The North Atlantic in spring is a perilous place and, with a valuable convoy to protect, HMS Tenacious has a tough job ahead. But she is fresh from refit, fully manned and seemingly up to the task; the only factor likely to invite defeat is her captain.
With breathtaking naval action, strong personal dynamics and a mass of historical detail, Lone Escort is a nautical thriller of the first order.
Bond consistently delivers rousing naval adventures, vividly seen through the eyes of the seamen as well as those in command on the quarterdeck. A superb storyteller, he weaves suspenseful scenarios, which move like smoke and oakum from one plight to the next. Quarterdeck Magazine Views: 75
The Playful Brides novels are:"Wholly satisfying."—USA Today"Smart and sensual."—RT Book Reviews"Delicious." —Kirkus ReviewsSINGLE LADY SEEKS DUKELady Delilah Montebank has her marital sights set on the Duke of Branville. There's just one problem: he barely knows she exists. But no matter, she's got a plan to win him over with her charm, her wit—and perhaps the love potion she has in her possession wouldn't hurt her cause...Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, thinks his best friend Delilah's quest to become a duchess is ridiculous. He's always said he'd rather give up all the brandy in London than commit to one person for life. Besides, he knows that Delilah's love potion can't possibly win over Branville...since she accidentally gave it to him instead. But perhaps this is the excuse he needs to show her he's always loved... Views: 75
The Last Great Dance on Earth is the triumphant final volume of Sandra Gulland's beloved trilogy based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte. When the novel opens, Josephine and Napoleon have been married for four tumultuous years. Napoleon is Josephine's great love, and she his. But their passionate union is troubled from within, as Josephine is unable to produce an heir, and from without, as England makes war against France and Napoleon's Corsican clan makes war against his wife. Through Josephine's heartfelt diary entries, we witness the personal betrayals and political intrigues that will finally drive them apart, culminating in Josephine's greatest tragedy: her divorce from Napoleon and his exile to Elba. The Last Great Dance on Earth is historical fiction on a grand scale and the stirring conclusion to an unforgettable love story.From Publishers WeeklyGulland completes her elaborately detailed Josephine Bonaparte trilogy (The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.; Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe), taking up the story in 1800 at Paris's Tuileries Palace, where 36-year-old Josephine and her younger husband, Napoleon (who has just become France's First Consul), are desperately trying to conceive. Despite numerous questionable "cures," Josephine remains barren. Her daughter from her first marriage, Hortense, marries Napoleon's brother and produces a son Napoleon wishes to adopt in order to establish a hereditary succession. When this plan fails, advisers claim Napoleon's authority has been weakened. As Napoleon and Josephine rise to power, ultimately being crowned emperor and empress, Gulland does a remarkable job of showing how rumors and disloyalties changed the course of history. Under increasing pressure to produce an heir, Napoleon divorces the heartbroken Josephine, calling the act a noble sacrifice they both must make for the Empire. Napoleon remarries, and a son is born; soon after, he leaves for his unsuccessful invasion of Russia, his last campaign before abdication and exile. Josephine dies shortly thereafter, in 1814, ending her life with thoughts of Napoleon. Florid prose floods the tale, and the diary style of the first-person narrative is limiting, but neither of these problems seriously handicaps the novel. Gulland brings to life an exciting period in Europe's past through the eyes of one of its most famous women. The popularity of the first two installments assures an avid following, but this meticulously researched tale stands alone as a romance of epic proportions. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistIn the final installment of her acclaimed Josephine Bonaparte trilogy, Gulland chronicles both the marriage of Josephine and Napoleon and the rise and fall of Napoleon's vast empire. Recounted strictly from a woman's point of view, the gripping narrative offers a uniquely feminine perspective on a tumultuous historical era. An active participant in the momentous events of her day, Josephine bears witness to the treachery and political intrigue plaguing her husband's controversial reign. Of course, the passionate, tempestuous relationship between Josephine and Napoleon, two equally remarkable and charismatic individuals, forms the core of this romantic odyssey. A vividly detailed fictional portrait of one of the most fascinating women to influence the course of history. Margaret FlanaganCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 75
In a brilliant homage to Agatha Christie, critically acclaimed author Tasha Alexander sends Lady Emily to Egypt during British colonial rule to investigate a crime that leads back to the era of the Pharaohs.In Secrets of the Nile, Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, have joined his formidable mother on a holiday to visit the exotic treasures of Egypt. Their host, Lord Bertram Deeley, is a renowned amateur British collector of antiquities, who has invited his closest friends on a lavish cruise up the Nile to his home at Luxor. But on the first night of their journey, he suddenly collapses after offering a welcome toast, a victim of the lethal poison cyanide. Who amongst this group of his nearest and dearest would want to kill their generous host? Emily and Colin's investigation soon reveals that even his closest friends had reasons to want him dead: was it the archeologist whose dig Deeley was poised to fund until he suddenly withdrew support? The... Views: 75
It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert's, comes to stay. Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley's friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is – a man who has no choice but to mask his true self. As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including how she came to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China. And more scandalous still, she reveals her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts – a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.... Views: 75
An itinerant carpenter and a young widow learn that Christmas is a time for miracles in this sweet romance set in 1882 Wyoming. Views: 75
In the middle of Europe's Revolutions of 1848, England's No. 1 scoundrel is using all his reserves of deceit, low cunning and treachery to stay one jump ahead of death. As Harry Flashman plays for his life against the unholy alliance of Count Otto von Bismarck and Lola Montez, he tries to thwart an international double-cross that could change the destiny of a continent. "Irresistible entertainment...rollicking adventure...the most engaging rogue you are likely to meet....Flashman tells his story with the sexual avidity of a Frank Harris and the range span of a Portnoy." (San Francisco Examiner) ROYAL FLASH is second in the series, following FLASHMAN, the introductory volume. Views: 75
