The Purchased Bride

Based on a true story set in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, The Purchased Bride tells the tale of Maria, a Greek girl who was bought at age fifteen by a much older, wealthy Ottoman man. As the Ottoman Empire falls and insurgents torch their Greek village in the Caucasus, Maria and her parents flee and find shelter in a refugee camp across the border in Ottoman territory. Cholera and plague are impending, and the priest running the camp takes a desperate measure, arranging to marry Maria off to a wealthy Ottoman Turk in the capital. She and her best friend, Lita, then travel toward the Black Sea coast through a fascinating world of ancient and forgotten Ottoman mountain communities. They encounter escalating violence, sniper attacks, and marauding troops amid the Empire’s collapse, as breakaway provinces declare themselves independent caliphates in defiance of the Sultan. And when Lita escapes, Maria is left to face her fate alone. A story of war, struggle, and ultimate success, based on the life of Constantine’s grandmother, The Purchased Bride sheds light on a turbulent and dangerous part of history.

Ada Wilcox never thought her brother would answer a mail-order bride ad on her behalf. Worse, he’s sold her–sight unseen–to a complete stranger. As she travels to Nebraska, she doesn’t know whether to be angry with her brother or scared about the uncertain future looming before her. Pete Kelly never thought he’d marry. Then one day his brother brings him a woman to marry, and the loneliness that plagued him for years in his quiet world is finally at an end. But the gift he was given might be quickly taken away if he doesn’t act in time to keep it. *This story was originally published in the Bride by Arrangement anthology.

Xander Pascalis can buy anything...including a wife! At millions of dollars, Helen is lavishly expensive. But Xander thinks he knows a good deal when he sees one.... However, when Helen refuses to share his bed, Xander is forced to take his headstrong wife to his private Greek island to tame her into keeping her marriage vows. He wants value for money: she will give him the wedding night that, so far, she's denied him....

Alix had been designated by her exquisite mother and profligate father as the savior of her family. She was going to be beautiful. She was learned, and yes, she had courage. Her parents surveyed the ton and chose a handful of rich, very rich, men to whom Alix would be sold to. Her mother had sympathy, her father none. Unfortunately, her mother died before the marriage could be arranged. The earl, Alixs father, had no scruples. He selected the worst of the rich men, and when Alex refused, he beat her, locked her in her room, and then cast her off. Six years later, Lord Jonathan Creighton, a nabob out of India, came on the scene. He needed a wife, and there was a time constraint. He would take what he could get. The marriage took place, but there was no affection, no alliance. The two crossed swords immediately, but they had to work together. The story became muddled when Alix discovered she was sharing the house with a half-caste Indian child. Suddenly, Alix was involved in plots, kidnapping, and murder. Almost dying, she and Jonathan realized that they loved each other as well as the child.

A woman is reunited with her billionaire former lover when she needs his help to save her father from jail in this romance by a USA Today bestseller. Romy Picard will do anything to prevent her aged father from being imprisoned. But the only man who can help her is the rich, notorious Spaniard who stole her virginity and her heart three years ago . . . . Xavier De Vasquez could drop all charges against Romy’s father with a click of his arrogant fingers—but he sees an opportunity to have Romy in his bed one more time. This time, though, he’ll make sure that she stays on his terms . . . . Originally published in 2008.

Compact, portable, and packed with information, this planner is the essential resource for every savvy bride-to-be. Complete with worksheets for comparing services and costs; pockets to hold papers, vendor samples, and business cards; and tips and checklists for everything from the ceremony and reception to the honeymoon and beyond, it has exactly what a modern bride needs to stay stress-free.

Princess Nicolette Ducasse refused to let her sister marry SultanMalik Roman Nuri of Baraka. So she traveled to his faraway kingdom totell him the wedding was off, never expecting that Malik would be oneseriously sexy sultan! Resisting him would be hard.But Malik made it clear that if they shared a bed the wedding was on.He was a modern monarch in many ways—except when it came to hisbride!

With over 50,000 copies sold of the original edition, A Bride's Book has been a best-selling resource for brides-to-be since 2001, offering floral designer and wedding planner Marsha Heckman's expert guidance on everything from the engagement to the post-honeymoon thank-you notes. Now Heckamn has returned with a revised, redesigned, and updated edition for the modern bride. It includes seven gorgeous new wedding bouquet tabs with complete how-to instructiuons, along with a new cover design. Lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs by Richard Jung from Marsha Heckman's best-selling book Bouquets: A Year of Flowers for the Bride, A Bride's Book is both a hardworking wedding planner and a personal journal. The book is filled with tips for the bride, wedding traditions, and marriage customs. Spiral bound to open flat, with an elastic closure and an inside pocket, A Bride's Book is organized into six sections with fill-in space and prompts to help keep the busy bride organized: "To Do," "Calendar," "Wedding Party," "Key People," "Guests," and "Journal & Keepsake."