And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground. Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber

    The Hellbound Lovers are tough, ride hard, and love fiercely. And when they set their heart on something, There’s nothing stopping them from getting what they want. Especially when that something involves top of the line curves That make their engines rumble and purr like a smooth dream. When these men fall, they fall hard, And when impending danger threatens what they love most They’ll do whatever it takes to protect it. Duty and honor collide with wild passion in this sexy and dirty MC Romance.

    The pressures of war threaten to tear apart two sisters traumatised by their mother's murder by their father.With her new husband Will, a merchant seaman, deployed on dangerous Atlantic convoy missions, Hannah needs her younger sister Judith more than ever. But when Mussolini declares war on Britain, Judith's Italian sweetheart, Paolo is imprisoned as an enemy alien, and Judith's loyalties are divided.Each sister wants only to be with the man she loves but, as the war progresses, tensions between them boil over, and they face an impossible decision.A heart-wrenching page-turner about the everyday bravery of ordinary people during wartime. From heavily blitzed Liverpool to the terrors of the North Atlantic and the scorched plains of Australia, Sisters at War will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart.

    Now Sam is putting down roots with his wife and daughter, and no amount of evil can stand in the way.Secure in their out-of-the-way stronghold, the proprietors of the criminal enterprises never planned on a man like Sam Blaylock—a man who would face the Devil himself to balance the scales. Sam never backed down from a bad situation.Rancho Diablo Western Series: Omnibus includes – Shooter's Cross, Hell On Wheels, The Hold Up, The Matamoros Bull, The Armadillo's Hole Saloon and Shooter York.

    Take a trip to Oregon and get swept away in the romance of it all as the Blair brothers each find their happily ever after. The Blair Brothers box set is a complete series that contains four full-length, sweet romances by bestselling romance author Brooke St. James.Delicate Balance (Book 1) I knew the Blair brothers. It was impossible to grow up in Astoria and not be familiar with them.There were four boys in the Blair family, and all of them had that certain something. They were smart, athletic, funny, and gorgeous. If I was forced to pick my favorite, it would have to be Henry. He was the wild one of the bunch—a rock star. Literally. He left Astoria years ago to chase and realize his dreams in Seattle. I still saw his younger brothers quite a bit, but it had been years since I'd seen Henry.That all changed one night when the Blair family came into the restaurant where I worked and sat at my table. Henry just so happened to be with them. I always imagined that he might be the man of my dreams, but after that night, I knew it.Cherished (Book 2) I had always dreamed of falling in love. I was ready and eager to find my happily ever after, but there was just one problem. The man I so desperately wanted to fall for was not available. He was taken—spoken for. He wasn't married, but he had been with someone for a long time. It didn’t help matters that she happened to be my friend.Some would say that's how it works, that I really only wanted him because I couldn't have him. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I had fallen for this man years ago, and he had won my heart for so many different reasons. The fact that he was off-the-market had nothing to do with my feelings for him.Did I mention that he was one of the Blair brothers? This made him even more unobtainable. Everyone in Astoria knew and loved the Blair brothers. There were four of them, and they were handsome, kind, driven, and successful. Any of them would have been a great catch. Too bad my heart already belonged to the one I couldn't have.The Whole Story (Book 3)I wasn't the only woman in the world who had been cheated on. I certainly wasn't the only woman who had sworn off men because of it. I was, however, one of the few who was willing to stick to my guns about it. Men would sometimes see that as a challenge, but before too long they would realize I wasn't interested.I planned on staying single forever, and nothing, absolutely nothing could possibly change my mind. Even a chance meeting with someone as wonderful and gorgeous as Max Blair didn't faze me. I wasn't attracted to his looks, fame, skill, or ambition. I was perfectly fine getting to know Max as a person without adding all the complications of dating. Sure, I was a little starstruck at times, but I had that under control. And then again, maybe I was a little attracted to him, too. But who wouldn't be? The problem was that he seemed to like me.Even still, I would stay single forever.Forgetting about Max Blair would be a piece of cake.Dream Chaser (Book 4)I was all set to embark on the most epic adventure of my life. I was ready for anything. My life had been filled with predictability since the day I was born, but that was about to change. I had devised a plan. Over the course of the next five years, I would live in five different cities. I would get to see, taste, and experience things I had previously only read about. I had been preparing for this moment for nearly a decade, and now it was time.Then something happened. A sweet, innocent little old lady said a few words that changed everything. She was aware of my travel plans and she urged me to make a detour. She was convinced there was something and someone waiting for me elsewhere. I thought that was nice and all… but I already a plan, and it did not include a twin named Jasper in Astoria.

    Will her decisions break her, or will she learn from her mistakes and make better choices when she gets the chance to? Kentrell Banner has consistently chosen to disregard Cassidy’s feelings and do him. After constantly poking the bear, the results are catastrophic. Going through the motions behind the choices he has made, will he be able to redeem himself and change for the better or will he continue to prove that he is just another spoiled and self-centered man with commitment issues? Candice consistently tries to keep Malachi in the friend zone. Fighting her feelings for him, maybe harder than it seems. Will she give into her heart and be happy with a man that wants to give her the world or will she treat him like the next number in her line up? Malachi is in a battle with the woman that has his heart. Trying to prove to Candice over and over that he can be the man for her is becoming tiring. Will he fight for the woman he loves to notice him or will he choose to walk away from the only girl that has ever had his heart? Follow these four as they battle their way through this thing that we call love. Lies will be told, hearts will be broken, loyalties will be tested, find out who will be left standing when the dust settles.

