New Releases by Jennifer Ashley

TO KISS A THIEF… Scottish barrister Sinclair McBride can face the most sinister criminals in London—but the widower’s two unruly children are a different matter. Little Caitlin and Andrew go through a governess a week, sending the ladies fleeing in tears. There is, however, one woman in town who can hold her own. Roberta “Bertie” Frasier enters Sinclair’s life by stealing his watch—and then stealing a kiss. Intrigued by the handsome highlander, Bertie winds up saving his children from a dangerous situation and returning them to their father. Impressed with how they listen to her, Sinclair asks the lively beauty to be their governess, never guessing that the uncoventional lady will teach him a lesson or two in love.

A WOMAN’S REPUTATION Scandal follows Rose Barclay, young widow of the Duke of Southdown, wherever she goes. It’s never her fault—honor bright—but newspapers love to write about the simple girl from Scotland and the much older duke, who died suddenly on their honeymoon. And now there is even more talk as the legitimacy of the marriage is being contested by the duke’s son and heir. Steven McBride is a decorated soldier—and a notorious gambler and womanizer. The last thing he wants is marriage, but due to a series of unfortunate events, he and Rose’s names are linked in the papers, threatening the lovely lady with ruin. To save the day, Steven suggests they claim to be engaged. But as desire boils between them, Rose and Steven soon learn the difficulties of maintaining their deception, which might not be a lie after all … Includes a preview for RULES FOR A PROPER GOVERNESS Praise for the Mackenzie series “Skillfully nuanced characterization and an abundance of steamy sensuality.” —Chicago Tribune “Heartrending, funny, honest, and true… I want to marry the hero!” —Eloisa James, New York Times Bestselling Author “A sexy, passion-filled romance that will keep you reading until dawn.” —Julianne MacLean, USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer Ashley, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and winner of a Romance Writers of America RITA Award, also writes as Allyson James and Ashley Gardner. She’s penned more than fifty-five novels and twenty novellas in historical romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. She now lives in the Southwest with her husband and cats, spends most of her time in the wonderful world of her stories, and also enjoys hiking, music, and building dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures.

In the latest Shifters Unbound novel, a man has resigned himself to a life half lived. But a beautiful, courageous woman has him longing for something more… Graham McNeil knows that his pack is unruly, but he’s not sure he can take the next step toward Shiftertown stability—choosing a new mate. After losing his mate and son long ago, Graham has worked hard to keep his heart in check. And even if he was inclined to bind himself again, his girlfriend, Misty, is human—a fact that won’t sit well with Graham’s old-fashioned wolves. But Graham is up against a new enemy, one who could spell danger and death to all of Shiftertown. Graham must now defend his leadership and save Misty, the woman he has grown to love—before Shiftertown is pulled into an all-out war.

From the author of Lone Wolf comes a paranormal romance about two lovers torn between ecstasy and savagery… Jace Warden is sent to the Shiftertown in Austin to find a way to free all Shifters from their Collars. But pulling off the Collars can cause Shifters to go mad or kill them outright. In Austin, Jace meets Deni Rowe, a wolf Shifter with troubles of her own—she was deliberately run down in the road, and while her body has healed, she still has episodes of total memory loss during which she retreats into her pure animal self. Jace has never met anyone like Deni. Courageous and beautiful, she volunteers to help him test the Collar removal. And as Deni and Jace work together, they feel the mate bond begin. But can Jace help Deni believe she can heal enough to be anyone’s true mate? This sixteen chapter novella includes a preview of the upcoming Shifters Unbound novel Wild Wolf.

Nach Jahren der Abwesenheit kehrt Captain Lacey auf den vernachlassigten Landsitz seiner Familie nach Norfolk zuruck, um das Haus fur seine zukunftige Frau vorzubereiten. Das mysteriose Verschwinden einer jungen Frau gibt ihm Ratsel auf, und ehe er es sich versieht, findet sich der ehemalige Offizier in einer Intrige um gestohlene Kunstschatze wieder ...

A USA Today bestselling novel Leda Stowe loves living on her tiny island off the California coast, taking care of rescued exotic animals. But her peaceful existence is interrupted one night when a gorgeous man with a sword appears out of nowhere in her lion''s enclosure. Instead of fearing for his life, the man has a conversation with the lion and casually walks out to face Leda—all six foot and change of him, wearing nothing but jeans riding low on his hips. He exudes more life magic than Leda has ever seen, easily erasing the wards she''s put on her island home and imposing his own. He is Hunter, one of the Immortal brothers, jerked away from his snug bed by the Calling spell, thrown here when the spell was broken. He knows there''s something wrong with the world, but he''d rather hole up on this quiet island with the beautiful Leda, and let the world deal with it. But too soon Leda and Hunter, and the lion Mukasa, must journey to the mainland to join Hunter''s brothers for the final battle against evil, to rescue the trapped Tain, which will call for Hunter to make a sacrifice that threatens to break him.

