A provocative literary thriller that playfully pays tribute to classic tales of mystery and adventure
Lucas Corso is a book detective, a middle-aged mercenary hired to hunt down rare editions for wealthy and unscrupulous clients. When a well-known bibliophile is found dead, leaving behind part of the original manuscript of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers, Corso is brought in to authenticate the fragment. He is soon drawn into a swirling plot involving devil worship, occult practices, and swashbuckling derring-do among a cast of characters bearing a suspicious resemblance to those of Dumas's masterpiece. Aided by a mysterious beauty named for a Conan Doyle heroine, Corso travels from Madrid to Toledo to Paris on the killer's trail in this twisty intellectual romp through the book world. Views: 766
A mesmerising novel set in the Louisiana heartland from award-winning author James Lee Burke. Views: 766
A stunning saga of courage and destiny in a legendary time of chaos and kings
He was born to greatness, the son of a druid bard and a princess of lost Atlantis. A trained warrior, blessed with the gifts of prophecy and song, he grew to manhood in a land ravaged by the brutal greed of petty chieftains and barbarian invaders.
MERLIN: Respected, feared and hated by many, he was to have a higher destiny. For it was he who prepared the way for the momentous event that would unite the Island of the Mighty—the coming of Arthur Pendragon, Lord of the Kingdom of Summer. Views: 765
Paula O'Neil has inherited her grandmother Emma Harte's dream for success-a magnificent business empire in London shared by Paula's daughters, Linnet and Tessa. Yet their future is far less secure than any woman imagines. For beneath the dazzling surface, flares a rivalry and discontent that leave them vulnerable to the dreams of others.
Into the fray arrives enigmatic American fashion designer Evan Hughes seeking employment. But her interest in the Harte dynasty is a personal one. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Harte lineage, Evan's arrival begins to unravel a mystery that hides in the family's shadows, and that waits to be revealed in Emma's long-lost diaries.
Now as the past unfolds, so emerges an extraordinary tale of money and power, passion and revenge, and survival and triumph at any price-one that will irrevocably change the lives and loves of four women and shake an empire to its very foundation. Views: 765
"Just remember," Yoshio said quietly to his grandsons. "Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for."
It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents, who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows unusual skill at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of creating hard-carved masks for actors in the Noh theater.
Across town, a renowned sumo master, Sho Tanaka, lives with his wife and their two young daughters: the delicate, daydreaming Aki and her independent sister, Haru. Life seems full of promise as Kenji begins an informal apprenticeship with the most famous mask-maker in Japan and Hiroshi receives a coveted invitation to train with Tanaka. But then Pearl Harbor changes everything. As the ripples of war spread to both families' quiet neighborhoods, all of the generations must put their dreams on hold---and then find their way in a new Japan.
In an exquisitely moving story that spans almost thirty years, Gail Tsukiyama draws us irresistibly into the world of the brothers and the women who love them. It is a world of tradition and change, of heartbreaking loss and surprising hope, and of the impact of events beyond their control on ordinary, decent men and women. Above all, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is a masterpiece about love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers. Views: 765
Lacey's seventeen-year-old daughter, recently returned to London with his estranged wife, has disappeared, as have many street girls in Covent Garden. Desperately hunting for her, Lacey uncovers secrets about his wife's past--and his own life--that he must face before he can stop a killer. Views: 765
Julianne can't believe she landed a job 'across the pond' as event planner at a country house in Cornwall, England. Her first assignment: a celebrity wedding! Surrounded by rugged shores and elegant gardens at a house to die for, Julianne must keep her nerves at bay if she's going to make this event a success. Her attraction for the estate's handsome and mysterious gardener isn't helping either...It’s the career move of a lifetime, and Julianne can’t believe it’s hers: a position as an event planner at a country house in Cornwall, England, beginning with the wedding of a celebrity! If her old firm's senior planner back in the States hadn't fallen suddenly sick with the chicken pox, Julianne would never have found herself chosen for a life in one of England's most beautiful coastal counties, surrounded by rugged shores, quaint cottages, elegant gardens and a house to die for.But life in Cornwall isn't exactly as Julianne imagined it. Her first bride-to-be is a resentful, petted snob, the groom is immature and bored, and the Cornish staff of Cliffs House has a difficult time believing that an event planner from a mid-level position can handle a wedding this big. And then there's a personal matter -- the handsome, sometimes charming, sometimes standoffish gardener Matthew Rose. He and Julianne have a strangely complicated relationship somewhere between friendship and attraction. But with a secret in his past, and a scheming bridesmaid plotting to have Matthew all to herself, will Julianne find a way to untangle her feelings and the problems of planning a perfect Cornish wedding? Views: 765
In the late 18th century, intent on avenging her family's death at the hands of a cult leader, Lady Leigh Strachan dresses as a boy and seeks out the reclusive S.T. Maitland, nobleman and highwayman, who was once known as the Prince of Midnight. Hiding in a crumbling castle in France, with a tame wolf as his pet, the hero is deaf in one ear, suffers from vertigo, and seems revoltingly sentimental to the stoic Leigh. But he joins her quest and together they begin to emerge from their individual suffering ... Views: 764
The exquisite niece of Lord Edward and Lady Charlotte Malory, Regina Ashton is outraged over her abduction by the arrogant, devilishly handsome Nicholas Eden - and is determined to make the rogue pay with his heart. A golden-haired seducer, Nicholas has been hardened by a painful secret in his past. And now that he has besmirched Reggie's good name, the hot-tempered lady has vowed to wed him. Her fiery beauty stirs Nicholas as no woman ever has - and the rake arouses Reggie's passion to an unendurable level. Such uncontrolled desires can lead only to dangerous misunderstandings and, perhaps, to a love that can live only once in a lifetime. Views: 764
"This is a novel in the guise of the tape-recorded recollections of a black woman who has lived 110 years, who has been both a slave and a witness to the black militancy of the 1960's. In this woman Ernest Gaines has created a legendary figure, a woman equipped to stand beside William Faulkner's Dilsey in The Sound And The Fury." Miss Jane Pittman, like Dilsey, has 'endured,' has seen almost everything and foretold the rest. Gaines' novel brings to mind other great works The Odyssey for the way his heroine's travels manage to summarize the American history of her race, and Huckleberry Finn for the clarity of her voice, for her rare capacity to sort through the mess of years and things to find the one true story in it all." -- Geoffrey Wolff, Newsweek.
