The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the "e;Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature."e; It is renowned for its huge scope, large cast of characters and telling observations on the life and social structures of 18th century China and is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the classical Chinese novel.The "e;Red Chamber"e; is an expression used to describe the sheltered area where the daughters of wealthy Chinese families lived. Believed to be based on the author's own life and intended as a memorial to the women that he knew in his youth, The Dream of the Red Chamber is a multilayered story that offers up key insights into Chinese culture."e;Henry Bencraft Joly's attention to detail and the faithfulness in his translation of Hong Lou Meng makes this revised edition of The Dream of the Red Chamber an excellent book for the student of modern Chinese."e; Edwin H. Lowe, from his introduction"e;this partial version certainly deserves a wider readership, as a brave early skirmish on the outer ramparts of this masterpiece. The re-issuing of Joly's work will undoubtedly provide a rich crop of fascinating raw material for the growing community of Translation Studies scholars."e; John Minford, from his foreword
Helen, the Countess Godwin, knows there is nothing more unbearably tedious than a virtuous woman. After all, she's been one for ten long years while her scoundrel of a husband lives with strumpets and causes scandal after scandal. So she decides it's time for a change: she styles her hair in the newest, most daring mode, puts on a shockingly transparent gown and goes to a ball like Cinderella, hoping to find a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet . . . and into his bed.But instead of a prince, she finds only her own volatile, infuriatingly handsome husband, Rees, the Earl Godwin. They'd eloped to Gretna Green in a fiery passion, but passions can sometimes burn too hot to last. However, Rees now makes her a brazen offer, and Helene decides to become his wife again . . . but not in name only. No, this time she decides to be very, very wicked indeed.
Gina was forced into marriage with Camden, the Duke of Girton, at an age when she'd have been better off in a schoolroom than a ballroom. Directly after the ceremony her handsome spouse promptly fled to the continent, leaving the marriage unconsummated and Gina quite indignant. Now she is one of the most well-known ladies in London . . . living on the edge of scandal - desired by many men, but resisting giving herself to anyone.Finally, Camden has returned home to discover that his na ve bride has blossomed into the toast of the ton. Which leaves Cam in the most uncomfortable position of discovering that he has the bad manners to be falling in love - with his own wife!
The third book in the wildly romantic Gabriel's Inferno series by Sylvain Reynard, following on from Gabriel's Inferno and Gabriel's Rapture.Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he's confident that they can face any challenge.But Julianne's graduate program threatens Gabriel's plans for their life together, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honour of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel's darkest secrets.In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents - a search that has startling repercussions for himself and for Julianne.Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence. Sylvain's previous novels in this series, Gabriel's Inferno and Gabriel's Rapture, are also published by Penguin.
Seven Years to Sin is the smart, sensual story of a young woman's sexual awakening at the hands of a handsome rogue in Regency England . . . Perfect for fans of E. L. James. Seven years ago, on the eve of her wedding, young Lady Jessica Sheffield witnessed a scandalous seduction by the roguish Alistair Caulfield. But after years of serene and comfortable marriage, the widowed Jessica still cannot free her dreams of Alistair and that long ago night . . .Praise for Sylvia Day, bestselling author of the sensational Crossfire series:'Move over Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, this is the dawn of a new Day' Amuse 'Several shades darker and a hundred degrees hotter than anything you've read before' Reveal
The Stranger I Married is an erotic tale of love and awakened desire in Victorian England . . . perfect for fans of E. L. James . . . They are London's most scandalous couple. Isabel, Lady Pelham, and Gerard Faulkner, Marquess of Grayson, are well matched in all things - lusty appetites, constant paramours, provocative reputations, and their absolute refusal to ruin a marriage of convenience by falling in love. It is a most agreeable sham - until a shocking event sends Gerard from her side. When, four years later, Gerard returns, the boyish rogue is now a powerful, irresistible man determined to seduce Isabel. He is not the man she married - but is he the one to finally steal her heart?Praise for Sylvia Day:'Move over Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, this is the dawn of a new Day' Amuse 'Several shades darker and a hundred degrees hotter than anything you've read before' Reveal
