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Courting Favour
by Nigel TranterWhen his mother, the formidable Black Agnes, bequeathed him the troubled earldom of Moray in the far north of Scotland, John Cospatrick, younger son of the ninth Earl of Dunbar and March, found himself unexpectedly elevated to become King David's lieutenant and arbiter up in those unruly parts. At the age of 22, with no experience in matters of governance, John's courage, sharp wit and skills of diplomacy served him well in bringing the rebellious Lords of the Isles to heel. However, the greatest test of his abilities as an envoy and negotiator was to come when the new king, Robert II, sent him to London to seek to win over the English king's brother, John of Gaunt, to friendship with Scotland. 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday
Courting Favour
by Nigel TranterWhen his mother, the formidable Black Agnes, bequeathed him the troubled earldom of Moray in the far north of Scotland, John Cospatrick, younger son of the ninth Earl of Dunbar and March, found himself unexpectedly elevated to become King David's lieutenant and arbiter up in those unruly parts. At the age of 22, with no experience in matters of governance, John's courage, sharp wit and skills of diplomacy served him well in bringing the rebellious Lords of the Isles to heel. However, the greatest test of his abilities as an envoy and negotiator was to come when the new king, Robert II, sent him to London to seek to win over the English king's brother, John of Gaunt, to friendship with Scotland. 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday
Courting Her Highness: The Story of Queen Anne (Stuart Saga #7)
by Jean PlaidyA private battle rages at court for the affections of a childless queen, who must soon name her successor--and thus determine the future of the British Empire. It is the beginning of the eighteenth century and William of Orange is dying. Soon Anne is crowned queen, but to court insiders, the name of the imminent sovereign is Sarah Churchill. Beautiful, outspoken Sarah has bewitched Anne and believes she is invincible--until she installs her poor cousin Abigail Hill into court as royal chambermaid. Plain Abigail seems the least likely challenger to Sarah's place in her highness's affections, but challenge it she does, in stealthy yet formidable ways. While Anne engages in her private tug-of-war, the nation is obsessed with another, more public battle: succession. Anne is sickly and childless, the last of the Stuart line. This novel of the Stuarts from Jean Plaidy weaves larger-than-life characters through a dark maze of intrigue, love, and destruction, with nothing less than the future of the British Empire at stake.
Courting Her Secret Heart and His Amish Choice
by Mary Davis Leigh BaleReluctant Hearts Find Each Other in Amish CountryCourting Her Secret Heart by Mary DavisDeborah Miller lives a double life as an Amish woman—and a fashion model! All photography is forbidden in her Plain community, so she must keep her job a secret. But when Amos Burkholder starts helping at her family’s farm, hiding the truth from him is impossible. And soon she must choose between the Englischer world of modeling and the Amish man she’s come to love.His Amish Choice by Leigh BaleWhen Lizzie Beiler’s fiancé cast her and his Amish faith aside to pursue an Englisch education, she vowed never to marry. Now he’s back and helping on her father’s farm. And though Lizzie’s unsure if she can ever forgive him, she finds their love still lingers. But is Eli finally ready to build a familye with Lizzie…or will he return to his Englisch life?
Courting Holly
by Lynn A. ColemanHOLLY GRAHAM'S WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN ...by her mother's deathbed confession. Fortunately, there's one constant in Holly's life: her best friend, Bryce Jarvis. His strong arms are there to comfort her. And his honey-brown eyes see her as more than the little girl he grew up with.... Bryce has waited for years to court Holly. But when his chance finally comes, Holly faces questions about her very identity. She isn't sure about anything anymore-even how she feels about Bryce. Can he make her understand that the pure love right in front of her is true and sure?
