From the Publisher: A new mother longing to write is judged "hysterical" and confined to her bedroom where she slowly loses herself in horrific fantasy. A young girl stirred by two beings--a handsome young man and an ethereal white heron--is forced to make a choice between them. A love affair quashed by convention ignites during a sudden storm. These tales of remarkable and ordinary lives in nineteenth-century America are told throughout women's voices that call out from the kitchen hearth, the solitary room, the prison cell. Stories by Louisa May Alcott, Willa Cather, Kate Chopin, and Edith Wharton, as well as by others less familiar, reveal a universe of emotions hidden beneath parochial scenes. American writers claimed the short story as their national genre in the nineteenth century, and women writers made it the most important outlet for their particular experiences. A unique selection, with an introduction, notes, selected criticism, and a chronology of the authors' lives and times.

"Chocolate for a Woman's Soul" for the Post-MillenniumIn Scribbling Women and the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them, twenty-eight romance fiction writers reveal their real-life stories of how they met, wed and love—and are loved and supported by—their spouses and life partners. At times whimsical and laugh-out-loud funny (Jacquie D'Alessandro's "Donny & Me?", Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick's "Soul Mates for a Thousand Lifetimes"), at others poignant and bittersweet (Elf Ahearn's "A Lost Friend, A Movie Star, A Man to Love Forever"), all unfailingly inspiring (Lisa Renée Jones's "Unexpected Treasures"; Deanna Raybourn's "Once in a Blue Moon"), each essay celebrates that most powerful and sacred of human bonds: love.Happily Ever After isn't only the stuff of romance novels and fairy tales. It is every woman's birthright.All net proceeds from sales of the anthology are donated to Win (www.winnyc.org).

She’s the only one who can pull him from the darkness… As Commander of the Fae army, Aimery is used to tracking evil and putting an end to it. When one of the rare and treasured blue dragons is killed and an egg stolen, Aimery is ordered to find the murderer. He never expects it to be one of his closest friends… Kyndra is a priestess of the Dragon Order sworn to protect all dragons in the Realm of the Fae. She is sent by the high priestess to accompany Aimery and return the killer for execution. Aimery is instantly drawn to the sword-wielding priestess, but he knows he cannot have Kyndra. Her life is sworn to the dragons, to be touched by no man. Neither expects to find desire and unyielding passion in the other. Yet when they track the killer to another realm, Aimery’s life is at stake and Kyndra gives herself to him and the love she cannot deny in order to save him…

In Scribbling Women and the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them, twenty-eight romance fiction writers reveal their real-life stories of how they met, wed and love--and are loved and supported by--their spouses and life partners. At times whimsical and laugh-out-loud funny (Jacquie D'Alessandro's Donny & Me?, Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick's Soul Mates for a Thousand Lifetimes), at others poignant and bittersweet (Elf Ahearn's A Lost Friend, A Movie Star, A Man to Love Forever), all unfailingly inspiring (Lisa Renée Jones's Unexpected Treasures; Deanna Raybourn's Once in a Blue Moon), each essay celebrates that most powerful and sacred of human bonds.Love.Happily Ever After isn't only the stuff of romance novels and fairy tales. It is every woman's birthright.Contributors:Deanna RaybournMay McGoldrickJacquie D'AlessandroLisa Renée JonesJulie KennerKatharine AsheDonna GrantPatience BloomLeslie CarrollKatana CollinsSuzan ColónElf AhearnCarole BellaceraCaryn Moya BlockSonali DevCarlene Love FloresMegan FramptonLeanna Renee HieberK.M. JacksonDelilah MarvelleJen McLaughlinHeather McCollumCindy NordMary RodgersKat SimonsSara Jane StoneElisabeth StaabHope Tarr

Their love knows no borders. A loner who exudes danger, Lev Ivanski has spent his life in service to one man, someone he loves and respects. But things are changing. Rapidly. Lev and his boss have allies and friends and a new mission more important their than business, all because of the Saints. This clandestine organization needs to be taken down, and Lev has the skills to help. What he doesn’t expect is to be at the mercy of a woman who makes him crave more than he ever thought to want. Determined and dedicated, Reyna Harris is used to danger and living on the edge. An ex-CIA operative, she’s been embedded with the Saints for years, trying to take them down from the inside. When her cover is blown, she is forced to trust a man she just met, fighting their way out of one battle after another. But there’s something about Lev that Reyna knows she can trust. And love. She needs Lev – and not just to take a swipe at the Saints. Together they’re an unstoppable force. And with their friends, they just might succeed in their mission.

Two best friends torn apart by a life-altering secret. One summer to set the record straight. When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half sisters. Confused and betrayed, the girls break off all contact. Fifteen years later, when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are immediately at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to hold on to the place where she lived so many happy memories. Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house, with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision; meanwhile, each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past—and learning how to become sisters.

Widowed plantation owner Emaline McDaniels has struggled to hold on to her late husband's dreams. And with a defiance born of desperation, she'll not let anyone rip away what's left of her way of life-particularly a Yankee officer who orders his regiment to establish a winter encampment across Shapinsay's sprawling grounds.