    

    Angry Birds, the world's favorite mobile game franchise, is now the world's favorite digital comic! This issue's featured story, "Propiganda" by Jeff Parker and César Ferioli is sure to slingshot it's way into your heart!

    Now get all three books for one low price: I Love This Bar, Hell, Yeah, and My Give a Damn's Busted. About the Books in this Contemporary Romance Bundle 1. I Love This Bar Serving two counties, the Honky Tonk is the gathering place for every hothead, thirsty rancher, and lusty lady looking for a good time. Owner Daisy O'Dell vows she'll run the place until they drag her cold dead body through the swinging doors. That is, until Jarod McElroy walks in, looking for a cold drink and a moment's peace from his ornery Uncle Emmitt. The minute Jarod sees Daisy, he knows he's met not only his own match, but Uncle Emmitt's as well. Now, if only he can convince her to come out from behind that bar and come on home with him... 2. Hell, Yeah When Cathy O'Dell buys the Honky Tonk, the nights of cowboys and country tunes come together to create the home she's always wanted. Then in walks a ruggedly handsome oil man who tempts her to trade in the happiness she's found at the Honky Tonk for a life on the road. Travis Henry has found his best friend and so much more in Cathy. When his job is done in Texas, how is he ever going to hit the road without her? 3. My Give a Damn's Busted Hank Wells thinks he can dig up dirt on the new owner of the Honky Tonk for his employer, but he's got no idea what kind of trouble he's courting. Larissa Morley isn't going down without a fight. If this dime store cowboy thinks he's going to get the best of her—or her Honky Tonk—then he's got another thing coming. As secrets emerge, and passion vies with ulterior motives, it's winner takes all at the Honky Tonk...

    Instead, he finds a jilted mail order bride, two ragged orphans and a basket of striped kittens.The thief abandoned his fiancée, a lovely blue-eyed beauty who steals Gideon’s breath at first glance. Ruth’s sassy and plenty exasperating. She’s taken in a newborn orphan girl and cares for the baby with grit and devotion. Gideon yearns to shelter both Ruth and the sweet baby. He can’t make sense of the protective instincts, turning his tidy thoughts all topsy turvy. Before long, he’s got more trouble than he can shake a stick at.Ruth claims to know nothing about the stolen money. But is she innocent or is she the real thief?Mail Order RebeccaAdam Barstow just wants to be left alone to mend his ways. The good Lord has other plans…As Adam works to turn over a new leaf, two orphans appear on his doorstep. They escaped a cruel orphanage. Adam can hardly turn them away and vows to keep them for a short spell, just until he finds them a decent home.But a few short weeks later a mail-order bride arrives. Rebecca is kind and gentle and believes Adam sent for her to help care for the children. He didn’t. Adam would dearly like to know who wrote Rebecca. Until he learns the truth, he’ll shelter his newfound, precious family.Mail Order HollyA Christmas Bride for the Texas Cowboy.Holly Ross travels to Texas a few weeks before Christmas as a mail order bride. She’s tasked with returning a stack of letters to a certain cowboy. His mail order bride has jilted him.Holly peeks at the letters as she journeys to Texas. She knows she shouldn’t snoop but can’t resist learning more about the cowboy, Jacob Barstow.When she arrives, her husband to-be isn’t waiting. Instead, she comes face to face with Jacob Barstow, the charming and protective cowboy whose letters she secretly read. Jacob will help Holly, but only if she accepts a marriage of convenience by Christmas Eve.

    But Rosamund Gifford is nothing more than a maid, grateful to have a job. But she's not looking for love and romance! Or is she? It's Jeremiah's job to find out.

    To Kill a MockingbirdThe Shoes of the FishermanSeven Days in MayTo Catch an Angel