Courting India: Seventeenth-Century England, Mughal India, and the Origins of Empire
by Nandini DasA profound and ground-breaking approach to one of the most important encounters in the history of colonialism: the British arrival in India in the early seventeenth century.Traditional interpretations to the British Empire&’s emerging success and expansion has long overshadowed the deep uncertainty that marked its initial entanglement with India. In September 1615, Thomas Roe—Britain&’s first ambassador to the Mughal Empire—made landfall on the western coast of India. Roe entered the court of Jahangir, &“conqueror of the world,&” one of immense wealth, power, and culture that looked askance at the representative of a precarious and distant island nation. Though London was at the height of the Renaissance—the era of Shakespeare, Jonson, and Donne—financial strife and fragile powerbases presented risk and uncertainty at every turn. What followed in India was a turning-point in history, a story of palace intrigue, scandal, and mutual incomprehension that unfolds as global trade begins to stretch from Russia to Virginia, from West Africa to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Using an incisive blend of Indian and British records, and exploring the art, literature, sights, and sounds of Elizabethan London and Imperial India, Das portrays the nuances of cultural and national collision on an individual and human level. The result is a rich and radical challenge to our understanding of Britain and its early empire—and a cogent reminder of the dangers of distortion in the history books of the victors.
Courting Midnight (Upyr)
by Emma HollyThe world's oldest living vampire assumes a mortal identity--and experiences a blazing passion for a woman that brings his tired heart back to life.
Courting Miss Adelaide
by Janet DeanThe "orphan train" seemed like small-town spinster Adelaide Crum's last chance to know the simple joys of family life. So many lost children, every one of them dreaming only of a caring home-the home she longed to offer. And yet the narrow-minded town elders refused to entrust even the most desperate child to a woman alone....Newspaperman Charles Graves believed his heart was closed forever, but he swore to stand by this lovely, lonely woman who was fighting for the right to take some motherless child into her heart. And her gentle soul and unwavering faith made him wonder if even he could overcome the bitter lessons of the past, and somehow find the courage to love....
Courting Miss Callie
by Dorothy ClarkStunningly beautiful Callie Conner is sick of being pursued by shallow suitors. She wants a man of faith, honesty and moral integrity who will love and value her for more than her appearance. So she flees to her aunt's hotel, where she soon finds herself falling for the handsome new stable hand.A successful businessman in disguise, Ezra Ryder enjoys working in Pinewood where he is accepted for himself, and not for his money. Growing closer to Miss Callie, he longs to proclaim his love. But revealing his true identity would also mean revealing his deceit-can he risk losing Callie's trust forever?
Courting Miss Hattie
by Pamela MorsiThe news spread like brush fire through the whole county when widower Ancil Drayton announced his intention to start courting Miss Hattie Colfax. She was certainly spirited and delightfully sweet natured, and she'd managed to run her family farm almost single-handedly. But wasn't a twenty-nine-year-old lady farmer too old to catch a husband? An Irresistable Suitor. All his life handsome, black-haired Reed Tyler had worked Miss Hattie's farm--and dreamed of one day settling down on his own piece of land with the pretty young woman he'd sworn to marry. Hattie was someone he could tell his hopes and troubles to--someone he looked on as a sister. So he thought, until the idea of Ancil Drayton calling on her made him seethe. Until the night a brotherly peck became a scorching kiss. . . and Reed knew nothing would bank the blaze--and that his best friend was the only woman he would ever love.
Courting Miss Vallois
by Gail WhitikerFrom the fields of France...Miss Sophie Vallois's looks and grace make her an instant hit with London Society. No one would know that the French beauty is a mere farmer's daughter, with no interest in marriage whatsoever....To the drawing rooms of London!Except Robert Silverton, who has other reasons for staying away from Sophie. Yet her spirit and compassion intrigue him.... Rather than keeping her at arm's length, Robert soon wants the delectable Miss Vallois well and truly in his arms!
Courting Mr. Lincoln: A Novel
by Louis Bayard<P><P>When Mary Todd meets Abraham Lincoln in Springfield in the winter of 1840, he is on no one’s short list to be president. A country lawyer living above a dry goods shop, he is lacking both money and manners, and his gift for oratory surprises those who meet him. <P><P>Mary, a quick, self-possessed debutante with an interest in debates and elections, at first finds him an enigma. “I can only hope,” she tells his roommate, the handsome, charming Joshua Speed, “that his waters being so very still, they also run deep.” <P><P>It’s not long, though, before she sees the Lincoln that Speed knows: an amiable, profound man who, despite his awkwardness, has a gentle wit to match his genius, and who respects her keen political mind. <P><P>But as her relationship with Lincoln deepens, she must confront his inseparable friendship with Speed, who has taught his roommate how to dance, dress, and navigate the polite society of Springfield. <P><P>Told in the alternating voices of Mary Todd and Joshua Speed, and inspired by historical events, Courting Mr. Lincoln creates a sympathetic and complex portrait of Mary unlike any that has come before; a moving portrayal of the deep and very real connection between the two men; and most of all, an evocation of the unformed man who would grow into one of the nation’s most beloved presidents. <P><P>Louis Bayard, a master storyteller, delivers here a page-turning tale of love, longing, and forbidden possibilities.