For seven hundred years the Immortal warrior Tain was held captive and tortured by a powerful demon, and retreated into madness to escape his pain. Set free by his brothers, Tain has wandered the world, but he’s drawn to Los Angeles, a city divided by demon lords and vampire masters, the death-magic creatures barely kept in line by strict rules and the paranormal police. Samantha Taylor, detective in the paranormal division, is committed to bringing down demons and vampires who turn too many victims. Her stakeout of a demon club is blown by the appearance of a man with amazing power, who kills the attacking demons with one burst of magic. Samantha is shocked to see the man is Tain, the Immortal she helped rescue, whose healing touch burns her. Tain is back, and he needs Samantha’s help. Young demon women are being murdered, and though Tain has no love for demons, he recognizes that they are innocents. He’s also powerfully drawn to Samantha, a half demon, and fears his pull to her means he hasn’t healed from his ordeal. Tain reveals to Samantha more about herself than she’s comfortable knowing, but though she’s falling for Tain, she knows he’ll never allow himself to be tied to demonkind again. When the killer endangers them both, as well as people they love, Tain and Samantha must solve the case together and fight the growing, powerful attraction between them, a battle they are steadily losing. Welcome back to the world of the Immortals, where vamps, shifters, demons, witches, and Immortals warriors exist in the real world, and the forces of life magic and death magic struggle for balance. The Redeeming is a full-length novel of 100,000 words, which can be read as a standalone.

A USA Today bestselling novel Amber has never heard of the Immortals--ancient warriors who come to the aid of those beleaguered by vampires, werewolves, or demons, summoned by the Calling spell. She only learns about them when one crashes into the deserted warehouse where she''s fighting the demon who murdered her sister, and proceeds to beat back the demon and destroy every single one of Amber''s protective spells. Adrian, the oldest Immortal, is intrigued by the lone young woman trying to face an ancient demon, an Old One. He saves her life and takes her home, wanting to know more about her, and the story of her sister''s quest and death. He discovers that Amber''s sister had found Adrian''s brother, Tain, lost for seven hundred years, and has left clues as to where to seek him. Adrian wants to leave Amber behind, out of danger, as he searches for Tain, but Amber sticks to him, needing to know the truth about what happened to her sister. She''s also drawn to this hard-edged man in the leather coat, who looks more like a biker than an ancient warrior, and finds herself falling for his dark eyes, warm voice, and incredible magic. Together they begin their quest, traveling to Los Angeles to consult with a vampire master and a dragon, then into the wilderness to continue the search. They discover that their quest goes far beyond finding Tain or confronting the demon--the problem touches the edge of a far greater plan that puts the entire world in danger. Only the Immortals--all of them together--can hope to stop it. The danger to Adrian is even greater--he has found his soul-mate in the warm-hearted Amber and he''ll do anything to keep her safe.

Welcome to the world of the Shifters. Collared and controlled, they live in Shiftertowns, following rules meant to subdue their violent and animalistic natures. Humans believe they’re tamed, rendered harmless . . . but are they? Bodyguard (Shifters Unbound, 2.5) Bear Shifter Ronan saves a young human woman from a robbery and takes her to Shiftertown to keep her safe. Elizabeth realizes that the huge Kodiak Shifter who insists she go nowhere without him is the kind foster father to unwanted cubs and protects everyone around him. Hard Mated (Shifters Unbound, 3.5) Myka, a human woman, discovers that there''s much more to Spike, jaguar Shifter and Shiftertown’s champion fighter, than anyone else has ever seen. Shifter Made Wildcat Shifter and master sword smith Niall is approached by Alanna, a woman of the hated Fae, who has a commission for a very special sword. Shifter Made is a prequel to the Shifters Unbound series that tells the story of the Sword of the Guardian.

SECOND SIGHT AND SEDUCTION… Daniel Mackenzie lives up to the reputation of the scandalous Mackenzie family—he has wealth, looks, and talent, and women love him. When he meets Violet Bastien—one of the most famous spiritual mediums in England—he immediately knows two things: that Miss Bastien is a fraud, and that he’s wildly attracted to her. Violet knows she can’t really contact the other side, but she’s excellent at reading people. She discerns quickly that Daniel is intelligent and dangerous to her reputation, but she also finds him generous, handsome, and outrageously wicked. But spectres from Violet’s past threaten to destroy her, and she flees England, adopting yet another identity. Daniel is determined to find the elusive Violet and pursue the passion he feels for her. And though Violet knows that her scandalous past will keep her from proper marriage, her attraction to Daniel is irresistible. It’s not until Daniel is the only one she can turn to that he proves he believes in something more than cold facts. He believes in love.

