The handsome and aristocratic, thirty-five year old diplomat Lord Athelstan knows that he is heading for trouble on his mission to the Caucasus to investigate how long the legendary Shamyl, the Imam of Daghestan, can hold out against the invading Russians. But little does he expect to be faced with another kind of conflict - with a beautiful young hostage imprisoned in the Imam's stronghold. The lovely Natasha is only nineteen and she was seized along with a Royal party by the Imam's followers and held to ransom against the release of the Imam's only son by the Russians. Orphaned, she has no hope of raising a ransom and instead has reluctantly agreed to be given to the Sultan of Turkey as a 'wife' for his vast harem in return for the release of her nine-year-old brother. The Imam implores Lord Athelstan to escort Natasha safely to Constantinople - a favour he cannot grant lest it anger the Russians and compromise Great Britain. But then he meets her - undoubtedly the most glorious woman he has ever seen, with fire in her eyes, when he informs her that he cannot agree to Shamyl's request. Ultimately Natasha gives him no choice and, when she appears among his party in disguise, Lord Athelstan is furious. Soon their mutual hatred turns to all-consuming love - a love surely doomed by Natasha's pledge to sacrifice herself to the Sultan's harem for the sake of her brother -

Banished by her malicious stepmother, Lady Cranleigh, after the death of her father, Melita braves a long and lonely sea voyage from England to the Caribbean island of Martinique. With a heavy heart at leaving her childhood home, as her father has left her penniless, she has no choice but to comply with her stepmother's bidding and accept her reduced circumstances with grace. As the ship sails ever closer to her destiny, Melita is determined to face her new life as a lowly Governess to motherless little Rose-Marie with fortitude. Arriving in the French colony, Melita is delighted to discover Martinique is a sun-drenched island blessed with beauty. Overwhelmed by the clear blue skies and the abundance of colourful flowers and shrubs, she begins to believe that she can be happy again, especially when she meets the handsome and surprisingly young, Comte de Vesonne, her new employer. Gazing at each other in astonishment, both are pleasantly surprised to discover something that they were not expecting. But not everyone at the sugar plantation is so pleased to welcome her and, when Melita hears drums pounding softly in the night, shattering the tranquility of the safe haven she has found at Vesonne, she remembers with foreboding the warnings she has heard about Voodoo practiced by the African slaves. Can the mysterious old woman that the slaves call their Mamba really call on the spirits of the dead? And if so, do they mean to help or harm her and the Comte she so much admires and is beginning to love? One thing is for sure - she will protect her young charge, little Rose-Marie, with her life if needs be.

With her flaming red hair and emerald green eyes, Xenia's unusual beauty makes her stand out in any crowd - that is until she unexpectedly meets her long lost cousin, Johanna, amidst the wreckage of a railway accident. Incredulous at finding her mirror image and desperate for a friend, Xenia's initial joy is soon replaced by misgivings when Johanna suggests an outrageous plan to swap lives for two weeks. However, these are soon swept aside by her forceful cousin and Xenia finds herself agreeing to help Johanna enjoy ten final days of freedom with the Englishman she loves before her arranged Royal marriage. As her cousin steals away from the site of the train crash, Xenia suddenly realises all that impersonating Johanna, even for a short while, will entail. Especially as her cousin was travelling to meet and marry her fiance, King Istvan of Luthenia, and the journey must continue so suspicions are not aroused. Surrounded by servants and diplomats, Xenia struggles to assume the Royal role that Johanna inhabits so easily and prays that her true identity will not be discovered. Arriving in Luthenia, Xenia is instantly plunged into a world of political intrigue and drama a million miles away from the quiet life she previously enjoyed in the English countryside. With a Constitutional crisis threatening and rumours of revolution, Luthenia desperately needs this arranged wedding to go ahead to cement allegiances and maintain the balance of power in Europe. As the Luthenian Court prepares for a grand State wedding and the nuptial date grows ever nearer, it seems that the beautiful cousins have only one desire in common - they both want to marry for love. But who shall be their bridegrooms?

The 6th book in the bestselling "A Shade Of Vampire" series has arrived Welcome back to The Shade... Derek and Sofia are finally enjoying a well-deserved break. Staying at a resort with good food, sun and sea, Sofia is thrilled to witness Derek's re-introduction to the human world. They would almost be mistaken for a normal young couple, if it were not for the red-eyed monster lurking in the shadows and watching their every move, waiting for his signal to pounce...

