Set in a world of glamorous, gifted, intelligent people, the novel is a psychosexual drama about the close and sinister relationship between Maggie Newman and Peter and Gail, brother and sister, whose love, when threatened, degenerates into possessiveness and then darkest evil.

A sparkling historical novel based on the remarkable true story of turn-of-the-century con artist May Dugas, once dubbed America's "Most Dangerous Woman.” It’s 1887, and eighteen-year-old May Dugas has ventured to Chicago in hopes of earning enough money to support her family. Yet when circumstances force her to take up residence at the city’s most infamous bordello, she chooses to use her feminine wiles to extract not only sidelong looks but also large sums of money from the men she encounters. Insinuating herself into high society, May lands a well-to-do fiancé—until, that is, a Pinkerton detective named Reed Doherty intervenes. Reed has made it his mission to bring May to justice, and he pursues her across the world, from Shanghai to London and back, until he makes one last daring attempt to corner her. But May still has a few tricks up her sleeve, tricks that just might prove she’s one tough woman to catch.

Adults like to play too--and these sophisticated games are for after the kids go to bed. Perfect for parties, clubs, and other gatherings, they’re great for breaking the ice, getting guests acquainted, and keeping everyone happy. Choose from more than 100 types, including puzzlers, mental games, active amusements, games for bachelors, and even some sedate ones. In "Vicious Circle” the host uses a rope to tie the wrists of both a man and a woman together: the goal is for the two to free themselves. Soon they’re flailing--and enjoying the start of a beautiful friendship. "Avoid that Letter” keeps conversations from getting into a rut. Or have an energetic "Book Relay,” with volumes balanced on your head. They’re all fun!

Confined by behavioural norms and professional restrictions, women in Renaissance Italy found a welcome escape in an alternative world of play. This book examines the role of games of wit in the social and cultural experience of patrician women from the early sixteenth to the early eighteenth century. Beneath the frivolous exterior of such games as occasions for idle banter, flirtation, and seduction, there often lay a lively contest for power and agency, and the opportunity for conventional women to demonstrate their intellect, to achieve a public identity, and even to model new behaviour and institutions in the non-ludic world. By tapping into the records and cultural artifacts of these games, George McClure recovers a realm of female fame that has largely escaped the notice of modern historians, and in so doing, reveals a cohort of spirited, intellectual women outside of the courts.

Do you want to have a Regency-themed Game Night and maybe find your own Mr. Tilney or Miss Bennet? Reading about the Regency is almost as fun as experiencing it! This complete guide will help with all the elements of throwing a Regency party including selected recipes, advice on wardrobe, and clear instructions on how to play the games. With this handbook, you can spend an evening just like Jane Austen playing speculation, drinking syllabub, solving conundrums, and indulging in parlor games with kissing forfeits. Including more than 30 unique games, this book is the perfect companion for Jane Austen and Regency fans!

Much of late-nineteenth-century American politics was parade and pageant. Voters crowded the polls, and their votes made a real difference on policy. In Party Games, Mark Wahlgren Summers tells the full story and admires much of the political carnival, but he adds a cautionary note about the dark recesses: vote-buying, election-rigging, blackguarding, news suppression, and violence. Summers also points out that hardball politics and third-party challenges helped make the parties more responsive. Ballyhoo did not replace government action. In order to maintain power, major parties not only rigged the system but also gave dissidents part of what they wanted. The persistence of a two-party system, Summers concludes, resulted from its adaptability, as well as its ruthlessness. Even the reform of political abuses was shaped to fit the needs of the real owners of the political system--the politicians themselves.

Do you dare open the door and enter a place like no other? In these three historical tales of sensual awakening, nothing that stimulates and titillates is taboo, ecstasy comes in many sizes, and pleasure is its own reward . . . a world of seduction and sensation, where inhibitions are unlaced and desires long corseted are gloriously freed. . . . Fallen Angel Jess Michaels London's greatest beauty and most notorious madam employs the services of a disgraced Bow Street Runner to keep her safe from a stalker . . . and satisfied after dark. Parlor Games Leda Swann An innocent virgin enters a brothel to escape starvation and receives expert tutelage in the steamy Victorian parlor games that rakish gentlemen indulge in. . . . Border Lord Julia Templeton Fleeing an unfaithful fiancé, a nubile young lovely finds herself the prisoner of a lustful Scottish laird and must bow to his every erotic whim. . . .