Fans pick 100 books like After Dark with the Duke

By Julie Anne Long,

Here are 100 books that After Dark with the Duke fans have personally recommended if you like After Dark with the Duke. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Frenchman's Creek

Bronwyn Scott Author Of Cinderella at the Duke's Ball

From my list on Regency Romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved the Regency for decades. I cut my teeth on it as a young reader, and it’s been exciting to see the genre expand to include all types of stories from manner-driven drawing room dramas that highlight the nuances of the era to seductive, sexy stories that simply take place during those years, to stories that draw heavily on the events of the era to design unique and exciting historical plots. The diversity within the genre reflects the diversity of life and experience during the Regency. I have tried to capture a little of each across the 70+ books I’ve written for Harlequin, Mills, and Boon and in my own reading.

Bronwyn's book list on Regency Romance

Bronwyn Scott Why did Bronwyn love this book?

Alright, this one isn’t a Regency, and it’s not technically a romance, but it is a love story. It’s set during the Restoration period, so it’s much earlier, but it showcases how a love story can also be an adventure story and a journey of self-discovery.

The heroine, Lady Dona St. Columb, retreats to her estate in Cornwall only to find that a pirate is using her cove as a secret hideaway and her house as his own retreat. They set out on a madcap adventure and fall in love until her husband arrives and attempts to capture her lover, forcing Dona to choose between the life she has and the life she wants.

This is one of my favorite stories because the themes in it are timeless—who among us has not grappled with the same dilemma in the 21st century? I think that makes a book strong—regardless of time…

By Daphne du Maurier,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Frenchman's Creek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of Rebecca comes the story of a woman who craves love, freedom, and adventure-but it might cost her everything.
"Highly personalized adventure, ultra-romantic mood, and skillful storytelling." -New York Times
A lost classic from master of gothic romance and author of Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier, Frenchman's Creek is an electrifying tale of love and scandal on the high seas.
Jaded by the numbing politeness of London in the late 1600s, Lady Dona St. Columb revolts against high society. She rides into the countryside, guided only by her restlessness and her longing to escape.
But when chance leads…


Book cover of Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover

Lorraine Heath Author Of The Return of the Duke

From my list on historical romances with adventurous women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the bestselling author of more than 46 romance novels. I love history, enjoy research, and am always looking for little-known facts to make my stories more authentic. Some of those facts have revealed that women in the 19th century often took on occupations, hobbies, or causes that challenged them and sometimes placed them in danger. Although seldom acknowledged as such, women in the 19th century were a force to be reckoned with, although their contributions were often overlooked. But through reading personal accounts, letters of the time, biographies, and nonfiction accounts about various women’s roles, I have gained a greater appreciation for how daring women have been throughout history.

Lorraine's book list on historical romances with adventurous women

Lorraine Heath Why did Lorraine love this book?

Little is more adventurous than a woman who owns a gambling hell, who has forged a path to success, and dares Society to judge her. I love Sarah’s depth of characterization and how she infuses her characters with a background and motivations that make their actions, even the questionable ones, understandable and believable. I find she always takes an insurmountable conflict and uses it to drive the characters toward change. I so admire Sarah’s ability to carry me on a journey that always ends with a sigh of satisfaction, and often a few tears.

By Sarah MacLean,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Fabulous' Eloisa James
'Smart, sexy, and always romantic' Julia Quinn
'For a smart, witty and passionate historical romance, I recommend anything by Sarah MacLean' Lisa Kleypas

RITA Award winning author, Sarah MacLean, reveals the identity of The Fallen Angel's final scoundrel in the spectacular conclusion to her Rules of Scoundrels series . . .

By day, she is Lady Georgiana, sister to a duke, ruined before her first season in the worst kind of scandal. But the truth is far more shocking-in London's darkest corners, she is Chase, the mysterious, unknown founder of the city's most legendary gaming hell. For…


Book cover of My Kind of Earl

Lorraine Heath Author Of The Return of the Duke

From my list on historical romances with adventurous women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the bestselling author of more than 46 romance novels. I love history, enjoy research, and am always looking for little-known facts to make my stories more authentic. Some of those facts have revealed that women in the 19th century often took on occupations, hobbies, or causes that challenged them and sometimes placed them in danger. Although seldom acknowledged as such, women in the 19th century were a force to be reckoned with, although their contributions were often overlooked. But through reading personal accounts, letters of the time, biographies, and nonfiction accounts about various women’s roles, I have gained a greater appreciation for how daring women have been throughout history.