To any outsider it was a case of boy meets girl on that boat which crossed the Baltic, but then Joseph Heiman was on a mission and Olga Larson was shortly to find herself arrested by the Russian Authorities. Yet although their separation suggested that others would enter their lives and assume some degree of importance; and despite the spectre of that large Russian female who appeared to be constantly present, this was a story that was finally played out in the Orkney Islands where a tenet of suspicion haunted both of their lives! The question was not only who would Olga now choose but also how the Commander's wife, a person whom Joseph had met when on a training exercise now fitted into this equation, and what of the Commander himself, a man whom Joseph had once believed to be stern and relentless but who now showed additional characteristics?

Dispatched on a secret mission to Paris by the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Benjamin Disraeli, the dashing Earl of Hawkshead is held up on the road out of Calais by an accident between a post chaise and a diligence. Stopping to assist the victims, he is accosted by a beautiful young waif called Baptista, who pleads with him to take her to Paris to escape the clutches of her cruel father the 'Preaching Peer', who aims to have her locked up forever in a Home of Penitence as punishment for the 'sins' of her wayward mother. Reluctantly his Lordship agrees to escort Baptista to Paris in search of her mother and soon she is caught up in his perilous adventures on a thrilling journey whose final destination is love.

The handsome and debonair Marquis of Raventhorpe is known throughout the Beau Monde as something of a ladies' man until he falls under the spell of Society beauty Lady Sarah Chessington. But when he arrives at the Earl of Chessington-Crewe's house to propose, he realises that Lady Sarah wants him only for his wealth and position and he leaves in a fury, vowing that he will never marry. By the wayside he encounters a young exquisite beauty utterly different from any woman he has ever met, in fact she looks like an angel who has just fallen from Heaven by mistake. She is the Earl's niece and ward, Ula Forde, who is running away from her Guardian, who mistreats and beats her savagely. Outraged, the Marquis rescues her and plots to punish Lady Sarah and the Earl by making Ula the belle of every ball and the toast of London Society. It is only when the despicable Earl kidnaps the terrified girl that love for Ula blossoms in the Marquis's heart. He must rescue her - if he is not already too late -

Welcome to the 5th book of The Shade series... "Of course you know waho I am. I'm a daughter of the darkness just as surely as you are his son..." Ever since his brief encounter with Emilia at The Shade, Derek's thoughts and dreams have been haunted with images of the mysterious, beautiful brunette. Plagued with guilt, he struggles to understand why he is so drawn to this dark stranger from his past. When Emilia suddenly appears again on the island, Derek is both terrified and intrigued. But this time, he is determined to involve Sofia and discover who this woman is. If only Derek and Sofia knew, Emilia is a mystery that should be left undiscovered...

What Sofia has with Derek feels like a sandcastle; temporary and something that the waves of life and time will soon ruin... Since the return of Gregor Novak, the island has turned several shades darker. His hatred toward Sofia and thirst for fresh blood lead to a brutal war igniting between father and son. Meanwhile, the hunters are gaining formidable strength and resources by the day; they know that the safety of The Shade hangs entirely on its ability to remain hidden from them. And a sinister secret lies in wait for Sofia within the bowels of an Egyptian desert ... a secret that threatens to crush her sandcastle much sooner than she could have expected.

Demure young beauty Carola Greton's brother, Sir Peter, comes home from London with a very strange proposition for his sister. He asks her to pretend for a few days to be the wife of his friend, the Marquis of Broxburne The reason for the charade is that the Marquis is in line for the post of Chairman of a new automobile Company founded by an American acquaintance, the multimillionaire Mr. Alton Westwood. Although eager to secure the position of Chairman, the Marquis is desperate to avoid Mr. Westwood's attempts to marry him off to his daughter Mary-Lou - so he has told the American that he is already married. And that is where Carola comes in - playacting the part of the Marchioness of Broxburne for the duration of the Westwoods' stay at Brox Hall. Thus begins a tangled web that leads to Carola pretending to be her brother's cousin as well. It is a web that ties her in knots of anguish when she falls head over heels in love, but it seems that her own lies will ensure that this Divine love can never be fulfilled -

Vida Anstruther's father has gone missing on his latest secret mission, ostensibly to Hungary and her sixth sense tells her that he has actually gone undercover to Russia and is in desperate danger, perhaps at the ruthless hands of the Czar's Secret Police. Having informed the Marquis of Salisbury, the British Foreign Secretary, of her intentions, she sets off under a false name, accompanied only by her faithful Nanny, Margit, and a Courier. Vida journeys into Russia, where she meets the supremely handsome notorious womaniser and 'pet' of the Czar, the playboy Prince Ivan Pavolivski, and instantly falls under his spell. Vida stays with the Prince at his stunningly beautiful castle and she is tempted to trust him, but is horrified when she overhears him talking with a Russian Secret Agent and it seems that the Prince is one of the enemy But at least now she has learnt that her father is hiding in a nearby Monastery and flees the Prince's castle to go to his rescue. Even as her heart swells with hope for Sir Harvey Anstruther, it breaks in the knowledge that the Prince she now loves is bent on betraying him.

