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

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

    Here you’ll find everything from an unlucky-in-love super model to a prominent doctor who falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend to a woman putting her life back together after the death of her mother to a young couple separated by tragedy but brought back together by love. Each title offers a sizzling love story and a guaranteed happy ending. So get comfortable and be prepared to fall in love—four times!

     A Texas Ranger, relegated to deskwork due to past recklessness, petitions to regain custody of his five-year-old daughter, and his case is assigned to a family court judge who is as attractive as she is ambitious. When a masked gunman barges in during the custody hearing with his sights on the judge, the Ranger reacts instinctually and goes after him. But authorities apprehend the wrong man, and the real gunman remains unknown, at large, and a threat. Will this take-charge lawman jeopardize his chances of custody by going after the would-be assassin? And will this unlikely pair be able to deny the forbidden attraction building between them?

    Knights of blood and of war bring forth the very worst that Medieval brutality has to offer, but in that darkness, there is a ray of hope. Women of brightness shine the most when confronting the darkness within men. Be shocked at nothing within the pages of this collection, for these novels will take you into the blackness and back again, where love reigns supreme, even over evil.Romance comes in many shades, in many ways.This set contains:DarkWolfe – A de Wolfe son puts a tragic past behind him and finds love with an enemy.DarkMoon – A special ops knight finds an unexpected romance. Will it cost him a life-long friendship?Dark Steel – A happenstance creates a new duke – who falls into a surprising romance.The Dark Lord – The darkest lord of all finds a woman to tame his vicious ways.Guardian of Darkness – A noble knight and a Scottish hostage find love amidst a web of royal lies.The Dark Lord’s First Christmas – Bonus book! The Dark Lord discovers the meaning of Christmas.The original Medieval Romance novels with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and always with a Happily Ever After.

    He just wants to live an anonymous life and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he’s asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counterterrorism.Follow Levon and his daughter while they go on the run from the feds and a growing army of enemies that Levon makes along the way.

    She and her two younger sisters gather at his side, praying he’ll live… At a time like this, falling in love is the last thing on Valerie’s mind. And with Dr. Colby Winston, of all people! He’s David’s heart surgeon, a renowned specialist who enjoys small-town living, while Valerie is a high-powered businesswoman who prefers city life. They’re complete opposites in every way. Yet David keeps insisting she and Colby are a perfect couple. Meanwhile, Stephanie has other worries besides her father’s health. She fled Orchard Valley three years earlier, after her humiliating rejection by local journalist Charles Tomaselli. Now she’s home, and it’s not long before they begin reliving past battles—and renewing old feelings. He was the reason she left. This time, will he give her a reason to stay? David seems to think so… Norah is feeling a bit unneeded these days. Her father is recovering, and her sisters are busy planning their weddings. But then a cantankerous Texan named Rowdy Cassidy crashes his small plane in Orchard Valley. The same Rowdy Cassidy who’d been Valerie’s boss…and who’d demanded Valerie marry him. Now he’s Norah’s patient, and in all her nursing experience she’s never encountered a more difficult man. Or a more irresistible one! Except…is he still in love with her sister?When Norah’s friend Sherry Waterman leaves Orchard Valley, Oregon, for Pepper, Texas, she’s definitely not in the mood for Lone Star Lovin’. But if anyone can change her mind, it’s Cody Bailman—a hardworking, good-looking rancher. Not only that, Cody has a twelve-year-old daughter who thinks Sherry’s “just perfect for Dad!”

    Merwin --Magic barrel / Bernard Malamud --About marriage / Denise Levertov --from Jane Austen / Virginia Woolf --Princess and the tin box / James Thurber.

    She hears planes flying overhead. A flyer warning of an impending assault by American bombers lands near her, but she is blind and cannot read it.Chapter 4Private Werner Pfennig wakes in the Hotel of Bees where his unit is billeted in Saint-Malo. A corporal orders him to go to the cellar. The hotel once was a privateer’s lair. It is fortress-like and houses an antiaircraft gun manned by a crew of Austrians.Chapter 5The townspeople who have not evacuated awake to the noise of guns and planes amid the shower of leaflets. In a fortress, the last German bastion on the Breton coast, French prisoners peer up at the sky. Other sieges have rocked the city of Saint-Malo over the centuries, but none like this...  About the Author With Instaread Summaries, you can get the summary of a book in 30 minutes or less. We read every chapter, summarize and analyze it for your convenience.

    King. Do not let the lack of light stop you from discovering more adventures and stories that will keep you up at night and ignite the imagination. There is no place to hide in, THE DARKNESS!

    Start with SWITCHED AT MARRIAGE EPISODES 1 & 2. Should a fake bride have in-law problems? Justin's mom is desperate to protect him from who she thinks is a predatory, gold digging wife, namely me. And my parents aren't making the situation any better.Can my marriage of convenience survive the in-laws? Scroll up and grab your copy today!