Cavalry captain Gabriel Lacey returns to Regency London from the Napoleonic wars to begin solving crimes that go unnoticed by the Bow Street Runners, which take him from the mansions of Mayfair to the backstreets of London''s rookeries. As Captain Gabriel Lacey prepares for his upcoming wedding, his former neighbor, Marianne Simmons, asks for his help to find an actress friend who’s gone missing. Lacey agrees to help look for the actress, little realizing that the search will pit him against men who think nothing of abduction, assault, or sending incendiary devices to the innocent. At the same time, Lacey’s personal life is changing, and his time for investigation is frequently and frustratingly interrupted. He is also commanded by a new Bow Street Runner to assist in bringing down James Denis, a criminal with whom Lacey now has complicated ties. Lacey must help or else risk hanging alongside Denis. The search for the actress takes Lacey from elegant assembly rooms to the backstage of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, where he finds darkness in all corners. Lacey’s life and honor are constantly challenged as he tries to settle into his new life, until he realizes he can follow no code but his own.

A WOMAN OF BREEDING MEETS A MAN OF NO STANDING… To redeem her family’s disgraced name, Lady Louisa Scranton has decided to acquire a proper husband. He needs to be a man of fortune and highly respectable in order to restore both her family''s lost wealth and reputation. She enters the Marriage Mart with all flags flying, determined to find the right bachelor. But Louisa’s hopes are dashed when the Bishop of Hargate drops dead at her feet—and she is shockingly accused of murder! Soon, Louisa’s so-called friends begin shunning her, because the company of a suspected killer is never desirable in polite society. The problem comes to the ears of Detective Inspector Lloyd Fellows, by-blow of the decadent Scottish Mackenzie family and an inspector for Scotland Yard. He has shared two passionate kisses with Lady Louisa–and vows to clear her name. For not only does he know she’s innocent, he recognizes he’s falling for the lovely lady. Fellows is Louisa''s only hope of restoring her family''s honor—and it is he alone who intrigues Louisa in a way that may be even more scandalous than murder… INCLUDES A PREVIEW OF THE UPCOMING NOVEL THE WICKED DEEDS OF DANIEL MACKENZIE

Late December, 1818 As Captain Gabriel Lacey prepares for his upcoming wedding, his former neighbor, Marianne Simmons, comes to him about an actress friend who''s gone missing. Lacey agrees to help look for the actress, little realizing that the search will pit him against men who think nothing of abduction, assault, or sending incendiary devices to the innocent. At the same time, Lacey''s personal life is changing, and his time for investigation is frequently and frustratingly interrupted. He is also commanded by a new Bow Street Runner to assist in bringing down James Denis, a criminal with whom Lacey now has complicated ties. Lacey must help or else risk hanging alongside Denis. The search for the actress takes Lacey from elegant assembly rooms to the backstage of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, where he finds darkness in all corners. Lacey''s life and honor are constantly challenged as he tries to settle into his new life, until he realizes he can follow no code but his own. Book 8 in the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries.

He was once a captive, but his urges were never caged. Now he’ll release them on a beautiful stranger whose own secret desires are longing to be sated… He doesn’t have a name. He doesn’t have a clan. The humans who held him prisoner for forty years have taken them away. He knew nothing but captivity until nearly a year ago, when he was released into the light. Now Tiger lives in the Austin Shiftertown, where he struggles to belong and searches for an identity. Carly Randal thinks her fabulous life is complete—until her car breaks down on the side of the road, and a wild-looking Shifter is the only one to help her. Tiger takes one look at Carly and knows instantly—she will be his mate. As Carly is drawn into his Shifter world, she risks everything she has for that forbidden something she still wants: passionate love.