Courting Sanctity: Holy Women and the Capetians
by Sean L. FieldThe rise of the Capetian dynasty across the long thirteenth century, which rested in part on the family's perceived sanctity, is a story most often told through the actions of male figures, from Louis IX's metamorphosis into "Saint Louis" to Philip IV's attacks on Pope Boniface VIII. In Courting Sanctity, Sean L. Field argues that, in fact, holy women were central to the Capetian's self-presentation as being uniquely favored by God. Tracing the shifting relationship between holy women and the French royal court, he shows that the roles and influence of these women were questioned and reshaped under Philip III and increasingly assumed to pose physical, spiritual, and political threats by the time of Philip IV's death. Field's narrative highlights six holy women. The saintly reputations of Isabelle of France and Douceline of Digne helped to crystalize the Capetians' claims of divine favor by 1260. In the 1270s, the French court faced a crisis that centered on the testimony of Elizabeth of Spalbeek, a visionary holy woman from the Low Countries. After 1300, the arrests and interrogations of Paupertas of Metz, Margueronne of Bellevillette, and Marguerite Porete served to bolster Philip IV's crusades against the dangers supposedly threatening the kingdom of France. Courting Sanctity thus reassesses key turning points in the ascent of the "most Christian" Capetian court through examinations of the lives and images of the holy women that the court sanctified or defamed.
Courting Scandal
by Donna McAteerMeet the daring ladies of The Bliss Society. They want what their husbands give their mistresses... pleasure. The Bliss Society is at it again. But this time Darcy, Francine and Corina may be getting in over their heads as they attempt two rescues at the same time. The innocent yet clumsy Isabel Lawrence has tumbled headlong into the life of the notorious Ice Earl, Jordan Lennox, and right into the vicious gossip pages. And then there's the plight of Cecily, trapped in a loveless marriage with Simon Hammond, Viscount Byford. Not only was the marriage never consummated, Cecily's father is determined to put an end to the relationship by taking his daughter back to America. As always, more than sex and marriage are at stake as The Bliss Society uncovers some family secrets and a scandalous affair sure to unhinge the ton. Genre: Romance/Historical Fiction Read the series by Donna McAteer and Catherine Stang! MORE THAN A WIFE [BLISS SOCIETY SERIES] COURTING SCANDAL [BLISS SOCIETY SERIES]
Courting Scandal with the Duke
by Ann Lethbridge"...a steamy Regency romance with an engaging opposites-attract plot." - Library JournalHis Grace or disgrace?She can&’t have both!Dowager Countess Barbara&’s two unhappy marriages taught her one lesson—never, ever again! To stop her ambitious father marrying her off once more, she&’ll do anything. Even ruin herself so thoroughly that no groom will have her! And the quickest way to do that? Secure the disapproval of Xavier, Duke of Derbridge. He&’s enormously influential and infamously straitlaced.If only winning his censure wasn&’t quite so fun, and his looks weren&’t quite so intoxicating… Barbara&’s steely resolve soon wavers. Because successfully disgracing herself would mean alienating the infuriatingly upright duke she craves—forever!From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.
