Publisher: Phoemixx Classics Ebooks
Mary Barton Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - Mary Barton is the first novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, published in 1848. The story is set in the English city of Manchester between 1839 and 1842, and deals with the difficulties faced by the Victorian lower class. It is subtitled 'A Tale of Manchester Life'.(Additional author biography)
An unexpected and passionate reunion leaves a lady caught between her senses and sensibilities. When Lady Mathilda Cavendish arrived at a house party hosted by her young cousin’s suitor, she had only one goal in mind—to stop the proposed match. The chaperon never imagined that her cousin’s betrothed would be the only man she’d ever loved—Crispin Malvern, the Duke of St. Ormond. A fate all the more cruel because one look told her that she’d never stopped loving a man who could never be hers . . . Yet widowhood has given Tilda a strength she’d never possessed before. And when one night of passion unleashed her most secret longings, the unruly chaperon must decide whether to follow the dictates of decorum . . . or desire.Show book
Demure Prunella Broughton has long felt responsible for her lovely younger sister Nanette – since their mother ran away with a lover and then, not long later, their beloved father had died. As an heiress and a debutante, Nanette is already attracting much male attention. But it’s about Pascoe Lowestoft that Prunella is most concerned. Spoilt, dandified, vain and “far too good-looking for any young girl’s peace of mind”, this penniless fortune hunter he has declared himself in love with Nanette! To make matters worse, the new 6thEarl of Winslow arrives unexpectedly to take his place at his long-neglected Baronial Hall – a gentleman of whom Prunella deeply disapproves for his wild, raffish reputation, and the fact that he is Pascoe’s uncle. Her argument that the love between Nanette and Pascoe must be stopped gets short shrift from the Earl. Indeed, he argues that love, such as that which led her mother to leave, cannot be denied. Prudish Prunella refuses to believe that such an unruly, uncontrollable love can exist – until the prodigal Earl’s stolen kiss changes everything forever.Show book
Arriving alone and unannounced at her Aunt Lily’s Paris home, the innocent young beauty Gardenia is overwhelmed by a whirl of glamourous parties, exotic food and endless champagne. Her aunt, the imposing Duchesse de Mabillon, is it seems a well-known and popular Society hostess ¬who counts Lords and Comtes among her many friends. Indeed, already at her wits’ end after the death of her mother, Gardenia is so shocked by the immediate and over-insistent attentions of a drunken Nobleman called Comte André de Grenelle that she faints. And her mind is hardly set at rest when, after coming to her rescue, a haughty and disdainful Lord Hartcourt warns her to leave her aunt’s house and stay elsewhere.Her aunt plies her with fabulous clothes and introduces her to her sophisticated world and slowly Gardenia’s eyes are opened to the decadence and deceit behind the glamorous façade. The innocent and trusting Gardenia has suddenly become embroiled in a world of women of low virtue, international espionage, intrigue and terrible danger. Luckily for Gardenia, the handsome Lord Vane Hartcourt is a gentleman of honour who would steal nothing – except perhaps her heart.Show book
Nic Leandros knows that most people want only his money. So when he finds out beautiful Tina Matheson is pregnant with his late brother's child, he's certain her price will be high….However, Tina must agree to his terms: no Leandros heir has ever been born out of wedlock; they will marry for the baby's sake….Show book
NorthumberlandMadeleine Kirkby must marry quicklyor lose her family estate to a distant cousin! And after a chance encounter with the man she lost her heart to years ago, she has the perfect prospective husband in mind.Lord Ashton Ravensfell hasn't seen Maddy since before he went to war, but it's clear she has grown into a fetching young woman. So he's shocked to receive a letter from her, proposing a marriage of convenience. They must be married before Twelfth Night! Ash cannot stand by and watch as Maddy and her tenants are turned out of their homes, and there's no denying their obvious mutual desire has him more than looking forward to their wedding night .Show book
The beautiful Yolisa Warren lives quietly in the country with her father, her mother having died five years ago. Unexpectedly her uncle, Lord Langford, who is a brilliant Diplomat and who is sent all over the world on secret missions, arrives at their house. He says that he would like Yolisa to come with him to Kavalla, a small independent country in the Balkans, where he is to travel on behalf of Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister. Yolisa is thrilled at the idea, but on her way to London, Yolisa is told by her uncle that the visit will not be exactly what she has been expecting. Because the Russians are determined to infiltrate all over the Balkans, Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister are afraid that they will try the same tactics with Prince Nikos of Kavalla as his country lies on the North coast of the Aegean with access to the Mediterranean, which is what the Russians have always craved. The Prince has begged Queen Victoria to send him a Royal bride from England to safeguard his throne. And only then will the Russians cease to menace Kavalla. How Yolisa is asked to play a very strange part to deceive the Russians. How, when she meets the Prince, she finds that he is very different from what she was expecting. How the Russian menace closes in on them and they find themselves in a very dangerous position but true love wins in the end is all told in this exciting story by BARBARA CARTLAND.Show book