     Meet the silver foxes on the shores of Barefoot Bay, and each book in the collection celebrates that timeless love that happens later in life. Don’t miss these three full-length contemporary novels tell timeless stories of second chances and redemption. BAREFOOT AT SUNSET *Voted one of "The Most Romantic Books of All Time" by thousands of BookBub readers! Forty-eight year old widower Mark Solomon believes every person has only one soul mate…and he’s met, married, and buried his. Jaded, jilted, and jobless, advertising copywriter Emma DeWitt thinks that eves that love is a marketing concept created to sell fairy tales and expensive weddings. But when the sexy silver fox surprises Emma with an irresistible offer to pose as his fake fiancée, they discover that it’s possible they are both wrong…and completely right for each other. BAREFOOT AT MOONRISE As a firefighter, Captain Ken Cavanaugh wants to use his 25th high school reunion to finally put things right with Beth Endicott, the girl he loved and let go two and a half decades ago. But when an old incendiary passion changes their lives in the course of one single night, Ken and Beth learn they both have to walk through fire for a second chance at love. BAREFOOT AT MIDNIGHT *Nominated for a RITA Award for Best Contemporary Romance* Lawson Monroe’s life is about to change when his friend and mentor makes a deathbed promise to leave Law a beloved bar in Barefoot Bay. But Law’s big plans hit a gorgeous brick wall when yoga instructor Libby Chesterfield proves her claims to the place are stronger. Battling an attraction that sizzles hotter than one of Law's cast-iron skillets and uncovering long-buried secrets with more twists than one of Libby's yoga poses, they'll have find a way to both get what they want...especially if what they really want is each other. Praise for Barefoot Bay books: “Lively, light, pure entertainment! This Cinderella story is “Pretty Woman” on the beach!” - Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author “Fun and engaging...a celebration of family and forgiveness!” -Publishers Weekly “Plenty of heat, humor, and heart!” - USA Today Happy Ever After “A love story with genuinely flawed yet sympathetic characters filled with raw, real emotion, this will warm your heart as you turn the pages.” - RT Book Reviews “Fun, light-hearted, super sexy...fans of Jill Shalvis, Carly Phillips, and Susan Mallery will definitely want to check out this series.” - TheBookPushers.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR Published since 2003, Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty romance and suspense novels. She has written several popular series, including The Dogfather, Barefoot Bay, the Guardian Angelinos, and the Bullet Catchers. In addition to being an ten-time nominee and one-time winner of the prestigious RITA™ Award for the best in romance writing, Roxanne has won the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense four times, as well as the Maggie, the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, the Award of Excellence, and many others. A mother of two but recent empty-nester, Roxanne lives in Florida with her husband.

    Contains Protecting the Billionaire, Picked by the Billionaire, Saved by the BillionaireProtecting the BillionaireI hadn't seen her since the day I broke her brother's nose.We came from different worlds. She was trouble wrapped in temptation, and it would be smart to keep my distance.The last time I'd dared to touch Katie, her brother foolishly took a swing at me. Her family taught me a painful lesson that day about money and power. I gave him a bloody nose. They destroyed my life.Today she desperately needed a ride back to LA. Six hours of her warm body wrapped around mine on the back of my bike was the price she'd have to pay.With her life in flames, the danger was more real than she knew. When she ran from her brother and into my arms, the kiss was meant to scare her off. It didn't work. She's sexual napalm, and I'm the match. Now we're both toast.I'm not giving her up until I have to. Even if it destroys me.Katie:I hadn't seen Nick since high school, the day he broke my brother's nose.I bumped into him while trapped in Las Vegas with no way to get home. Maybe this was my second chance.I didn't accept the ride to LA on the back of his bike just because he'd been the hottest and baddest boy in school. I swear I didn't.My life was all planned out. I left my sensible house every day in my sensible clothes and went to my sensible job.Until, some crazy targeted me, and it all went up in smoke.Now, I'm done being sensible. I know what I want, and he's pure trouble. Nick's all wrong for me, but only he can keep me safe.I'm falling for him. It can't work. It doesn't make sense. I'm walking straight into a broken heart, and I can't stop.Picked by the BillionaireA night I wouldn't forget. An offer I couldn't refuse.Liam:I had dared to love once and lost. The memory haunted me every day.Now, I have rules, three simple rules:I don't do dinner, they never come to my place, and I never stay the night.Until I met the tantalizing Amy and she turned everything upside down.It was just one night. Tomorrow I could get back to normal I told myself.When she turned up at my next meeting, normal was no longer on the horizon.Now, she is essential to defeating my nemesis.One way or another she may be my undoing.Amy:I couldn't get past my failed marriage - I couldn't take the terrifying leap.When the question became his place or mine, I ran back to my computer to pick another.My sister convinced me to try shock therapy - a one-night stand to get over my phobia.One night without inhibitions and never see him again, that was the plan. Simple enough, right?The next day, he walked into my meeting. Suddenly things weren't simple anymore.He held the key to my company's survival; there was just one catch.I had to pretend to be his girlfriend.How hard could that be?Saved by the BillionaireThe FBI and the cartel are after her for the same thing: information she doesn’t have.Natalie had gone from the Belle of Boston to Witch of the West End. Everybody in town hated her for her ex-husband’s crimes. Then the FBI showed up to seize everything she owned. Without a penny to her name, she only survived by taking a job working for the most disagreeable man in town.Billionaire inventor Ryan Westerly had never allowed thoughts of any woman to intrude upon his work.

    Falling in love with him while saving the world is . . . complicated.An eighteen-year-old covert agent is pulled out of training before graduation by Black X, a espionage group so secret even the President of the United States doesn't know it exists.For her first mission, she must go undercover as the long-lost daughter of a recently deceased billionaire, infiltrate high society, and protect the Prince of Montrovia from assassination.But Prince Lorenzo is known as the Playboy Prince for a reason and his sensuality and charisma add a whole other level of complication to her mission.She knows that her every move is being watched, but what she doesn't know is that the Prince is just a chess piece in a bigger game that will have world-wide ramifications. And that Blackwood Academy, the place she has called home for the past six years has secrets of its own.