Courting Shadows
by Jem Poster&“A fantastically tightly written, read-every-word novel . . . As a psychological thriller, it&’s as close to wonderful as anything I&’ve recently read&” (The Guardian). In the winter of 1881, John Stannard, a young architect, is in self-imposed exile in a remote English village, carrying out repairs to the parish church. Arrogant and insensitive to what he considers superstition and sentimental attachment to the past, he soon begins to inflict serious damage on the ancient building as well as on those with whom he comes into contact—most notably the beautiful, ambitious, local girl Ann Rosewell. This is the mesmerizing tale of a man who clings ferociously to his warped notion of civilized behavior, unwilling to admit his need for love. Set in a vividly evoked landscape and taut with foreboding, Jem Poster&’s striking first novel pits reason against emotion, progress against preservation, and explores our capacity for invention and self-delusion—the stories we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves. &“[A] dazzling debut . . . Wholly involving from start to finish.&” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) &“Written in lavishly beautiful prose, this is a consistently tense tale of rationality, self-delusion, and epidemic superstition.&” —Booklist
Courting Trouble
by Katie RoseIn this charming historical romance, an enticing attorney and a determined suffragette learn the hard way that there's more to life--and love--than getting their way. No one could accuse the Appleton sisters of embracing tradition. After all, they've earned their living as spiritualists ever since their parents' tragic death--and are succeeding famously. Now Winifred Appleton hopes to champion the rights of women by becoming a lawyer. But when she learns that no law school will accept a woman, Winifred is left with just one choice: accepting an apprenticeship from Charles Howe--and trying to ignore the fiery passion the handsome prosecutor arouses. Intrigued by Winifred's spirit--and tempted by her beauty--Charles believes that taking her under his wing is a flawless plan. She'll surely buckle under the pressure of pursuing her career, leaving him free to propose a different kind of partnership: matrimony. But when the pair are pitted on opposite sides of a contentious murder trial, they learn that love is the only argument that matters. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Tempting a Devil, The Story Guy, and Friday Night Alibi.
Courting Trouble
by Katie RoseIn this charming historical romance, an enticing attorney and a determined suffragette learn the hard way that there's more to life--and love--than getting their way. No one could accuse the Appleton sisters of embracing tradition. After all, they've earned their living as spiritualists ever since their parents' tragic death--and are succeeding famously. Now Winifred Appleton hopes to champion the rights of women by becoming a lawyer. But when she learns that no law school will accept a woman, Winifred is left with just one choice: accepting an apprenticeship from Charles Howe--and trying to ignore the fiery passion the handsome prosecutor arouses. Intrigued by Winifred's spirit--and tempted by her beauty--Charles believes that taking her under his wing is a flawless plan. She'll surely buckle under the pressure of pursuing her career, leaving him free to propose a different kind of partnership: matrimony. But when the pair are pitted on opposite sides of a contentious murder trial, they learn that love is the only argument that matters. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Tempting a Devil, The Story Guy, and Friday Night Alibi.
Courting Trouble
by Margaret BrownleyIt's 1885 and five preachers sit around a campfire out West, trading stories of unlikely couples they've seen God bring together. This is one of those stories . . .He's a wild-West attorney and she's his beautiful client. Could she really be guilty of murder?Attorney Brock Daniels meets Grace Davenport in the least romantic setting he could imagine: the town jail. And yet her beauty and kindness capture his heart almost from the start.But Grace is facing a tough "jury" in this rough-and-tumble town. And the charges don't look good given her track record. This last one makes her a widow three times over, with each of her dead husbands worse than the last. Geoffrey ate poisoned mushrooms, Harry was so drunk he got thrown by a horse, and Billy Joe went missing after Grace chased him down and gave him what for at the saloon where he'd gambled away all their food money.Still, Brock is a skilled attorney. And Grace's son Jesse is determined to prove her innocence through researching case law at Brock's side until his mom is freed. In the end, Brock may be meeting Grace in front of a judge for an altogether more celebratory occasion . . . as soon as she's cleared."A delightfully romantic tale." --Maggie Brendan, author of The Jewel of His Heart (on "And Then Came Spring" in A Bride for All Seasons)"Brownleyhas a way with words that keeps the reader interested until the last page." --Romantic Times
Courting Trouble (Trouble #1)
by Deeanne GistTired Waiting for a Match Made in Heaven, She’ll Settle for One Made in Texas Whether it’s riding bikes, catching snakes, or sliding down banisters,. Essie Spreckelmeyer just can’t quite make herself into the ideal woman her hometown--and her mother--expect her to be. It’s going to take an extraordinary man to appreciate her joy and spontaneity--or so says her doting oilman father. Sadly such a man doesn’t appear to reside in Corsicana, Texas. It’s 1894, the year of Essie’s thirtieth birthday, and she decides the Lord has more important things to do than provide her a husband. If she wants one, she needs to catch him herself. So she writes down the names of all the eligible bachelors in her small Texas town, makes a list of their attributes and drawbacks, closes her eyes, twirls her finger, and... picks one. 'But convincing the lucky "husband-to-be" will be a bit more of a problem. Join Deeanne Gist for another unforgettable tale. Find out whether Essie’s plan to catch a husband ""SUCCEEDS OR IF SHE’S JUST COURTING TROUBLE.