When the austere, reserved Drue, the Duke of Warminster, is asked by a servant at a Scottish posting inn if he will give a lift to a little old lady whose carriage has broken down, he reluctantly agrees. But then he is outraged to discover that the frail old lady is a young red-haired beauty called Jabina, who has run away from home and a marriage forced on her by her father. When their own carriage overturns, severely injuring the Duke, the pair are taken in by aristocratic friends of Jabina's father - and Jabina, terrified of being sent home, tells their hosts that she and Drue are married. The Duke is then appalled to find that through an obscure Scottish law he is now actually and legally married to this unruly and impulsive young girl. But, as they travel together to France and fall into mortal danger as Napoleon Bonaparte declares war on England, their mutual dislike blossoms into a burgeoning passion - the question now is whether they will ever to able to escape from France and return to England to fulfil their unspoken love.

Although beautiful young Laetitia is a Princess, she and her family lead a life more befitting paupers. Despising them for the gypsy blood that runs in their veins, the Grand Duchess, their cruel Cousin Augustina, bullies and oppresses them just as she persecutes the Romany people and banishes them from Ovenstadt's Capital. If only Laetitia could call upon some ancient gypsy spell to make things right. Worse still, Laetitia hears that the hateful woman has arranged for her daughter, Princess Stephanie, to marry King Viktor of Zvotana, despite her love for Laetitia's handsome brother Kyril. Determined to save Stephanie from a loveless marriage, Laetitia enlists the help of a Romany Voivode and his powerful gypsy magic and then meets the King disguised as a gypsy princess - only to find herself enraptured by the Voivode's spell and filled with a love too powerful to be denied -

The fourth book of the Shade series has finally arrived A riot among the humans. A siege at the port. A kingdom on the brink of civil war while still facing the threat of an attack from outside forces at any moment. Since the implosion at The Oasis and Derek's stay at Hawk Headquarters, The Shade has fallen into a state of utter chaos. To make matters worse, the citizens of Derek's kingdom have become suspicious of his loyalties and accuse him of siding with the enemy... At a time when Derek desperately needs full cooperation from his subjects, they wish to put their own King on trial. Meanwhile, Sofia is being held hostage by the hunters. They are determined to rid her of her infatuation with the vampire. She submits to the strict routine and training they impose on her, but the only fuel that keeps her going is the thought of reuniting with Derek - something Reuben is fighting with every fiber of his being to ensure will never happen. ...Until one day, out of the blue, Reuben appears to have a change of heart and comes to Sofia with a proposal; a solution that she never dreamed possible. A solution that would fulfil her heart's deepest desires and secure her and Derek's future together, forever. But can she really trust this man who is so renowned for his hatred of vampires? Does she even have a choice? Scroll up and click the buy button now to find out... Recommended reading order: A Shade Of Vampire (Book 1) A Shade Of Blood (Book 2) A Castle Of Sand (Book 3) A Shadow Of Light (Book 4)

Uncover the miracles of Sacred Tears in this engaging tale. The story begins in London during the summer of 1993 and Dean decides to take a coffee break from writing his novel. While he was sitting in a restaurant, a stunningly beautiful lady walked in, wrapped in a vivid white shroud of light. Dean found himself longing to engage in conversation with her so he could ask her out, but then he noticed a wedding ring on her finger, so he had to fight back his emotions. One day they happened to meet by chance and as they got to know each other and the years went by, their love for each other developed into a warm, cherished, tender, miraculous love but then something tragic happened; Emma was knocked down by a hit-and-run-driver and left seriously ill. Will she remember Dean? Years later while enjoying every moment they had together, they couldn't resist having a passionate day of intense pleasure. Dean decided to try his luck with the Euro-Millions lottery and won millions of pounds, leaving Emma worried that Dean would leave her. But then something tragic happened; Dean was stabbed and Emma was unsure if he would live. Had she lost her beloved, forever? Would her Sacred Tears work a miracle for them?

