Featuring seven novellas and novels from award-winning and bestselling authors.The Pursuit of Pleasure by Elizabeth EssexIndependent, politically-minded heiress Elizabeth Paxton has never wanted to marry, but longs for the freedom afforded to widows. The last thing she wants is dangerously attractive Captain Jameson Marlowe as a husband.The Thief Steals Her Earl by Christina McKnightThe Earl of Cartwright is determined to find out who stole from his family. When he finds out the thief is the woman he's fallen in love with, he must choose between duty and love.Secrets in Scarlet by Erica MonroeWhen a bluestocking with a scandalous past meets an idealistic sergeant, sparks fly as they work to solve a murder...but her secrets may lead to their undoing.Sleeping Beau by Lila DiPasquaInspired by the tale of Sleeping Beauty--a scorching hot historical romance novella from the Fiery Tales series. One sleeping rake, one scorching kiss, one night of unforgettable passion...The Art of Seduction by Eileen RichardsA spinster finds freedom as a theatre set painter until a chance meeting with the marquis who broke her heart has her questioning what she wants for her future.The Madam's Highlander by Madeline MartinWhat's the madam of a successful bawdy house in Edinburgh to do when she finds one of the English supported Black Watch soldiers needing to desert his post? She helps him, of course - but there's a high price to pay.Reckless Wager by Christy CarlyleVictorian propriety and passions collide when a beautiful widow makes a wager with a wounded police detective bent on solving the Ripper mystery.

    When they finally confess their love, their future together seems assured, sealed with their searing embrace.But when a debauched Lindsay is seduced by a scheming socialite, a devastated Anais seeks refuge in another man's bed while Lindsay retreats to the exotic East. There, he is seduced again—this time by the alluring red smoke and sinister beauty of opium.Back home, Lindsay's addiction is fed by the vogue for all things Oriental—especially its sensual pleasures—in fashionable London society. In his lucid moments, Lindsay still lusts after Anais, who can neither allow him near nor forget his smoldering touch. Tortured by two obsessions—opium and Anais—Lindsay must ultimately decide which is the one he truly cannot live without.

    It would not be too difficult to imagine someone stood there and watched. I thought of Madeleine Hexham.... I glanced around me. It was likely that I'd been given my predecessor's room and that it was here she had planned her flight into the arms of her mysterious lover." When Lizzie Martin arrives in London in 1864 to become a lady's companion, her first impressions are disturbing. She's barely out of the station when her cab encounters a wagon carrying the remains of a young woman recently dead. At her new home, Lizzie learns that her predecessor, Madeleine Hexham, disappeared without a word of warning. Despite rumors of immoral behavior surrounding the girl's departure, Lizzie is soon persuaded that there's a deeper mystery here. Her suspicions are tragically confirmed when Inspector Benjamin Ross delivers shocking tidings. Lizzie is determined to unravel the truth about the lost Miss Hexham. As, too, is Ben Ross: a man who cares about justice, whatever the class of victim. But they must tread carefully, as a cornered killer is the most dangerous of all...

    The entire continent was overshadowed by four rulers, all born within a ten-year period:King Francis I of France, the most interesting of the quartet, bursting with energy and swagger, was a great patron of the arts and the personification of the Renaissance.King Henry VIII of England—who was not born to be king but embraced the role with gusto—broke with the Roman Catholic Church, and made himself head of the Church of England.Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, the most powerful man in the civilized world, obsessed with the religious disputes of Europe, was leader of the Spanish and then Roman Empire.Suleiman the Magnificent, the richest of them all, stands apart as a Muslim, who brought the Ottoman Empire to its apogee of political, military, and economic power, as well as to the golden age of its artistic and architectural prowess.Never before had humankind seen such giants coexisting. Against the rich background of the Renaissance, they laid the foundation for modern Europe. Individually, each man could hardly have been more different. Their mutual relations shifted constantly: often they were actively hostile and occasionally they were friendly. There was a healthy respect between them; never did one make the mistake of underestimating another. And together, they dominated the world stage.

    Much has been written about Rashi and his grandsons, the Tosafot, but almost nothing of his daughters. Legend has it that they were learned in a time when women were forbidden to study the sacred texts. Rashi's Daughters tells the story of these forgotten women.

    But the threats she thought left behind follow her into the heat of the tropics, and soon she faces a more potent danger in the form of Ransom Duprey. When she finds herself falling for the privateer captain, Cat abandons ship for the life of a lady once more.Ransom has his own enemies-and suspicions about the beautiful young woman in the Barbados ballroom. Although they've never met, she seems to know him better than he does himself, and the more she denies him, the more determined he is to uncover all of her secrets..."This is a fun-filled adventure with pirates, villains, lords and ladies, suspense, romance, and much more." - BookbugTwo-time RITA Finalist Deborah Simmons is the author of 28 historical romances published by Avon, Harlequin, and Berkley, as well as a romantic comedy.Visit her at: www.DeborahSimmons.comFriend her at: www.Facebook.com/AuthorDeborahSimmons

    Over a series of encounters, he promises Penelope the financial security she craves, but at what cost? Skilled in the art of flirtation, Edgar is not without his charms, and Penelope is attracted to him against her better judgment. Initially, as Penelope grows into her own in the burgeoning early Women’s Suffrage Movement, Edgar exerts pressure, promising to use his power and access to help her advance. But can he be trusted, or are his words part of an elaborate mind game played between him and his wife? During a glittering age where a woman’s reputation is her most valuable possession, Penelope must decide whether to compromise her principles for love, lust, and the allure of an easier life.