"Stunning. I know of no black novel about the South that excludes quite the same refreshing mix of wit and wrath, imagination and indignation, misery and poetry. And I can recall no more memorable female character in Southern fiction since Lena of Faulkner's Light In August than Miss Jane Pittman." -- Josh Greenfeld, Life Views: 764
Ben and Tim have always been told to "be careful what you wish for", but they don't know what this really means until one day Tim discovers a magic wishing ring - and a whole lot of trouble!
Before they know it, Ben and Tim and their cousins, Nick, Emmy and Lach, find themselves fighting for their lives - and a few other people's, too - in a besieged castle full of knights and swords and a rather bossy countess. But soon they realise that making wishes is not as easy as it sounds, and that they will have to be very clever indeed to get themselves out of this mess! Views: 764
GUARANTEED TO BRING SOME HOLIDAY CHEER! This VERY SHORT but equally sweet Christmas story featuring Wade and Nikki from SLOW HAND is offered as a FREE read by the author Victoria Vane. Spoiler alert: This story takes place the day after SLOW HAND ends so there is a bit of a spoiler. Having said that, everyone should already expect Wade and Nikki to get a happy ending!After the suspicious deaths of his online friends, George Kaplan, an Internet activist, suspects his own life is also in danger and has no choice but to go on the run. Can he survive the seemingly relentless pursuit of the man he knows as ‘Glasses’, a tireless hunter with a murder mission and advanced technology at his disposal?RINGLANDS is approximately 48 pages (approx. 12,000 words) in length and is the first of the Kaplan short stories, set in modern Britain.RINGLANDS is dedicated to the memory and work of Aaron H. Swartz, November 8, 1986 – January 11, 2013. Champion of citizen-driven political change.Praise for Ringlands:"Gripped, from start to finish. There is a strong message here - world, take notice and act NOW, before it's too late!" - Abigail Hart Views: 763
Georgia 1864: Sherman's army marches inexorably from Atlanta to the sea. In its path: the charming old city of Savannah, where the Lester ladies-attractive widow Sara and her feisty twelve-year-old daughter Hattie-struggle to save the family rice plantation. When Sherman offers the conquered city to President Lincoln as "a Christmas gift," Hattie and the feared general find themselves on a collision course that will astonish both of them. Views: 763
Heather Graham’s seductive Civil War trilogy begins with an unlikely Yankee forced to choose between loyalty to the cause and the love of a Southern belle.
The privileged daughter of a Virginia plantation owner, Kiernan Miller can’t imagine that her idyllic life will ever change—nor her days in the company of her devastatingly handsome neighbor, Jesse Cameron, a boy who returns her desire, kiss by tempestuous kiss. Then Jesse commits the one sin that Kiernan can never forgive: He abandons his roots for the Union army. Though Kiernan marries another, a part of her will always love the rebel in blue.
To follow his conscience, Jesse Cameron must sacrifice his heart. He deserts his hometown, turns against his own brother, and rides away from the woman he loves. But he vows that it will not be forever. Now, bringing the war to Kiernan’s front door, Jesse has returned as the enemy, intent on winning back the widow with emerald eyes and sun-kissed hair—the beauty who has branded him a traitor.
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Flirting with Disaster, Taking Shots, and Long Simmering Spring. Views: 762
A provocative literary thriller that playfully pays tribute to classic tales of mystery and adventure
Lucas Corso is a book detective, a middle-aged mercenary hired to hunt down rare editions for wealthy and unscrupulous clients. When a well-known bibliophile is found dead, leaving behind part of the original manuscript of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers, Corso is brought in to authenticate the fragment. He is soon drawn into a swirling plot involving devil worship, occult practices, and swashbuckling derring-do among a cast of characters bearing a suspicious resemblance to those of Dumas's masterpiece. Aided by a mysterious beauty named for a Conan Doyle heroine, Corso travels from Madrid to Toledo to Paris on the killer's trail in this twisty intellectual romp through the book world. Views: 762
