Recounts the development of the modern department store in late nineteenth-century Paris. The store is a symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family; it is emblematic of consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relations taking place at the end of the century. Octave Mouret, the store's owner-manager, masterfully exploits the desires of his female customers. In his private life as much as in business...

"Mathias Mitchell's easy smile hides a world of hurt. After the worst kind of family betrayal, he moves to Happily Inc., California--the wedding destination town supplies a steady stream of bridesmaids, perfect for his "no promises, no pain" lifestyle. Yet he can't stop watching for his beautiful, elusive neighbor on the animal preserve behind their homes. Gamekeeper Carol Lund knows she's not special enough to attract an alpha male like Mathias,...

Émile Zola was one of the most important, though controversial, French novelists of the late nineteenth century, and founder of the Realist movement. In 1871 Zola began to write his most notable series of novels, the "Rougon-Macquart Novels", that relate the history of a fictional family under the Second Empire. As a strict naturalist, Zola was greatly concerned with science, especially the problems of evolution and heredity vs. environment. However,...

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel's future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. However, Sera's real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania, she's not the well protected Maiden, but an assassin with one mission,...

"Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth Fitch finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever. Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer,...

"Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband. But first she needs some target practice. So she turns to her brother's best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man. But her practice kisses spark a smoldering passion--one that could send all her plans up in smoke. Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full...

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a year's worth of daily wisdom and guidance, distilled from the lessons of his six previous books and from never-before-published work Robert Greene, the bestselling author, philosopher, and life guide for millions of people, applies the wisdom of centuries to his mission of revealing the secret truths about the essential forces shaping our lives. His readers look to him to answer their most elemental...

"When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin, time is not on their side. Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove's confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be...anywhere but Spindle Cove. These unlikely partners have one week: to fake an elopement; to convince family and friends they're 'in love'; to outrun armed robbers; to survive their worst nightmares;...

"Sexy American diamonds lover Wanda and her boyfriend Otto are in England to plot alongside George and Ken the robbery of a diamond collection. Wanda and Otto want the stolen diamonds for themselves, and inform the police about George, not knowing that he has already moved the diamonds to another secret place. Wanda thinks the best way to find out is by getting close to George's lawyer, Archie Leach."--www. imdb. com.

"The owner of London's most popular gaming hell, wealthy and powerful Silas Masters, is feared by men and desired by women--except Mercy Kittinger. When the blackguard wins her family home in a game of cards, Mercy steals into Silas's rooms, intent on destroying the proof. But things don't go to plan... She would have her way with him... Caught in the act, Mercy must be bold to save herself...even if it means seducing the dangerous rogue and then...