Set against the anarchy of the Civil War, this novel tells the story of the raven-haired beauty Lynora Hollingsworth, daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, an aspiring young artist who spends one wild, enchanting evening in the arms of a stranger, but plans to spend the rest of her life in a marriage that has the approval of her family. However, when her fianc rapes her, she decides to strike out on her own rather than subject herself or the child she has discovered she is carrying to this mans cruelty. Rene Michael DuClaire, gambler and notorious rake, to whom she flees for asylum, is also the handsome stranger to whom she has given her heart. When he surmises her condition and realizes he is the father, he marries her against her will. It is a stormy relationship exacerbated by the onslaught of the Civil War, a conflict over which all characters must make some tough decisions regarding their own comfort and their consciences. There are various subplots in the story. One of them deals with the rejected suitors espionage for the Union army, and reveals his sinister nature in his desire for revenge. Another has to do with an Underground Railroad system in Louisiana, and a third deals with the drama of the Civil War itself on the people it touched in the swampy city of New Orleans and surrounding area. The scenes that relate to the war have been researched and are essentially factual, including the shipyard strike, all battle scenes, and even the explosion of the powder plant in Gretna. The captains, majors, and generals were all real people involved in the war at the places described. Only the lieutenants and privates are fictional.

In 1935, a Chinese woman by the name of Shi Jianqiao murdered the notorious warlord Sun Chuanfang as he prayed in a Buddhist temple. This riveting work of history examines this well-publicized crime and the highly sensationalized trial of the killer. In a fascinating investigation of the media, political, and judicial records surrounding this cause célèbre, Eugenia Lean shows how Shi Jianqiao planned not only to avenge the death of her father, but also to attract media attention and galvanize public support. Lean traces the rise of a new sentiment—"public sympathy"—in early twentieth-century China, a sentiment that ultimately served to exonerate the assassin. The book sheds new light on the political significance of emotions, the powerful influence of sensational media, modern law in China, and the gendered nature of modernity.

Determined to prove herself to her siblings and her boss, Darlene Cunningham has made a name in the exciting, sometimes dangerous world of criminal law. When Darlene travels to Memphis in pursuit of a witness, the Maryland attorney doesn't expect to be under the surveillance of the rugged Tennessee cop who sets off sensual sparks from the moment they meet. It's a one-two punch straight to his heart when the sultry beauty walks into the house Mike Raines is staking out. He can't let Darlene compromise his investigation. And he can't let her go. His desire is tempting the detective to break a few laws of his own—like the one that says never mix business with pleasure. But how can he resist the passionate woman who has changed his life? And whose love he'll risk any danger to claim?

This is a biography of Thomas Jefferson at leisure, enjoying two of his passions--wine and travel. Twelve of the sixteen chapters cover Jefferson's five years in France where he served as our minister and traveled through France, England, Germany, Italy and Holland. "Passions" was selected by Robert M. Parker, Jr. as "1995 Wine Book of the Year," and was the winner of the 1995 "Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year" competition. It is a marvelous account of America's first wine connoisseur and gourmet.--Amazon.com.

For the sake of keeping the peace in her 19-year marriage, Vivian Carlson struggles to accept her husband's frequent infidelities. And, even though she cannot have children of her own, she draws the line at taking care of his illegitimate baby. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

In 1688, Charles Le Brun, a French academician, delivered a lecture on expression that was so popular it was published in sixty-three separate editions and influenced all discussion of the subject throughout Europe for over a century. This book reconstructs and translates the text of the lecture (badly garbled in all previous versions), explores the context in which it was conceived, delivered, received, and finally rejected, and reproduces the images that accompanied the lecture.