Yet from the great hall to the scullery there were signs that the house was in an uproar. This Yuletide season was to be one of passion and merriment. The master of the keep had returned.With him had come several travelers, some weary with laughter, some tired of tears. But in all of their stories -- whether lords a'leapin' or maids a'milkin' -- there was one gift that their true loves gave to them. And in the winter moonlight, each of the castle's inhabitants would soon see the magic of the season and the joy that could come from...

    From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable.Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

    But no matter how far I traveled, she was never far from my thoughts. Her earthy sensuality. Her wild passion. For ten long years, my memory of our one forbidden night together burned as hot as the encounter itself. The thought of her betrayal with my oldest, dearest friend blazed even hotter.   Imagine my surprise when I heard of Sophie's widowhood--and that her husband the Duke of Mulford,  named me guardian of her young son! Imagine my shock when I learned that Sophie might have had a hand in her husband's untimely death. It seems that fate has brought Sophie and me together once again. When I return to England to claim my role as guardian, I also vow to win back Sophie's heart. I will slowly seduce her until she is weak with wanting. And when I've had my fill of her, I will expose her as a murderess. Sophie Huntington Ramsey, the Duchess of Mulford, is about to get something she never bargained for…  --From the Memoirs of Grant Chandler

    . .After four long years, Morgan MacCraig has finally returned to the Highlands of his birth . . . with his honor in shreds. After a scandal, all he wants now is solace—yet peace is impossible to find with the castle's outspoken new maid trying his patience, challenging his manhood . . . and winning his love, body and soul.Jean MacDonald wants to leave her past behind and start anew, but Ballindair Castle, a Scottish estate rumored to be haunted, hasn't been the safe haven she envisioned. Ballindair's ancestral ghosts aren't as fascinating as Morgan, the most magnificent man she's ever seen. Though their passion triggers a fresh scandal that could force them to wed, Jean must first share the secrets of her own past—secrets that could force them apart, or be the beginning of a love and redemption unlike anything they've ever known.

    To call him a mere polymath is to sell him short. Someone with his extraordinary gifts should rise to the top, unless it is the 1800s, where pedigree and money govern Regency society, as sure as Napoleon seeks world domination. A bastard raised in a Scottish workhouse with nothing in his favor except his amazing mind, Able must navigate life ashore on half-pay during the uneasy Truce of Amiens, and find a way to provide for his charming bride Meridee Bonfort, a gentlewoman to be sure, but lacking a dowry. Assisted by two sea captains acquainted with his startling abilities, Able finds himself teaching mathematics and seamanship at St. Brendan the Navigator School, which is itself an experiment, taking boys like Able from workhouses and training them to serve the fleet in wartime. Meridee has agreed to invite four lads who need extra attention into their home in raffish, unsavory Portsmouth. Calling themselves the Gunwharf Rats, these St. Brendan lads show promise in an unpromising world. Can a sailing master-turned-teacher uncover their potential? Can Meridee find a way to nurture young hearts bruised too soon by life? What will happen when war breaks out again? And what is it about Able Six, the unlikely master genius?

    ripe plot twists... a fine supporting cast" – Ocala Star-Banner.Now, with more than fourteen million books in print and seven New York Times bestsellers, Judith McNaught brings us her latest, most enthralling novel... Remember When When multinational tycoon Cole Harrison approached her on a moonlit balcony at the White Orchid Charity Ball, Diana Foster had no idea how extraordinary the night ahead would be. The most lavish social event of the Houston season had brought out American aristocracy, Texas-style, in glittering array. So, after losing her fiancé to a blond Italian heiress and reading about it in a sleazy gossip paper, the lovely Diana felt obliged to make an appearance — if only to save face and to bolster her company's image.Foster's Beautiful Living magazine was her family's success story, and Diana knew that, single, childless, and suddenly "unengaged", she was not living up to its lucrative image of upscale domestic tranquility.A woman of gentle grace and kindness, Diana deeply valued her privacy and her dignity, both of which were at risk that night among certain rumor-driven socialites. And now the pride of Dallas billionaires, Cole Harrison, was closing in on her with two crystal flutes and a bottle of champagne...The tall, lithe former stableboy couldn't negotiate his way out of a contract with his crusty uncle, Cal — he had to bring home a wife, and soon, or see Cal's share of the business Cole had created go to an undeserving relative. A man as coolly analytical as he was arrestingly attractive, Cole decided that his bride-to-be should be rich in her own right, meltingly beautiful, and a woman of impeccable character... Diana Foster!It was the perfect to their respective dilemmas, and, after a lot of champagne for Diana and some skilled persuasion from Cole, their lips met in a long, slow, bargain-sealing kiss. Neither one dared imagine that a match made in logic's heaven might be headed straight for an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime love...

    He joins the army purposely to fight Indians – any Indians. Iris Gray is a colonel’s daughter, who joins her father in America’s Northwest Territory and tries to bring peace between settlers and the Nez Perce Nation. Circumstances bring Iris and Zack together in a memorable love story as Iris struggles to help Zack find peace in his own heart. An unlikely friendship forms between these two and a Nez Perce warrior, Strong Runner, and his wife, Morning Star, teaching all four characters about cultural tolerance. CHASE THE SUN is the true story of the last flight of the Nez Perce to Canada in 1876, and a stunning depiction of the reasons for war and misunderstandings in a land deeply torn by its own unstoppable growth. A memorable tale of real history, abiding love, and a Nation’s unique struggle through tragedy and triumph.