Ellison Rowe is a wolf Shifter who has embraced all things Texas. He''s a cowboy through and through, complete with a Texas drawl, cowboy hat, and well-worn cowboy boots. He''s also lonely, though he feels obligated to look after his sister who is recovering from a hit-and-run accident that has left her striving to control her feral tendencies. Enter Maria, a human woman taking refuge with the Shifters, who volunteers to look after the cubs and help Ellison’s sister. Maria too is recovering from a haunted past—she was kidnapped and held hostage by a rogue Shifter and then disowned by her family when she was set free. Now she’s on her own, but determined to put her life back together and leave Shiftertown for good. But someone is attempting to abduct Shifter cubs, and Maria and Ellison know they must stop him. As Maria works with Ellison to track down the kidnapper, she finds her heart slowly awakening once more. And Ellison realizes that Maria may be just the one to bring light back into his life… THIS SIXTEEN CHAPTER, 43,000 WORD NOVELLA INCLUDES A PREVIEW OF THE UPCOMIING SHIFTERS UNBOUND NOVEL, TIGER MAGIC

PROPERLY IMPROPER…AND DARING TO LOVE… Juliana St. John was raised to be very proper. After a long engagement, her wedding day dawns—only for Juliana to find herself jilted at the altar. Fleeing the mocking crowd, she stumbles upon Elliot McBride, the tall, passionate Scot who was her first love. His teasing manner gives her an idea, and she asks Elliot to save her from an uncertain future—by marrying her… After escaping brutal imprisonment, Elliot has returned to Scotland a vastly wealthy yet tormented man. Now Juliana has her hands full restoring his half-ruined manor in the Scottish Highlands and trying to repair the broken heart of the man some call irredeemably mad. Though beautiful and spirited, Juliana wonders if that will be enough to win a second chance at love.

The Mackenzies gather for a clan Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland. In the chaos of preparations for the celebration--the first of Hart and Eleanor''s married life--one of Ian''s Ming bowls gets broken, and the family scrambles to save the day. Daniel busily runs a betting ring for everything from the hour Eleanor''s baby will arrive, to whether Mac''s former-pugilist valet can win a boxing match, to who will be the first of the many guests to be caught under the mistletoe. Ian begins a new obsession, and Beth fears the loss of one of his precious bowls has made him withdraw once more into his private world.Revisit the Mackenzies in this heartwarming Christmas tale. Book 4.5 of the New York Times bestselling Mackenzies Series.

The Mackenzies gather for a clan Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland. In the chaos of preparations for the celebration--the first of Hart and Eleanor''s married life--one of Ian''s Ming bowls gets broken, and the family scrambles to save the day. Daniel busily runs a betting ring for everything from the hour Eleanor''s baby will arrive, to whether Mac''s former-pugilist valet can win a boxing match, to who will be the first of the many guests to be caught under the mistletoe. Ian begins a new obsession, and Beth fears that the loss of one of his precious bowls has made him withdraw once more into his private world. Revisit the Mackenzies in this heartwarming Christmas tale. Book 4.5 of the New York Times bestselling Mackenzies series.

Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity, forced to live in Shiftertowns. But waiting within are passions that no Collar can contain… As a wildcat Shifter and leader of his Shiftertown, Eric Warden knows his own kind. When he sees Iona Duncan, he realizes that although she appears human she is a half-Shifter wildcat living without a Collar—and that if she doesn’t acknowledge her true nature and her mating hunger, it may kill her… Iona finds the mysterious and powerful Eric alluring, even though she has vowed never to reveal her Shifter side, lest her mother pay the price for hiding her all these years. But her mating hunger is rising, and with Eric so close, she may not be able to resist…and her desire may lead to the very doom they are fighting to deny…

Spike, a wildcat Shifter and the champion fighter of Shiftertown, is stunned when Myka, the best friend of a dying human woman, announces that Spike has fathered a cub. What''s more, the mother is giving the boy to Spike to protect and raise. Myka, who''d been raised by an abusive stepfather, is not sure that a wild fighter named Spike is the best man to bring up the cute little jaguar cub. She goes to Shiftertown to check out Spike, and finds that the man behind the name is a lonely Shifter who''s lost most of his family and is a fierce caretaker to those he has left. Spike is torn between the cub and his duties as tracker to the Shiftertown leader and asks Myka, the only person who understands, to help him. He starts to like the sassy Myka, a horse trainer who''s not afraid of working with animals, even if they''re wildcats who turn into humans. When Spike''s job puts his cub and Myka in danger, he is forced to choose between those to whom he''s pledged his loyalty and his need to protect the woman and cub he''s come to love. Book 3.5 of Shifters Unbound (Austin Shifters)

A Pirate’s Return from the Grave … Honoria Ardmore has a secret. Four years ago, the notorious pirate Christopher Raine, arrested for stealing a ship full of gold bound for Napoleon, makes one last request of Honoria. She grants it, and Christopher is taken out to be hanged . . . Or was he? Honoria couldn’t possibly have seen him come back to life in the rather thick air of Covent Garden, could she? Christopher is long dead and gone, Honoria’s secret with him, and now she’s betrothed to a respectable English gentleman. Captain Raine wants it all back … His sentence having been commuted at the last minute, Christopher spent the last four years working for his freedom as he crisscrossed the world. He’s lost everything, his ship, his crew, his very identity. And now he’s determined to retrieve it all—ship, friends, the treasure he was forced to abandon. Most of all Christopher wants Honoria Ardmore—his wife. And he’ll stop at nothing to get her back. Join the crews of the Starcross, the Argonaut, and the Majesty for more Regency pirate fun and adventure!

