The Accidental Proposal

Ed Middleton is ecstatic: he's just got engaged to his girlfriend, Sam, and he couldn't be happier. At least, hethinkshe's engaged. The thing is, it was Sam who did the proposing, and the more he thinks about it, the less he's sure that she was actually asking him to marry her. She could have just been asking the question, you know...hypothetically. As the wedding day draws nearer, Ed becomes more and more uneasy. Sam keeps disappearing off for furtive meetings and private phone calls, and when he spies her going into a pub with a man he's never seen before, all his old jealousies and insecurities threaten to re-surface. It's the perfect time for Ed's unhinged ex-girlfriend, Jane, to show up on his doorstep. Meanwhile, Dan - Ed's best-friend and soon-to-be-best-man - is determined to throw him a stag night to remember. And when a severely hung-over Ed wakes up the morning after the night before to see a second dent in the pillow, it seems as if Dan has got his wish. Will Ed manage to find out the truth about his stag night as well as the identity of Sam's secret man? Or will an accidental proposal lead them both down the aisle to a wedding neither of them ever imagined?

Kimiko enrolls at a high school that promotes Amaranthine integration. As a reaver, she's supposed to bridge cultural gaps, but the other two members of her triad don't need help. Akira and Suuzu have been friends for years. Instead, the boys must rally behind Kimiko when she inadvertently initiates a courtship with Eloquence Starmark.

Two jobs, a ratty apartment, and a lonely bed. Jenna Howard's life is one giant disappointment after another... Orphaned at five years old, Jenna survived the foster care system only to be rewarded with an apartment in the slum of New York City. She leaves her job at the diner to work evenings at a strip club to pay rent. Jenna starts to think maybe she's meant to be alone forever, until one night a mysterious customer offers her a deal of a lifetime. Liam Stanford is the most eligible bachelor in New York City. He's also a millionaire and womanizer... Liam's father has finally decided to hand over the reins to the family company, but there's a catch. Liam has to prove he's matured enough to handle the job, and that includes finding a steady girlfriend. Liam isn't willing to lose his opportunity on a technicality, so he finds a pretty girl working the bar at one of the local strip clubs and offers her a deal. Jenna must agree to marry him for one year. Then, once Liam has control of the company, they'll part ways...and he'll give her one million dollars. That kind of money could change Jenna's life. She could leave New York and finally go to college... With nothing to lose but her pride, Jenna accepts Liam's deal, but she isn't willing to accept Liam's coldhearted playboy routine. There is more to him than his hard exterior suggests. Will Jenna be able to peel back the armor and finally get to know the man behind the suit, or will their deal be nothing more than an... Accidental Proposal?

Anna Tunstall was born to lead London Society. With a few well-placed words in the right ear, she can direct anyone to do her bidding, exactly the skill needed for one destined to be the wife of a man in politics. She has only to visit her friend's country estate for the summer before settling upon the perfect match and achieving her ambition. Harry Aston has spurned the noble aspirations of his family to enter holy orders where he might make a meaningful difference in people's lives. His mother's untiring attempts to find him a wife worthy-and wealthy-enough to suit him only serve to set up his back. He has never been in love, and she should not think that suitable wives dropped down from heaven, especially not in the village of Avebury. When Harry finds Anna unconscious on the road to the village, and she awakens in his arms, his world shifts at her gaze. But before he can think that heaven has come through at last, he must convince Anna that her prolonged stay in Avebury is not fate's way of toying with her, but rather opening her eyes to a worthier path.

*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Discover the “captivating, absorbing, and beautifully told” (Kathleen Grissom) love story of Sisi, the Austro-Hungarian empress and wife of Emperor Franz Joseph—perfect for fans of the Netflix series The Empress! The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead. Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world. With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers “another absolutely compelling story” (Mary Higgins Clark) with this glimpse into one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved “Fairy Queen.”

In one of the most powerful and darkly satirical works of the 18th century, a chilling solution is proposed to address the dire poverty and overpopulation plaguing Ireland. Jonathan Swift presents a shockingly calculated and seemingly rational argument for using the children of the poor as a food source, thereby addressing both the economic burden on society and the issue of hunger. This provocative piece is a masterful example of irony and social criticism, as it exposes the cruel attitudes and policies of the British ruling class towards the Irish populace. Jonathan Swift's incisive critique not only underscores the absurdity of the proposed solution but also serves as a profound commentary on the exploitation and mistreatment of the oppressed. A Modest Proposal remains a quintessential example of satirical literature, its biting wit and moral indignation as relevant today as it was at the time of its publication. JONATHAN SWIFT [1667-1745] was an Anglo-Irish author, poet, and satirist. His deadpan satire led to the coining of the term »Swiftian«, describing satire of similarly ironic writing style. He is most famous for the novel Gulliver’s Travels [1726] and the essay A Modest Proposal [1729].

Newlywed women are disappearing in West Haven and the cops insist there is no serial killer stalking brides. But when proposal planner Claire Hartley's former college roommate disappears without a trace, she decides to get to the bottom of the disappearances. Claire's no detective. She's made a name for herself making other girls' dreams come true. And right now, she has it all: an in-demand business that turns custom marriage proposals into guaranteed yeses, a tight circle of margarita-swilling girlfriends, and a rescued Corgi that will hopefully stop pooping in her closet any day now. But when the killer sends her a creepy present from the past she realizes just how close she is to becoming his next victim. Claire has to put her client research (ahem, stalking) skills to work to find the killer before he finds her. In the meantime, she's got her hands full with an egotistical filmmaker with biceps for days who thinks proposals are a joke and a psychotic competitor out to ruin her business and her life. Not to mention pulling off the top-secret proposal of the century. Can she make it through proposal season with her perfect track record intact...and her life?