Courting an Angel
by Patricia GrassoThere was a familiar feel in the air. She knew it well, knew exactly by whom that sensation had been provoked. But could it be? Could it really be he? He was the one man who set her soul on fire. He was also the husband who had abandoned her ten years earlier. Her name was Rob MacArthur. At the age of eight, she married the fifteen-year-old marquess. Their time together was bliss, a fantasy world where true love and pure hearts were all they knew. He was her champion protector, slayer of all her fears and conqueror over all that could harm her until the day she was exiled from all of Scotland for bearing the devil's flower on her hand, a sure sign of witchery. Now he was back. Had her dreams come true years after she'd given up on dreams? The marquess's real name was Gordon Cambell and looking at her he thought his eyes were betraying him. Could this rapturous, voluptuous woman really be the little girl he had left behind? Could their love ever be restored? Would he finally be able to take her back to the highland home where they belonged? Not as long as those bent on destroying her still remained. And they were everywhere!
Courting the Corporal (Emerald Belles #2)
by Heather MccorkleMay the road rise up to meet you . . .The Civil War has ended, but for Corporal Patrick “Rick” Fergusson the battle rages on. Still haunted by what he witnessed on the battlefield, the earnest Irishman is heading west, seeking only to be free of the past. His services are in high demand; wealthy East Coasters in need of escort clamor to join him on the journey. But one client, a beautiful lady named Cat, disturbs Rick’s newfound equilibrium.High society widow Catriona O’Brian is anxious to get to California, even if it means traveling with the handsome corporal who seems to dislike her so. Cat no longer seeks marriage; she has pinned all her hopes on making it to the west coast and starting her own winery. Between the elements, wild animals, and hostile natives, however, everything seems to be conspiring against her. Time and again, Rick comes to her rescue. And soon, the independent lass discovers that her biggest obstacle may be the longing of her own traitorous heart . . .
Courting the Devil (The Serpent's Tooth #2)
by Kathy Fischer-BrownFour years after a near fatal blunder uproots her from her home and inheritance, Anne Darvey, daughter of the Marquess of Esterleigh, finds herself an indentured servant on a farm near Fort Edward in New York, as the British army advances toward Albany. Driven by guilt over the pain she has caused her father and grief over her lover’s death, she sets out to deliver a message. The consequences lead to the discovery that all is not as it seems, and sets in motion events that lead to love and danger. Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, Courting the Devil is the second book in “The Serpent’s Tooth” trilogy, which follows Anne from her childhood in the rural English countryside, to London society, and into the center of the American Revolution.
Courting the Doctor's Daughter
by Janet DeanA widow with three boys to raise, Mary Graves has no time for peddlers of phony medicine. She's a dedicated healer working alongside her doctor father. When a handsome stranger blows into town with his "elixir of health" and asks questions about her newly adopted son, Mary's determined to uncover the truth behind all his claims.Once the reckless heir to a Boston fortune, Dr. Luke Jacobs travels the country with his herbal medicine while searching for his long-lost son. After meeting the feisty doctor's daughter and her youngest boy, Luke has found what he's been looking for at last. But can he convince her to let him into her home, her family-and her heart?
Courting the Doctor's Daughter & Spring Creek Bride: A 2-in-1 Collection
by Janice Thompson Janet DeanA matter of trustCourting the Doctor’s Daughter by Janet DeanOnce the heir to a Boston fortune, Dr. Luke Jacobs travels the country with his herbal medicine while searching for his long-lost son. After meeting feisty doctor’s daughter Mary Graves and her youngest boy, Luke has found what he’s been looking for. But Mary’s skeptical about Luke’s claims and his interest in her newly adopted son. Can Luke convince her to let him into her family—and her heart?Spring Creek Bride by Janice ThompsonIda Mueller’s formerly lovely hometown of Spring Creek, Texas, has been overtaken by saloons and disorderly conduct. So when a handsome stranger arrives with plans to open a gambling hall next to her family’s store, Ida makes plans of her own: to foil his! Ida’s convinced marriage isn’t in her future. But after one look into Mick Bradley’s eyes—and heart—she might start hearing wedding bells!