Stranger Things meets Shadow and Bone in this first instalment of an epic and romantic YA fantasy series – perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas and Victoria Aveyard. Now a TikTok phenomenon. A fragile young teenage girl is held captive. Locked in a cell by The Reestablishment – a harsh dictatorship in charge of a crumbling world. This is no ordinary teenager. Juliette is a threat to The Reestablishment's power. A touch from her can kill – one touch is all it takes. But not only is she a threat, she is potentially the most powerful weapon they could have. Juliette has never fought for herself before but when she’s reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, the depth of the emotion and the power within her become explosive … "Addictive, intense, and oozing with romance. I’m envious. I couldn’t put it down.… – Lauren Kate, New York Times bestselling author of Fallen 'Dangerous, sexy, romantic and intense. I dare you to stop reading!' – Kami Garcia, bestselling author of the Beautiful Creatures series Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times bestselling author of the Shatter Me series which has been published in over 30 languages around the world. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California, with her husband, Ransom Riggs, fellow bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, and their young daughter. She can usually be found overcaffeinated and stuck in a book. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @TaherehMafi

Young London man about town Hamish McMurdock bears a grudge against his uncle, the Earl of Kilmurdock, because he refused to consider Hamish's money-making plan of selling lobsters, crabs and salmon from the family estate The refusal is unreasonable but understandable because, although a young man, the Earl is embittered, hating all women after having his heart broken unforgivably. Hamish, though, plans to teach his uncle a lesson by sending an unknowing young woman to the Earl's Highland castle to care for what she believes is a blind and deaf old man. Almost destitute after the death of her parents, innocent young Jacoba answers Hamish's advertisement. Arriving timidly at The Castle in Scotland, she is horrified when the Earl flies into a fury and orders her away rudely. It is only when she collapses in exhaustion that she is allowed to stay. And when the Earl is terribly wounded by poachers, she nurses him tenderly back to health. All the time love is blossoming in her heart - but surely as soon as he recovers from his wounds he will simply send her away - ?

Following the sudden death of his rakish father, Seldon Burn unexpectedly inherits the title of Duke of Otterburn. Returning to the family estate, he swiftly discovers that the title is the only thing he has inherited - along with a mountain of his father's debts and nothing to pay them with. A brave and proud soldier, nothing has prepared the new Duke for the devastation to the family coffers caused by his late father's love of lavish entertainment, Gaiety Girls and good living. Meeting with the family Solicitor, the Duke is horrified to discover the Ducal properties are crumbling, everything of value is entailed and even the racehorses have not been schooled properly. Desperately seeking to rebuild the family fortune and honourably fulfil his duty of care to the old and infirm of the village, his cousin Edith, a sophisticated Socialite, offers a solution. She suggests that he follows in the footsteps of many an impoverished English aristocrat and marries a wealthy American heiress - she even has a fitting bride in mind from her recent visit to New York. With no viable alternative and a pressing demand for money, a wedding is hastily arranged - but will the English traditions of generations of the Burn's family be overshadowed by the razzle-dazzle of the Duke's mother-in-law to be, Mrs. Vandevilt, the renowned New York hostess? Horrified at being married for his title and not love, the Duke is so angry that he barely considers the feelings of his young and vulnerable bride. Meanwhile, the lovely Magnolia Vandevilt, one of the richest heiresses in America, is equally disgusted and contemptuous of a man who is marrying her only for her money. Joined together in holy matrimony, can this marriage of convenience ever be more than a disappointment and battleground as both parties dream of the love they might have had?

Queen's Ford, built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and home to the noble Forde family for centuries, is crumbling into ruin. Devastated by the reduced circumstances in which he finds himself due to the outlandish spending of his late father, the current Lord Fordcombe simply cannot afford to repair it. With only a few loyal servants to serve the family, even the once beautiful gardens and stables are shabby and unkempt. In fact the Forde family, blue-blooded and aristocratic, who have entertained more than one English Monarch during their illustrious past, are now so poor that they struggle to find money for food. Driven beyond endurance and crushed by the monotony of poverty, Jeremy, the handsome twenty-one year old son of Lord Fordcombe decides that something desperate must be done. Artfully persuading his eldest sister, Mariota, to sacrifice her principles and go along with his daring plan, she joins him in holding up a coach masquerading as highwaymen. But as the usually honest and kind Mariota catches a glimpse of the terrified woman they are robbing, she knows that this is something she should never have allowed. About to call off Jeremy, who is wild-eyed with excitement and oblivious to the upset he is causing, she suddenly sees a gentleman taking aim with his gun behind her brother. In a split second she fires, blinded to the consequences of her actions through her love for her brother. As the dust settles on the lonely road she realises that the handsome Earl of Buckenham is injured and, eager to avoid the gallows, the subdued siblings bring him to their home to heal. Desperately sorry by the trouble they have caused, Mariota proceeds to nurse him better, praying for forgiveness and willing the Earl to improve. But the unforeseen dramas that arise from that one action alter the lives of everyone involved forever.