Book picks similar to
The Blue Jar by Isak Dinesen


short-story
textbooks-and-school-related-books
20th-century
europe

Mistletoe Masquerade: A Ridlington Christmas Novella


Sahara Kelly - 2017
    But then again, he wasn’t sure if butlers were inappropriately touched by titled guests that often. He sighed. Being a butler was turning out to be quite a bit more complicated than he’d anticipated... Paul DeVoreaux, the Inchworthy hunting box, near Pineneedle Drift, December 1814 They’re not butler or housekeeper; in fact, they’re not servants at all. Yet that is the pretense they must observe if their real identities and their whereabouts are to remain a secret. For Paul DeVoreaux and Harriet Selkirk, fleeing London and the Ton is the best and safest idea at this particular time in their lives. A small hunting box in December is an even better one. Or so they think. Thrust into the roles for which they are ill-prepared, Paul becomes a surprisingly effective butler, and Harriet assumes the role of housekeeper to the best of her ability. The arriving house party seems to find nothing amiss, and the seasonal revelries begin. Unfortunately, the guests are nothing if not frisky, and Paul and Harriet find themselves forced into yet another masquerade. But this one isn’t quite as simple as donning a lace cap, or answering the front door… A Ridlington Christmas Novella – A stand-alone holiday romance featuring characters introduced in the “Six Pearls of Baron Ridlington” series by Sahara Kelly. Please check the Amazon page devoted to these books for more details.

A Visit To The Impossible Lands


Holly Black - 2018
    

No More Time to Dance (The Story of Catherine Howard Book 2)


G. Lawrence - 2019
    Separated from past friends and surrounded by people who resent her rise to the throne, the sole close companion she has left is Jane Boleyn, the infamous Lady Rochford. And this is not the only strain upon Catherine. People from her past come calling, the threat that the King may find out she is not the pure, innocent maiden he thinks she is puts her in peril. Catherine must imitate the Queens of the past in order to survive. And she must ignore her love for another man. On the day of her wedding, Catherine begins a dangerous game, wearing a mask, hoping to fool the King, until the day she can be free. No More Time to Dance is book two in The Story of Catherine Howard, by G. Lawrence The author's thank are due to Julia Gibbs, proof reader of this work, and BetiBup Designs, the cover artist.

Shifter's Shadow


J.K. Harper - 2017
    When he and his dad left Serenity years ago, he left behind the memory of his brutally murdered mother, and the one girl he never could forget. Then Wyatt returns to Serenity, finding his old friends and restlessly searching for something he can't even name. He never expects to see the girl again—until the night they share a kiss so scorching hot he knows he can't ever let her go again. Especially not when he realizes just how very special she truly is. Growing up, Bryony couldn't get out of boring Serenity fast enough. She's lived life on the edge ever since, until a bad accident lands right back home to recuperate. Its maddening shackles hold her tight until she's finally free to leave again. But now she's unexpectedly kissed the boy she's had a crush on her entire life—the boy who's now a very sexy man, and more fascinating than she'd ever dreamed. Leaving Wyatt behind might crush her heart...and it also might get her hunted down and killed by an ancient enemy she didn't even know existed.

The Prince's Baby Mystery


Holly Rayner - 2020
    After finally tasting triumph with a blockbuster new show, celebration is on the cards. The drop-dead gorgeous man in the front row is merely a bonus.Thierry is the mysterious man who danced through one night of her life, then seemed determined to be forgotten. A keen theatregoer, and a nigh-irresistible face in the crowd, he shows Charlotte what dreams are truly made of, before vanishing completely.Now, Charlotte has a problem. She’s pregnant, and the idea of Thierry never finding out is unconscionable. She resolves to find him, no matter what it takes.Her journey will take her thousands of miles, to Europe, and a series of frustrating dead ends. In Italy, a conversation with a stranger brings disturbing revelations, leaving Charlotte to wonder if the man who stole her heart is indeed the sort of man she wants to be her baby’s father.Still no closer to finding her mystery lover, Charlotte is overwhelmed with terrifying questions. Namely, what did Thierry do that made him want to disappear? Is he really a royal? And will she ever find him, and tell him he’s a father?

Shakespeare's Sister


Virginia Woolf - 2000
    

Ranger (Heroes MC Fort Hood 2): MC Romance Abuse


Autumn Summers - 2021
    People get pissed at me for what I do, I do it anyway!The first time I saw her, something sparked inside of me, but I was there on business.But the next day I saw how he was treating her and what he was trying to make her do, and I lost it!Yeah, shit blew up real quick.But I couldn’t leave her there to face that abuse.I had to save her.I had to make her mine, so I could protect her.And I will protect her at any cost!This MC Romance abuse is book two in the MC Romance club series, Heroes MC. If you love action, adventure, emotional roller coasters and steamy romance, you won't want to miss this one! 1-Click now to read the story of Ranger!

