Beautiful, young, impoverished Parson's daughter, Hermia Brooke, is happy with her simple country life, despite being shunned by her wealthy uncle the Earl of Millbrooke and her cousin, the spoilt and selfish Marilyn. In a chance encounter with a raffishly handsome gentleman, whom she decides resembles the Devil himself, she nevertheless helps him with a stone stuck in his horse's hoof. Rewarded with a golden guinea and a shocking kiss, Hermia finds her world turned topsy turvy when she meets the mysterious stranger once more at the behest of Marilyn, who is determined to trap this 'Devil' - namely the Marquis of Deverille - into marriage. Just as Hermia's innocent heart warms to the gentler side of this hard-bitten aristocrat and he falls under her guileless spell, the Marquis is embroiled in a murderous plot and Hermia must fight for his life, even as all hope of the love she dreams about for herself seems lost.

The beautiful Adella May is filled with joy as she sees Digby Dryden, the man she loves, walking towards her. But why does he turn away, refusing to look at her? Humiliated and hurt and her golden dream of love in ruins, what can Adella do now and where can she turn? Will she be forced to give up her hopes of seeing Digby again and obey her tyrannical Uncle Edgar and accept the proposal of the rich and suitable aristocrat, Lord Ranulph Fowles, a man she cannot love? Adella's dear school friend, Jane Hartley, holds an exquisite bouquet to her heart. The card attached to it bears the signature of the man she adores, but it is intended for another woman. Jane must endure the torment of knowing that she will never be loved by him, for she is just a humble Governess, while he, the most eligible bachelor in London, is from the highest echelons of Society. Trapped in a cruel web of deceit and obsession, the two girls fight to hold onto their dreams, but can they ever be happy in a world that does not recognise their right to love? Find out all in this enthralling and unusual romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.

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...

Sometimes legends don't tell the whole story.

After the sudden death of her boyfriend, Vera would have been happy to spend her life completely unnoticeable, washing bedsheets and cleaning toilets in a Glastonbury hotel. But everything changes when a strange new guest reveals himself to be Merlin and drags her back to seventh century Camelot, a place she knows only from legends. He tells her that only Vera (or Queen Guinevere, as Merlin calls her) can right the course of history and save Arthur' s kingdom from the will of a power-hungry mage.

There' s one enormous problem: Guinevere was the sole witness to the curse that's now draining the kingdom of its magic, and Vera doesn't remember anything from that life. And with Camelot' s peace ebbing ever closer to shattering, she's running out of time.

Working with Merlin' s magic to retrieve her long-lost memories brings more questions than answers: why is it that King Arthur, who treats his subjects with such benevolence, can' t even stand to look at her? And why does that make Vera' s soul feel like it' s splitting in two? What robbed her of her memories in the first place . . . and, most importantly, why?

As Vera is about to discover, in a world of legend and power, the secrets of her memories are only the beginning . . .

Just eighteen, beautiful and intelligent, Yola Beauharnais lives a blessed Fairy tale life at her magnificent family castle on the Loire. Then her grandmother announces that she has been promised in marriage by her late beloved father to the Marquis de Montereau. Yola is appalled. She has heard of the Marquis, who, although handsome and sophisticated, has a reputation in Paris as a rake, socialite and 'ladykiller'. How could she possibly marry such a man, one who wants her only for her castle and the extensive estate? Determined to marry only for true love, wherever she may find it, Yola is helped by her father's mistress and travels 'undercover' to Paris in the guise of a woman of questionable morals to meet the notorious Marquis and find out for herself whether he might fall in love with her as herself and for herself only. Or whether she must betray her father's dying wish and refuse her unwanted suitor. On meeting the Marquis in her disguise, Yola finds that there is much more to him than his reputation suggests and, as love blossoms between them, she comes to bitterly regret her deception. Will she really find her true love or will she be condemned to live a life of disappointment and delusion as the Sleeping Beauty of her enchanted castle?

Arriving home from school, Bertilla is sad to find her home unprepared for her and her widowed mother is far from pleased to see her. Even worse, Lady Alvinston, a celebrated Society beauty, makes it clear that she has no intention of allowing her pretty eighteen-year-old daughter anywhere near the glittering London social scene she enjoys so much herself. As her mother continues her scheming to snare a wealthy husband before her looks fade, the last thing she needs is Bertilla making it obvious that she is old enough to have a grown up daughter. So when handsome Lord Saire, the prize amongst all of the eligible bachelors, happens upon Bertilla at a railway station, Lady Alvinston determines that their paths shall never cross again. Hastily packed up and sent to live with her mean-spirited Aunt Agatha, a Missionary in Sarawak, Bertilla is reconciled to the fact that she will never see England again. Feeling rejected, unloved and facing the deprivations of a Second Class ticket on her long sea voyage to Malaya, she is astounded to meet Lord Saire once more. Cut off from everything she knows and thrown into the elegant world of the steamship Saloon, Bertilla clutches at the kindness offered by Lord Saire, the man the Society matron's call, 'the Love Pirate'. Dashing, independent and a well-known heartbreaker, Lord Saire is cast in the unusual role of rescuer as they travel towards the beauty and mystery of the Far East. Acting as guardian and protector to Bertilla is very different to the passionate but brief relationships with Society beauties he normally enjoys and demonstrates the caring side of his nature. But is this a role he relishes or are his eyes really on the sophisticated married women he usually spends time with? As a man who has shunned love and marriage is he really the ideal protector for Bertilla as she dreams of freedom, romance and true love?

