This “entertaining mix of gothic romance and suspense is a pleasure to read” from the New York Times–bestselling author of Scandal Becomes Her (Booklist). As guardian to her two young siblings after her parents’ death, Daphne Beaumont struggles to keep the family together. But when Daphne’s brother suddenly inherits a sizable estate from a distant relative, they are able to leave London behind for a prosperous new life in Cornwall. Devoted to her charges, Daphne doesn’t believe marriage is in her future, despite her newfound wealth and striking beauty—until she meets the intriguing Charles Weston . . . A long-buried secret brings Charles to Cornwall, where he encounters the alluring Daphne while walking on the beach. When a sudden rockslide strands the two in a cave, their shared captivity is sure to invite scandal. Charles knows he must act honorably and propose to Daphne—an easy prospect for him considering he has fallen for her. The real challenge now lies in Charles winning Daphne’s heart—and showing her how wonderful love’s spell can be . . . Praise for Shirlee Busbee and Scandal Becomes Her “A delightful romance—altogether a wonderful book.” —Roberta Gellis “A scandalously delicious read that left me wanting more!” —Bertrice Small “One of the best romantic writers of our time.” —Affaire de Coeur “Busbee is back and better than ever!” —Julia Quinn

"Busbee is one of the grand dames of historical romance." --RT Book Reviews A Perilous Temptation Gillian Dashwood's wastrel husband wagered away her fortune. His scandalous murder ruined her reputation. Still, she'll do whatever it takes to protect her beloved elderly uncle from Lucian Joslyn, the cool-headed gambler whose arrival is as mysterious as his newfound fortune. Once Luc makes it clear he is certain Gillian is herself anything but innocent, she's determined to reveal the truth about him. But the simmering desire that draws them ever closer threatens those with vengeful secrets to keep. Now, trusting each other is a hazard Gillian and Luc never imagined--and a chance at enduring love is the one peril they can't resist. . . "Powerful storytelling. . .sexual tension. . .memorable characters, revenge, murder and secrets. A stand-alone, fast-paced winner. Classic Busbee!" --RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars "An engaging late eighteenth century tale due to a strong support cast. . .The storyline is action-packed as the two subplots come together nicely." --Midwest Book Reviews "One of the best romantic writers of our time." --Affaire de Coeur "Busbee is a pleasure to read." --Booklist

When two strangers--Nell Anslowe and the Earl of Wyndham--take refuge in an abandoned cottage during a summer storm, they, discovered together by Nell's family, are forced into a marriage of convenience to save both of their reputations, which leads to the unexpected. Original.

Which sort of seducer could you be? Siren? Rake? Cold Coquette? Star? Comedian? Charismatic? Or Saint? This book will show you which. Charm, persuasion, the ability to create illusions: these are some of the many dazzling gifts of the Seducer, the compelling figure who is able to manipulate, mislead and give pleasure all at once. When raised to the level of art, seduction, an indirect and subtle form of power, has toppled empires, won elections and enslaved great minds. In this beautiful, sensually designed book, Greene unearths the two sides of seduction: the characters and the process. Discover who you, or your pursuer, most resembles. Learn, too, the pitfalls of the anti-Seducer. Immerse yourself in the twenty-four manoeuvres and strategies of the seductive process, the ritual by which a seducer gains mastery over their target. Understand how to 'Choose the Right Victim', 'Appear to Be an Object of Desire' and 'Confuse Desire and Reality'. In addition, Greene provides instruction on how to identify victims by type. Each fascinating character and each cunning tactic demonstrates a fundamental truth about who we are, and the targets we've become - or hope to win over. The Art of Seduction is an indispensable primer on the essence of one of history's greatest weapons and the ultimate power trip. From the internationally bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, Mastery, and The 33 Strategies Of War.

Dead and dying women are surely an age-old narrative trope. While associations of femininity with death have become almost prototypical in literary criticism and are familiar fodder for cultural conversations, the editors of Death Becomes Her offer us an opportunity to investigate the values that underlie such associations. But from where does our tireless investment in what constitutes a feminine death, a feminine reaction to death, and death’s courting of women emerge? These essays give voice to the idea that power and victimization are not opposites, but rather are complements in an operatic fantasy of intrigue, agency, absence and presence that pervades American writing and experience. Each chapter of Death Becomes Her offers a different lens to investigate the nature of death as surely more than just an anatomical matter: The penny press obsessively covers the death of a beautiful prostitute in 1840s Chicago; a novel of seduction becomes also a narrative of autopsy; a story of haunting allows women outlets for sexual license and the polemics of desire. Overall this volume invites readers to explore the ways in which death is portrayed as both an ornamentation of femininity and an ontological reality of it: how, put simply, “death becomes her.” Essays include analyses of women’s deathbed scenes, suicides, murders, funerals, and autopsies in literature and other nineteenth-century media. As such, the chapters in Death Becomes Her show how the authorial and readerly interest in scripting and staging women’s deaths is both intricate and abiding. They tell us that death is never, of course, simply about death, and they make relevant other issues, from linguistics to politics, as they inform the literature and lives of women from the late-eighteenth to early twentieth-century America. Taken together, the pieces in Death Becomes Her allow us greater access to the surrounding culture out of which the American woman emerges, performs, lives and dies. In doing so, they offer fresh insight into the often unsettling and highly relevant role of death in feminism.

Passion and intrigue collide in a suspenseful Regency romance from the New York Times–bestselling author of Seduction Becomes Her. Reliable. Trustworthy. Dignified. A few of the characteristics supporting Marcus Sherbrook’s reputation as the perfect gentleman. Or almost perfect, as there is one significant smirch on his record: the rebellion of one Miss Isabel Dunham who, at the age of seventeen, defied Marcus’s guardianship, eloped, and fled to India. The widowed Isabel returned to England ten years ago, and has been making Marcus’s cool gray eyes flash ever since . . . not that he’d give her the satisfaction of knowing it. But when Isabel is threatened by the schemes of a blackmailer, Marcus’s attempts to protect her lead to yet another spontaneous marriage—and kindle the embers of a desire never acknowledged, but now impossible to deny . . . Praise for Shirlee Busbee and Scandal Becomes Her “A walloping good story. Don’t miss it!” —Catherine Coulter “A delightful romance—altogether a wonderful book.” —Roberta Gellis “A scandalously delicious read that left me wanting more!” —Bertrice Small “Busbee is back and better than ever!” —Julia Quinn