Tainted Bride

An American woman in London finds love among the ton, but a secret from her past threatens her happy future in this Regency romance series debut. Sailing to London, Sophia Braighton only hopes to escape certain ruin. But when she arrives, her Great Aunt Daphne has other plans for the American-born beauty. Determined to marry off her niece to a man of means, she propels Sophia into London society, not realizing the young woman’s trust in men is shattered. In fact, Sophia never expects to feel anything for a man. Then again, she never expects to find herself in the company of the dashing earl of Marlton . . . From the moment he sees Sophia, Daniel Fallon feels alive in a way he has not since his broken engagement. Though the vulnerable young woman shies from the passion burning between them, Daniel is determined to make her his bride. And when he learns of the painful secret she harbors, he is equally determined to take revenge on the man responsible. But will the quest destroy him—and his future with his beloved?

Popescu delivers the epic story of the Virgin Mary--not the icon, but the real teenage girl who seduces everyone, even God, with her soulful simplicity.

When her brother challenges New Orleans's most infamous swordsman to a duel, Celina Vallier boldly confronts his opponent, Rio de Silva, determined to thwart what would be her brother's certain death. The legendary maître d'armes agrees…for a price—Celina's innocence. Though Rio is captivated by Celina's beauty and courage, she is also the perfect pawn for his revenge. She is to be betrothed to his sworn enemy, the Count de Lérida. And what sweet vengeance it would be to take the bride before the wedding. But neither anticipates the tangled web of scandal and danger that will soon follow. Devious plots are afoot, and Celina is wary of trusting anyone, including the man whose brazen sensuality tempts her to think of nothing but her own desires….

Left standing on the side while their contemporaries marry into society, four young ladies forge a bond to guard each other from a similar fate . . . Finishing school failed to make a proper lady of Penelope Arrington. But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy has a far more vital role—she and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. So when one of them is about to be married off to a duke sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. If only she didn’t require the aid of London’s most unsuitable rake. Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl naïve to the ways of men. To her eternal chagrin—and to his vague amusement—they have been at odds over the memory of embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings. If the two do not tread carefully, they may end up in a most agreeably compromising position . . . Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

“Excellent. This immersive, fast-paced novel will have readers on the edges of their seat.” —Publishers Weekly Fans of Mary Jo Putney and Sabrina Jeffries will fall for this delightful story of a high-spirited lady determined to marry for love—but betrothed to a tempting spy whose work has put them both their hearts…and their lives…on the line. Betrothed to a man she has barely met, Lady Faith Landon calls upon her three best friends—the self-proclaimed Wallflowers of West Lane—to help uncover the secrets of her mysterious fiancé. Her suspicions are aroused when she learns that he has recently returned from France. Is he a traitor to his country? The truth is quite the opposite. Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge, is a secret agent for the English Crown who has just completed a risky mission to infiltrate Napoleon’s spy network. After his adventures, Nicholas craves the peace and quiet of the country and settling into domestic bliss with his bride. Until he discovers Faith’s deceptive investigation. How can he wed a woman who doesn’t trust him? But a powerful spark has ignited between Nicholas and Faith that could bring about a change of heart. Faith seizes her second chance to prove to Nicholas that they are a true love match but his past catches up with them when three French spies come to exact revenge. Surviving rather than wooing has become the order of the day.

Borrowing its title from renowned scholar Alexander Leggatt's landmark 1974 study, Shakespeare's Comedies of Love is a tribute to a critic who has shaped the way the world understands Shakespeare and his comedies. To help celebrate his distinguished career as a teacher and scholar, this collection of essays presents a wide range of new work on the Bard's comedies. The contributors cover diverse areas of inquiry, including the use of the comedies as a source of women's empowerment in nineteenth-century America; civic drama in Elizabethan London; male anxiety about women in the comedies; anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice; as well as some key productions of Shakespeare's comedies. Rich in detail and broad in scope, Shakespeare's Comedies of Love is a celebration of Leggatt's distinguished career, and an enduring collection of work on the world's most famous writer.

After the Civil War, seven veterans migrate to Kansas to start new lives. These are their stories of battling Indians, the hardships and loneliness of developing farms, the perils and ingenuity of building a cattle ranch, and the dangers faced by townspeople. Settling the state with its numerous Indian tribes was no picnic, as these stories depict.