A Medieval Celtic fantasy full of deadly deceptions, with twists and turns to be savored.
First Light delves into a tumultuous era in the Highlands of Eire. Will the ancient rituals of Una, the Mystic of the Swamp, succeed in coaxing the mighty spirits to protect Lady Fiona from the secrets of the grave? The Mertins twins recreate the earthy, crude qualities of medieval castle life. Lords, sans scruples, proposing lust and love... Courtly love... ladies dressed in shimmering satin... ancient chants... poisoned wine...
CONTENTS:
Preface
1. First Light; The Bride and Groom; Mi Na Meala; Second Light; Enemy in the Night; The Torment
2. Desperate for Help; Into the Forest; Una, the Swamp Witch; Being Guided Back; The Magical Cure
3. Silence; Confrontations Persist; Unbearable Unhappiness
4. A Deadly Game; The Marketplace; The Golden Coin; Revisiting the Market
5. The Concoction; Sexual Proclivities; Carousing Continues; Messenger of Death; Justice is Served; Caty Defends Herself; Edmud Accuses
6. Final Trip Home to Lockmoor; Internment in the Meadow; Remembering; Evil is as Evil Does
7. Home from the Tavern; Daily Routine; Remembering the Good Times... and Bad; Lady of the Castle; Family Discipline
8. Quarreling Youths; Edmud, Traveling Tradesman; Remorse; A Reason to Visit Fiona; Finding Fiona and the Golden Coin
9. The Dark Route Home; Checking the East Tower
10. Time of New Life; A Cause for Joy; Baby Girl; Readiness; The Knowing
11. The Celebration; The Baptism; One Task Remains; Heir to the Castle
12. Forty-Day Wait; A Possible Solution; The Sharoke; The Search is Ended
13. Farewell Warning; Alone at the Castle; A Castle Day; Treasure; A Rich Life; Castle Guards; Captain of the Guards; Nights at the Castle; Dusk Gathers
14. Springtime; Summer Progress; Escape to Lockmoor; A warning
15. The Sojourn; The Fair; Safe Arrival at Lockmoor; The Much Awaited Sharing; The Telling of the Rune; The Game of Hearts
16. The Game; Plans in Motion; Letter Received; A Warning; Courting Love; The Responses; Foreboding
17. The Encounter; The Big Game; Readying For Entrapment
18. The Feast Begins; The Evening Progresses; The Players Continue; Coincidences; The Questioning; Sharing of Secrets
19. Preparations
20. The Ceremony; Achievement; A Taste of Love; Anxiety; To Bed, to Dream; The Sharing of Secrets; Completeness
21. Rude Awakening; The Story; Jason is Dead
22. Burial of Jason Avery; The Confrontation; Alone at Last; First Light reprise
Scottish beauty Roslynn Chadwick needs the safety of marriage to protect her from an unscrupulous cousin and the fortune-hunting scoundrels who covet her wealth. And Anthony Malory is precisely the sort of handsome rogue she's been warned against. A cunning, ruthless, yet irresistible rake, Anthony's sensual blue eyes speak of pleasures beyond her imagining - and Roslynn dearly wishes she dared to surrender to such a man. Believing his passionate promises will surely lead to disaster. But denying her heart may cost the exquisite Highlands lady an unparalleled love hotter than flame and more precious than the rarest jewel.
Leona Hewitt, disguised in men's formal evening clothes, has secretly made her way into Lord Delbridge's private museum to recover a relic stolen from her family years ago. But someone else is there in the dimly lit gallery, on the same errand: a tall, black-cloaked man whose very voice is enough to put her in a trance. Thaddeus Ware, a mesmerist with powerful psychic energy, is accustomed to fearful reactions from others - women in particular. After all, a man who can control the minds and actions of others could rob a lady of her virtue - without her ever knowing! But Leona shows no trace of hysteria in his presence. A force to be reckoned with as both a gifted crystal worker and a woman, she exerts a rather hypnotic power over the hypnotist himself. And she is determined to keep the crystal they recovered, by giving him the slip at a run-down London inn. Thaddeus, on assignment for the secretive Arcane Society, knows the menace Leona is courting by absconding with the crystal. It is a source of remarkable energy, and it holds the potential for great destruction. Lord Delbridge has already killed two men to acquire it, for it is his key to membership in the elite, shadowy group known as the Third Circle. And with the help of a seductive hunter of preternatural skill, dubbed "The Midnight Monster" by the press, Delbridge intends to find her. With the stolen crystal in their possession, the danger is only beginning.
A hero of the crusades, Dominic le Sabre has returned in glory and in triumph to claim his reward: the beautiful Saxon bride awarded to him by the conqueror king. But Lady Margaret of the Blackthorne cannot yield to the bold Norman invader. The beloved daughter of a sacred tribe of the Celtic mystics, she fears an ancient curse that could bring further turmoil to her battle-scarred land...and sorrow to her marriage bed. With a word, the lady could turn her wedding into war. But there awaits in the noble knight's embrace a promise of passion unbound - and a love that neither violence nor treachery can tear asunder, a love both invincible and...untamed.