Dani Dorfman needs an escape, so when she is offered a job in Amsterdam after getting dumped and fired, she's determined to make it work.

Unfortunately, her first week is disaster - especially when she crashes her bike into Wouter van Leeuwen, her family's Dutch exchange student from ten years ago. Her first love, until he ghosted her . . .

Wouter is also at a crossroads - to inherit his canal family home, he needs to get married. And when Dani's job falls apart, she needs a visa.

Dani is certain Amsterdam is temporary. But could its quirks and a second chance romance become her reasons to stay?

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 -

Innocent young Candida is almost destitute after the death of her beloved father. Resolving to keep up the family's modest Elizabethan manor house in Hertfordshire and support Ned, the family's faithful servant, she sees no alternative but to sell her beloved pitch-black stallion, Pegasus. So, when the worldly Major Hooper offers to take her and her mount to Hyde Park where she will undoubtedly find a high price, she agrees, though with a heavy heart. Little does she suspect that Major Hooper trades in young women as well as horseflesh - and soon she finds herself and Pegasus 'sold' to the dashing but awe-inspiring Lord Manville. A terrible maze of misunderstanding ensues and just when Candida realises that she has lost her heart to his Lordship, the London Society that seemed so carefree turns cruel. Even as she flees astride Pegasus, she is heartbroken, knowing she may never again see the man she loves -

The beloved classic novel, the basis of the classic film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock As children, sisters Gillian and Sally were forever outsiders in their small New England town, teased, taunted and shunned for the air of magic that seems to sparkle in the air around them. All Gillian and Sally ever wanted was to get away. And eventually they do - one marries, the other runs as far from home as she can manage. Years later, however, tragedy will bring the sisters back together. And they'll find that no matter what else may happen, they'll always have each other. An enchanting tale of love, forgiveness and family, Practical Magic is beloved of readers of all ages. Book 3 in the Practical Magic series. *~*~*Readers love Practical Magic*~*~* 'A real pleasure' Kate Atkinson 'Simply brilliant' Daily Mail '[A] delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible' Cosmopolitan 'What do you do when your long lost little sister shows up on your suburban front step... a dead man in the Oldsmobile that's blocking your driveway? ...You help her bury him in your backyard, underneath a wilting lilac bush that will suddenly spring back to life, bearing masses of heady flowers that remind everyone who passes by of desires they thought they'd long since stifled' Vogue 'Dark comedy and a light touch carry the story along to a truly Gothic climax, complete with heaving skies and witchery on the lawn' New York Times 'A scrim of magic lies gently over [this] fictional world, in which lilacs bloom riotously in July, a lovesick boy's elbows sizzle on a diner countertop and a toad expectorates a silver ring...' Publishers Weekly

When the imperious Alston, Marquis of Falcon cynically announces that he is interested in marrying his daughter in order to gain a Royal appointment, the Earl of Warnborough is thoroughly pleased. There would be many benefits to being part of his far richer neighbour's family and estates But the beautiful Mirabel is already betrothed and so is Deirdre, albeit secretly, which leaves only Elmina, the youngest and the Cinderella of the Warne family. Nevertheless they are all shocked when she shyly says that she will be happy to marry the dashing Marquis. But not as stunned as her new husband when she repels his wedding night advances with an expert Karate move Self-educated and schooled in the martial and equine arts, Elmina blossoms inwardly and outwardly with an unusual allure of her own. And she prays that her handsome new husband will come to love her for herself. But, when she is kidnapped by murderous horse thieves, it seems that she will die without knowing the love she yearns for -

A REASON TO LIVE.
Still grieving the death of her best friend, Erin knows she needs to start living - but has no idea how. Then she loses her favourite book, a heavily annotated and containing her friend's final words to her.

A REASON TO LOVE.
When James finds Erin's note-filled book in his local community library, it sparks a lifechanging conversation. He writes his own message back, and soon they are locked in an anonymous book exchange, with no idea who the other person in the margins might be.

A REASON TO FORGIVE?
But Erin and James have a shared history that neither of them realise. How will Erin react when she discovers the other writer isn't a stranger at all - but the person she once swore she'd never forgive?