Erotic romance Don't Tempt Me is a tale of mistaken identity, lusty liaisons and dangerous deceptions . . . Lynette Baillon's twin, Lysette, died in an accident. Or so Lynette believed until, at a seductive masked ball in Paris, sexy stranger Simon Quinn mistakes her for her sister Lysette. And Simon, who planned to hand notorious assassin Lysette Rousseau over to the French, finds his plans confounded. However, on learning that her sister still lives - for now - Lynette vows to be reunited with her twin. Now she must enter an alluring but ensnaring underworld of dark and twisted desires, where Quinn rules.Praise for Sylvia Day:'Move over Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins, this is the dawn of a new Day' Amuse 'Several shades darker and a hundred degrees hotter than anything you've read before' Reveal
THE THIRD BOOK IN THE DARKLY SENSUAL CROSSFIRE SERIES THAT HAS CAPTURED MILLIONS OF HEARTS AROUND THE WORLD - PERFECT FOR FANS OF FIFTY SHADES OF GREY As Eva and Gideon face the demons of their pasts they also must accept the consequences of their obsessive desires . . .From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn't resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside - so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I'd been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession.
Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps - until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony and receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes a letter . . . a very steamy love letter that somehow becomes shockingly public. Everyone supposes that he has written the letter to her, but the truth hardly matters in the face of the scandal to come if they don't marry at once. But nothing has quite prepared Henrietta for the pure sensuality of Simon, who has vowed he will never turn himself into a fool over a woman. So, while debutantes swoon as he disdainfully strides past the lovely ladies of the ton, he ignores them all . . . until Henrietta. Could it be possible that he has been the foolish one all along?
'Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than Eloisa James' - Julia QuinnOnce upon a time, not so very long ago...Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can't he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper - albeit intoxicating - flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear. Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion . . . until, in his darkest hour, Tarquin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love. To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul - but it may already be too late.'Eloisa James is extraordinary' - Lisa Kleypas'Romance writing does not get much better than this' - People
After spending three London seasons searching for a husband, Daisy Bowman's father has told her in no uncertain terms that she must find a husband. Now. And if Daisy can't snare an appropriate suitor, she will marry the man he chooses - the ruthless and aloof Matthew Swift. Daisy is horrified. A Bowman never admits defeat, and she decides to do whatever it takes to marry someone . . . anyone . . . other than Matthew. But she doesn't count on Matthew's unexpected charm . . . or the blazing sensuality that soon flares beyond both their control. And Daisy discovers that the man she has always hated just might turn out to be the man of her dreams. But right at the moment of sweet surrender, a scandalous secret is uncovered . . . one that could destroy both Matthew and a love more passionate and irresistible than Daisy's wildest fantasies.
Hannah Reid, born a commoner, has been Duchess of Dunbarton since she was nineteen years old, the wife of an elderly Royal to whom she is rumoured to be consistently and flagrantly unfaithful. Now the old Duke is dead and, more womanly and beautiful than ever at thirty, Hannah has her freedom at last. And she knows just what she wants to do with it. To the shock of a conventional friend, she announces her intention to take a lover - and not just any lover, but the most dangerous and delicious man in all of upper class England: Constantine Huxtable.Constantine's illegitimacy has denied him the title of Earl, but otherwise he denies himself nothing. Lounging in a country house he populates with trollops, vagabonds and thieves, drinking deep from the goblet of his own carnal lust, he always chooses recent widows for his short-lived affairs. Hannah will fit the bill nicely. But once these two passionate and scandalous figures find each other, they discover it isn't so easy to extricate oneself from the fires of desire - without getting singed.
Bestselling author Sylvain Reynard continues the story of Gabriel and Julia, two lovers bound together by their darkest desires. But those very desires may destroy them . . . Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel's Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel's Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader's mind, body, and soul, forever. He tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex . . .
From shattered dreams to lasting love.Every time Samantha went back to the flat, John's words rang through her head :'I can't live with you any more - I've got to get out.' He's been seeing another woman, and now she was promising him the one thing Sam couldn't give: a child. The man she had shared her life with, her love and her laughter, had lied to her.When the agency gave her four months on a ranch she thought they were crazy. Did they think a holiday would change her? She knew she was wild and untamable, a lone free Palomino - until she met the man who could break any horse on the range and entered a world of endless and enduring love . . .An epic and romantic tale from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Her novels will be enjoyed by readers of Penny Vincenzi, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.
'Wildly entertaining, deeply affecting' Ali Smith, author of How to be both and AutumnA coming-of-age tale to make the muses themselves roar with laughter and weep for pity -- sassy, razor-sharp and transformative -- from the acclaimed author of Mr LovermanLondinium, AD 211. Zuleika is a modern girl living in an ancient world. She's a back-alley firecracker, a scruffy Nubian babe with tangled hair and bare feet - and she's just been married off a fat old Roman. Life as a teenage bride is no joke but Zeeks is a born survivor. She knows this city like the back of her hand: its slave girls and drag queens, its shining villas and rotting slums. She knows how to get by. Until one day she catches the eye of the most powerful man on earth, the Roman Emperor, and her trouble really starts...Silver-tongued and merry-eyed, this is a story in song and verse, a joyful mash-up of today and yesterday. Kaleidoscoping distant past and vivid present, The Emperor's Babe asks what it means to be a woman and to survive in this thrilling, brutal, breathless world.
The bastard son of a nobleman, Julian Bellamy is now polished to perfection, enthralling the ton with wit and charm while clandestinely plotting to ruin the lords, ravish the ladies, and have the last laugh on a society that once spurned him. But meeting Leo Chatwick, a decent man and founder of the exclusive Stud Club, and Lily, Leo's enchanting sister, made Julian reconsider his wild ways. When Leo's tragic murder demands that Julian hunt for justice, he vows to see the woman he secretly loves married to a man of her own class.Lily, however, has a very different husband in mind. She's adored Julian forever, loves the man beneath the rakish facade, and his insistence on marrying her off only reinforces her intent to prove he is the only man for her. The final part in Tessa Dare's delightful Stud Club trilogy. Other titles in this series are One Dance with a Duke and Twice Tempted by a Rogue.Rouge Romance - your first stop for romance books
Luck is a double-edged sword for brooding war hero Rhys St. Maur. His death wish went unanswered on the battlefield, while fate allowed the murder of his friend in the elite gentlemen's society known as the Stud Club. Out of options, Rhys returns to his ancestral home on the Devonshire moors, battle-scarred and world-weary.But he is offered a chance at redemption in the arms of beautiful innkeeper, Meredith Maddox who dares him to face the demons of his past The second novel in Tessa Dare's delightful Stud Club trilogy. Other titles in this series are One Dance with a Duke and Three Nights with a Scoundrel.Rouge Romance - your first stop for romance books
A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, has a reputation as the dashing "e;Duke of Midnight."e; Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the ladies of the ton catch his interest for long, until Lady Amelia d'Orsay tries her luck.In an effort to get the Duke to forgive her brother's debts, Amelia claims the duke's dance. But she is playing a dangerous game with a notorious rake...The first novel in Tessa Dare's delightful Stud Club trilogy. Other titles in this series are Twice Tempted by a Rogue and Three Nights with a Scoundrel.Rouge Romance - your first stop for romance books
From Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of the Covenant series, comes the stunning, hotly-anticipated climax to the New York Times bestselling Lux series. Also includes Shadows, the prequel novella to the series. Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came. She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred.Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything to ensure the survival of their friends...and mankind.War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.
Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70's honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "e;accidents"e; as the family tries to prove their "e;spark"e; can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first...
FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER '[Mr Loverman is] Brokeback Mountain with ackee and saltfish and old people' Dawn FrenchWINNER OF THE JERWOOD FICTION UNCOVERED PRIZE 2014 and FERRO GRUMLEY AWARD FOR LGBT FICTION 2015 Barrington Jedidiah Walker is seventy-four and leads a double life. Born and bred in Antigua, he's lived in Hackney since the sixties. A flamboyant, wise-cracking local character with a dapper taste in retro suits and a fondness for quoting Shakespeare, Barrington is a husband, father and grandfather - but he is also secretly homosexual, lovers with his great childhood friend, Morris.His deeply religious and disappointed wife, Carmel, thinks he sleeps with other women. When their marriage goes into meltdown, Barrington wants to divorce Carmel and live with Morris, but after a lifetime of fear and deception, will he manage to break away?Mr Loverman is a ground-breaking exploration of Britain's older Caribbean community, which explodes cultural myths and fallacies and shows the extent of what can happen when people fear the consequences of being true to themselves.Praise for Bernardine Evaristo: 'One of Britain's most innovative authors . . . Bernardine Evaristo always dares to be different' New Nation'Evaristo remains an undeniably bold and energetic writer, whose world view is anything but one-dimensional' Sunday Times'Audacious genre-bending, in-yer-face wit and masterly retellings of underwritten corners of history are the hallmarks of Evaristo's work' New Statesman Bernardine Evaristo is the author of three critically acclaimed 'verse novels' - Lara, The Emperor's Babe (which won the Arts Council Award in 2000) and Soul Tourists. Mr Loverman is her second prose novel, after 2008's Blonde Roots. Evaristo is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Arts, and was awarded an MBE in 2009. She lives in London.
From the legendary New York Times bestselling author of Only a Kiss and Only a Promise comes the final book in the rapturous Survivor's Club series, where the future of one man will be decided by a lost - but never forgotten - love . . . For the first time since the death of his wife, the Duke of Stanbrook is considering remarrying and finally embracing happiness for himself. With that thought comes the treasured image of a woman he met briefly a year ago and never saw again. Dora Debbins relinquished all hope of marrying when a family scandal left her in charge of her younger sister. Earning a modest living as a music teacher, she's left with only an unfulfilled dream. Then one afternoon, an unexpected visitor makes it come true.For both George and Dora that brief first encounter was as fleeting as it was unforgettable. Now is the time for a second chance. And while even true love comes with a risk, who are two dreamers to argue with destiny?'Mary Balogh is the writer I read for pleasure' Susan Elizabeth Phillips'A matchless storyteller' RT Book Reviews
From the New York Times bestselling author of Bully and Corrupt comes a love story as forbidden as it is irresistible . . . Former tennis player Easton Bradbury is trying to be the best teacher she can be, trying to reach her bored students, trying to forget her past. What brought her to this stage in her life isn't important. She can't let it be. But now one parent-teacher meeting may be her undoing . . . Meeting Tyler Marek for the first time makes it easy for Easton to see why his son is having trouble in school. The man knows how to manage businesses and wealth but not a living, breathing teenage boy. Or a young teacher, for that matter, though he tries to. And yet...there is something about him that draws Easton in-a hint of vulnerability, a flash of attraction, a spark that might burn. Wanting him is taboo. Needing him is undeniable. And his long-awaited touch will weaken Easton's resolve - and reveal what should stay hidden . . . Praise for Penelope Douglas:'Douglas just gets better and better' Samantha Young, author of On Dublin Street and Hero'Downright explosive.' Publishers Weekly 'As gripping as it was sexy.' Colleen Hoover
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Driven series. One night. That's all it was supposed to be . . .Reeling from the sudden loss of her sister, Haddie Montgomery has sworn off relationships. All she wanted from Beckett Daniels was a sexy distraction to help her escape her pain for just a little while . . .There weren't supposed to be any strings attached-so why can't she shake the memory of that unforgettable night from her thoughts? Or the taste of his kiss from her lips?No matter how hard Haddie tries to forget about him, Becks relentlessly tries to prove that she should start living for today. But she is determined to avoid romantic commitment, and she can always use her ex-boyfriend's reappearance to help snuff out the slow burn within her that Becks has sparked . . . Or will fate force her to realize that this kind of connection doesn't come along very often and a chance at love is worth the risk?