Lorraine's book list on historical romances with adventurous women

Lorraine Heath Why did Lorraine love this book?

I find such fun in an innocent miss wanting to explore a brothel. Curiosity and inquisitiveness are attitudes that I believe drive adventurous women. But they don’t always start a brawl in a brothel nor do they have the scientific mind to develop a small bomb that will allow them to escape. I always enjoy a heroine with a sharp mind who isn’t afraid to use it. Vivienne Lorret brings humor to her stories, making her characters incredibly relatable. I smiled throughout the story and loved the heroine’s little quirks.

By Vivienne Lorret,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Kind of Earl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues her charming new trilogy with a bluestocking whose search for information on the mating habits of scoundrels has her stumbling upon the missing heir to an earldom... in the London underworld.

Jane Pickerington never intended to start a brawl in a brothel. She only wanted to research her book. Yet when her simple study of scoundrels goes awry, she finds herself coming to the rescue of a dark, enigmatic stranger... who turns out to be far more than an average rake out for a night of pleasure. He's positively wild!

Only the most…


Book cover of Between the Devil and the Duke

Lorraine Heath Author Of The Return of the Duke

From my list on historical romances with adventurous women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the bestselling author of more than 46 romance novels. I love history, enjoy research, and am always looking for little-known facts to make my stories more authentic. Some of those facts have revealed that women in the 19th century often took on occupations, hobbies, or causes that challenged them and sometimes placed them in danger. Although seldom acknowledged as such, women in the 19th century were a force to be reckoned with, although their contributions were often overlooked. But through reading personal accounts, letters of the time, biographies, and nonfiction accounts about various women’s roles, I have gained a greater appreciation for how daring women have been throughout history.

Lorraine's book list on historical romances with adventurous women

Lorraine Heath Why did Lorraine love this book?

An adventurous lady gambler. I enjoy stories where the heroine is taking on the role usually belonging to the hero. Kelly Bowen is so skilled at giving us characters to care about and root for. This story was a delicious read with a heroine equal to the task of taming the hero. I love Kelly’s writing style and how smoothly her stories flow.

By Kelly Bowen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Between the Devil and the Duke as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Their love was always in the cards.

He should have thrown her out. But when club owner Alexander Lavoie catches a mysterious blonde counting cards at his vingt-et-un table, he's more intrigued than angry. He has to see more of this beauty-in his club, in his office, in his bed. But first he'll have to devise a proposition she can't turn down.

Gossip said he was an assassin. Common sense told her to stay away. But Angelique Archer was desperate, and Lavoie's club offered a surefire way to make quick money-until she got caught. Instead of throwing her out though,…


Book cover of Wild at Heart

Lorraine Heath Author Of The Return of the Duke

From my list on historical romances with adventurous women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the bestselling author of more than 46 romance novels. I love history, enjoy research, and am always looking for little-known facts to make my stories more authentic. Some of those facts have revealed that women in the 19th century often took on occupations, hobbies, or causes that challenged them and sometimes placed them in danger. Although seldom acknowledged as such, women in the 19th century were a force to be reckoned with, although their contributions were often overlooked. But through reading personal accounts, letters of the time, biographies, and nonfiction accounts about various women’s roles, I have gained a greater appreciation for how daring women have been throughout history.

Lorraine's book list on historical romances with adventurous women

Lorraine Heath Why did Lorraine love this book?

Wild at Heart is my #1 favorite historical romance. Unfortunately, it is out of print. The writing is beautiful, the story heart-wrenching, and the heroine adventurous in a subtle way as she challenges those who are studying a man raised by wolves to view him not as an object but as a person. I found this story to be perfection. If you can find a copy, you won’t be disappointed.

By Patricia Gaffney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wild at Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book by Gaffney, Patricia


Book cover of How to Tame a Wild Rogue

Bronwyn Scott Author Of Cinderella at the Duke's Ball

From my list on Regency Romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved the Regency for decades. I cut my teeth on it as a young reader, and it’s been exciting to see the genre expand to include all types of stories from manner-driven drawing room dramas that highlight the nuances of the era to seductive, sexy stories that simply take place during those years, to stories that draw heavily on the events of the era to design unique and exciting historical plots. The diversity within the genre reflects the diversity of life and experience during the Regency. I have tried to capture a little of each across the 70+ books I’ve written for Harlequin, Mills, and Boon and in my own reading.

