Introduction: When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses #4) The Duchess of Cosway yearns for a man she has never met . . . her husband. Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous men in every European court while waiting to meet her husband. She's determined to accept him, no matter how unattractive the duke turns out to be. When she finally lures Simeon Jermyn back to London, his dark handsomeness puts Isidore's worst fears to rest—until disaster strikes. TheView Details>

Introduction: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Kathryn Sutherland (Editor, Introduction & Notes by), Tony Tanner (original Penguin Introduction by), Claire Lamont (Textual Adviser) 'We have all been more or less to blame ... every one of us, excepting Fanny' Taken from the poverty of her parents' home, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with only her cousin Edmund as an ally. When Fanny's uncle is absent in AntiguView Details>

Introduction: Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sView Details>

Introduction: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Tony Tanner (Introduction), Ros Ballaster (Introduction/Editor) 'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!' Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile ElinorView Details>

Introduction: Lady Susan by Jane Austen, R.W. Chapman (Editor) Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression.View Details>

Introduction: Emma by Jane Austen, Fiona Stafford (Introduction, Notes) 'I never have been in love it is not my way, or my nature and I do not think I ever shall.' Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her prView Details>

Introduction: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Anna Quindlen (Introduction) "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century dView Details>

Introduction: Never Love a Highlander (McCabe Trilogy #3) Caelen McCabe’s young, reckless heart nearly destroyed his clan. Now, putting family loyalty above all else, he steps up to marry his older brother’s jilted bride and salvage the uneasy alliance between two clans. While beautiful Rionna McDonald is a fit wife for any man, Caelen trusts no woman, especially not this sweet temptress who torments him with white-hot longing. As the sacrificial lamb in her father’s power game, Rionna will do her duty View Details>

Introduction: Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1) Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her “touched.” Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn’t speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Content with her life of seclusion, Eveline has taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world to view her as daft. But when an arranged marriage into a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husbandView Details>

Introduction: A Lily on the Heath (Medieval Herb Garden #4) Passion and deception amid the turbulent court of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II. An honorable man: Malcolm de Monde, Lord of Warwick needs a wife. He reluctantly journeys to the royal court where his plan is simple: find a dutiful woman, gain the king’s approval for his choice and return to Warwick with his chosen lady wedded, bedded, and carrying his heir—all before winter. An independent woman: Judith of Kentworth, Royal Falconer and ladyView Details>