     Amazon International #1 Bestseller! If you are a Minecraft fanatic, you would definitely want to know more about Steve and his life. Find the answers to all your questions and explore the life of Steve in his Diary. This diary written by Steve will help you uncover the many secrets and mysteries related to Steve's life. *** Read It FREE With Kindle Unlimited Or Prime Membership *** Don't have kindle? No worries! Read it on your PC, Mac, Tablet Or Smartphone! *** Download Your Copy Or Read It FREE With Kindle Unlimited Or Prime Membership *** Buy Diary of a Wimpy Steve for your young Minecrafters right now and get the FREE audiobook to start reading today before this outstanding 2-for-1 deal expires! -------- Tags: Kids books. minecraft, minecraft books,minecraft free, minecraft books for kids, minecraft games, minecraft xbox, minecraft tips, minecraft game, minecraft comics, minecraft story book

    On his way home to Texas and their family’s cattle ranch, he stops to investigate a single-vehicle accident. The driver is missing, the SUV abandoned and a search into nearby woods brings him closer to a woman he tried to forget. Are you ready for more exciting suspense featuring Aiden of the Quinn family from USA TODAY Bestselling Author Barb Han?

    Ten years later, they’re all billionaires, but they’re still alone. Follow the three men through their journeys to find true love as they each find their perfect bride.Steven: When the younger sister of a woman he used to date shows up at his house with a child she claims is his, he convinces her they’d be better off living with him than simply taking child support from him. He finds himself wildly attracted to the new “nanny” and sets out to win her heart.Justin: When a relatively new employee comes to his office to talk about some trouble in the Human Resources department, Justin feels such a strong physical attraction to her, he’s ready to throw all his beliefs about dating a subordinate out the window. Sarah takes one look at Justin, and knows she wants nothing more than to be his. Will they be able to get past the fact they work closely together and make the relationship work?Cody: After being rear-ended by a beautiful woman on his way home from the Super Bowl, Cody realizes he’s found the only woman in the world who is just right for him. How could he possibly have fallen for the only woman in the world so independent that his billions are a liability?

     “Invisible”, Book One of The Alpha Company Women Series is currently available free on Amazon (.com, .co.uk, .ca & .au) In Relentless, (Book One) we’re reunited with Zach Tucker, former US Ranger and nephew of Ryan Tucker, the owner of Stalwart Security Services. Zach has spent the last six months trying to avoid his Uncle’s PA, Sacha De Marco, ever since his friend Marcus dropped the bombshell that the young Italian American beauty had a serious case of the hots for him. While most red-blooded males would give anything to have a woman as gorgeous as Sacha lusting after them, there were too many reasons why Zach thought he should stay clear of her. Firstly, there was the age difference. Eleven years may not sound like much, but it meant that when he turned forty in a few years, Sacha would still be a beautiful twenty-something! Too much, right? Then there was the fact that she still lived with her parents and seemed so …inexperienced. So not what he was looking for. And of course, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he was still suffering PTSD from his time in the military. Not only was he still suffering nightmares about the day two years before when he’d been shot by one of his own men, but he was actively trying to ensure that the nightmares didn’t stop. Nuts, right? But just because he couldn’t ever be with Sacha, it wasn’t because he didn’t care about her. If anything, he cares too much. And therein lies the problem – he can’t show her how he feels because he doesn’t want to give her false hope. When he discovers that Tuck intends to take Sacha with him on what could be a highly dangerous visit to Colombia, he challenges Tuck as to why he’s taking Sacha at all when she could stay safe and sound in the bosom of her family. Ok, in hindsight, maybe that was what he should have said. Sadly, what came out of his mouth, in front of the whole senior management team, was something completely different. Instead of stressing his concern for her safety, he suggests that Sacha’s job is so easy, booking flights and hotels etc., that she can just as easily do it from her desk in Philly as she can from anywhere else. The unspoken, but implied suggestion is that a buffoon could probably do the job from anywhere! When Zach tries to make things right he only succeeds in making them worse, and eventually it takes being knocked flat on his ass by the one person he respects more than anyone, to realise that actually, he’s been fighting the wrong battle. Having had his epiphany, imagine Zach’s dismay when he discovers that Sacha has gained another admirer, the handsome, intelligent and charming son of their billionaire client. Yeah, nothing to worry about there! When Zach tags onto the group heading to Colombia with their clients, his one and only goal is to convince Sacha that he’s not really as stupid as his actions have led her to believe. But when they cross paths with a Colombian drug cartel, the deaths of two of their team puts everything else into perspective. More lives are now at risk, and Zach and Sacha have to put any budding relationship on hold. Working with the Alpha-Stalwart team as the life or death situation unfolds, their silly misunderstandings are put into context as they both face a loss that will be almost impossible to overcome. A Stalwart Security Series Military Romance (Follow-up to The Alpha Company Women Series)