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HOW COULD SHE LOVE A MAN WHOM SHE COULD ONLY DESPISE?

How could Lady Helen Wade possibly love a gentleman like William Mainwaring handsome and wealthy as he might be?

How could she love this object of her two older sisters matrimonial designs?

How could she love this cad who was shockingly involved with another man's wife?

How could she love this rogue who shamelessly employed his seductive skills on an innocent young country miss he came upon in the woods…especially when he was so successful in planting Eros's arrows and when his willing victim was Helen herself…?

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The Sinful Suitor

Miss Helen Wade had been driven to the limits of self-restraint. Mr. William Mainwaring simply would not abandon his pursuit of her-and his campaign to reconquer the heart he had so sinfully won and then so shamelessly abandoned was casting a dark shadow over Helen's glittering London Season. Now, when he informed her that she had been acting most unladylike toward him, her patience snapped.

"Mr. Mainwaring," she informed him, "when I refused to dance or converse with you at the marquess's ball, I believed, I had made it clear that I had no wish to renew our acquaintance. And when you came to me with your insulting offer of marriage, I thought I had made it abundantly obvious that I both hate and despise you. I had no wish to see you last night, I had no wish to drive with you this afternoon-and I should be happy never to see you again."

That, she told herself, should be that.

Except that it wasn't…

At four in the morning, the night of his twenty-fifth birthday, Baron Montford finds himself quite sauced with a large group of gentlemen in his library. Spurred on by revelry, pride, and drink, Montford takes on a wager he'll soon regret: to successfully seduce the virtuous Katherine Huxtable within the coming fortnight.

The Huxtables have recently fallen into a great deal of wealth and prominence, and Katherine Huxtable knows that she's been lucky in every way but one. Despite her great beauty and newfound life of leisure, Katherine believes she is not made for passion or romance. She has avoided any suitors and all men of the ton, Lord Montford most of all due to his notoriety of as a dangerous rakehell.

With a sour reputation, Baron Montford certainly has a steep hill to climb - will he lose his wager or perhaps even his heart?

Por fin la oveja negra de los Huxtable está a punto de encontrar una compañera a la altura de las circunstancias… una mujer con una reputación aún más escandalosa.

Su nombre es Hannah Reid. Nacida plebeya, se convirtió en la duquesa de Dunbarton desde que a los diecinueve años se casó con el anciano duque al que, según los rumores, le fue constantemente infiel. Y ahora que su marido ha muerto, Hannah, más femenina y bella que nunca a sus treinta años, ha obtenido la libertad que tanto deseaba y sabe muy bien lo primero que va a hacer con ella: buscarse un amante; no cualquier amante, sino el más peligroso y atractivo de toda la alta sociedad londinense, Constantine Huxtable.

Siendo un hijo ilegítimo, Constantine no ha podido acceder al título de conde, así que nunca se ha negado ningún placer que pudiera manchar su reputación. Se dice de él que lleva una vida de asueto y placer carnal en su villa del campo y que siempre elige como amantes a las viudas más recientes. Con lo que Hannah parece entrar dentro de sus expectativas.

Pero una vez que estos dos apasionados y escandalosos personajes cruzan sus vidas, se dan cuenta de que no es tan fácil liberar las llamas del deseo… sin salir chamuscado, y que ambos guardan secretos que, cuando sean revelados, nadie será capaz de decidir quién de los dos se enamorará primero, quién domará a quién y quien saldrá ganador de este juego de corazones.

An omnibus of novels

Old loves rekindled, new loves found, and family bonds strengthened are the themes of these stories from the beloved, multiple-award winning author Mary Balogh. The four classic stories included here are The Star of Bethlehem, The Best Gift, Playing House, and No Room at the Inn. The new story exclusive to this trade collection is A Family Christmas.

