Books like Defiant Desire by Anne Carsley

A collection of retold Greek and Roman myths from the Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch, drawing on classical literature and folklore for engaging retellings of ancient tales, including Venus and Adonis, Jupiter and Juno, and Daphne and Apollo.

Naomi’s life turns upside down when a job at a frozen‑yogurt shop brings both a raise and an unsettling stare, while her former crush, Clay Aguirre, keeps stalking her.

Émile Zola’s historical novel, "The fortune of the Rougons," presents a panoramic view of French society, intertwining familial ambition and societal change against a backdrop of nineteenth‑century France.

When the bold sea captain bought her in a tavern auction, raven-haired Mirella knew she had traded one terror for another. Instead of a roomful of hooting sailors, she was now alone with a handsome stranger who intended the very worst! Her mind raced to find the quickest means of escape but his nearness filled her body with unfamiliar desire. Before she could utter a word of protest, Mirella's ruby lips discovered the salty taste of his skin; then her creamy flesh exulted in the new-found pleasure of being covered by his hard male frame. From long experience, Jason Fletcher learned that women were trifles for an evening's entertainment. But the moment he gazed into the voluptuous wench's smoky blue eyes, he wanted to caress her silken curves forever! Though he'd never allow himself to love the bewitching beauty, he vowed he'd cherish her and keep her as his mistress. He'd teach her to respond to the blazing heat of his passion and force her to surrender to the ecstasy of his DEFIANT EMBRACE.

Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, defies her husband and the Church to secure her power, ultimately becoming Queen of England alongside Henry II.