

Is it possible the brother of a student she has agreed to chaperone for the summer is different from all the rest? Or is Captain Sterling Edgeworth just as rakish as the rest of them?

Book 4 in Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings

Beatrice Wolcott is desperate to keep her past a secret. She can’t afford to make the same mistake other teachers have made—mistakes that have forced them to marry! So when the Marquess asks Beatrice to pose as his temporary fiancée, she would have refused… Until he offered to discover the identity of whoever has been vandalizing the school. How could she not agree to the bargain when the safety of the students is at stake?

Lord Sexton, Chief investigator and Interim Director of the Society for the Advancement of Ingenuity in London, needs to address one last detail to convince the board to make his position a permanent one: A wife.

Book 6 in Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings

After quite literally falling on her face the year of her come-out, Miss Adelaide Elizabeth Royal, daughter of a wealthy American Industrialist, has abandoned all notions of fitting into society and now teaches science and math at Miss Primm's.

London's golden lord, Damien Reddington, the Viscount Bloodstone, has a humiliating secret. Is it possible that Miss Addy, one of his sister's teachers, can be trusted with it?

Book 7 of Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings

As the daughter of a cruel marquess, Augusta Primm has fought tooth and nail to establish her independence. But now, with someone vandalizing her precious institution, and scandals turning up left and right, the school’s reputation hangs by a thread. Slowly but surely, she’s losing the fight.

Rowan Stewart, older brother to the Duke of Bedwell, is a bastard by birth, and an architect by trade. Despite his brother’s push for him to enter society, Rowan will never be subject to society’s prejudice again. Once was enough.

Until a once in a lifetime project comes along—the opportunity to rebuild the majestic Longbow Castle. It doesn’t matter that the castle is just a few miles from the school owned and run by the woman who jilted him years ago. He’s left that life behind and he’d never allow Augusta Primm to hurt him again.

But when she faces losing the dream she chose over him, Rowan must make a choice. Help the woman he once loved or abandon her forever.

Book 8 in Miss Primm's Secret School for Budding Bluestockings