Lady Lydia Somerset is an earl's daughter. At the ripe age of twenty-five, she still wears the lavish gowns and dances the dainty steps of the haute ton as if she were pursuing a husband; but her goals are far more personal. Instead, she pursues her tormentors: the men who bet that taking a girl's virginity--her virginity--really can cure a brothel's plague. She has her cousins and sister to aid her, but no one can understand what it feels like to be helpless. Pugilism, England's manliest ...

Lady Agnes is a scandal thanks to her sister's marriage to a prizefighter. Or rather, she should be, but as a charitable spinster-to-be, she remains firmly invisible, even to those she loves. Always dutiful, Lady Agnes should be the toast of her family, but only if she marries well. Finding the prospect of wedding a man unpalatable, Lady Agnes cannot be the social savior of her sister. Suddenly, receiving attentions from the unpredictable and surprisingly resourceful Mr. Jack Townsend, Lad...

Love Makes Us DesperateIn 1780, the young Queen Charlotte hosts a ball for her birthday. Jane Laurent has not been to a ball because at age sixteen, she isn't ready. Raised in the country, Jane appointed herself apprentice to a midwife—a calling she wants to pursue. But the family traipses into London so Jane's older sister Emma can land herself a lord. The family celebrates when lovely Emma catches the eye of the handsome viscount Andrepont. But the night of the e...

Can London's lady champion fight for love?As London's undefeated women's boxer, Bess Abbott has the scars—both inside and out—to prove it. But when one of her boxing students, Violet, needs protection, Bess Abbott's rock hard heart cracks open. And when a handsome blacksmith comes along, giving her compliments and treating her, well, like a woman, Bess doesn't know what to do. She's on the ropes in the face of his affections.Os Worley was a child when he became an accidenta...

A brooding viscount carries the weight of his dead father's misdeeds. An unassuming young woman who knows more than she lets on. A marriage of convenience that comes to blows in the boxing ring.One morning, for reasons of his own, Lord Andrepont proposes marriage to the first eligible woman he sees: Miss Pearl Arthur, the younger sister of his good friend, the prizefighter John Arthur. She's barely said a word in his presence, but of course she'll accept: he's ever...

No one can escape destiny. But that doesn't mean they won't try.Within this fast-paced anthology of historical short stories and novelettes, each protagonist must face their own day of reckoning: a day when decisions must be made and action taken.Including a duplicitous Renaissance priest, an outraged Civil War widow, a jealous 17th century nobleman, and an ambitious '50s dress designer, ten compelling protagonists embrace or deny the darkness within to dis...

When fleeting moments reshape the worldWhat if a single conversation could execute a queen? A chance encounter could crown a king? A basket of apples could inspire an art movement?***Echoes of Small Things***presents nine captivating tales from The Paper Lantern Writers, exploring how history's most pivotal moments often spring from the smallest of seeds. From a girl's coded message changing the British occupation of India to a woman blazing new tr...

In much the same manner as Pandora, each Paper Lantern Writer takes a turn opening an old wooden chest, digging out stories spanning seven centuries. The individuals in these tales—heroes, villains, and in between—are more than people from the past. Whether they are making mayhem, waging war, or quietly holding their families together, their strength and fortitude shines on the page. From the Swinging Seventies to the Middle Ages, these characters gather, keep, and spill the secrets of the...