    But her loyalty is put to the test when Her Majesty commands her to marry Scotsman Collin Douglas. When Gabrielle is kidnapped by Collin's twin brother, not even Good Queen Bess can save her. Dubbed the Black Douglas, devilishly handsome Connor is known throughout the land for his magnificent feats of strength and cunning. But now he is in need of an heir. An English bride will bring peace to the warring nations - and give him the son he craves. What he doesn't expect is a woman as passionate as she is proud - and a desire that knows no boundaries. Set against the pageantry and savage splendor of 16th-century England and Scotland, here is the story of a man and a woman who begin as enemies and strangers - and find a love that will triumph against all odds.

    She fought him with all the stiff propriety her stubborn will commanded ... but in her burned the aching embers of love too long denied--love that would force her to a choice no woman should ever have to make...

     Catherine Seton Spencer, a young maiden of Queen Elizabeth's court, is cursed with impulsiveness. When she meets Patrick Hepburn, who's visiting the court after a tour of duty patrolling the Scottish borderlands, Cat thinks he's an arrogant brute-and Patrick thinks Cat's a spoiled shrew. Divided by loyalties and society, but bound by desire that drives them into each other's arms, Cat and Patrick find themselves in an intricate web of deceit and danger that threatens to topple the throne-and tear the lovers apart.

    And readers of her successful gossip rag live for the exploits of her favorite subject: Daniel Balfour, the notorious Earl of Ashford. So when the earl himself marches into her office one day and invites her to experience his illicit pursuits firsthand, Eleanor is stunned. Gambling hells, phaeton races, masquerades…What more could a scandal writer want than a secret look into the life of this devilishly handsome rake?Daniel has secrets and if The Hawk’s Eye gets wind of them, a man’s life could be at stake. And what better way to distract a gossip than by feeding her the scandal she desperately craves? But Daniel never expected the sharp mind and biting wit of the beautiful writer, and their desire for each other threatens even his best laid plans.But when Eleanor learns the truth of his deception, Daniel will do anything to prove a romance between a commoner and an earl could really last forever.

    Edwina has accepted the challenge to transform incorrigible Mick Tremore into a gentleman in just six weeks. And although the linguist is sure she can rise to the task, she isn't at all certain she won't swoon under his frankly sensuous gaze before her job is done.Mick has lived outside of London society long enough to know that appearances can be deceiving. Edwina might look all buttoned up—the perfect English lady—but there is unleashed passion existing just below her placid facade (not to mention a great pair of legs!). And as she prepares him to take his place in society, Mick prepares Edwina to take her place in his heart...and in his bed.

    They also whisper that he’s dissolute, devilish, and determinedly unwed. So why, everyone is asking, has he hired a governess?When Miss Lily Russell crosses the threshold of the Duke of Rutherford’s stylish townhouse, she knows she has come face to face with sensual danger. For this is no doting papa. Rather, his behavior is scandalous, and his reputation rightly earned. And his pursuit of her is nearly irresistible—but resist she must for the sake of her pupil.As for the duke himself, it was bad enough when his unknown child landed on his doorstep. Now Lily, with her unassuming beauty, has aroused his most wicked fantasies—and, shockingly, his desire to change his wanton ways. He’s determined to become worthy of her, and so he asks for her help in correcting his behavior. But Lily has a secret, one that, if it becomes known, could change everything…

    . . But it’s not the cache of gold dating back to Culloden that Jack Kensington claims when he arrives in the Highlands; it’s the house he won in a London card game from a luckless Scotsman.Stunned to learn that her wastrel brother wagered their family estate, Isobel Rose must find a way to save her home and the people she loves . . . even if it means accepting a loveless marriage. Or perhaps not so loveless? Isobel unlocks the secrets of desire in the arms of the mysterious and handsome Englishman, but a series of “accidents” makes her fear that she will soon be a widow instead of a wife.As their hunt for lost riches turns into the search for a killer, Isobel fights her attraction to the man who stole her birthright . . . but can Jack convince Isobel that he can provide a home for her heart, and a love to treasure?

    She’ll marry for love or not at all. But how does a woman know a man truly loves her? Needing answers, she sets out to discover the marriage habits of London’s aristocrats. Yet when her friends kidnap a lord for research, Winn knows they’ve gone too far. Now she’s facing a wickedly handsome scoundrel who wants revenge.Lord Asher Holt has the perfect plan to free himself of his father’s debts. But when a trio of foolish debutantes abducts him, their scheme ruins everything! Fuming and tied to a chair, Holt overhears that one of them is an heiress. Perhaps he isn’t above a little kidnapping either.Yet, when the heiress runs away from her own wedding and straight into his waiting carriage, Holt finds himself on an adventure he’ll never forget, falling in love with a woman worth more than any treasure. But will Winn ever believe his heart only desires her... and not her fortune?