In Ruth Ann Nordin's story The Purchased Bride: Ada Wilcox never thought her brother would answer a mail-order bride ad on her behalf. Worse, he's sold her--sight unseen--to a complete stranger. As she travels to Nebraska, she doesn't know whether to be angry with her brother or scared about the uncertain future looming before her. Pete Kelly never thought he'd marry. Then one day his brother brings him a woman to marry, and the loneliness that plagued him for years in his quiet world is finally at an end. But the gift he was given might be quickly taken away if he doesn't act in time to keep it. * * * * * Janet Syas Nitsick's story She Came by Train: She Came by Train to a desolate land in the spring of 1876. With mixed feelings, Opal Preston steps onto the platform to meet her employer, Alexander Boyer. She accepts his hand and climbs into his wagon to begin her role as the governess of his two children. As she executes her duties, she wonders how she'll cope without the finery she left behind. Soon two men are vying for her affections. Alex cannot imagine his life without her and looks for a way to convince her to stay in Nebraska. But a preacher from Virginia also is smitten with her and offers to take her back to Virginia. She Came by Train, but only her heart can determine if she'll return that way.

Mail-Order Matchmaking Newly minted Cowboy Creek sheriff Noah Burgess doesn't want a wife—despite his friends insisting that he needs one. So when they send for a big-city single mother to be his mail-order bride, he's fit to be tied. Even if vivacious Grace Longstreet might just be the only person who can see past Noah's scars…and help him heal. Grace needs a husband to keep her and her twin daughters out of her brother-in-law's grasp. And she'll do anything—including taking on her cousin's identity—to find one. But as the attraction between Grace and the lawman sparks higher, she begins hoping for a real marriage. So she needs to tell the truth…or a mail-order match that's meant to be could crumble.

The Sicilian's Marriage Arrangement by Lucy Munroe Hope Bishop is stunned when darkly sexy Sicilian tycoon Luciano di Valerio proposes marriage. Brought up by her wealthy but distant grandfather, she is used to fading into the background. But Luciano's sensual lovemaking makes her feel vibrantly alive. Hope falls in love with her husband and is blissfully happy—until she discovers that Luciano married her to fulfill his own ruthless agenda…! The Greek's Virgin Bride by Julia James As the illegitimate granddaughter of a famous Greek billionaire, Andrea Fraser was disowned at birth and grew up in poverty. Now, at the age of twenty-five, she is unexpectedly called to Greece, where shocking news awaits her—Andrea's grandfather has found her a husband! She's promised to tycoon Nikos Vassilis as part of a business deal. But Andrea has no intention of meekly accepting a marriage of convenience. Nikos may be the most sophisticated man she's ever met, but she'll be leaving him the first chance she gets…won't she?

Crown Prince Alessandro Bussoni Feraraneeds to make a purely practicalmarriage—and he's found theperfect bride!Emily Weston agrees to the prince's proposal. Butonce Alessandro's wedding ring is on her finger,it's revealed that Alessandro must provide theprincipality of Ferara with an heir.Heartbroken to find she's just a bride ofconvenience, Emily decides she must leaveFerara and Alessandro—without tellinghim she's expecting his baby….

You want a wedding that will wow your guests, but where do you begin? Carley Roney, founder of the world’s most popular wedding destination, The Knot, has compiled The Knot Ultimate Wedding Lookbook to make the entire wedding-planning experience enjoyable. More than 1,000 gorgeous color photographs give couples endless inspiration for their wedding day, and useful tips, time lines, and lists help the lovebirds flawlessly pull off every detail. Each chapter is bursting with creative and classic ideas to make the day as meaningful as it is beautiful: Stationery: Save-the-date cards do double duty when printed on coasters or delicate handkerchiefs. Ceremonies: An auspicious bird’s nest adds a beautiful and rustic touch for carrying rings at a farm wedding. Dressing Up: A retro bride goes glam with a feathered veil and pearl button–accented gloves. A casual groom and his mates add a personality pop with chocolate-brown Keds to match their wedding chinos. Cocktail Hour: For a low-key affair, mini grilled cheeses dipped in shot glasses of tomato soup satisfy. Centerpieces: Fruit slices suspended in crystal vases overflowing with Crayola-bright poppies and orchids offer a cheery setting. Cakes: White lace frosting details that match the bride’s dress and the couple’s monogram turn a pale green cake into a chic masterpiece. From classic white-on-white palettes to floral themes to fun fantasy ideas, the choices are limitless. Purple, pink, red, robin’s egg blue—find inspiration at every turn in all the colors a bride can dream of! And The Knot Ultimate Wedding Lookbook is loaded with money-saving ideas that don’t sacrifice style. Expert advice and rich images add up to a delicious visual feast and essential resource to help you create an event as special as you are as a couple.

Romania has a larger Gypsy population than most other countries but little is known about the relationship between this group and the non-Gypsy Romanians around them. This book focuses on a group of Rom Gypsies living in a village in Transylvania and explores their social life and cosmology. Because Rom Gypsies are dependent on and define themselves in relation to the surrounding non-Gypsy populations, it is important to understand their day-to-day interactions with these neighbors, primarily peasants to whom they relate through extended barter. The author comes to the conclusion that, although economically and politically marginal, Rom Gypsies are central to Romanian collective identity in that they offer desirable and repulsive counter images, incorporating the uncivilized, immoral and destructive "other". This interdependence creates tensions but it also allows for some degree of cultural and political autonomy for the Roma within Romanian society.