    Antonia of Venice is an unveiling of love, connected souls, music, power and tragedy.The story lures the reader into the beauty and decadence of 18th century Venice, and into the passions that drive and torment its characters. Antonia develops from being Vivaldi’s star pupil into his musical colleague and the pride of Venetian musical conceit. After she falls in love with Orlando Sagredo, master planner of the Palio, Antonia recognizes the emotional bondage she has never questioned.Antonia of Venice is inhabited by brilliant musicians, avaricious politicians and ineffectual rulers of the Republic of Venice. Through it all, the people and music Antonia loves take the reader into the depths of revenge and selflessness.A well researched 18th century romance novel with brilliant descriptions, Antonia of Venice advances the timeless, feminine heroic as a powerful and equal partner to the masculine.

     Can Charity give her sister a chance for happiness? Regency England When their mother dies, Charity and Prudence Leonard hatch a plan to escape from their tyrannical stepfather. Determined to give her beautiful sister a chance to marry, Charity disguises herself as a young widow and takes Prudence to London for the season. But when the sisters cross paths with the shrewd and cynical Earl of Tyndale, it seems that they are in danger of being discovered. And as the earl’s fascination with Charity intensifies, she must fight to outwit the man who could unravel her careful plans… The Counterfeit Widow by Dorothy Mack is a classic Regency Romance with a bold and courageous heroine.

    Countess Julie Guicciardi’s life is about to change forever. The spirited eighteen-year-old is taking piano lessons with Ludwig van Beethoven, the most talented piano virtuoso in the musical capital of Europe. She is captivated by his volatile genius, while he is drawn to her curiosity and disarming candor. Between them, a unique romance. But Beethoven has a secret he’s yet to share, and Julie is harboring a secret of her own, one so scandalous it could destroy their perfect love story.When Beethoven discovers the truth, he sets his emotions to music, composing a mournful opus that will become the Moonlight Sonata. The haunting refrain will follow Julie for the rest of her life.Set against the rich backdrop of nineteenth-century Vienna, The Woman in the Moonlight is an exhilarating ode to eternal passion. An epic tale of love, loss, rivalry, and political intrigue. A stirring portrait of a titan who wrestled with the gods and a woman who defied convention to inspire him.

    The desire between them is undeniable but their budding relationship is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious patient at New York Hospital.Mr. Moss has been accused of being born a woman but living his life as a man, an act that will see him committed to an asylum for the rest of his life. William and Augustus are determined to mount a rescue even if it means kidnapping him instead.Their desperate plan sets William and Augustus against the hospital authorities, and the law. Soon they find themselves embroiled in New York's seedy underworld, mixed up with prostitutes, spies, and more than a lifetime's worth of secrets. When nothing is as it seems can they find something real in each other?

    Within hours the child joins the five dead siblings who came before him. In the mournful weeks that follow, fifteen-year-old Nicole St. Sylvain meets Philippe de Bois, a young horse trainer breaking in one of the queen's stallions. The attraction between the two is immediate, but duty and honor bring their romance to an abrupt halt. They work together to heal the horse's infected hoof, then part ways.As the daughter of a wealthy but untitled merchant, Nicole exists in a precarious social position. Her family has money, she is the sole heir, but she is only noble on her dead mother's side. An arranged marriage to an established noble family will secure her future but dash any hope she has of a life with Philippe.When the queen's only living child falls ill, she remembers Nicole's skill as a healer. If Nicole's healing sense of touch can save the royal child, will the queen reward her with the greatest desire of her heart--marriage to her one true love?Sense of Touch tells the little-known story of late medieval/early Renaissance queen Anne of Brittany, wife to two kings of France, in a gripping tale of forbidden love between two of her courtiers. If you like page-turning romance and suspense in period-perfect detail, you won’t want to miss this prequel to the Anne of Brittany Series. Download this heart-stopping love story today.

    At first the island seems a paradise, with its plentiful foods and wealth of natural wonders. But then a party of cannibals arrives, and after that a pirate ship...what is to become of them?

    In the battle, Giles, lord of De la Noye, dies, and Hyatt claims Giles's widow, Aurelie, by right of conquest. She resists him and bitterly resents him, thinking him responsible for Giles's death, and lamenting her own loss of power. But both her own strong sexual attraction to him and her growing awareness that he is an excellent landowner who promotes the welfare of his subordinates change her attitude. As she grows to love him, he comes to acknowledge at last his love and need for her.

    Then, out of the blue, she met the heated gaze of a bronze-skinned, jet-haired Indian and suddenly the dry, barren landscape was lifeless no more. Her flesh tingled with his nearness; her blood sang through her veins as he leaned even closer. The gorgeous pioneer reminded herself that he was a savage heathen and beneath her regard but deep inside she knew her fate was forever bound to his!When the powerful Sioux warrior Tohave spotted the lone wagon trespassing on reservation land, he raised his lance and charged, intent on punishing the palefaces for invading his territory. But where he expected to see an ugly white-eyes, he found the creamy-skinned temptress who had haunted his dreams. He pulled her close so she wouldn't run away; he traced her lush curves to make sure she was real. Tohave hated her for coming West, but couldn't stop the swell of love that filled him with primitive passion, as he took her in his Prairie Embrace.