Böcker utgivna av Untreed Reads

Dave Johnson is an engineer at an aging refinery experiencing an increasing number of incidents. After identifying underlying causes he pushes for improvements. The management at the top aren't thrilled with his proposals. Fixing the problems would cost money, not to mention corporate bonuses and, possibly, executive jobs. Tensions between both the public and the workers rise as a pattern of near disasters continues. When the refinery experiences a fatality, things come to a head. The union comes up with only one demand. Can it, will it, be implemented quickly enough to prevent the unthinkable from happening?

If we're going to make a new order for Rome, a better order, I might add-sacrifices have to be made. We have set the assassination date for the Ides of July ... What better opportunity for a beautiful young widow than to join a prestigious trade delegation bound for Gaul? There was the fanfare as the procession left Rome, the breathtaking journey through lush Alpine meadows. And let's not forget the promise of riches for delivering a certain pouch, sealed with the sign of the black salamander. Except things are never that simple when Claudia Seferius is involved. There's a rockfall, for a start, which leaves the party stranded, as well as five men dead-and one death is not accidental. All Claudia wants to do now is to get out of the valley they are trapped in and hand over the pouch. But there are those who will go to any lengths to stop her.And suddenly Claudia finds herself plunged into a deadly game of high treason, in a land where warriors still hunt human heads and where wicker-man sacrifices are far from rare...

Alone in the world, Amanda Carville has no dowry, no reputation left, and no one who believes her to be innocent of murder, since she was found holding the gun that killed her stepfather. Viscount Rexford also has his troubles. He's scarred by war, and cursed-or blessed-with the family trait of knowing the truth when he hears it, and his success at extracting the truth from military prisoners has left many doubting his honor and his methods. When Amanda tells him she didn't do it, he believes her. Tired of the truth business, Rex refuses to get involved…until his heart leaves him no choice.

If only he could go back in time. Then Ian, Karl ol Marden, would not have dueled, and he would not have hit an innocent bystander - a sickly lad, no less. And he certainly would never have brought the boy's sister, Athena Renslow, to stay at his house without a chaperone. On top of it all, the nineteen-year-old beauty is under the mistaken impression that Ian is the gentle hero who rescued her brother instead of the rogue who practically killed him. So, in order to keep the Renslows' lives from getting any worse, Ian resolves to marry the girl. But, Athena won't let the wealthy, handsome bachelor sacrifice everything for a country nobody, despite the urgings of both their families-and their hearts.

He's a master of disguises… but he can't mask true love. Spymaster Harry Harmon's new assignment is to spy on enemies at a country house party. To do that, he'll require a courtesan: learned, truthful, and beautiful… Poor, sensible, smart Simone Ryland has come to Mrs. Burton's bawdy house in search of work. But instead, she finds Harmon in need of her special skills.

The lies are undeniable…but the truth is harder to see… Daniel Stamfield has become invaluable to the British Army for his ability to detect the truth from the enemy's lies. After years of service, Daniel finally takes a respite for some wine, wenches, and wagering. Unfortunately, he didn't bet on the lovely Miss Corisande Abbott and her unsavory reputation to swagger back into his life.But as time passes, Daniel realizes he wants to make an honest woman of Corey…and an honest man of himself.

Lucinda's life was tragically cut short in a most scandalous manner, and her only means of entering Heaven lies in saving Lord Stanford from Hell. Perhaps while guiding the notorious rake onto a virtuous path, she can show him how true love will save his immortal soul…

Lovely Lisanne Neville had always found solace in the verdant beauty of Sevrin Woods. But now the woods were about to be destroyed in order to pay off the gambling debts of the Duke of St. Sevrin. Clearly, drastic measures were called for. So Lisanne proposed marriage to the duke. The deal: her fortune for his woods. The Duke of St. Sevrin put aside his bottle long enough to consider this mad bargain, recognizing he had nothing to offer this sprite of a girl save his crumbling home, hellish reputation, and mountain of bills. He accepted. It was not the beginning of a fairy-tale marriage-but never underestimate the power of love . . . and a little bit of magic!

IT WAS PROVING QUITE HARD TO SEDUCE A WOMAN WITH HER MOTHER NEARBY, MUCH. LESS A COOK AND NANNY! Though barely out of the schoolroom, Melody Ashton was determined to save her mother from scandal. Guardian of several "orphans" (in actuality the illegitimate children of the ton!) poor Mama was accused of pilfering contributions. To make matters worse, the infuriatingly handsome Lord Coe had accused them all of blackmailing his sister, whose child resided with them! After such rudeness, his offer to make Melody his mistress was the outside of enough! Ignoring all lessons learned in Mingleforth's Rules of Polite Decorum, she told the rake exactly what he was-starting with reckless reprobate and on to debauched womanizer, self-righteous sapskull, and buffle-headed bounder.Lord Coe was quite confused! Never had a conquest proved so difficult. And never had he feared he was falling so helplessly in love…!

A perfect summer romance! Louisa is left at the altar on her wedding day with no job, no home and an awful honeymoon on her own. Back home, she takes up living in her family's dilapidated summer cottage in the Hamptons with a rescued dog and a bad sunburn, awful neighbors and a handyman who is anything but helpful. The last thing Dante Rivera needs is another woman (he's already burdened with an aging aunt, a needy cousin and an ex-wife) and this one has more issues than Sports Illustrated. The only problem is, he just can't walk away from his intensifying attraction. Then a hurricane threatens the village and the pair find themselves in the dark…and everything will change.

Viscount Aubrey "Stony" Wellstone is at the end of his rope-and the end of his family's once-great fortune. Desperate, he tries his luck at the gaming tables, where an offer to exchange his debts for a gentlemanly favor leads to a profitable new profession…as an "honorable escort" accompanying the cream of the ton. The fiercely independent, flame-tressed Miss Ellianne Kane would normally have no use for an upper-class attendant-even one as striking as Stony-but she needs Aubrey's help. Will Aubrey prove to her that there is far more to him than want of money?

After the cold-blooded murder of her odious husband, Marisol Pendenning, a lovely but pregnant young widow, and Lord Kimbrough, the handsome aristocrat who had been the last to see the victim alive, are drawn into the search for a killer.

Aurora Halle McPhee, a girl of humble (some might say unconventional) background, cannot believe her luck when she is betrothed to the dashing, well-bred Harland Podell. Aurora soon learns, however, that the match is too good to be true when the nuptials are interrupted-by the brother of the groom's wife! Kenyon Warriner, Earl of Windham, is determined to foil that bigamous bounder Podell, before he disgraces another innocent female as he did Kenyon's own sister. The earl will save Miss McPhee's honor. Even if he must wed her himself…

Miss Victoria Dawkins was in a most perilous position. Cast out of respectable society by a scurrilous slur on her good name, alone and penniless in the London lower depths, this proud but all too vulnerable young lady could not afford to turn down the Earl of Clune's offer. The elegant, handsome, and clearly conscienceless nobleman wished to engage Victoria as a companion to an elderly woman on his great country estate. Victoria had no illusions about the earl's intentions toward her. But she was not prepared for a different kind of danger in a manor where the vengeful ghost of a scandalous past sought her as its victim. Somehow Victoria had to stop the earl from suspecting he held the key to her heart. And she had to stop herself from yielding to a mysterious menace that she could not believe in or deny…

He sailed to England for revenge…She journeyed there for love. Five-year-old Della Kensington first saw the proud, half-starved bond boy who dared call himself a dispossessed earl on the docks of Virginia Colony. The moment she laid eyes on him she loved him. And from that day, in spite of all evidence, she believed his bizarre story, that he was truly Jared St. Andrew Bellington, Earl of Aveston-nobly born, kidnapped, and sold into bondage. Della had grown into a woman wanting him. Jared had grown into a man burning for revenge. When at last he could return to his beloved Hawkstone Hall, he entered a world of bejeweled ladies and elegantly attired gentlemen, a world he intended to conquer-no matter the cost to his life. Fashionable Georgian England dazzled sweet Della, but her eyes remained clear. She saw that if Jared gained everything he'd sought, she might lose him forever, and he might lose his chance at real happiness. She was ready to fight on this new terrain for his love-dancing a quadrille of intrigue and desire, risking all, and challenging his elegant world with her irrepressible heart.

With her sunset hair and flashing mocha eyes, Cristabel Stew is a rare jewel for any man. But for Old Captain Whiskey, the most notorious pirate sea dog of the Caribbean, his daughter is more precious than the richest swag of gold and silk. When he brings back a proper English gent from his latest plunder, his plan for her future seems secure. The prized captive is none other than Magnus Titus Snow, Viscount of Camcen Hall, a blue-blood with wealth enough for a freebooter's ransom. In a hasty ceremony, Captain Whiskey weds the unwilling nobleman to his spirited brigand lass, making her Lady Cristabel Snow-a TRUE lady. But Cristable, too, has a scheme. Raised among cutthroats, she has vowed never to surrender to any man. She will sail back with her new spouse as far as London. Then she will bid him and her pirate life farewell, and seek her fortune as a free woman. But, in a moment's breath, the dream is dashed. For her reluctant husband reveals a secret of his own, a surprising and scandalous truth that will turn her father's heart as black as his sins…and draw her into the arms of a dangerously seductive man she will not, dare not, love.

