A Study Guide to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice


Jane Austen - 1994
    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

Rancho Diablo Western Series Omnibus


Mel Odom - 2020
    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.

A Beverly Jenkins Romance Collection


Beverly Jenkins - 2018
    And when Jamal Watts hears the stunning songbird, he’s ready to sign her to his label. The love-burned producer isn’t prepared for the passion Regina unleashes in him. Suddenly they’re both hitting all the right notes. But Regina isn’t ready to trust her heart—unless this gorgeous, caring man can show her how, together, they can make the most beautiful music of all…. Holiday Heat For Eve Clark, winter usually means long cold nights spent alone, until she’s persuaded to attend a masked ball. Abandoning her inhibitions, she shares a blissful tryst with a mysterious partner. Though she runs from their hotel room the next morning, Leyton Palmer is determined to track Eve down and show her that the night neither can forget was only the start of something sensational…. I’ll Be Home for Christmas Three years ago, Broadway star Dina Caldwell and celebrity chef Morgan Caldwell were passionately in love. Now America’s onetime favorite couple are about to be reunited in Morgan’s Detroit hometown for the holidays. Is this the season for forgiving and forgetting? With sizzling kisses under the mistletoe, Morgan vows to make this a Christmas Dina will never forget! Hawaii Magic Workaholic attorney Anita Hunt is on the job 24/7. She’s looking to make partner, not party. While on a forced vacation in Hawaii, she meets gorgeous pilot Steve Blair. When engine trouble forces them to make a crash landing, the seductive airman shows her a side of the exotic island and herself she never expected—and a passion that could make them partners in paradise forever.… Overtime Love Drew Davis’s goal is to buy the semipro football team where he is general manager. But the owner’s grandaughter, Tasha Bloom, unexpectedly inherits it first. Still, Drew’s not brokenhearted, since their mutual passion for football runs second only to their attraction to each other. But can the team and their budding romance make it to the New Year’s Day championship?

Whispers of Winter: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Romances


Nicole MorganJan Springer - 2018
    Before you get snowed in, grab yourself a copy of this limited-edition collection. With heroes and heroines of all kinds, you'll be sure to find some that you just can't help but fall in love with. These romantic reads can be read as stand-alone stories. But, why would you want to do that? Read them all! Immerse yourself in this wintery ensemble from Romance Collections. This collection includes: Storm of Seduction (Gilpin County Search & Rescue 1.5) by Nicole Morgan Will Lori's plan be the thing that brings her and Kevin together again? The Gift by Stephanie Morris Sometimes love is the only gift you need Luca's Little Christmas Cracker by Caitlyn Lynch Santa's sexy helper is all Luca wants for Christmas! Finding Love by Krista Ames Sometimes the best things are found in awkward places... The Great Fruitcake Bake-off by Vicki Batman It's love and war in the baking world. Christmas Choices by Sharon Coady Which man can make this the best Christmas of her life? Hot Coffee by Donna R. Mercer Everyone Needs A Little Cream in Their... Nice Girl Naughty by Jan Springer Can Summer's bodyguard keep her safe from a serial killer? Touchdown Dance by Carma Haley Shoemaker Dance was my first love. I'm counting on you to be my last. Christmas Wishes by Livia Quinn Tis the Season for Second Chances Tied Up In Tinsel by Amber Skyze Things can go awry when a dream fantasy turns into a nightmare. Rent-a-Gentleman Two: Winter Sparks by Rebecca Fairfax A winter-spring relationship? No--more like winter sparks Stranger in the Snow by Jane Blythe Trust a stranger with her life or risk it in a blizzard. Resisting You by Suzanne Jenkins Kendall accepted a life without love until an unexpected visitor changed her mind. Mistletoe Fantasies, Book 1 in the Pleasure Your Fantasies Series by Stacy Eaton Dancing pays the bills, but it's ruining her Christmas Fantasy. A White Hot Christmas: Novella by Rene Webb Keeping warm has never been this hot! A Wolf's Claim (The Holiday Ball Book 1) by Marie Mason Will fate and some blue pixie dust be enough to get these two lovers together? Christmas Comes to Silver Falls (A BBW Holiday Romance) by Joann Baker & Patricia Mason When a long lost love rides into town, Christmas becomes even more complicated for Mayor Holly Bryant as she must choose between her responsibility as mayor or her heart. Winter Encounter by Karen Cino