Bronwyn's book list on Regency Romance

Bronwyn Scott Why did Bronwyn love this book?

Oh, this book is just delicious—two strangers weather a storm by sharing the single available room at the Palace of Rogues Hotel.

I love how this story lets the characters peel back the layers of each other like a wondrous onion of discovery. With each layer, they reveal not only more about each other and themselves but the puzzle of their lives in the world beyond the hotel. As that puzzle is laid piece after piece, things get complicated and oh-so-interesting. Layering is something Julieanne Long excels at.

By Julie Anne Long,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Tame a Wild Rogue as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long's thrilling new romance in the Palace of Rogues series, an infamous privateer's limits are put to the test when he's trapped during a raging tempest with a prickly female at the Grand Palace on the Thames.

He clawed his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to the top of a shadowy empire. Feared and fearsome, battered and brilliant, nothing shocks Lorcan St. Leger-not even the discovery of an aristocratic woman escaping out a window near the London docks on the eve of the storm of the decade. They find shelter…


Book cover of The Legend of Lyon Redmond

Bronwyn Scott Author Of Cinderella at the Duke's Ball

From my list on Regency Romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved the Regency for decades. I cut my teeth on it as a young reader, and it’s been exciting to see the genre expand to include all types of stories from manner-driven drawing room dramas that highlight the nuances of the era to seductive, sexy stories that simply take place during those years, to stories that draw heavily on the events of the era to design unique and exciting historical plots. The diversity within the genre reflects the diversity of life and experience during the Regency. I have tried to capture a little of each across the 70+ books I’ve written for Harlequin, Mills, and Boon and in my own reading.

Bronwyn's book list on Regency Romance

Bronwyn Scott Why did Bronwyn love this book?

This book is the last book in the stellar Pennyroyal Green series which pits two local families (the Everseas and Redmonds) against each other. Lyon, the Redmond heir, has deliberately vanished, leaving the woman he loves, Olivia Eversea, behind to rebuild her life.

Throughout the series, the specter of his disappearance and the tragedy of their love story hangs in the background, building the reader’s sense of intrigue, suspense, and the bittersweetness of unrequited love. Finally, we get our answers in this last book.

I love the sexy, sentimental, yet torrid rollercoaster ride of emotions surrounding love lost and found and the pursuit of trust regained. For me, this story demonstrates all the best of experiencing a heart-piercing love affair without burdening us with manners and drawing rooms.

By Julie Anne Long,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Legend of Lyon Redmond as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bound by centuries of bad blood, England's two most powerful families maintain a veneer of civility ...until the heir to the staggering Redmond fortune disappears, reviving rumors of an ancient curse: a Redmond and an Eversea are destined to fall disastrously in love once per generation. An Enduring Legend Rumor has it she broke Lyon Redmond's heart. But while many a man has since wooed the dazzling Olivia Eversea, none has ever won her-which is why jaws drop when she suddenly accepts a viscount's proposal. Now London waits with bated breath for the wedding of a decade ...and wagers on…


Book cover of A Duke by Any Other Name

Bronwyn Scott Author Of Cinderella at the Duke's Ball

From my list on Regency Romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have loved the Regency for decades. I cut my teeth on it as a young reader, and it’s been exciting to see the genre expand to include all types of stories from manner-driven drawing room dramas that highlight the nuances of the era to seductive, sexy stories that simply take place during those years, to stories that draw heavily on the events of the era to design unique and exciting historical plots. The diversity within the genre reflects the diversity of life and experience during the Regency. I have tried to capture a little of each across the 70+ books I’ve written for Harlequin, Mills, and Boon and in my own reading.

Bronwyn's book list on Regency Romance

Bronwyn Scott Why did Bronwyn love this book?

This book is on my list because it combines classic Regency backdrops—picnics, estates, rambles by the river, and delicious tea trays—with a bit of intrigue that keeps the reader turning the page. Nathaniel, Duke of Rothaven, is hiding a dark secret, and where there’s one dark secret, there are likely a few more.

