Afra Wilson and her brother do well to live on a small farm outside the hamlet of Brook on Creek in northern England. They are not only Catholics - Afra is suspected of witchcraft. When her brother disappears, the young woman seems lost. But the worst is yet to come: in a heavy snowstorm, a stranger gains access to the small farmhouse. What she does not suspect is that she has give shelter to King James I's chief witch hunter. And the snow continues to fall...
Alessandro Leopardi prides himself on his ability to sort the women from the girls. So when he finds Leonora Thaxton piloting his private jet, he's outraged! Firstly, he doesn't employ females—too distracting. Secondly, she's a ravishing beauty—and he can't quite believe he was duped. Leonora won't be getting away with it! The dark-hearted billionaire needs a no-strings mistress for one night. Then he'll let her go. But when the public show becomes a private seduction, Alessandro realizes she may be worth more to him than he thought….
“A lively and nuanced look at gender roles as they have been revealed by the lives of concubines and mistresses over the centuries” (Kirkus). She exists as both a fictional character and as a flesh-and-blood human being. But who is she, really? Why do women become mistresses, and what is it like to have a private life that is usually also a secret life? Is a mistress merely a wife-in-waiting, or is she the very definition of the emancipated, independent female? Elizabeth Abbott intelligently examines the motives and morals of some of history's most infamous and fascinating women, from antiquity to today. Drawing intimate portraits of those who have—by chance, coercion, or choice—assumed this complex role, Mistresses offers a rich blend of personal biography and cultural insight. “Ms. Abbott is delightfully indiscreet, with an eye for a good story and a colloquial style . . . She has done the ladies a service by bringing them out of the shadows.” —The Economist
Henry Peterson weaves a captivating tale in 'Dulcibel: A Tale of Old Salem', which transports readers to the fateful year of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Amidst a prosperous community, a series of trials unfold, exposing the accusations, detentions, and punishments faced by those accused of witchcraft. While the story blends fact and fiction, it incorporates real historical figures, shedding light on the chilling reality of the time. Peterson's evocative nineteenth-century prose brings this dark chapter to life, delving into the social and political climate that fueled the witch hunts.
Jackson Montgomery Warring never lets opposing counsel see him sweat. He’s always perfectly prepared, calm, cool, and collected. But when he meets his best friend’s fiancé, the piece he’s been missing becomes clear—he wants a Mistress for himself. Badly. Except the one who’s caught his eye is his complete opposite—a Goth-booted, tatted, and pierced priestess of the local tattoo scene. For over a year, Diana Temple has been too busy at her up-and-coming tattoo shop to throw one of her legendary BDSM parties. But for Jackson, she’ll make the time, especially since the slick, fancy lawyer admits he likes to watch. If she thought her edgy style might turn him off, she’s happy to discover she’s wrong. But when she learns his secret addiction, she might refuse to teach him a thing or two about submission. Or maybe she’ll just punish him harder... Each story in the Billionaires in Bondage series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed in any order. Series order: Book #1: The Billionaire Submissive Book #2: The Billionaire's Ink Mistress Book #3: The Billionaire’s Christmas Bargain
When dark fantasy turns to darkest reality... Self-bondage addict Paul is submissive to the core but deeply unfulfilled. He despairs of ever meeting a really sadistic woman who will give him the constant hard discipline that he craves. Then a chance meeting with an old friend brings him within the thrilling orbit of top professional dominatrix Mistress Nikki. Paul is stony broke and cannot possibly afford Nikki's expensive services. She amazes him by saying that she's prepared to discipline him regularly without charge - but only as long as he always does exactly as she instructs and never asks why she is doing what she's doing for him. The stunning dominatrix goes on to discipline Paul frequently and in ever more kinky and deviant permutations. On one occasion she takes him to an outrageously uninhibited S&M club where she arranges for the Amazonian Strap-on Jane to use and abuse him. On another occasion she summons him to an anonymous hotel room where, bound and blindfolded, he is sexually tormented by a mystery assailant. Paul has been thoroughly debauched by such experiences and wonders what perverted sexual adventure Nikki is going to devise for him next. He finds out with a vengeance when she hands him over to her friend, the ultra-sadistic Mistress Alicia. This truly formidable dominatrix keeps Paul locked in her dark dungeon where she submits him to constant heavy discipline. Too late he realises that everything that has happened to him has been part of a ruthless conspiracy and that he is now completely at the mercy of the ultimate Mistress of Torment.
Christopher Tilmouth presents an accomplished study of Early Modern ideas of emotion, self-indulgence, and self-control in the literature and moral thought of the late 16th and 17th centuries (1580 to 1680).
