Alice and her friend run a vintage fashion stall in London, though they dream of having their own boutique one day. But they never expected this! When a famous IT company hosts a ball to celebrate opening their new office, they want to use Alice's fashions in a charity auction, and the president just happens to be Alice's old neighbor, Cameron. Not only has her first crush become wildly successful, but he's dangerously handsome, as well...
Laura Vivanco's study challenges the idea that Harlequin Mills & Boon romances are merely mass-produced commodities, churned out in accordance with a strict and unchanging formula. She argues that many are well-written, skilfully crafted works, and that some are small masterpieces. For Love and Money demonstrates the variety that exists beneath the covers of Harlequin Mills & Boon romances. They range from paranormal romances to novels resembling chick lit, and many have addressed serious issues, including the plight of post-Second World War refugees, threats to marine mammals, and HIV/AIDS. The genre draws inspiration from Shakespearean comedies and Austen's novels, as well as from other forms of popular culture. "“Laura Vivanco’s 'For Love and Money' is an impressive study of the popular fiction of Harlequin Mills and Boon that is a must read for any student of popular fiction and for those who write and love the genre” —Liz Fielding, author of over 50 Harlequin Mills & Boon romances.“Deep learning, wide reading, and clear thinking are very much in evidence in Vivanco’s exploration of HM&B. A welcome addition to popular romance criticism.” — Professor Pamela Regis, author of 'A Natural History of the Romance Novel'."Laura Vivanco’s analysis of the category romance is both meticulous and inspiring. And while Vivanco limits her examples and discussions to category romances by Harlequin Mills & Boon and the HQN imprint, her application of Frye’s mimetic modes begs for expansion to texts and authors across the genre. This piece of literary criticism should serve as a template for romance scholars to move from defending the genre to discussing its values and complexity as a literary art. — Maryan Wherry, 'Journal of Popular Romance Studies'
Dear Noah, It seems like just the other day that I met you on blinddatebrides.com. My daughter signed me up because she felt I'd sacrificed my life to bring her up alone. But you can still be forty and…flirty! I couldn't believe my luck when my blind date was a tall, dark, handsome stranger—yet you were that and so much more…. But now things have gone further and faster than I could have imagined because—well, we're pregnant! Noah—we need to talk. Love, Grace
Standing at the altar, Damien is breathless as the woman he loves walks toward him, to marry another man. Bridesmaid Zoe can't resist provoking him--just once, she'd like to see "Mr. Perfect" lose his cool. She can tell there are fireworks smoldering behind those pale blue eyes.
Cassidy Malone describes herself as a plain, slightly plump schoolteacher—totally unsuitable for Hollywood life. Unfortunately she is now at the beck and call of top movie mogul and old flame Will Ryan. Once upon a time she signed a contract, in a whirlwind of youth and confidence. Now, as they write the script they never finished, Will's devilish smile and lethal charm make her yearn for the safety of the classroom!
Clothing connoisseur Coreen Fraser's film-star style never leaves her wanting for male attention, but sourcing costumes for a 1930s murder-mystery weekend stops being fun when she discovers she has to wear a tweed suit and sensible shoes. Meanwhile, Coreen's best friend, Adam Conrad, has his own plans for the weekend.
"Prima ballerina Allegra's spent her life on stage ... So when she's offered a week on a tropical island, for survival expert Finn McLeod's TV show, she leaps at it! Finn's frankly unimpressed--how will this fragile-looking girl survive life in the wild? But for Allegra, it's not the island that's the problem, but her all-consuming crush on the unavailable Finn"--P. [4] of cover.
This is a sweet romance short story (word count 4,690) From the moment Helen set eyes on her boss, Ben, she knew they were destined to end up together. The only problem was that getting Ben’s attention proved to be an extremely difficult task to accomplish. His entire focus seemed to be fixed on his work, with socialising not a priority in his life. Then, an invitation arrives for a charity ball, and to Helen’s surprise, Ben announces that they should attend together. She wonders if this could be just the opportunity she has been waiting for, to bring them closer. But Helen’s hopes seem to be in vain with the charity ball a disaster from beginning to end, and Helen eventually pushed into an outburst. This makes her start to question her feelings about Ben in the first place, and whether all her hard work in getting his attention and affection were ever worth her efforts!
From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
