Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Costume Ideas in the Title

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week is a Halloween freebie, so I thought I’d spotlight books with costume ideas in their titles. Let’s see what I could find!

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1. Bookshop Cinderella

Title: Bookshop Cinderella

Author: Laura Lee Cuhrke

Series: Scandal at the Savoy #1

Page Length: 336

Publication Date: June 20, 2023

Publisher: Forever

Synopsis: Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an unmarried woman with no prospects could hope for. Until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, saunters into her shop with a proposition: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll turn her into the diamond of the season. The duke might be devilishly attractive, but Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer. When disaster strikes her shop, however, she’s left with little choice but to let herself be whisked into his high-society world.

Always happy to help a lady in distress, Max thinks he’s saving Evie from her dull spinster’s life. He’ll help her find a husband and congratulate himself on a job well done. But as shy Evie becomes the shining star he always knew she could be, she somehow steals his heart. And when her reputation is threatened, can Max convince her to choose a glittering, aristocratic life with him over the cozy comfort of her bookshop?

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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2. Between the Devil and the Duke

Title: Between the Devil and the Duke

Author: Kelly Bowen

Series: Season for Scandal #3

Page Length: 319

Publication Date: Jan. 13, 2017

Publisher: Forever

Synopsis: 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, the devil offers her a deal: come work for him. Refusing him means facing starvation, but with a man so sinfully handsome and fiercely protective, keeping things professional might prove impossible.

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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3. Rise of the Vicious Princess

Title: Rise of the Vicious Princess

Author: C.J. Redwine

Page Length: 400

Publication Date: June 14, 2022

Synopsis: The first in a YA political fantasy duology about a fierce princess determined to bring lasting peace to her kingdom regardless of the cost to her heart.

Princess Charis Willowthorn is the dutiful sword of Calera. Raised to be ruthless and cunning, her only goal is to hold her war-torn kingdom together long enough to find a path toward peace with their ancient foe, Montevallo, even if the cost is her own heart.

When violence erupts in the castle itself and an unseen enemy begins sinking Calera’s ships, Charis realizes a threat much greater than Montevallo is coming for her people. So she forms a plan. By day, she is Calera’s formidable princess intent on forging an alliance with Montevallo. By night, she disguises herself as a smuggler and roams the sea with a trusted group of loyalists, hunting for their new enemies. And through it all, there’s the one boy she can’t have—who guards her life but steals her heart.

But her enemies are much closer than Charis realizes, and her heart isn’t the only thing she has left to lose. 

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon    | Review

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4. A Cowboy of Legends

Title: A Cowboy of Legends

Author: Linda Broday

Series: Lone Star Legends #1

Page Length: 384

Publication Date: April 27, 2021

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Synopsis: It’s time for a new generation to become Legend.

Deacon Brannock is determined to make a name for himself and the saloon he’s worked his whole life to afford. He was prepared for life in the Wild West, but he hadn’t counted on Grace Legend…

Grace has always fought hard for what she believes in, and after her best friend is killed at the hands of her drunk and angry husband, that includes keeping alcohol out of her town. When the owner of the new saloon turns out to be a kind and considerate man, she can’t help but wonder if they could have a future together…if they weren’t on opposite sides of every issue.

LINKS:     Goodreads    |       Amazon    |  Review

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5. A Stolen Knight‘s Kiss

Title: A Stolen Knight’s Kiss

Author: Melissa Oliver

Series: Protectors of the Crown #2

Page Length: 288

Publication Date: Oct. 25, 2022

Publisher: Harlequin Historical

Synopsis: Captured by a knight…

Rescued by his kiss!

When orphan Eva loses the father figure who’d protected her on the streets of London, she suspects the Knights Fortitude. But when she steals information from them, she’s caught by brooding knight Nicholas. Learning he might not be the villain after all, she puts her distrust aside to work with him, yet Eva must stay focused—and not get distracted when they share a stolen kiss! 

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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6. Heart of a Witch

Title: Heart of a Witch

Author: Rebecca L. Garcia

Series: Embracing Darkness

Publication Date: Dec. 14, 2021

Synopsis: A vengeful fantasy standalone romance perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and A Touch of Darkness

I’d never particularly liked humans, but I’d never wanted to kill one. Until now.