Felicia, a beautiful innocent faced with the passion of an irresistible rake. Adela, unable to forgive her husband for what he has done to her. Bronwen, forced to choose between a proper marriage and an impossible desire. Marjorie, an unpolished heiress who becomes the target of society's most jaded gentleman. Rachel, a wife who finds that the marriage game is played with shocking rules in high society. Five enchanting heroines in five dazzling tales, strung like jewels on a single narrative thread. Five new triumphs by the on and only Edith Layton.

The lovely Lady Leonora Talwin had heard all the stories about the rakish Marquess of Severne and vowed never to become one of his victims. But she knew far too little about her foolish heart to daunt this lord who feasted on such feminine frailties.

Coryn, Earl of Ardeth, has spent an eternity in Hell. Fed up, he gambles with the Devil and wins a second chance: if he can find his heart, his soul, and his hourglass in six months, he can return to life. Then he meets Genie, a disgraced water-girl at the Battle of Waterloo. Now, her only hope is this crazy stranger-and she's half-terrified of and half-in-love with the eccentric earl. Together they have to find his humanity, her social acceptance, and overcome someone bent on destroying their lives.

When his betrothed leaves him stranded at the altar, Lord Galen Woodbridge is more embarrassed than broken-hearted. Desperate to deflect attention from his humiliating plight, he decides to stir up a bit of a scandal - by wedding London's most eligible and elusive songstress, the magnificently sensuous Margot Montclaire.After Galen proposes, Margot confides that her sexy demeanor is merely an act. A baron's daughter, she took to the stage to escape the clutches of a diabolical uncle - and reluctantly left her fragile young brother behind in his care. To win Margot's hand, Galen agrees to save her sickly sibling - but in this marriage of mutual convenience, he never planned on losing his heart….

In her new novel starring Philadelphia schoolteacher Amanda Pepper, Gillian Roberts once again mixes mystery and mirth. This time Roberts explores Philadelphia's unique flesh and blood "historical monument"- the Mummers, who live (and perhaps are willing to die) for a few hours of glory every New Year's Day. The famous Mummers' Parade is an extravaganza that draws enormous crowds who cheer through chattering teeth, as more than thirty thousand clowns, string bands, and fancy brigades strut their stuff up Broad Street. But this year, while the music blares and the Mummers dance, a reveling Pierrot suddenly sinks to the ground, shot dead. Amanda is, at first, only a horrified spectator. But when the prime suspect-her friend and fellow teacher at Philly Prep-falsely claims to have been with her at the time of the murder, Amanda can no longer stay on the sidelines.Is the murder a flare-up of deadly rivalries? Is it connected with the disappearance, the week before Christmas, of another Mummer, the heir to a meat-packing family? Does someone disapprove of the Mummers' feathers, sequins, and string bands? And why is no one in the tight-knit world Amanda investigates willing to tell the truth about anything?

Mellow old Philadelphia, where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have flourished for centuries, now has a new claim to fame. The City of Brotherly Love has been proclaimed number one in the nation…for hostility. English teacher Amanda Pepper, crabbily gearing up for summer school at exclusive Philly Prep, feels she fits right in with the hostility mode. And it's going to get worse. Amanda gets her first prickling of unease in her own classroom, where a reading of Romeo and Juliet activates some very strange chemistry. Then the computer science teacher begins receiving anonymous "go-back-to-Africa" phone calls. A young Vietnamese boy dies in a drive-by shooting. And late one night, outside a Chinatown massage parlor, student April Tuong is kidnapped. Random violence? Perhaps. But Amanda refuses to let gentle April vanish without at least asking a few questions, starting in her own classroom. Gillian Roberts's Philadelphia is the real thing. So, too, are her wit and humor, and her gripping story of Amanda's tenacious search for the missing girl-along the brick streets of historic Philadelphia, in exotic Chinatown, and through the shady, sinister back alleys of the impoverished. The truth, when she finds it, is appalling, deadly, and much too close to home.