The year is 1578 and Queen Elizabeth 1 is on the throne. Sixteen year old Beatie, the daughter of a North Country farmer is defying her family over the matter of her proposed marriage to her cousin Hugh. She is too busy being the elder daughter and watching over her family – overseeing the kitchen work; riding her horse, Saint Hilda, and most importantly keeping a watchful eye out for the first sign of marauding Scots from over the border.The family live in Barrowbeck Tower – a stronghold which should keep out invaders. But the Scots do invade and Beatie has to push at the face of one of them who appears – courtesy of a grappling iron – at an upper window. It is a young face and one that Beatie will never forget. It is the first Scot she has injured, probably killed. Next day, Beatie finds a dirty, bleeding body in the old hermit’s hut in the wood, and discovers that it belongs to the Scot she pushed from the window. Through guilt she determines to nurse this enemy back to health, despite the terrible danger to herself which could have her burned at the stake. A smouldering tension of love and intimacy develops between patient and carer, but that isn’t the only possible relationship for Beatie. She is also growing very close to the young parson, John Becker.This is an exceptionally atmospheric novel, written in the first person through the voice of this feisty Elizabethan teenager. The reader is immediately taken on a journey to Elizabethan England – the country, not the city – and the smells and sounds are vividly brought to life. Maggie Prince draws a vivid picture too of the wild landscape of the Border Country and the eternal teenage struggle to break free of childhood and lead an independent life.

    Buck combines her beloved China and native America in a sensitive drama of human relationships and conflicting emotions in a world of changing attitudes. Malcolm MacNeil, an American diplomat is forced to leave Peking when the Communists take over. He returns home with his White Russian wife, and their two children, to face new problems. Sheltered by an idyllic marriage, Nadya counters hostility and suspicion with warm-hearted candor as her China-born son and daughter strive not to be different from their friends and Malcolm seeks to bring about a closer relationship between East and West.

    Two, we can use each other’s wands. Three, there were actual sparks when you touched me."After an infant binding ritual magically joins Hermione and Draco to counteract the Black family blood curse, they must navigate the secret binding through their years together at Hogwarts.

    An unexpected fortune. Can she overcome her humble beginnings to find true love? Regency London. Lavinia Talridge is heartbroken. After the premature death of her mother, young Lavinia is left destitute, with no money and no family. Until, in a twist of fate, she discovers that she is wealthy. Before she can believe her new life of privilege is true, Lavinia has an arranged marriage to a handsome gentleman and a chance at love. But when the Viscount’s son acts coldly towards her, Lavinia assumes her lower-class background is to blame. Afraid to go through with the potentially joyless marriage, can the young woman find a lifetime worth of love? A classical Regency Romance with a dash of suspense. If you like authentic women, romantic moments, and surprising fortunes, then you’ll love this delightful love story.

    However, laden with a shipment of orphans, a massive treasure to transport, and Lady Marie Colette—a sharp-tongued French heiress—Gavin realizes that the real battle is only beginning. Colette expects a painless trip as Gavin transports her to her Highland fiancé, but their relationship takes an unexpected turn…Forced to pose as a married couple in order to sneak out of France, Gavin and Colette fight against their developing, forbidden attraction…all the while yearning to fulfill their pent-up desire.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    An outcast in his own school, Takumi comes across the charismatic and wealthy student Gui, the only person who doesn't see Takumi as odd. But how will the two cope when Gui confesses his love for Takumi? And will Gui discover the secret trauma that closed Takumi's heart?

    But six years of marriage resulted in no children, and the widowed Emily now cares for others as a governess. She loves her work, and it allows her to care for her parents who can no longer support themselves. But it does not quite fill the hole in her heart.Lord Charles Blythe, Earl of Doverton, absolutely must produce an heir to prevent his loathsome cousin or the man's obnoxious son from inheriting. Since the death of his wife, however, Charles has no desire to wed any of the young, empty-headed women that society thrusts at him.When Charles impulsively tells his cousin he is to marry, he chooses the first woman he sees in the crowd at a ball. Shocked to find out she’s a governess, he nevertheless convinces her to join his family for Christmas to participate in the charade. They must fight their attraction, however, for Charles needs a son, the one thing Emily knows she cannot give him.Is there any chance for their Christmas wishes to come true?

