Showing results by narrator "Catherine Bilson" in All Categories

Jane Austen commenced writing in her adolescence and continued right up to her untimely death in 1817. Her novels are reflections of the socially constricted world in which she lived, and the plots are built around the search of one or more young women for a suitable spouse. Austen’s works are noted for the perceptive elegance of her prose and for vigor and detail of characterization. Celebrated critic F. R. Leavis considered Austen as one of the four great English novelists, along with George Eliot, Henry James, and Joseph Conrad.

In a fascinating tale of long-lost family ties, Miss Elizabeth Bennet finds herself face-to-face with her father after years of separation. The reunion sparks a whirlwind of conflicting sentiments as Elizabeth grapples with the daunting task of reconciling her past with her present. The challenges ahead loom large, requiring her to summon every ounce of strength and resilience she possesses.

Miss Marianne Ashbrook is left with little choice but to knock on Viscount Worsley’s door and demand he supports her sister’s child. After all, he is the father. She has little patience for rakes or men who leave their seed all over England without a by-your-leave. And even when his lordship allows her to care for his child under his scandalous roof, she is wary of his wicked reputation. Viscount Worsley knows the child is not his. He’s not shared a bed with a woman in months, and yet, something about Miss Ashbrook’s gumption makes him relent.

After jilting first a fortune hunter, then a lying libertine, Lady Fanny Dashwood has given up on marrying for love. This time it will be strictly business - a man who’ll agree to her terms, give her the children she craves, but will not trouble her heart. Sebastian Rutledge, Viscount Shaw, has desired Lady Fanny from afar for years. However, he is a factory owner with a new title - not nearly good enough for an earl’s daughter.

With the rest of their family gone and their home destroyed, Elizabeth and Jane are taken in by their aunt and uncle in Meryton. Concerned about the two surviving Bennet sisters' situation, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley come to Hertfordshire, but not before Mr. Wickham attempts to use the situation to his advantage.

After losing the family she loved, Miss Sophia Knightly lives a carefree and unrestricted life; her tomorrows are promised to no one. The last thing she expected was William Astor, the Duke of Wycliffe, to create the scandal of the Season by chasing after her at a ball. William is the most compelling and sensual man Sophia has ever known, but she is not interested in resuming their kisses, guileless conversations, or his promises of forever. The duke, however, has other ideas....

Lady Verity Ayles will do whatever it takes to protect herself from a vile cur, no matter how scandalous or perilous it may be. And that means aligning with James Radcliffe, the Earl of Maschelly - a scoundrel who spends his days in sin and self-indulgence, and his nights in reckless pursuits. Clearly, a man any young lady of good sense and reputation should stay away from.

This tale begins with an exchange of letters between Elizabeth Bennet and her favorite aunt, discussing the happenings in Hertfordshire as the Bennet family becomes acquainted with their new neighbors, the Bingleys and their house guest, Mr. Darcy.

Lady Miranda Cheswick is beautiful, witty, intelligent, and the family's great expectations are for her to marry a prince or a duke! A duty she intends to fulfill despite the craving in her heart to marry for love. An accident leaves her stranded at the country estate of the enigmatic and charming Dr. Astor, a man to whom she is inexplicably attracted. But Miranda's mother's devious plot will test Miranda and Simon's resolve. Is their love strong enough to triumph?

Enter a realm of the paranormal, where danger thrives and sweeping romance shapes the world. Where Dragon Kings rule, and their Fated Mates are the only ones who can unlock their hearts and tame the wild beasts within!

Captain Nathan J. Northland had no idea what to expect when he returned home to Lorehaven injured from war, but it certainly wasn't to find himself posted on an island full of vampires. An island whose local vampire dandy lord causes Nathan to feel strange things he'd never felt before. When Vlad Blutstein agreed to hire Nathan as the captain of the Eyrie Guard, he hadn't been sure what to expect either, but it certainly hadn't been to fall in love with a disabled werewolf.

Lady Susan Vernon, middle-aged and recently widowed, has retained her looks and appealing vivacity. She makes use of her bereavement and her loss of wealth by imposing herself on the hospitality of relatives, and by amusing herself in flirtation with the various men who fall under her spell. Lady Susan has a daughter, Frederica, who is bashful and innocent—in stark contrast to her unfeeling and manipulative mother. Her mother is anxious to marry Frederica off to a spouse of appropriate wealth and social standing, and also, perhaps, to capture a new mate for herself.

Lady Willow Arlington, hauntingly lovely, is also blind and known by the ton as the dowry-less daughter. Alasdair Morley, the Marquess of Westcliffe, is in need of an heiress, but Lady Willow should be the last person he craves after she was persuaded to reject his offer of marriage when he was a mere third son. Passion reignites between them, and he makes an enticing offer she cannot resist, drawing them into a dance of lust and love despite the misgivings in his heart.

Christopher Worth, the duke of Carlyle, has a carefully cultivated reputation of respectability, but he possesses a dark, lustful heart that he reins in rather well. Except, someone is out to reveal him as a wicked rogue in the tongue-in-cheek articles written about him by a notorious gossip columnist. Determined to unmask this meddler in his life, he finds his heart shockingly captivated by Miss Pippa Cavanaugh.

When Charlotte Lucas becomes the new Mrs. Bennet, taking charge of the household after her predecessor's untimely death, she guides the fates of the five Bennet sisters with a steady hand. Even Mr. Darcy can find little to criticise in the elegant family, and much to admire in the witty, clever Elizabeth. However, rumours and scandals brew when the charming but deceitful Mr. Wickham arrives in Meryton. Jealous Caroline Bingley fans the flames against the Bennets, but level-headed Charlotte manoeuvres each challenge with grace.

Lady Charlotte Hastings - already branded a hellion by polite society - is in a terrible scrape courtesy of London’s most notorious blackguard. One thing is certain: Her name cannot appear in the gossip rags...again. However, Charlie’s bold attempt to extricate herself from the fine pickle she’s in takes an unexpected turn when the devilishly handsome Maximilian, the Duke of Exmoor - the rakehell she’s secretly loved for years - comes to her aid. Only he soon realizes he’s also mired in deep trouble when an entirely inconvenient desire for Charlie sparks to life.

Far be it for a lady to desire, hatch, and execute a daring seduction of a notorious duke at a masquerade ball. But Miss Emmaline Fitzgerald, a wallflower with no decent prospect, was on such a path, and her quarry was her brother's best friend Elliot Winthrop, the Duke of Hartford.

Miss Callisto Middleton desires to see her mother happy, and that means using the right amount of mischief to encourage two lovers to see what is right before them! Unfortunately, Graham, Viscount Sherbrooke is just as determined to rescue his father from supposed scheming ladies who want to marry into his wealthy family! First, it started with a kiss, dancing under the stars….and then more kisses! Even knowing the charming rake has no serious intentions Callie finds herself unable to stop thinking about him or his kisses.

Desiring a man and never being noticed as more than his best friend’s little sister has Lady Ellie Trentbury finally consigning herself to the truth. She must move on, and preferably with a man who lives far away from her home in London, where she need never be reminded of the duke who stole her heart. An elopement with an honorable American shipping merchant sounds perfect.

Singapore 1910: Harriet Gordon has been dismissed from the job she loved and finds herself cast adrift. When her brother receives an invitation to visit a prestigious school in Kuala Lumpur, she and Julian decide to leave Singapore behind for a few days, but their pleasant visit takes a dark turn when a visitor to the school is shot dead on the front steps of the headmaster’s bungalow.