The Wayward Debutante

Sample

Julie Klassen

To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch--both former suitors. As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding? Brimming with romance and danger, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall takes readers inside the fascinating belowstairs world of a 19th-century English manor, where appearances can be deceiving.

Sample

Joan Aiken

Some of them belonged to the elegance and intrigue of Mansfield Park... others could not stay away Mary -- the charming, duplicitous lady, determined to defy her fatal illness and to find a match for her bachelor brother... Henry -- the ever-fickle suitor, soon to be outfoxed at his own game... Tom -- the handsome, profligate gentleman whom love may soon civilize... Susan -- the poor cousin who must brave the obstacles of class and convention to win the man she has always loved, and the prize of Mansfield Park... Inspired by Jane Austen's beloved masterpiece Mansfield Park, Joan Aiken has written a brilliant novel of love and manners, status and social sham, and the gentle scheming of unforgettable characters.

Sample

Julie Garwood

In the resplendence of William the Conqueror's London court, the lovely Saxon captive, Nicholaa was forced to choose a husband from the assembled Norman nobles. She chose Royce, a baron warrior whose fierce demeanor could not conceal his chivalrous and tender heart. Resourceful, rebellious and utterly naïve, Nicholaa vowed to bend Royce to her will, despite the whirlwind of feelings he aroused in her. Ferocious in battle, seasoned in passion, Royce was surprised by the depth of his emotion whenever he caressed his charming bride. In a climate of utmost treachery, where Saxons still intrigued against their Norman invaders, Royce and Nicholaa revelled in their precious new love...a fervent bond soon to be disrupted by the call of blood, kin and country! (From the Author's web-site.)

Sample

Johanna Lindsey

He'd caught only a glimpse of her from the window of his carriage, but the Russian Prince Dimitri, 28, knew he had to have her. Within minutes, Lady Katherine St. John, 21, was dragged from the London street and carried off to a sumptuous town house -- for the pleasure of her royal admirer...From the tempestuous passion of their first encounter, across stormy seas, to the golden splendor of palaces in Moscow, she was his prisoner -- obsessed with rage toward her captor even as an all-consuming need made her his slave. Yet theirs was a fervor beyond her understanding, carrying them irrevocably toward final surrender to the power of undeniable love.