It’s all well and good until a woman comes along who tempts him to want a different life than the one he’s built to protect his brother and his family name. On the surface, this book is an excellent example of how to execute a story against a vivid Regency backdrop full of manners and social restriction, but it is also a look at critical human dilemmas that transcend the Regency, such as weighing personal happiness against the happiness of others.

This book demonstrates the nuances of the Regency in shaping the way one might have solved…

By Grace Burrowes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Duke by Any Other Name as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Grace Burrowes is terrific!' Julia Quinn, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton series

A difficult duke, a determined lady and too many secrets . . .

Nathaniel, Duke of Rothhaven, lives in seclusion, leaving his property only to gallop his demon-black steed across the moors by moonlight. Exasperated mamas invoke his name to frighten small children, though Nathaniel is truly a decent man - maybe too decent for his own good. That's precisely why he must turn away the beguiling woman demanding his help.

Lady Althea Wentworth has little patience for dukes, reclusive or otherwise, but she needs Rothhaven's…


Book cover of Hinds' Feet on High Places

Rick Hocker Author Of Four in the Garden: A Spiritual Allegory About Trust

From my list on fantasy that has a spiritual theme.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an artist, I have always had an active imagination which is fueled by great imagery found in fantasy and sci-fi books and movies. When this is coupled with spiritual themes, the experience becomes transcendent for me. Given my passion for spirituality and my desire to know God more deeply, I write books with characters that ask hard spiritual questions and who ponder their place in the universe. I also write inspirational articles that challenge people to rethink their suppositions about God. Currently, I am a game programmer who is working on my second novel, a mystery thriller, in my free time.

Rick's book list on fantasy that has a spiritual theme

Rick Hocker Why did Rick love this book?

This book is an allegory that shows life as full of struggles and doubts as we make our way to our spiritual destination. I fully related to the main character, Much-Afraid, and her insecurities. This book helped me to focus less on my fears and more on trusting a loving God who wants to help me to overcome my insecurities and fears.

By Hannah Hurnard,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hinds' Feet on High Places as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With over 2 million copies sold, Hinds’ Feet on High Places remains Hannah Hurnard’s best known and most beloved book: a timeless allegory dramatizing the yearning of God’s children to be led to new heights of love, joy, and victory. In this moving tale, follow Much-Afraid on her spiritual journey as she overcomes many dangers and mounts at last to the High Places. There she gains a new name and is transformed by her union with the loving Shepherd. Included in this special edition (February 2009 release) is Hannah Hurnard’s own account of the circumstances that led her to write…


Book cover of An Angel's Story: The First Christmas from Heaven's View

John R. Dougherty Author Of Holy Terror

From my list on Christian action books allegorical references.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have felt a spiritual call in my life from as early as I can remember having memories as a young child. Being a life-long Christian has always drawn me to try to see God in everything around me, from people I encounter, to creation itself, to songs, to movies, etc. So, reading books which contain Christian allegory – symbols, meanings, underlying Biblical references – is very exciting for me. I enjoy trying to decipher that symbolism and try to understand the undertones that the book’s author is trying to communicate indirectly. I find that to be a personal challenge as I read, but also I find it very inspiring as well!

John's book list on Christian action books allegorical references

John R. Dougherty Why did John love this book?

I am one of those people who just loves Christmas time and all things Christmas–a real Christmas “junkie”!  So this book, set during the first Christmas and depicting a fictional story involving angels–wow, combines two of my favorite things into one story, angels and Christmas, that is going to be a guarantee for becoming a favorite book of mine.

Even though the story is fictional, it is one of those stories that you think “it really could have happened that way”. I can read this book every December and not get tired of it!

By Max Lucado,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An Angel's Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Spiritual beings populate the stories of Scripture. Angels singing. Demons infecting. Heavenly hosts fighting . . . Ignore the armies of God and Satan and you ignore the heart of Scripture. Ever since the snake tempted Eve in Eden, we've known: there is more to this world than meets the eye.

In this classic Christmas novella, best-selling author Max Lucado imagines the spiritual conflict that surrounded the coming of Christ. Surely there was much. If Satan could pre-empt Christ in the cradle, there'd be no Christ on the cross.

Journey back in time to the very throne of God ...…


Book cover of Frenchman's Creek
Book cover of Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover
Book cover of My Kind of Earl

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