10+ Books Even Steamier Than Bridgerton

by | Jun 13, 2024 | Blog

If the passionate love stories, opulent settings, and scandalous drama of the Bridgerton series have left you yearning for more, you’re in luck. The literary world is brimming with equally enticing novels that promise to whisk you off your feet and into worlds filled with romance, mystery, and allure. In this post, we’ve curated a selection of books that are just as hot and irresistible as Bridgerton, ensuring your reading list remains filled with excitement and passion. Let’s dive in and discover your next bookish obsession!

Red never shies away from a challenge.

Never.

But when Miss Hannah St. John strides into his life demanding—yes, demanding—he help her, he’s certain she’s more challenge than even he can handle. Hannah is determined to transport an artifact from France—one that will change everything—even if it means working with a lawless man like Red. Nothing is more important than preserving history. Nothing. Not even the touch of a smuggler who inconceivably makes her stomach twist.

When it becomes clear the irritating bluestocking will do anything for this blasted artifact and needs saving from herself, the earl-turned-smuggler steps in. Carting a cursed stone across the country with a know-it-all woman is not Red’s idea of fun, particularly when their journey runs far from smoothly…so why does he find himself enjoying her company just a little too much?

 

What happens when a lady smuggler meets a ruthless pirate?

Caragh Pedrick is used to men on the wrong side of the law since she runs her Cornish village’s smuggling ring. Fishing no longer feeds their families in her coastal village, so she puts her resourcefulness and bravery to use. But she’s unprepared for the pirate captain who captures her during a raid. Whisked away on a pirate ship, Caragh soon discovers that her pirate captain’s form of command is anything but unsavory. Tempted by his piercing blue eyes and dominant manner, Caragh finds herself giving in to the Blond Devil. Can Caragh leave her smuggler’s life behind for life on the high seas?

 

 

 

Lady Sybil expects Stephen, her husband’s heir, to marry her beautiful eldest daughter, Araminta. But when Sybil and Stephen meet, a forbidden passion erupts between the two in this steamy Regency romance.

Despite proud, fiery Araminta and her shy, plain sister, Hetty, parading their very different charms before him, the young viscount-in-waiting is drawn to the quiet, unassuming Lady Sybil who has been trapped in a loveless marriage for twenty years while her husband spends most of his time with his mistress.

As Stephen introduces Sybil to every pleasure she’s been deprived of, duty and passion become a deep and mutual love.

But with the shock arrival of a contender to the estate, Sybil realises that what she’s set in motion, initially to save the family inheritance, might have tragic consequences.

 

Emotionally scarred in the horrific accident that took her husband’s life, Lady Cranfield is imprisoned by her lingering terror of horses and carriages. She longed to be closer to the fascinating Earl of Ruel. She sensed intuitively that he could teach her how to overcome the terrors that held her in bondage.

And now she’s willing to risk almost anything-her reputation, even her virtue-to find out. But what he proposes startles her.

When the shy, studious and socially awkward young widow approached him, Ruel instantly sensed she would be the sweetest, most submissive experience of a lifetime-if only he can gain her total and complete trust. He makes her a non-negotiable offer. His help in return for her submission and obedience.

But Lady Cranfield grew up neglected by her ducal parents, raised by servants and then later ignored by her handsome, charming husband. She’s learnt to protect her heart at all costs and she trusts no one but herself.

How can the jaded Earl of Ruel break through her self-protective defences and show her how to love when he has spent his lifetime avoiding that tender trap?

 

Lord Owen Morrison has long stopped counting the number of women he has seduced.

As a member of the Noble Lords, a group of English lords who play music to woo the wicked women of the ton, Owen knows his skillful fingers with the violin and viola are appreciated both in and out of the bedroom.

A year after his return from the battlefield of Waterloo his parents have unexpectedly announced his engagement to Lady Amelia Perry, a young woman he has never met. Lady Amelia comes with a substantial dowry which will help rescue the Morrison family estate, but Owen is too busy creating mischief to care.