Lady Loretta's father, the well-respected Lord Lieutenant of the County, is doing his best to force her into marriage with the Marquis of Sauerdun, the son of a good friend. Whilst her father thinks he is making a good match for his beloved daughter, she is aghast at the thought of an arranged marriage and vows she will only marry for love. Searching her mind for a way to stay free to pursue the kind of love she has always dreamt of, she happens upon a good plan. What if she could prove to her straight-laced father that the man he means for her is not only an unsuitable husband, but a philandering rake too? With the Marquis's reputation for love affairs with beautiful, seductive and preferably married women well known in Society, surely this would not prove too difficult? Seizing upon this last ditch attempt to stay unmarried, Lady Loretta devises a scheme to prove to her father that her intended is an unrepentant heartbreaker. Throwing herself upon the charity and good nature of her notorious cousin Ingrid, whose scandalous love affair has already rocked polite English Society, she heads for Paris alone. Delighted at how quickly she has escaped and enjoying the freedom of her adventure, Loretta determines to find out more about the Marquis and wastes no time in seeking him out. But Fate has its own plans for this spirited English beauty and before too long she is caught up in a web of deceit that threatens to change her life forever.

Samantha Clyde, the beautiful, and dutiful daughter of the ailing Vicar of Little Poolbrook in Worcestershire, lives a cosy sheltered life attending to her father's needs and helping out with the Church bazaar at The Castle her impoverished family once owned. Her world is turned upside down when celebrated fashion photographer, Giles Bariatinsky, is very struck by Samantha's enigmatic and unusual beauty and whisks her off to a glamorous new life as a model of haute couture in London. Bewildered and intimidated by London Society's decadence, she meets the dashing firebrand novelist David Durham, experiences her first ever kiss and loses her heart utterly in an instant. Almost as quickly, all her hopes and dreams are dashed when the man she loves despises her naivety. And since no other man will ever take David's place in her heart, Samantha takes refuge in a Convent, resolving to become the sophisticated woman of the world that she imagines David Durham desires -

Shield of Sparrows is a slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros―where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be.

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.

I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.

I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.

But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.

Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?

And what if―for the first time―I reached for it?

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...

The Marquis of Elvington, heartbroken to discover the woman he intended to marry has deceived him, decides to leave England and put as many miles as possible between them. Handsome, intelligent and a great favourite at the Court of King William IV and Queen Adelaide, the Marquis is used to the admiration of women and respect of men, so the duplicity of his intended wife strikes him a cruel blow. However, a thick fog makes it impossible for his yacht to leave Dover Harbour, so he is forced to remain on British soil another night. Anger swiftly chasing his sadness, he decides to visit a cheap quayside inn to escape the loneliness he feels and drown his sorrows. Sitting alone, his mind firmly fixed on how the woman he loved has betrayed him, he vows never to love or trust again. But Fate seems determined to challenge him as almost immediately he is forced to act as a 'Good Samaritan' to protect a young lady, Ola, intent on escaping the clutches of her hateful stepmother and dishonourable cousin. Blaming his act of charity on the vast quantities of brandy he consumed and against his better judgement, he offers to sail her in his yacht, The Sea Wolf, to Calais. Ola is brave, opinionated and daring - as well as possessing the most flaming red hair he has ever seen. From the moment she steps aboard, decrying men and their dastardly intentions, the Marquis is hard put to keep in step with her wild ideas and brave deeds. In turn admiring her free spirit and amazed at her lack of understanding of the ways of the world, they form a strange truce based on the fact that both vow never to marry. But Fate has not finished meddling yet and they are soon embroiled in incredible adventures, too fantastic for either of them ever to have imagined, that push their friendship to its very limits.

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.

The British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, asks Lord Kenington to travel to India to find out if growing reports about the Russian menace are really true. The Liberal Opposition in Parliament are sceptical and are certain that Disraeli is manufacturing a scare about nothing in asserting that the prime objective of the Russians in invading Asia is to wrest India from the British. On the P & O Liner to India, to Lord Kenington's surprise, a very beautiful young girl comes up to him and asks if she can be seen speaking to him. Aisha explains that, owing to various mishaps, she is travelling alone and un-chaperoned and is being pursued by a tiresome man, Arthur Watkins, and she is frightened at the way he is behaving. Learning that she is the daughter of one of the most successful Officers in the Army in India, Lord Kenington is only too pleased to help her. He understands that Aisha's father, Major Warde, is one of the key men in The Great Game, a British Secret Service dedicated to defending India from the Russians. Because they find each other so interesting, Lord Kenington is as worried as Aisha is when they reach Calcutta to find that her father is not waiting for her. Lord Kenington fears that if he is missing there may be an alarming reason for it and they then travel together to Simla to stay with the Viceroy, Lord Lytton. How when they are there Major Warde turns up unexpectedly, having saved a Fort on the North-West Frontier. How Aisha is kidnapped from Viceregal Lodge and how eventually she finds happiness after her terrifying ordeal is all told in this intriguing romance by BARBARA CARTLAND.