Bold, daring, larger-than-life heroes and feisty, intelligent heroines burst from the pages of Stephanie Laurens' exciting historical romance novels. Devil's Bride is rich with engaging plot and sensuous character development. Governess Honoria Wetherby values her independence. She would rather travel the world than marry and give some man control of her life. Then one stormy evening fate changes all her plans. She stumbles upon a mortally wounded young man in the woods. When the stranger dies, she is trapped in a cabin with his body and with his newly-arrived cousin, Devil, whom she soon learns is aptly named. He insists that their unchaperoned night together has compromised her honor, and, therefore she must marry him. Narrator Simon Prebble tantalizes listeners as he breathes life into these intriguing characters. Tension levels run high as Honoria plots to thwart Devil's marriage plans and tries to help him find his cousin's killer...the same madman who is now plotting to murder Devil.
Stephanie Laurens authors USA Today best-selling historical romance novels such as Devil's Bride. Exciting and deeply sensuous, A Rake's Vow continues the Bar Cynster series. Unlike his brothers, Vane Cynster vows to never marry. The eligible women of London have different plans for him, however. Seeking safety at Bellamy Hall, the residence of his eccentric godmother, Vane doesn't expect to meet any new unmarried women.
But upon his arrival, he encounters the voluptuous Patience Debbington in the garden. When their gazes meet for the first time, she is filled with a sensation that leaves her quivering. Thoroughly overwhelmed, Vane realizes that he has never met a woman quite like Patience Debbington. As Vane's seductions prove more and more irresistible, Patience's oath to never open herself to heartache may soon be broken. Simon Prebble narrates this tale with the intuitive boldness and sensitivity of a true master.
Stephanie Laurens authors USA Today best-selling historical romances such as A Rake's Vow, Devil's Bride, and Scandal's Bride. The fourth novel of her hot and exciting Bar Cynster series is riveting, Regency-era romance at its very best. Wealthy and roguish, Demon Cynster is perfectly content without love. Having witnessed his Cynster brethren driven to their knees by women, he knows all too well what the power of love can do to a man. But he never banked on meeting Felicity Parteger, a luscious, curvy beauty in desperate need of help.
Could this tempting woman be the one? Felicity knows he will never pledge her his love--can passion and lust alone suffice? Driving Laurens' tale toward its climax, Simon Prebble's powerful narration takes listeners to a new pinnacle of pleasure.
Stephanie Laurens' scandalous fiction is savored by romance addicts around the world who can't get enough of her dashing rakes and ravishing debutantes. This sultry addition to her New York Times best-selling Bastion Club series presents an unforgettable tale of rekindled love and unbridled passion. As betrayal and intrigue swirl around her, Lady Penelope finds herself inexorably drawn into the strong arms of the man she cannot resist.
Highland warrior Gordon Lachlan has spent his life fiercely battling the English. Now, to claim victory for his clan, he must retrieve the legendary Sword of the MacKenna from the hands of his mortal enemies. His plan is to kidnap Constance Cameron from her remote boarding school and force her wellborn relatives to surrender the sword as her ransom.
But Lachlan is surprised that the woman he's snatched from her bed is no malleable miss. Constance longs for adventure. She's tantalized by Lachlan and his passionate cause and tempted enough by his seductive ways to wonder what it would be like to find herself in the Highlander's bed.
"This is a fun captivity romance in which the audience will agree with the hero as to who is the prisoner and who is jailer."-Genre Go Round Reviews
Wealthy Cynster connection Penelope Ashford has devoted herself not to making a perfect society match, but to rescuing young orphans from London's streets. But when her charges start disappearing, she turns to attractive Barnaby Adair for help. A deadly avenger in an elegant guise, Barnaby has solved crimes before, and can go where few others in society can.
Barnaby finds Penelope's combination of beauty and brains irresistible. Together, they work to unravel the mystery of the missing children, uncovering a trail that leads them to the upper echelons of society. Soon, they face an enemy all too ready to destroy all they hold dear, including their newfound understanding of love . . . and the intrigues of the human heart.
Virginia Henley's historical romances have won praise for their ability to "illuminate and entertain" (Publishers Weekly). It is 1322, and the Marcher lords are rebelling against King Edward II. Lady Brianna de Beauchamp, daughter of a powerful Marcher, knows she should not involve herself in the battle. But when she meets dangerously handsome Wolf Mortimer, who has the gift of second sight, she cannot deny her passions.
New York Times best-selling author Stephanie Laurens is praised for her sultry romances. On a Wild Night may be her most uninhibited Bar Cynster book yet. It's 1825 in London, and the two curvaceous and blonde 23-year-old Cynster twins Amanda and Amelia are very eager to get married. This passionate tale features an enticing narration from Simon Prebble.