Enter the world of New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh, where the magic, romance and mystery of Regency England come vibrantly to life . . .Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on . . . and find a wife to secure an heir to his family's title and fortune.Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother's godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes the outrageous suggestion to strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise.'A matchless storyteller' RT Book Reviews 'A romance writer of mesmerizing intensity.' Mary Jo Putney 'Mary Balogh just keeps getting better and better.' The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 'Balogh can always be depended on to deliver a beautifully written Regency romance with appealing, unusual characters.' Publishers Weekly
From the internationally bestselling author of A Woman of Substance comes the continuing story of indomitable heroine, Emma HarteEmma Harte is now eighty years old and ready to hand over the reins of the vast business empire she has created. To her favourite grandchild, Paula McGill Fairley, Emma bequeaths her mighty retailing empire with these heartfelt words: 'I charge you to hold my dream.'A towering international success, this is the powerfully moving tale of one woman's determination to 'hold the dream' which was entrusted to her, and in so doing find the happiness and passion which is her legacy.
Fabulous historical by Philippa Gregory, the queen of Tudor novels. Set in the court of King Henry VIII, Mary Boleyn attracts the attention of the young king and becomes his mistress; when he tires of her, she sets out to school her sister, Anne, as a replacement.When Henry VIII tires of pretty young Mary Boleyn, her powerful family instructs her to promote her sister, Anne, as a replacement. But Anne Boleyn, newly returned from the French court, intelligent and spirited, doesn't agree to be Henry's mistress - only his wife. PItting the king's desperation for an heir against his powerful advisors - Wolsey, Cromwell and Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk - what Anne brings about will change the course of a country's history.Told with all of Philippa Gregory's characteristic perceptiveness, backed by meticulous historical research and superb storytelling skills, The Other Boleyn Girl brings a legendary court, its politics, personalities and scheming vividly to life.
His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany's skin on day one, and the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block.
AmberHow do you politely refuse when the only guy to star in any of your dirty fantasies has just offered to put you up for the foreseeable future and your brother's just accepted like you were in fact still thirteen and couldn't make decisions for yourself? You don't. And, you end up with a roommate who wears a very good elegant mask over the rough and tumble, bad boy core I remember far too well.Only, it's ten years later and I'm even nerdier than I used to be. It's ten years later and I couldn't look worse. It's ten years later and I can't keep one guy. It's ten years later and my brother still teases me mercilessly in front of him. It's ten years later and Kit somehow looks even better than the guy I spent my formative years crushing on.So, there's not only the issue that he's my older brother's best friend, but also a sex-god this virgin can barely talk to. But that certainly never stopped me from drooling over him and it wouldn't stop me now. He's so far out of my league, I wouldn't even clean in his league.Except, there might just be a smouldering heat in Kit's eyes that suggests he's not quite as out of my league as I thought. Just maybe, this geek is about to get a whole lot of chaos.KitWhen I find out about my best mate's little sister's situation, the offer is out of my mouth before I can stop it; Hawk's like a brother to me even if Amber's never looked twice at me. I could never tell if she was scared of me or hated me. But the deal is done. She's going to bring her bedraggled self upstairs to my penthouse and live with me for as long as she needs.I see the pain she hides away, I see the lack of confidence despite how smart she is, how good. If there's something I've learned, it's that confidence makes all the difference. So, it becomes my mission to help Amber find her confidence. But I find more than confidence in her and suddenly I'm seeing my best mate's little sister completely differently.I've never known what to say to her. She's always been good and studious and sweet. She's always been so far out of my league I wouldn't even carry bags in that league. Her face is a mask that tells me nothing in between the sparse words that come out of her mouth.Except, there might be something in the way she smiles at me that gives me hope I'm not as far out of her league as I thought. It might just be time that this chaos gets a little geek.
Prenumerera på vårt nyhetsbrev för att få fantastiska erbjudanden och inspiration för din nästa läsning.
Genom att registrera dig accepterar du vår personuppgiftspolicy.
