Publisher: Sheba Blake Publishing
Immerse yourself in the glamor, glitz and turbulence of the period leading up to the 1920s with this satisfying collection of tales from author Mary Roberts Rinehard. Veering from romance to mystery and back again, this diverse volume is the perfect way to while away a pleasant afternoon.
The Duke of Laverdale is ambitious to be appointed Master of the Horse and the new Queen Adelaide is determined that behaviour at Court should be moral after the licentiousness of King George IV. The Duke therefore ends his affaire de coeur with the enchanting Lady Sybil Mersham and drops his ballet dancer mistress as well. Up to now he has been determined not to be married, but he now decides to become respectable and find a suitable bride as befits his standing. As he has always avoided debutantes, he asks the Marquis of Coleburn, whom he has known since he was a boy, to help him. The Marquis is delighted and tells the Duke that he has the perfect wife for him in his beautiful daughter Oleta, who would have been a debutante by now but for family mourning. The Duke arranges to visit the Marquis, who returns home to tell his daughter that she is a very lucky girl. Oleta, however, is horrified at the idea of marrying a man she has never seen and who obviously cannot be in love with her. She is very romantic and loves the country especially the woods, which have a magical influence on her and she talks to them when she rides through them on her beloved horse, Apollo. When the Marquis tells her that she cannot refuse the Duke, even if he has to drag her to the altar, Oleta runs away to her old Nanny in Norfolk, having no idea of the dangers she might face on the journey. When the Duke arrives to stay with the Marquis, he is appalled to learn that, because she is afraid of him, Oleta has ridden off on her own. He then follows her as he has a much faster horse than anyone else. How the Duke finds Oleta in a dangerous predicament and how he saves her. How, not knowing who he is, she is impressed by his intelligence, his kindness and his bravery. And how, when they finally escape from horse-thieves, he takes her to a place where they can be alone and how there they can both dream the same dream of love, is all told in this thrilling romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.Show book
Barbara Cartland was the most prolific and popular romantic author of the Twentieth Century enchanting millions of readers with her unequalled tales of pure romance, dashing heroes, beautiful heroines, and of course, her trademark happy endings. Now, as a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee and to Barbara’s enduring appeal to romantics everywhere, her publishers have launched her past collection - The Eternal Collection. The collection includes - Elizabethan Lover, The Little Pretender, A Ghost in Monte Carlo and A Duel of Hearts which were all in circulation at the time Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952. The books are available at the Kindle Store at Amazon.co.uk – or from Amazon.com. Ian McCorquodale, Barbara Cartland’s son, said, “My mother would have been so delighted that modern technology can now make her glorious and timeless romances so readily available to new generations of readers all over the world.”Show book
The beautiful Lencia is the image of her dear departed Mama – and so is still the apple of the eye of the widowed Earl of Armeron. Knowing how profoundly Lencia and younger sister Alice are missing their mother, their father promises to take them to see the fabulous historic Châteaux of the Loire Valley in France – of which the most exciting and impressive of all is Chaumont. But to their chagrin, their hopes are dashed when the Earl returns from a trip to the South of France with a new wife on his arm – a stepmother who sees Lencia’s beauty as competition for her husband’s attention. Nevertheless, the sisters have their hearts set on their French adventure and set off in secret, Lencia disguised in her late mother’s clothes and make-up to look like an older Society lady. By chance, they happen to meet along the way the dashingly handsome Duc de Montrichard, owner of Chaumont, who invites them there to stay! And soon, while Alice’s heart is fit to burst with excitement as they explore his fairy-tale world, Lencia’s if filled with love for the dashing Duc. But, tragically, it seems that love is doomed since it is based on deceit!Show book
INTRIGUE. TENSION. LOVE AFFAIRS: In The Historical Romance series, a set of stand-alone novels, Vivian Stuart builds her compelling narratives around the dramatic lives of sea captains, nurses, surgeons, and members of the aristocracy. Stuart takes us back to the societies of the 20th century, drawing on her own experience of places across Australia, India, East Asia, and the Middle East. Doctor Sarah Hamilton came to the little mid-west town of Granville in an effort to make herself more acceptable to the American people. She hoped that by taking over as locum to one of the towns best-loved doctors she would get to know the people and their way of life. But there were two other strangers in town . . . one an ex-patient of Sarah's, the other a deranged and dangerous man with whom Sarah was to become involved to a degree she had never anticipated. Were they, in fact, one and the same man? Was Sarah right to trust and believe in Steve Gresham, with his tragic past and uncertain future . . .Show book
Shakespeare has never been this sexy! One evening when helping a colleague stage The Merchant of Venice, English professor Jessica Randall slides momentarily back to 1598. Later that night, she lands for good in the chambers of one William Shakespeare, a down-on-his luck playwright. His biggest problem of late has been a non-stop stream of Jessicas apparating into his chambers nightly. Yet Jessica's appearance halts the visitations, though neither have a clue why. Can she get back to 2018? They don't know that either, and together they begin to craft a life together, all the while trying to break the time travel curse and avoid falling in love. As Jessica grapples with practical (what is and how does one put on a farthingale?) and emotional (how to risk your heart when everything might disappear in an instant?) aspects of adapting to Elizabethan London, she must try to solve the mystery of the other Jessicas. More importantly, she must figure out how to get home without suffering from the broken heart she knows she can't avoid. Despite being thwarted at every turn, Jessica manages to navigate her new world and her old one and save not only herself but Will Shakespeare and his legacy. Praise for the books by Jessica Barksdale Inclán “A magical, mystical tale, one you won’t soon forget.” —Amanda Ashley, author of A Fire in the Blood “An author to watch.” —Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone “Jessica Barksdale Inclán brings a profound understanding of human nature to her characters.” —Sally Mandel, author of Take Me Back “A rich blend of fantasy, farce and spot-on history, The Play's the Thing is a joyous journey through time, place, and the universal complexity of the human heart. A delightful marriage of Peggy Sue Got Married and Shakespeare in Love—a celebration not to be missed.”—Warren Read, author of Ash Falls and One Simple ThingShow book
Anthea Forthingdale and her sisters Thais, Chloe and Phebe have all been named after famous poems. All very beautiful, after their father’s death at Waterloo the girls and their lovely mother, Christobel, are alone and isolated, living in poverty in a small Yorkshire village. Struggling for money and appropriate suitors for her daughter, In May 1819 Lady Forthingdale writes to an old friend, the Countess of Sheldon in London and asks if she will have her Godchild Anthea to stay for the rest of the London Season. The Countess is delighted to have Anthea as her guest because otherwise her husband wishes her to leave for the country. How Anthea meets the handsome Duke of Axminster in her Godmother’s house, how he appears bored and contemptuous with her when they dance at Almack’s, how Anthea caricatures the Duke with far-reaching and dramatic results and how she learns never to laugh at love, is told in this 182nd book by Barbara Cartland. Published 1976Show book