Strong willed, Amy is not going quietly into the arms of an arranged marriage with Owen. She ventures to London and after assuming a false identity, she begins to lure her fiancé into her trap. She will do everything to unmask him as a rogue and force her father to call off the betrothal.

 

He’s duty bound to find her a husband. He yearns to keep her for himself.

The death of his dearest friend devastated Zander Thwaite. When that same friend also entrusted him to be the guardian of his headstrong daughter Natalia, Zander found himself torn between duty and a desire to possess her for himself.

For Zander, Natalia’s charms prove difficult to resist, especially when her rebellious nature forces him to strip her bare and spank her soundly.

Natalia’s petulant behavior persists despite her guardian’s best efforts to tame her, however, and when a willful act of defiance permanently sabotages her marriage prospects, Zander casts propriety to the winds and gives his errant ward exactly what she needs.

He will make her his. But first she will feel the sting of his crop on her naked bottom, and before she is allowed the pleasure of being claimed properly, her virgin body will be used in every way except the one she so urgently desires.

It is time for her to be sternly and shamefully mastered.

 

He’s a grouch. She’s the reason.
Having said her farewells to her son when he departed for his Grand Tour of Europe, Patience Grayson, the newly widowed Marchioness of Billingsley, heads for the country. She intends to spend at least a year living by herself in the Grayson family estate in Shropshire.

If only her traveling coach could make it that far. When a wheel breaks, it does so in a most inconvenient location.

Saddled with an earldom left nearly bankrupt by his late father’s gambling and drinking, Max Higgins, Earl of Greenley, hasn’t had a good day for over twenty years—not since the woman he was supposed to marry threw him over for another. Ever since, his bitterness has him known throughout the peerage as the Earl of Grump. Although he found another to be his countess, the poor woman died giving birth to his heir, some say to escape his surly moods.

Max’s solitude in his Staffordshire country manor house is about to be shattered when the cause of his grumpiness invades his home—and his bedchamber—on a late winter night.

Will life ever be the same?

 

He was looking for love. She needed a defender. Together, they could have everything.

The death of Lady Cordelia’s husband left her at the mercy of his cruel heir, a distant cousin who makes her an offer she has to refuse. Desperate to escape a dishonorable fate – and protect her stepdaughter – she accepts the first honorable offer of marriage that she receives – the powerful and stern Marquess of Dunbury. She was prepared to be the perfect, placid, accommodating wife… she never expected the passion and sinful pleasure her new husband brought to their wedding night.

The Marquess of Dunbury was enamored of Lady Cordelia from the moment he met her and laid his claim immediately. Once she’s his, he can’t keep his hands off her, even when they risk being caught during secret rendezvous just outside the ton’s ballrooms. He sees everything she doesn’t believe she is and he’s going to make her see herself the way he does.

 

She’s at the mercy of a wild, wild duke. Trouble is, she’s not sure how wild he truly is

There was a time when Wolfe Huges, sixth Duke of Montague, pined for Lady Kate Brassel. But that was years ago. Now, she’s nothing to him but the widow of an old friend who owed him an obscene amount of money. So, imagine his surprise when Kate suggests a highly improper—and pleasurable—means to settle the debt…

Kate is at her wit’s end. If she wants to protect her son’s inheritance, she’ll have to pay her husband’s debt with the only thing of value she has left. Her body. And since Wolfe has no interest in marrying, that would make her his mistress. She never thought she’d fall so far from grace. Or that she’d enjoy it. But here she is…

It’s not long before Kate learns there’s more to Wolfe than meets the eye—and Wolfe realizes his love for Kate might be more than a memory. But when it matters most, will they take their second chance at happily ever after? Or is their romance doomed to end in heartbreak?

 

Henry Evrleigh, Duke of Dulverton, is determined to discover who’s ruining his sister’s reputation.

That’s why he’s in the middle of nowhere, attempting to convince a blacksmith to take him on as an apprentice—undercover, of course.