Romance Super Bundle 4: Endless Love


Dale MayerAva Bradley - 2016
     SEALs OF HONOR: MASON, Dale Mayer—Kill or be Killed. Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights. Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. FINDING HOPE, Lois Winston (writing as Emma Carlyle)—When Hope lands her dream job, she doesn’t expect to fall for her married boss and keeps her feelings to herself, even after his wife walks out on him and their triplets. Ben finds himself developing feelings for Hope he knows better than to act on, given past mistakes. But three very determined tykes are out to find everyone a happy ending. NEVER LET ME GO, Donna Marie Rogers—Hannah Porter’s had a crush on Sheriff Chase Lowell since she was a kid, which seems to be the problem—he thinks of her more as a little sister than a romantic interest. But something changes following a robbery at the diner where she works. When Chase makes her safety his personal mission, Hannah makes it her mission to get him to see her in a different light. STRANDED WITH THE SEAL, Amy Gamet— Former Navy SEAL Trevor “Hawk” Hawkins is on an unsanctioned mission to take down the man who killed his teammate. But when his car careens into another on a snowy mountain road, he finds himself stranded with a beautiful woman who has no memory of her life. The storm outside worsens and passion flares between them, but the woman's true identity has the power to destroy them both. AUTUMN WISH, Stacey Joy Netzel—secret baby with a twist...Confirmed bachelor Sam Mallin hasn’t the first clue how to care for the baby girl dropped on his doorstep. When his beautiful neighbor Nikki offers to help, he finds himself falling for both females. Is it possible Nikki’s falling for him, too, or is he just the convenient, ready-made family she so desperately wishes for?   TRUTH ABOUT LOVE & MURDER (Love & Murder Book 1), Edie Ramer—The truth is that life is uncertain. Meg Quinn is co-guardian of her dying best friend’s son along with her friend’s brother, a former Marine. As the couple search for a missing veteran, they find out the truth about life and love … and murder.   SPLIT DECISION, Wendy Ely— Sports reporter Grace Avery is up for a promotion, but only if she gets an interview with the notoriously private, heavy weight champion, Rally Brewer. Grace discovers who Rally is beyond the boxing ring. Little does anyone know, as Grace gets Rally to open up, a two-year-old secret is in jeopardy. Is revealing his secret worth gaining Grace’s love? LILY AND THE GAMBLER, Linda McLaughlin—Respectability is in the eye of the beholder, or so Lily hopes. After her lover’s death she pretends to be his widow and travels to California to marry a mine owner. Then she meets King Callaway, a charming gambler. King knows he’s found his Queen of Hearts. But can he convince her to take a chance on a foot-loose card sharp? Only Lady Luck knows for sure...   EDGE OF MIDNIGHT, Ava Bradley—A wounded cop, a frightened woman, a desperate race to save a child in danger….Two people adrift in their own personal tragedies join together to save an innocent child from a power-hungry geneticist intent on creating a superior race. A Golden Heart award winner.

Fool's Gold Series Volume Four: Halfway There\Just One Kiss\Two of a Kind\Three Little Words


Susan Mallery - 2015
    Can she trust the man who’s come home in his place? Felicia Swift can’t believe it when she hears a sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool’s Gold—it takes her right back to the hottest night of her life and the dangerous man she shared it with. And just when unlucky-in-love Isabel Beebe walks out on romance, who walks in but her teenage crush! Can she give the spark between them the chance it deserves?Collected here for the first time, the fourth volume of Fool’s Gold romances—plus the bonus novella Halfway There—makes the wonder of Fool’s Gold come alive.Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold Collection, Volume FourHalfway There (bonus novella)Just One KissTwo of a KindThree Little Words

A Soldier's Protection: An Eagle Security & Protection Novel (Beyond Valor, #4)


