Its lyrical scenes still etch a portrait of Cyrano as a man of uncompromising bravery except in matters of the heart. They come off beautifully in the intimate off-Broadway-size Roundabout Theater. To the open minded, Langella's work will hardly seem felonious and it may be a breakthrough!" --David Patrick Stearns, U S A Today"Frank Langella has abridged the text and given the play a bare-bones production shorn of extravagance. CYRANO is compelling enough in its characterizations, dialogue and situations to withstand minimalism." --Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter"Frank Langella's adaptation is relatively short, fast and intimate. The speed of the shortened version allows the ideas behind the play to emerge with great force and clarity. The result is a terrifically enjoyable and surprising thought-provoking piece of theater." --Fintan O'Toole, Daily News, New York

    

    There are those who will kill her to get it back. Ever since the German occupation, Evangeline Pfeiffer has worked at the bakery in the small French town of Turckheim. Each morning, with Alain her brother, she helps make the bread and pastries for Joseph, the baker. It is a life of routine and order. But when Alain is arrested by the Gestapo, her life is turned upside down. Unwittingly, she becomes an accomplice in the murder of Nazi agent Ludwig Kraus. Thrown together with the killer, a Polish spy, Kasha, her only hope is to escape to Spain. Taking the baker’s van she and Kasha drive south. She has burnt her bridges – there is no going back. She is on the run – but the spy running with her is not all he seems. Behind them as they twist and turn across Occupied France, their pursuers are closing in: the Gestapo, the German spy catchers (Sicherheitsdienst) and, most terrifying of all, the ruthless French secret police, La Carlingue. If they catch her she knows she will be violated then executed. In the city of Dijon Kasha is captured. On her own, her chances of escape fading she flees south, the net tightening around her. Then in Lyon she meets Grainger, a British SOE agent – he could be the game changer. If she can persuade him to help her, this could be her ticket out. Grainger is reluctant, he has his own mission, he can’t afford passengers – but she’s sticking to him. She’s not about to let go…

    Deserted by a selfish man, and driven to the workhouse, young Annabel and her midwife mother face a harsh and hopeless future.A critical situation for the workhouse governor then opens a door of deliverance for them both, but it seems that revenge and bitterness hound their every step.A harrowing story of stolen love, rich and poor, faith, family, and fearful odds, Born A Workhouse Child, will keep your heart pounding and your hopes soaring to the end.Join Dolly Price for her most heart-warming Victorian romance yet, and follow Annabel’s courageous quest to discover the real meaning of love, faith, and family.

    In Taboo he examines the role of blacks in Western history, and how these roles are portrayed in art and literature. In taut, meticulously crafted three-line stanzas, Rubens paints his wife looking longingly at a black servant; Aphra Behn writes Oroonoko "as if she'd rehearsed it/for years in her spleen"; and in Monticello, Thomas Jefferson is "still/at his neo-classical desk/musing, but we know his mind/is brushing aside abstractions/so his hands can touch flesh." Taboo is the powerful first book in a new trilogy by a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose work never ceases to challenge and delight his readers.

    She gains a respectable post as housekeeper to an elderly man, but when he dies his waspish sister throws her out onto the streets where she faces destitution. At the entrance to the notorious Paradise Park Hotel she encounters Sal, a young street girl whom she tries to rescue. Her attempt ends in failure and Sal returns to her old life on the streets, leaving Rhiannon is even more determined to become respectable. She obtains a job as maid to unhappy Janey Buchan, who takes a liking to Rhiannon and teaches her ladylike ways. Her rascally husband Dafydd, once the lover of Llinos Mainwaring, causes Janey great unhappiness, and eventually she runs away, leaving Rhiannon once more without a job or a home. In desperation, knowing that little stands between her and a return to her old life, she finds herself back at the Paradise Park Hotel. Once scarcely more than a bawdy house, it has now changed hands and Rhiannon starts working there, helping gradually to transform it from a place of ill-repute into one of the finest hotels in Swansea. The only thing lacking in her life is love, and with Bull Beynon married to sweet, gentle Katie, she fears that she may have to live out her life alone . . . Paradise Park is the triumphant finale to Iris Gower's Firebird sequence, set amongst the romantic clay potteries of South Wales.

    40 Haiku in English inspired by the practice of Zen Buddhism and Zazen (seated meditation) in particular.I hope you enjoy!