He’s tracked down the source of the lying gossip to this forge, and Henry is not prepared to find a woman at the anvil.
A woman blacksmith. What on earth next?

Minny Banfield doesn’t exactly expect respect, but she’s never had a strange man march into her smithy and demand to be taken on and trained. If she didn’t need the money, she could firmly ignore him.

Him, and his handsome face, and broad shoulders.

But the secret messages she’s been passing have taken a toll and she needs work. So if this Henry Everleigh appears to be running from the law, what harm can it do to keep him around?

 

For Lady Elizabeth Burghley, the pressure to marry is mounting. It’s irritating and tiresome. Her passion is to succeed as an artist, and if she does have to marry, she wants her husband to be someone she likes.

So when she comes across a shirtless, handsome, sometimes surly, Scottish gamekeeper who has a creative side himself, she can’t help but wish fate had given him a title.

Because, oh, they are so well matched, their attraction sizzles, lust rules, he understands her and she him. His eyes sparkle with desire, and when he reaches for her, deep in the forest when they are all alone, resistance is futile, and she succumbs to his seductive ways.

But resist Lady Elizabeth should have. Because all is not as it seems, and when the truth comes out, she finds herself in new lands, with a new future to decide upon, and potentially a new husband—but does she still like him?

 

JARL, a powerful Viking leader, returns to the rich lands near the Caspian Sea at the helm of his magnificent new longship, The Treasure Huntress. His forces cut a wide swath through the land, taking everything of value—capturing or killing any who stand in their way.

NENA, daughter of a regional war-chief, is an accomplished warrior in her own right. Proud, strong and fiercely disciplined, her tribe has dominated the territory for centuries, and they fear no opponent—certainly not the beast-like, invading Northmen.

In the smoldering aftermath of a grueling battle, they find themselves in unfamiliar positions—Nena as a captive—Jarl wanting something he cannot have. A fierce clash of wills ensues. Torn between passion and prejudice, conviction and taboo, love and obligation, each is forced to question everything they knew and everything they were sure they wanted. But realizing their heart’s true desire is not enough. Their people are still mortal enemies. To be together they must be willing to sacrifice everything—even their lives.

 

Brooding Duke. Notorious rake. Driven by grief. Forcing his enemy’s daughter into marriage for revenge. About to lose his heart.

Vengeance. Preston Seaton, the Duke of Grandhampton will bring down the man who killed his brother through any means necessary. So when Lord Neville Beckett auctions off his daughter’s hand in marriage to pay his debts, Preston makes a bid Beckett can’t refuse—evidence of murder.

Dreaming of a career as an artist, Penelope welcomes her future as a spinster. So when her father accepts the proposal of a man who despises her, she longs to flee. But she cannot abandon her poor, old father to his destruction. Moving into the powerful duke’s huge mansion, she wonders if she will ever escape this cold, dark prison.

Convinced Penelope played his brother for a fool and got him killed, Preston has no intention of losing his heart. But the sunny artist is soon filling his home with light and joy. Could a forced marriage forged from hatred ever lead to true happiness? And can Preston forgive himself for desiring the only woman his brother ever loved?

 

After twelve years in the country, Hamish, Lord Dalton, heir to Earl Caplin, has been sent to London to find a rich and titled wife. That’s his story, and he’s sticking to it. But Hamish has his own plans: to create a scandal and embarrass his critical, condescending father.

If only he knew how.

Iris Abberton wasn’t always confined by expectation and obligation. As a young girl, she ran wild through the streets of London, causing chaos and playing tricks on the ton with her best friend, Hamish.

Now, as the secret accountant for her father’s company, she spends her days juggling ledgers and maintaining appearances. Her wild years are behind her. And she cannot afford a hint of scandal if she is to realise her dreams for the business.

But what harm could there be in one tiny adventure? Just one evening of fun with her mischievous—and incredibly handsome—old friend.

It’s not as if their friendship has turned into something more.

Iris’s heart does not tremble with unsaid things when Hamish is around.