Into the Fire


Alexander Fullerton - 1995
    Their average life expectancy is six weeks.But Rosie is brighter than most, well-aware of the consequences of a second’s carelessness, or bad luck, or treachery. Or a fellow agent crumbling under torture, naming names.Her brief is to set up a new network in Rouen, where the old one has been blown and an agent is suspected of betrayal. If she gets there, that is. Landing from a gunboat on the Brittany coast, she must to travel to Paris – carrying forged papers, a radio transceiver and more than a million francs in cash… Frighteningly realistic, unbearably exciting, the Rosie Ewing Spy Thrillers are perfect for fans of Philip Kerr, Ian Fleming and John Le Carré. ‘You don’t read a novel by Alexander Fullerton. You live it.’ South Wales Echo

Beaches and Cream: Beach Babies


Alexis Adaire - 2021
    And even though it was just one night, it was more than I could have hoped for. Magical. Little did I know it would alter the course of my life forever. Now what do I do? What do we do?Kai: After our beautiful night together, Summer skipped town without so much as a goodbye. A year and a half later, I still can't get her off my mind. It's a tragedy that I don't know her last name or phone number. Then again, maybe that's how she wants it.One night... one secluded Hawaiian cove... two lives changed forever—and one new one created.

Alien Prince's Bond


Sophia Sebell - 2020
    Now I belong to a brutal alien race who only see me as a fertile womb.I’m claimed by the Prince of the Khuvex, a devastatingly handsome colossus with blue skin and rippling muscles. I should be terrified. I should be planning my escape.But without Prince Tacien’s claim, I’d be snapped up in an instant—claimed, bred, used, and thrown away.What’s worse is I’m not even sure I want to run. Prince Tacien is fiercely protective. I’m unsure what my future holds with him, but I know he’d kill before he let anyone lay a hand on me. Maybe I’m crazy, but I’m starting to think he’d do anything for me.But before he can secure his claim over me as his mate for life, his vicious brother intervenes. He challenges Tacien for his title and all of his holdings. Including me.If both of the terrifying aliens kill each other, I might have a chance at freedom. So why do I find myself desperately wishing Tacien will win the right to claim me? To breed me…

Sheriff's Pregnant Ex


Leslie North - 2021
    So when the owner of the diner hires a troubled waitress to help out, Brian agrees to provide summer lodging for her new employee.But to Brian's surprise, the waitress turns out to be his old college girlfriend, Caitlin Baker. The same Caitlin Baker he shared a night of passion with, not long ago. Still, that's all in the past. He’s got a town to protect and no time to frolic. So why does he feel so disappointed when Caitlin agrees to keep things strictly platonic?Caitlin spent most of her adult life trying to get away from a town filled with bad memories. She thought she was finally going to make it in the city, until her plans for opening a tattoo parlor went bust after her ex stole her life’s savings. Now, she’s back, and wondering if her feelings for Brian are strong enough to overcome the past…It was just supposed to be one summer. But how can she leave behind the only man she’s ever loved?

The Confused Bridegroom: A Romantic Comedy


Rubina Ramesh - 2020
    But here he was--lost amid the crops and cursing his grandfather for emotionally blackmailing him into marrying an old friend's daughter, a promise the old man had made decades ago. And just like it happens in Bollywood movies, he meets Nikki in those luscious fields. Nikki is a bubbly girl and manages to crack Arvind's forehead with a cricket ball on their first meeting. She must have hit him in the right place for Arvind falls in love with her. But trust his grandfather to make his life miserable by choosing the wrong daughter! While his heart was given to the younger daughter Nikki, it seemed he would have to tie the knot with the elder one.Caught between familial ties and love, Arvind has only two choices: kill the old friends under the same Peepal tree where they made promises about his life, or run away with Nikki. But can he do either?Dear Readers, The Confused Bridegroom is my first romantic comedy, and I hope you will smile as much reading it as I did while writing it.

Wolves of War


Martin Lake - 2018
    A fast-moving story of the great Viking army. Leif Ormson is a Skald, a story-teller, renowned for his witty tales. His brother, Sigurd is a black-smith, making knives, scythes and horse-shoes. And magnificent weapons of war. But one day, Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lothbrok, commands the brothers to make him a great sword. And he demands that they accompany his army to England. Leif and Sigurd are thrown into a maelstrom of war and violence. The great Viking army blazes across England, murdering, plundering, killing kings and setting up puppet-rulers in their place. Until now the Vikings had come only to raid and plunder. Now they have come to conquer. Leif and Sigurd face an agonising choice. Do they seek to return to their familiar lives? Or do they stay in England and embrace this uncertain new world of war, wealth and glory? From the author of Land of Blood and Water, The Lost King series and A Love Most Dangerous.,

SIN


Patrick Reuman - 2017
    With the whole town on high-alert, he refuses to let this dead city kill what’s left of his relationship. But, a house in the woods may hold a deadlier fate than the town ever could.

The Dead


James Joyce - 1914
    Often cited as the best work of short fiction ever written, Joyce's story details a New Year's Eve gathering in Dublin that is so evocative and beautiful that it prompts the protagonist's wife to make a shocking revelation to her husband—closing the story with an emotionally powerful epiphany that is considered one of the best in modern literature.