Lynne St. James - 2019
    Now he has a second chance. All he has to do is keep her alive.Ex-SEAL Chase “Frost” Brennan was sure he’d never again see the only woman he’d ever loved. Faith Murdock was the civilian psychologist who’d brought him back to life three years ago, and now she was a seductive, alluring, burlesque dancer who’d hypnotized him. She had a story to tell, but before he could ask, all hell broke loose at the club.Faith started dancing for release but when her fan mail turned threatening, it terrified her. When Chase showed up her relief was staggering. He was the one man she trusted with her life. She’d never gotten over the pain of having to push him away for his own good, even though it broke her heart.Faith wasn’t the same woman he’d known, and Chase wanted to know why. He was determined to break down the barriers to her heart, but first he had to catch a killer and it quickly became clear he was no ordinary stalker. Even with the help of his ESP team and his best friend, Chase would have to put his life on the line for his woman. But he was willing to do anything to give Faith the happily ever after she deserved.

With This Ring


Gail Gaymer Martin - 2015
    These five stories will take the reader through a gauntlet of emotions and leave them sighing at the romance as they turn the last page. Sit back, relax, and get to know these gutsy heroines and swoon-worthy heroes.

Luminescence Trilogy: Complete Collection


J.L. Weil - 2016
    Weil and is packed with magic, romance, witches, and an enchanting setting you'll fall in love with. Brianna Morgan’s life hasn’t always been a walk in the park. Losing both parents in a tragic car accident was not easy to deal with for a seventeen-year-old. But she’s adjusted well considering, that is until a new guy at school stirs things up. Gavin Mason is wickedly hot, and his stormy sapphire eyes are shrouded with mystery and secrets. Brianna is drawn to him, but he isn’t the guy who captivates her dreams. Lukas Devine looks like the boy next door and it’s his sunny face that heats up her unusual slumber. Brianna never felt normal. But when Gavin reveals things that could change her world forever, opening her eyes to impossibilities, Brianna is forced to face her destiny. Will she embrace what is hers by birthright? Thousands of copies sold. Millions of pages read. Dive in and see why readers are addicted. Take advantage of this limited time bundle!

Mills & Boon Loves...The Petrov Proposal / The Cinderella Bride / Secret History of a Good Girl / Secrets and Speed Dating


Maisey Yates - 2011
    Now, they are about to come face to face… The Cinderella Bride by Barbara Wallace Secretary Emma O'Rourke keeps her head down and works hard. But to bring back the heir of Kent Hotels, jaded Gideon Kent, she has to step out of the shadows… Secret History Of A Good Girl by Aimee Carson Miami hotel tycoon Paulo Domingues suspects that beneath his new events planner Alyssa Hunt's southern prissiness, she's all passion! He's determined to seduce the fire out from behind her good-girl exterior… Secrets And Speed Dating by Leah Ashton Sophie Morgan's dealt with life's curveballs by being logical. Her latest project is to reclaim her life now that her fiance's left her. Task one: speed dating. But Sophie takes a rather unconventional approach!