And nothing will sway Hamish from his mission. Yes, Iris is now all grown up, with sensual curves, kissable lips, and the same twinkle in her eyes, but he does not think about her in that way.

They’re just friends. Understand? Friends.

 

The whispers say he’s a demon, but now he owns her…

It is vital Lady Georgia Stoughton finds a way to pay her father’s debt, but the cursed man who owns it refuses her money. So when she offers herself in repayment, the devil with the body of an angel calls her bluff…and signs the contract. Now she belongs to him, body and soul, until the last hour of December.

Lord Edymion, Demon Hayle, wants two things in his life: seclusion, and revenge on the man who scarred him so horribly, making him unfit for Society. The first is going perfectly fine until a brash beauty pushes her way into his life, and before he can kick her out the door, offers the second. Lady Georgia’s father is the key to his revenge, but this contract is so much sweeter: the use of Georgia’s body, whenever and however he wants her, for the next month.

It’s going to be a Hayle of a holiday season.

Georgia can’t regret the arrangement that made her Demon’s, not when she has free run of his castle, library, and neglected rose garden. And as she becomes addicted to the pleasure he shows her in the bedroom (and study, and conservatory, and once up against the wall in the linen closet), she begins to doubt her own plans.

Then comes the letter with the announcement Demon has just unexpectedly become a duke. Well, blast. Is he ready for London? It’s up to Georgia now, but as the end of December looms nearer, Demon’s revenge is slipping from his grasp…

 

He’s predictable. She’s a mystery. Can love bridge all that separates them?

Raised to believe the world is open to her, Lady Phoebe Winters reads periodicals and newspapers with growing upset. Everything within her world is shaped by a man’s point of view. Why must women stand idly by, being told what to do and how to do it? It seems to be accepted within their society — until she decides to do something about it. Using her inheritance, she begins a small publication, written by women, for women. It’s a risk, but one for which she is willing to sacrifice.

Jeffrey Worthington, the Marquess of Berkley, has held a position of responsibility since the death of his father at a young age. He is a man who enjoys the constancy of life. Despite the fact that his four sisters and younger brother are forever demanding his time and attention, his maintains order and control of all other aspects of life.

The Women’s Weekly begins to cause a stir amongst women of the nobility, and the peerage determines it must be shut down before it causes consequences from which they could never recover. Jeffrey is tasked with finding the perpetrator and halting production of the publication. He reluctantly agrees, despite the fact that it will detract from his attempt to court the lovely Lady Phoebe, and causes growing controversy between the two of them. When he finally determines the publication’s owner, what will he put first — love or duty?

 

Ruthless. Fast. Confident. It’s what they all say about Lady Beatryce Beckett. And they’re right, to some extent. She’ll do anything to get what she wants. She has reasons. And she has no regrets. But to find herself under the protection and command of the Marquess of Dansbury is the worst. It’s intolerable, despite the particular pleasure she takes in provoking him. Despite the deadly assassins after them. Lord, save her from charming, heroic men… Especially ones that make her feel dangerous, possessive, hot…

Strong. Charismatic. Amiable. Optimistic. It’s what they all say about the Marquess of Dansbury. And it’s all true. It’s what makes him an excellent Agent for the Crown, a duty at which he excels and enjoys. Until now. When he finds himself tasked with protecting the one woman in the world he actively disdains: Lady Beatryce Beckett, a deceitful witch who manages to bring out the worst in him with shrewd precision. Lord save him a woman like her. A woman who makes him feel irrational, savage, ablaze… A woman who has: Fire beneath her ice. Honor beneath her deceit. And a fearlessness that is infuckingtolerable to a man who is falling in love…

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Hey there, I´m Samantha

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Samantha Holt is known for fun, witty, and usually steamy historical romances. She’s been a full-time writer for longer than she ever thought possible having originally trained as a nurse and an archaeologist. She’s a champion napper, owner of too many animals, mum to twins, and lives in a small village near the very middle of England.

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