Hidden in a kingdom that hates witches, I’m forced to hide what I am. With my sister working in a secret dark magic club, and our family’s shop gaining unwanted attention, things couldn’t be worse when the notorious witch hunter, Damian Shaw, comes to town.

When my sister shows up dead, and my family’s name is called into question, we’re forced to adopt new aliases and leave the home we cherished. As I watch my life fall apart, I vow to destroy the hunter responsible, but his punishment would not be swift. Death was too easy.

Redforest is a quaint town, with a church, pretty shops, and like any good town, a dark past. When my family and I move in, I set my sights on the Shaw family, quickly learning everything I can about them. Damian’s son, Elijah, is the hunter’s greatest pride. His heir. His confidante. The only family he trusts.

I come up with a plan. I am going to shatter every good thing in Damian’s life, ending with his son. My goal: make Elijah Shaw fall in love with me, twist him into the very thing his father hates, then kill him.

With my heart challenged, the attraction growing, I find myself trapped in a deadly game. In a twist of fate, Elijah might just end up being the death of me.

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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7. Daughter of the Pirate King

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King

Author: Tricia Levenseller

Series: Daughter of the Pirate King #1

Page Length: 311

Publication Date: Feb. 28, 2017

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Synopsis: There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

LINKS:  Goodreads |  Amazon

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8. Vampire Academy

Series: Vampire Academy # 1

Publication Date: Nov. 2013

Synopsis: ONLY A TRUE BEST FRIEND CAN PROTECT YOU FROM YOUR IMMORTAL ENEMIES…

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger… and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever…

Links:  Goodreads |  Amazon

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9. A Governess Should Never… Tempt a Prizefighter

Title: A Governess Should Never… Tempt a Prizefighter

Author: Emily Windsor

Series: The Governess Chronicles #1

Page Length: 263

Publication Date: Nov. 9, 2020

Publisher: Senara Press

Synopsis: “So tell me, Miss Griffin, why should I employ you as governess?”

A question to rouse fear within the breast of any prospective governess but for Matilda, a lady without references, appropriate brown clothing or any experience with children whatsoever, doubly so. Yet, alone in the world, except for a brutish guardian and a malodorous betrothed, Matilda must seek her own future, even if that means employment in the household of a rugged ex-prizefighter with sizeable muscles and doubtless miniscule intellect.

“Please continue to enlighten me, Miss Griffin.”

Mr Seth Hawkins, owner of famed Boxing Academy, has reached the point of desperation in his search for a governess. Yet, with no other suitable candidates, could this yellow-clad, bespectacled female who seemed to think him a witless dolt with calloused knuckles and no books, teach his daughter the ways of a lady?

The Lady and the Prizefighter.

One should never judge a man by his well-defined muscles or a lady by her yellow-silk slippers, for beneath both façades, lay yearning hearts, shared dreams and a taste for adventure. With tavern excursions, scandalous kisses in midnight carriages, whifflers, nobblers and dressing as a nefarious footpad on the prowl, the vocation of governess has never been so exciting…

A fun, heart-warming Regency romance, this is the first book in a companion series to the Games of Gentlemen.

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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10. Her Forbidden Highlander Husband

Title: Her Forbidden Highlander Husband

Author: Allison B. Hanson

Series: Clan MacKinley #3

Page Length: 400

Publication Date: Nov. 15, 2021

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Synopsis: Liam MacKinlay is certain that when he asks for Evelyn Stewart’s hand in marriage, the third time’s the charm. For hasn’t he risen to war chief of the clan MacKinlay, a seasoned warrior, and an honored member of the clan that took him in as a child? But once again, her father denies Liam the lass he lost his heart to years ago.

Daughter of the Laird of the Stewart clan, Evelyn is expected to perform her daughter’s duty, including marry for the better of the clan…. even if that’s against her will. But upon learning her father plans to trade her to an unknown clan in exchange for cattle, she will do almost anything to escape the future set out before her— including running away and marrying Liam MacKinlay.

Liam’s discovering that beneath Evelyn’s sweet disposition is an iron will to match any warrior. But now their marriage may start a war between the clans and Liam must fight for his new wife and his family. Even if it means raising his sword against those he calls “kin”…

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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