England, 1811 Diana Worthing is the wife of an English naval hero, daughter of a naval hero—she’s had quite enough of heroes, thank you. So when James Ardmore, Southern gentleman pirate hunter and thorn in the side of the British navy, abducts her from a tedious house party and spirits her off to his ship, she lets him know what she thinks of heroes. James interrogates her about the tiny island of Haven her father owns, where Diana and her father and deaf daughter retreat to escape the world. Diana resists, knowing that Captain Ardmore is an enemy of the English. But when Ardmore pins her to the wall of his cabin and asks her to sail away with him, sparks fly, and the temptation is great. But though Diana is an unhappily married woman, she has a daughter who needs her, and she refuses. James knows the island of Haven holds the secret to the pirate he’s been hunting for years. He can’t bend the beautiful Lady Worthing to his will, though James is intrigued by this woman of unquenchable fire. He lets her go, learning nothing. But he’s pleased to find himself stranded on Haven the following year, Diana Worthing now a widow, and the sparks between them just as hot.

Lady Eleanor Ramsay is the only one who knows the truth about Hart Mackenzie. Once his fiancee, she is the sole woman to whom he could ever pour out his heart. Hart has it all--a dukedom, wealth, power, influence, whatever he desires. Every woman wants him--his seductive skills are legendary. But Hart has sacrificed much to keep his brothers safe, first from their brutal father, and then from the world. He''s also suffered loss--his wife, his infant son, and the woman he loved with all his heart though he realized it too late. Now, Eleanor has reappeared on Hart''s doorstep, with scandalous nude photographs of Hart taken long ago. Intrigued by the challenge in her blue eyes--and aroused by her charming, no-nonsense determination--Hart wonders if his young love has come to ruin him . . . or save him.

Heartbroken from the death of her mate three years ago, Shifter Cassidy Warden is tracking down his mysterious killer-one who could bring danger to all Shifters. But Detective Diego Escobar rekindles the flames of her mating desire. And once the fires begin, nothing and no one can put them out...

Cavalry captain Gabriel Lacey returns to Regency London from the Napoleonic wars to begin solving crimes that go unnoticed by the Bow Street Runners, which take him from the mansions of Mayfair to the backstreets of London''s rookeries. September 1817: Captain Gabriel Lacey travels with Lady Breckenridge to his boyhood home in northern Norfolk only to discover mysterious happenings in and around the Lacey estate. A young woman, cousin of an old friend, has gone missing, strange objects appear in Lacey''s ruined house, and the dark windmills on the marshes keep pulling Lacey to them. The underworld criminal, James Denis, uses Lacey''s visit to Norfolk as an opportunity to have Lacey deliver a message to a local squire. A simple task--but one that lands Lacey squarely in international theft and murder. Lacey learns more about Denis''s past, and finds himself joining forces with Denis to flush out a brutal killer and save the one person about whom Denis admits to caring.

Elizabeth Chapman is saved from an armed robber by a giant Kodiak bear who shifts into a large, well-muscled, and fully naked human male. But when it''s revealed that the robber is the brother of a dangerous criminal, Elizabeth finds herself the target of a vendetta. Ronan, the bear Shifter, takes her to Shiftertown for safety, where Elizabeth learns that the mateless Ronan, alone in the world, takes care of Shifters who have also been left on their own. Having grown up in foster care, Elizabeth can only admire how protective Ronan is. But Ronan will only let Elizabeth leave the confines of Shiftertown if he becomes her 24/7 bodyguard. Elizabeth chafes at the restriction, but agrees. The trouble is, the sassy human Elizabeth is triggering Ronan''s long-buried need to find himself a mate. Book 2.5 of Shifters Unbound (Austin Shifters)

A woman is drawn to a dangerously intruiging man in this unique historical romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley. It was whispered all through London Society that Ian Mackenzie was mad, that he’d spent his youth in an asylum, and was not to be trusted—especially with a lady. For the reputation of any woman caught in his presence was instantly ruined. Yet Beth found herself inexorably drawn to the Scottish lord whose hint of a brogue wrapped around her like silk and whose touch could draw her into a world of ecstasy. Despite his decadence and his intimidating intelligence, she could see that he needed help. Her help. Because suddenly the only thing that made sense to her was…The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie.