Revolving around the infamous gentlemen's club of London, Scoundrels: Her Majesty's Pleasure concludes the combative joint memoirs of adventurer-spies Major Cornwall and Major Trevelyan. In this satisfying final denouement, Britannia is under attack! The Majors mount a daring jailbreak at London Zoo, play for their lives in a Monte Carlo casino, and stage a coup under the African sun, as they seek revenge on their Moriarty-like nemesis, Gruber Hansclapp. The stage is set for a right royal rumble at the heart of the British Establishment - which goes some way to explain why the Majors have been under house arrest for the last thirty years.
Revolving around the infamous gentlemen's club of London, Scoundrels: The Hunt For Hansclapp continues the combative joint memoirs of adventurer-spies, Major Cornwall and Major Trevelyan. In the second volume, the Majors recount tales of kidnapping in the Congo, manslaughter on the Orient Express and romance at the Stasi's Christmas Party. The Majors are reeling from a series of devastating attacks by their Moriarty-like nemesis, Gruber Hansclapp, who is exacting an unspeakably horrific revenge, even by the Majors' standards.
Candide is a French satire by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply Optimism) by his mentor, Pangloss. The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not rejecting optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds". Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism. As expected by Voltaire, Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal. Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté. However, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it. Today, Candide is recognized as Voltaire's magnum opus and is often listed as part of the Western canon; it is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature. It was listed as one of The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written.
The Traders' War -- an omnibus edition of the third and fourth novels in Charles Stross's Merchant Princes series. Miriam was an ambitious business journalist in Boston. Until she was fired—then discovered, to her shock, that her lost family comes from an alternate reality. And although some of them are trying to kill her, she won't stop digging up secrets. Now that she knows she's inherited the family ability to walk between worlds, there's a new culture to explore. Her alternate home seems located around the Middle Ages, making her world-hopping relatives top dogs when it comes to "importing" guns and other gadgets from modern-day America. Payment flows from their services to U.S. drug rings—after all, world-skipping drug runners make great traffickers. In a land where women are property, she struggles to remain independent. Yet her outsider ways won't be tolerated, and a highly political arranged marriage is being brokered behind her back. If she can stay alive for long enough to protest. "These books are immense fun."--Locus At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The next thrilling installment in Megan Frampton’s scintillating A Duke’s Daughters series. She’s a deliciously scandalous woman who is no man’s bride… He’s a black sheep, forced to return home. Together, they enter a make-believe betrothal that shocks London society… After twelve years in Her Majesty’s Navy, Griffith Davies must leave his sea-going life of outrageous freedom behind, forced to rejoin London society as the heir to the Duke of Northam. But though he is now shackled to the land, he has no desire to wed some innocently dull young thing. Who best to shield him from the matchmakers than a woman as notorious as he? Lady Della Howlett’s reputation was tattered years ago, so entering into a false engagement with Griffith is hardly going to make matters worse. What’s one more shock to the ton to set their tongues wagging? And this pact certainly has its pleasures; the passion Griffith commands in her goes well beyond their agreement. Could her feelings might be more honorable than she’d first imagined? Soon, Griffith and Della are arousing more than scandal, they’re courting heartbreak. And more than their reputations could still be at risk.
A feisty counterfeiter and a cocky British agent clash in this sultry Secrets and Spies novel by K. C. Bateman, whose witty, intelligent, and sexy historical romances have become her signature. As Sabine de la Tour tosses piles of forged banknotes onto a bonfire in a Paris park, she bids a reluctant farewell to her double life as a notorious criminal. Over the course of Napoleon’s reign, her counterfeits destabilized the continent and turned scoundrels into rich men, but now she and her business partner must escape France—or face the guillotine. Her only hope of surviving in England is to strike a deal with the very spy she’s spent her career outrunning. Now after meeting the arrogant operative in the flesh, Sabine longs to throw herself upon his mercy—and into his arms. Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, is prepared to take any risk to safeguard England from the horrors of the French Revolution. To lure the insurgents out from the shadows, he’s even willing to make a pact with his archenemy: Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe. But when a cheeky, gamine-faced beauty proves herself to be Lacorte, Richard is shocked—and more than a little aroused. Unlike the debutantes who so often hurl themselves at him, this cunning minx offers a unique and irresistible challenge. Richard will help her. But in return, he wants something that even Sabine cannot fake. Look for all of K. C. Bateman’s delightful Secrets and Spies novels: TO STEAL A HEART | A RAVEN’S HEART | A COUNTERFEIT HEART “Scintillating! Clever characters and sizzling romance!” - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW on This Earl Of Mine. “Rich with espionage and suspense . . . Multidimensional believable characters and fast-paced plotting propel the story forward to its moving conclusion.”—Publishers Weekly, on To Steal a Heart “I couldn’t ask for much more in an historical romance and I’m eagerly awaiting whatever Ms. Bateman comes up with next.”—All About Romance, on To Steal a Heart Perfect for readers who love Loretta Chase, Julia Quinn, Caroline Linden, Janna MacGregor, Scarlett Peckham, Laura Kinsale, Kerrigan Byrne, Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, Eloisa James, Grace Burrowes, Madeline Hunter, Lenora Bell, Sophie Jordan, Lorraine Heath, Eva Leigh, Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Joanna Shupe, Sarah MacLean, Shana Galen, Stephanie Laurens and Sabrina Jeffries. Keywords: Historical romance, Regency romance, Victorian romance, action-adventure, sexy, bodyguard, best friend’s sister, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, second chance romance, Napoleonic romance, fake relationship, marriage of convenience, Sexy, spies, Bow Street, spicy, funny, charming, Bestseller, Kindle, Nook, Ebook.
Lady Georgiana Rannoch juggles secret missions from the Queen, her beau, and her mother in this mystery in the Royal Spyness series. When royal sleuth Georgie Rannoch receives a letter from her dearest friend Belinda, who's in an Italian villa awaiting the birth of her illegitimate baby, she yearns to run to her side. If only she could find a way to get there! But then opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way—her cousin the queen asks her to attend a house party in the Italian Lake Country. The Prince of Wales and the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding. What luck! A chance to see Belinda, even if it is under the guise of stopping unwanted nuptials. Only that's as far as Georgie's fortune takes her. She soon discovers that she attended finishing school with the hostess of the party—and the hatred they had for each other then has barely dimmed. Plus, she needs to hide Belinda's delicate condition from the other guests. And her dashing beau, Darcy's (naturally) working undercover on a dangerous mission. Then her actress mother shows up, with a not-so-little task to perform. With all this subterfuge, it seems something is bound to go horribly wrong—and Georgie will no doubt be left to pick up the pieces when it does.
