The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller (2019)

A scandalous widow in the 19th century buys a house in order to redecorate it and write a book about the process. By the way, the house is haunted and a very sweet scientist with a loving family wants to experiment and solve the mystery. 

BTW, Professor Samuel Moore is the most dreamiest book boyfriend ever. He's a ray of light and my dream date.

I flat out LOVED this book. Diana Biller is definitely on my authors to follow list.

See also the novels of Simone St. James for this blend of spookiness and romance.

Any Duchess Will Do - Tessa Dare (2013)

Utterly fantastic romance about a serving girl who is chosen by a Duke and his mother to prove she can train a duchess.

The Duke promises her $1,000 if she fails utterly, which she plans to use to open her own circulating library. Of naughty books!

Love it all!

Destiny's Embrace by Beverly Jenkins (2013)

Perfectly dreamy romance. Beverly Jenkins is often mentioned as a great romance author of color and a great author, period. 

This historical romance is about Mariah Cooper, a headstrong woman who leaves her lousy, abusive mother and heads across the country to work as a housekeeper for a handsome rancher in California. 

Drama, chemistry, and love ensues as well as excellent character development, along with a fascinating thread of race issues that runs throughout the entire book. 

And very romantic! Beautiful.