He'd served with her husband on the battlefield—and secretly desired her for years. Yet for Dominic, Lieutenant Lord Eden, Ellen Simpson has remained tantalizingly out of reach—until she is widowed by the war. Suddenly pursued by the dangerously handsome nobleman, Ellen is stunned by the depth of attraction he arouses in her. Soon their friendship flames into something deeper…and as scandal ignites, marriage seems the only solution. But Ellen has a secret—one she can share with no one—that prevents her from fully opening her heart to Dominic. Until he devises his own plan for the ultimate consummation of their passion—and the woman he is determined to possess at any cost…

Julian's words haunted Alison "your're only a schoolgirl," he'd saidl, and Alison knew he still considered her a child. Could she really mean so little to him? Somewhere under all the planning and preparations Alison had cherished a faint hope that her business-arrangement marriage with Julian would turn into the kind of relationship she'd always dreamed of. But now, with sickening certainty, she realized that Julian had never loved ehr. And Rosalie was free again, deternimed to win Julian back. Alison felt suddenly that there was no use fighting anymore.<

Edward, lord Palin zawsze uwielbiał cudowną Emily Meriton, była więc bardzo zadowolona z ich zaręczyn. Tuż przed zapowiedziami zjawia się jednak tajemniczy przybysz, twierdząc, że to on – nie Edward – jest jedynym prawowitym potomkiem rodu.

Czy to możliwe, by był kuzynem Edward, zaginionym dziesięć lat temu we Francji? Intrygujące pytania wokół jego tożsamości mnożą się, a Emily odkrywa, że sama uwikłana jest w konflikt. Daleko bardziej kłopotliwe są jednak jej uczucia do tajemniczego przybysza – uczucia o wiele mocniejsze niż miłość…?

Brooks, the author of the determinedly straight-faced parody (2003), returns in all seriousness to the zombie theme for his second outing, a future history in the style of Theodore Judson’s . Brooks tells the story of the world’s desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of first-person accounts “as told to the author” by various characters around the world. A Chinese doctor encounters one of the earliest zombie cases at a time when the Chinese government is ruthlessly suppressing any information about the outbreak that will soon spread across the globe. The tale then follows the outbreak via testimony of smugglers, intelligence officials, military personnel and many others who struggle to defeat the zombie menace. Despite its implausible premise and choppy delivery, the novel is surprisingly hard to put down. The subtle, and not so subtle, jabs at various contemporary politicians and policies are an added bonus.<

Izgalmas kalandtúra a romantikus erotika világába azoknak, akik forrón szeretik.Ha valaki kézbe veszi Maya Banks könyvét, egy dologban biztos lehet:a pulzusa már az első oldal után felgyorsul, és másnapra sem csillapodik. Az írónő kimeríthetetlen fantáziával teremti meg az erotikus hangulatot, mindenki másnál jobban ért hozzá, milyen formák, ízek, illatok, hangok kellenek ahhoz, hogy egy jelenet igazán izgató legyen…Akadnak olyanok is, akik szerint be kellene tiltani a Banks-regényeket, mert tüzes jelenetei és a felgyorsult lélegzetű olvasók hőtermelése elősegíti a globális felmelegedést.<

For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong.

Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever. The two marry in a headline-making wedding. Hounded by adoring crowds and hunted by an insatiable press, Charles shields himself and his new bride from prying eyes, leaving Anne to feel her life falling back into the shadows. In the years that follow, despite her own major achievements—she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States—Anne is viewed merely as the aviator’s wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life’s infinite possibilities for change and happiness.

Drawing on the rich history of the twentieth century—from the late twenties to the mid-sixties—and featuring cameos from such notable characters as Joseph Kennedy and Amelia Earhart, is a vividly imagined novel of a complicated marriage—revealing both its dizzying highs and its devastating lows. With stunning power and grace, Melanie Benjamin provides new insight into what made this remarkable relationship endure.

BONUS: This edition includes a discussion guide.

In this stunning and sexy addition to the world of the Guardians, a man seeks revenge against the half-demon he once loved...

Nicholas St. Croix is familiar with the evil of demons. After his father's death, he was raised by the demon who had taken over his mother's body. Six years ago, his "mother" was responsible for the disappearance of the woman he loved, and Nicholas swore he'd find her--even if he had to go to Hell and back. Except she finds him first--and with one tormented kiss, he knows that she, too, is a demon. Now he is determined to take his revenge.

Ash is a half-demon with no memory of her past or how she got to Hell. All she knows is that Nicholas St. Croix holds the key to her identity. And though he's clearly drawn to her, Nicholas makes no secret of his distrust of her. Yet one kiss at a time, he breaks down her defenses as they battle an array of demons and Guardians. But is Ash's greatest enemy the man at her side?

In the year 2200 London is in ruins and in the hands of two warring families. Treachery and terror reigns as the families are decimated but Silvia and a cat, a shape-changer take revenge.<