    

    Four complete novels. Each filled with intrigue, danger, and true love. “Confronting A Rake”A straight laced governess and a handsome rake. Opposites most definitely attract.Devlin Beaumont’s liked being a rake. Whiskey, women, and fun, what more could a man want? All that ends with an unexpected title, three young wards, and a beautiful governess. If that wasn't enough, there is the minor detail that someone is trying to kill him. Rebecca Jones has to be ever mindful of society’s expectations. As the governess to three young girls, she must set an example. A requirement that is sorely tested with the arrival of the new Duke.“Charming A Rake”Rich, powerful, and a rake, Nathanial Caldwell is every woman’s dream.Beautiful, disdained, and impoverished, Lady Alice Weston is desperate. When offered an opportunity to guide the sister of Nathanial Caldwell through her first season, Lady Alice feels as if her prayers have been answered. All she’s ever wanted was a chance for redemption.Of course, working so closely with a rich, handsome man can create a whole new set of problems. Can Lady Alice obtain her dream. And if so, at what price.“Catching A Rake”Olivia Caldwell always believed the man to be insufferable. Unfortunately, he was her brother’s best friend, therefore unavoidable. And while Lord Bradford might be opinionated, domineering, and a notorious rake. He was also the only man in England who was able to rescue her from kidnappers. A fact that was going to lead to her worse nightmare. A marriage of convenience to the one man who she could not control. Lord Bradford knew the woman was demanding, opinionated, and a thorn in his side since she was a little girl. Now, beautiful, charming, and with a tongue sharper than a Sheffield blade, she was a man’s worse nightmare. A woman who could capture his heart. But, society's rules demanded he wed this hellion. His only hope, have her surrender to him. If he failed, he would surely surrender his heart to her, and that way lay madness.“Challenging A Rake”Miss Amanda Waters knew full well that a rake should not be trusted. But when a severely wounded Lord Warwick crashed through her front door, bleeding, and asking her to keep his secret. What choice did she have?Heaven help her if anyone learned she was nursing a British Lord back to health in her upstairs bedroom. Her friends would disown her and most of the ton would think her a fool. But when she discovers Lord Warwick’s true mission, she has no choice but to help. Lord Warwick never expected to need the help of someone like Miss Waters. But his mission was too important. England’s very survival rested in the balanceThe fact that it might cost him his heart was immaterial. Somethings cannot be denied.

    

    A heartwarming saga of marriage and friendship in a small country town. Young newly-weds Ellen and Richard Lancy are delighted when they have a son to complete their family. But their happiness is short-lived when a tragic accident changes everything. Ellen must stay strong to protect herself and her family. When help comes from an unexpected source, it also brings misunderstandings and disapproval from her neighbours. Can Ellen keep those she loves safe, and overcome the difficulties life has thrown at her? The heartwarming tale of a courageous woman in a rural English town in Victorian times. Another gripping and bittersweet story from the bestselling author of the much-loved Apple Tree Saga. "Sheer country magic." James Herriott

    But in the midst of it all can lie trouble, gossip and the blackening of a reputation! Follow the stories of the Lords of London as they delve their way into the heart of society and lose their hearts along the way!' Featured Books in this Collection: The Viscount in Hiding The Reluctant Viscount The Viscount Forgotten A Viscount in Love Other Books in this Collection: A Heat’s Return, Lady of His Dreams, The Heart of a Lady, A Lady’s Melody, The Memories of Duke Authors Note: These are a clean, stand-alone romances with an HEA. If you love clean Regency-era romances you will love The Lords of London Regency Romance Collection

    This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    

    The couple call the child Holly and welcome her into their home as their little Christmas miracle. As Holly grows into a lovely girl, full of joy and imagination as wild as her red hair, so too does Rose’s resentment of her. As the years pass and the Clements have a child of their own, Holly is relegated to nothing more than the family’s maid. Not even Silas, the man that Holly has come to know and love as her papa, seems able to save her from his wife’s cruel ways. Tragedy strikes the day after Holly’s sixteenth birthday and she cast from the Clement’s home to face Christmas on the cold London streets, alone and terrified. With her world ripped from under her feet, Holly climbs the stone wall of London Bridge and peers into the rabid waters below… but a voice from the dark offers her hope…all she has to do is follow him. Find out what happens to Holly in The Dressmaker’s Christmas.