Book 2 in The Horde Wars series Cinder, Shikar warrior and strongest of the Incinerator Caste, has met his match in Steffy Michanke. He wants her as he has never wanted another and means to have her at any cost. Steffy, a woman with a dark past, wants nothing more than to break free from the sexy being who has vowed to protect her from the creatures that stalk them. Independent to a fault, she vows to deny the love that is promised in Cinder's fiery kiss, no matter how much she may yearn for it. Danger threatens from every shadow. Love and death walk hand in hand. Cinder and Steffy must join forces. The Daemon Horde is coming.
The contributors to Wanton Women in Late-Imperial Chinese Literature: Models, Genres, Subversions and Traditions draw attention to ‘wanton woman’ themes across time as they were portrayed in court history (McMahon), fiction (Stevenson), drama (Lam, Wu), and songs and ballads (Ôki, Epstein, McLaren). Looking back, the essays challenge us with views of sexual transgression that are more heterogeneous than modern popular focus on Pan Jinlian would suggest. Central among the many insights to be found is that despite gender performance in Chinese history being overwhelmingly determined by the needs of patriarchal authority, men and women in the late imperial period discovered diverse ways in which to reflect on how men constantly sought their own bearings in reference to women.
Persuasion, Jane Austen’s final published work, is a story of second chances. A very young Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliot are broken-hearted when their hasty engagement is dissolved due to Frederick’s lack of prestige and lack of money. Eight years later, they are still healing when they are thrust into the same social circle once more - however, in a brilliant turn, now Frederick is Captain Wentworth, a prosperous naval officer, and the Elliot family finds themselves on the brink of financial ruin. Austen, who suffered her own broken engagement, pens a beautiful tale of the redeeming power of love, and the passion between Frederick and Anne sizzles on the page, even by the standards of 1816. In this wild and wanton edition of Persuasion, read the entire classic and discover the steamy untold portions of Austen’s story that have been lying dormant in the subtext. Who knows, Austen may have included these bits herself 200 years ago - if only she dared. Sensuality Level: Sensual
Follow three best friends who navigate love and independence as governesses in Regency England in this delightfully charming installment in the Governesses series. Mary Woodward, a young veteran governess, has one job: guiding a young debutante through her first season in high society. And up until now, keeping her fous and avoiding temptation has been easy. But never before has the father of her young charge been as devilishly handsome as the single, wealthy Earl of Asten.... Convinced to risk it all, Mary let's herself enjoy one night of magic at a masked ball in Asten's arms, but will they both regret everything when the Earl learns her true identity?
Wanton Windmill comprises, among other things, a curious and heady mixture of clerics, cultural celebrities; a bored cynic, extreme idealist, psychotherapist and behaviourist. This galaxy of characters assemble at Wanton Rectory for a weekend celebration of Sir Treadboards' 70th birthday. There are also two surprise arrivals. The extended conversations taking place over the weekend cover environmental issues, evolution, free-will; life on other planets and lead to a final, late Saturday night debate. Concerning the story-line, the well known thespian Sir Terence, is recovering after a breakdown. He has lately moved from London to live with his cousin, a retired Bishop, nicknamed 'Boffo'. The latter lives in a former Rectory at Lower Wanton End. The extensive grounds contain a windmill, and it is here that the out-of-sorts theatrical knight spends much of his time. On a Friday in August, invited guests travel to the Rectory by various forms of transport. In transit, we encounter the rabbit-faced poet, Edmund Edgy, who idolises the Anglo-Saxon era. We also meet a new political party leader, Ashley Dunce, whose sound-bites leaves everyone nonplussed. Other characters include an accident-prone cleric and celebrated woman artist. The various weekend guests arrive. Following supper, a recital is given by the nerve-ridden pianist, Julian Morbid. Afterwards, matters become complicated by Edmund Edgy being torn between the contrasting allures of Juniper and Esther. Mr. Morbid is also unhappily pursued by two quarrelling lady journalists. After a miniature train ride and picnic on Saturday, matters on Sunday morning move to a head with three male characters outside on the windmill's tower top, seeking to end their respective miseries. The overriding theme of this novel resides in the alliance of comedy with the fallibility of human idealism.
USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell turns polite London society on its head in a delightful romance of unguarded hearts, second chances, and a scandalous rivalry between the sexes. Emma Gately and the Earl of Scarsdale were betrothed as children--less a vow of future happiness than an obligation. Seventeen years later, the independent miss severs the contract with the now notorious libertine in an unprecedented act of independence. And Emma cofounds the Mismatch Society, where like-minded ladies are free of the constraints and inevitable broken hearts that men bring. But Emma's rejection sparks in her intended a new consideration of the spirited woman he took for granted--and a determination to win her back. Despite his wicked reputation, misguided and suddenly lovestruck, Charles Hayden is on a mission to gain Emma's respect, and he has just the idea--one that the daringly unconventional Emma is sure to appreciate. But as Charles takes bold steps and sets tongues wagging, he makes himself an accidental opponent of his former betrothed. Soon a rivalry is born that has the whole ton abuzz. Emma never anticipated that with every fiery test of wills, passion would surge. Passion that's impossible to ignore. In going toe-to-toe with Charles, she risks her heart and pride by falling in love with the one man she vowed to scorn.
Love is more than a charade as USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell reunites two wounded hearts in a stirring novel about second chances, scandal, and defiant romance. Annalee Spencer and Wayland Smith were uninhibited young lovers until the Peterloo Massacre set them on two different paths. Raised to the title of Baron of Darlington in recognition of his courage, Wayland is now a model of propriety and heroism. As for Annalee, the trauma of that tragic day in Manchester is ever present. To dull the pain, she lives only for pleasure. And she derives immense pleasure from co-leading the Mismatch Society, a league of scandalously independent women. Perhaps too scandalous...because of Annalee. To save the society, she must adopt a veneer of respectability. For that she needs the man who's won the admiration of the ton. Wayland may be conflicted, but he agrees to Annalee's proposal, if only to atone for having brought his former beloved to Peterloo on that fateful day. Reunited under the pretense of a courtship, Wayland and Annalee find the feelings between them are becoming real. With their own futures at stake, it's finally time to confront the past, to trust in each other again, and against the odds, to reclaim the love they once had.
At an unsettled time for liberal democracy, with global eruptions of authoritarian and arbitrary rule, here is one of the first full-fledged philosophical accounts of what makes governments legitimate. What makes a government legitimate? The dominant view is that public officials have the right to rule us, even if they are unfair or unfit, as long as they gain power through procedures traceable to the consent of the governed. In this rigorous and timely study, Arthur Isak Applbaum argues that adherence to procedure is not enough: even a properly chosen government does not rule legitimately if it fails to protect basic rights, to treat its citizens as political equals, or to act coherently. How are we to reconcile every person’s entitlement to freedom with the necessity of coercive law? Applbaum’s answer is that a government legitimately governs its citizens only if the government is a free group agent constituted by free citizens. To be a such a group agent, a government must uphold three principles. The liberty principle, requiring that the basic rights of citizens be secured, is necessary to protect against inhumanity, a tyranny in practice. The equality principle, requiring that citizens have equal say in selecting who governs, is necessary to protect against despotism, a tyranny in title. The agency principle, requiring that a government’s actions reflect its decisions and its decisions reflect its reasons, is necessary to protect against wantonism, a tyranny of unreason. Today, Applbaum writes, the greatest threat to the established democracies is neither inhumanity nor despotism but wantonism, the domination of citizens by incoherent, inconstant, and incontinent rulers. A government that cannot govern itself cannot legitimately govern others.