Who's the Daddy? Complete Series


Harmony Raines - 2017
    With a baby. Which attracts the attention of the local sheriff, Isabelle. And what self-respecting sheriff wouldn’t be suspicious? So maybe he has every right to be a single father. And yes he is entitled to his privacy. Except when that one bear with a baby, just happens to be her mate. That gives her the right to find out exactly what’s going on … doesn’t it? Cade has sole guardianship of Maisie. When the beautiful little girl’s mom, Jenni, turns up scared and then leaves in the middle of the night, he has no choice but to become her father. Not that he simply accepted Jenni running off, but despite his best efforts he couldn’t trace her. He only knows she’s alive because she sent him a message telling him to back off because he is putting them all in danger. So he goes back to his small home town, knowing it is the best place to keep Maisie safe from whoever might be looking for her. Isabelle Malone was recruited specifically to be the sheriff in Tawny Valley because she is a shifter. She takes her job very seriously, especially when Cade comes into town, with a baby, and her suspicions are raised as to the child’s welfare. What she isn’t expecting is for him to be her mate. Once secrets are shared, can they work together to keep Maisie safe? And make sure she has the kind of happy childhood she deserves. Her Bear and a Baby Bear shifter, Beau, has become a recluse. After the death of his sister, he struggles to face the world. A once highly respected PI, he now lives alone, hardly ever venturing out in his human form. Instead, his bear is his refuge, and he knows it would be only too easy to melt away into the mountains and never return. But the ghosts of the past hold him to his childhood home. Bear shifter, Elise, has a problem. A promise she made on her sister’s deathbed means she must try to find the father of, Connor, her sister’s child. Beau is the man she tasks with the job, telling him she was abandoned by her mate, who left her pregnant and alone. The only problem... When she comes face to face with Beau, she realizes he is her true mate. Should she maintain the lie? Or should she come clean and tell him the truth. That secretly she doesn’t want to just find the man who betrayed her sister ... she’d like to put a knife in his heart instead! When secrets are revealed, Beau and Elise find they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. And eventually they will find out who is the daddy, to baby Connor. Second Chance Bear and a Baby Does a bear deserve a second chance? Liam’s mate was murdered by a drug dealer. Now that same drug has given him a second chance. But will he ever find happiness? Can he live with the loss of one true mate, and learn to love another? These are the questions Liam must find the answers to, if he is ever to become a second chance bear. Carla first sees Liam sitting in the corner looking miserable, while all around him, his colleagues are celebrating finally destroying the drug dealers who have been selling Niq It. Drawn to him, she is surprised when he has a sudden change in personality and goes from seeing straight through her, to seeing nothing but her. However, she soon discovers there is much more to her party pooper, than she ever imagined. Can she give this bear a second chance at love? Baby Protector Bear Joel has been a protector of people his whole life. Now the stakes have been raised. When his mate offers to protect baby Sam, he has no choice but to volunteer to stand by her side.

Romancing the Holidays 2019: Heartwarming Christmas-Themed Romances


Annie SeatonSusan Downham - 2019
    Warm and witty, diverse and dramatic, outrageously romantic, and totally festive. Curl up with a glass of wine and your favorite Christmas treats to enjoy these eleven great reads for a bargain price! From Annie Seaton – From city boss to sexy surfer. From Susanne Bellamy – Secrets, scoops, and a chance at romance. From Monique McDonell – A single dad’s second chance. From Ebony McKenna – Teens on the nightshift before Christmas. From Kris Pearson – Handsome double trouble, past and present. From Ashley Logan – Resuscitating the doctor’s Christmas spirit. From Shirley Wine – A Pastor, very much a man. From Anne Kemp – ’Tis the season... to win him back. From Susan Downham – True love healed her broken heart. From Sofia Grey – An unexpected rescue and a surprise romance. From Gudrun Frerichs – The start of four life-long friendships.

Fortune and Fame


Mark Len Mayfield - 2016
    Shortly after a second murder in Sinful had been solved, Fortune believes she has recognized a woman, now going by the name Georgia Fame, who has been using her affections to prey on well-to-do elderly men, leaving them heartbroken, penniless and sometimes even... dead. Ingeniously clever, the woman has alluded authorities for decades and Fortune soon begins to understand why. With Ida Belle and Gertie at her side, the swamp team begin to build their case but the woman always covers her tracks and stays one step ahead of them. Fortune gets close but Georgia always manages to stay just out of reach. When she realizes her suspect may get away forever, she tries one last act of desperation. “Fortune and Fame” is fast-paced, filled with humor, romance, twists and turns. From KindleWorld’s Mark Len Mayfield, author of the Wayward Pines novel, “The Journey of Peter McCall.”

Bride's Adventure


Caroline Clemmons - 2017
    The millinery shop she establishes is popular with area women—except for two troublemakers. When she believes her life is near perfect, a major problem arrives that requires her quick thinking. Sean Murdoch has made up his mind that Amelia is the one for him. He tries to bide his time until she’s had time to get her business flourishing but he’s finding waiting harder and harder. When a problem arises, he lends support to her surprising decision.

Providence Series Books 1-4


Mary B. Moore - 2019
    Book One – Forever Mine, Ren & MayaBook Two – More Than Forever, Luke & IslaBook Three – Until Forever, Cole & EbruBook Four – My Forever, Cole & Ebru pt 2 This is a box set of the Providence Series books 1 to 4