    We meet Kichou and his "princess" who are the top courtesans of the Men's Brothel Quarters at Hanafurirou...

    Her father’s death – and life – have left her lonely, longing for a home and a true family, but these dreams feel hopeless. With nowhere else to go and simply trying to survive, she sets off for Winchester with the hope of finding work, and eventually her long-lost aunt. On her way, she is injured by a speeding phaeton and falls into a ditch. The handsome, kindly Lord Edward Westerham finds her and takes her to the home of Lady Tremaine, his great aunt.Anna floats in and out of consciousness, but Lady Tremaine and her servants dutifully care for her. As Anna slowly recovers, she and Lady Tremaine find that they have much in common, despite coming from completely different worlds. Soon, Lady Tremaine asks Anna to be her companion and teaches her how to be a lady. Anna feels safe and comfortable with Lady Tremaine, and finds herself falling for her savior, Lord Westerham. But she knows he cannot marry a commoner such as she.However, Anna soon finds an enemy in Lady Tremaine’s unscrupulous nephew, Lord William Comey. Worried that he will be cut from the will in favor of Anna, and in desperate financial straits, Lord Comey becomes determined to destroy her reputation – and Lady Tremaine’s affection.Can Anna overcome the schemes of a cunning conman? Or will she lose her one chance at a proper family and possibly, true love?

    Now after nearly ten years, he has returned to England to assume his family title. When he asks a young woman to dance at a masquerade ball, he is intrigued by her wit and charm. The only problem is she refuses to give him her name.When Lady Caroline unexpectedly meets the man she has always loved at a masquerade ball and he does not recognize her, she is determined to keep her name a secret. What starts out as a game soon becomes much more when she realizes she still loves him, all the while knowing if he knew her true identity, he would never feel the same for her.When they both return home to their neighboring estates for the holidays, acquaintances from years past threaten to sever more than just their childhood friendship.

    When he sends for English governess Thea Reynolds to serve as a companion for his sister, he’s counting on her reputation for unconventional methods. Yet he never imagines the mysterious beauty will capture his heart under the mistletoe. An English governess who just might be able to save him… An assignment at a remote manor deep in the heart of Scotland is just what Thea needs to escape her past. But when she arrives at Kinfallon Castle, she quickly realizes that her charge—and her ruggedly handsome employer—are not what she expected. Never one to balk at a challenge, Thea begins to make inroads with the Earl’s deeply scarred sister, but her growing desire for Edmund threatens her tenuous position. When her secret is exposed, will it destroy their budding love? This novella-length Scottish historical romance is holiday-themed, but can be enjoyed any time of the year. Pick up your copy today! ***This story was originally published in The Nutcracker Reimagined collection.

    She's too voluptuous, too intelligent, too strong minded. Why, she even reads! But then Jonathan, Earl of Fairley, arrives at court. Tall, dark and handsome, the knight is any woman's dream. And he has just been ordered by the king to find a bride… and Alice is to help him!Jonathan has been evading his mother's matchmaking schemes for years, so why does she insist that Lady Alice isn't for him? Alice is only to aid in his search for a bride, yet Jonathan can't help but be distracted by her glorious hair—the color of a sunset—and a figure that is like a lush berry about to burst to full ripeness… Has Jonathan fallen prey to love?

    Miss Bennett lives alone and keeps busy running the pub she inherited. Needing some help, she posts a notice for a maid. Along comes Shirley Madison, a girl who can clean and cook as well as any maid—even if she's only 13 years old!Rated Teen.

    Songs such as “Cold As Ice,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Double Vision,” “Urgent,” and “Midnight Blue” are among 20 Gramm songs that achieved Top 40 status on the Billboard charts and became rock classics still played often, nearly three decades after they first hit the airwaves and the record store shelves. Juke Box Hero: The My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll chronicles, with remarkable candor, the ups and downs of this popular rocker’s amazing life—a life which saw him achieve worldwide fame and fortune, then succumb to its trappings before summoning the courage and faith to overcome his drug addiction and a life-threatening brain tumor. Gramm takes the reader behind the scenes—into the recording studio, back stage, on the bus trips and beyond—to give an insider’s look into the life of the man Rolling Stone magazine referred to as “the Pavarotti of rock.”