Alice Raikes takes a train from London to Scotland to visit her family, but when she gets there she witnesses something so shocking that she insists on returning to London immediately. A few hours later, Alice is lying in a coma after an accident that may or may not have been a suicide attempt.

Alice's family gathers at her bedside and as they wait, argue, and remember, long-buried tensions emerge. The more they talk, the more they seem to conceal.

Alice, meanwhile, slides between varying levels of consciousness, recalling her past and a love affair that recently ended. A riveting story that skips through time and interweaves multiple points of view, After You'd Gone is a novel of stunning psychological depth, marking the debut of a major literary talent.

John and Abby Reynolds are the perfect couple—envied by their friends, cherished by their children, admired by their peers. But John and Abby know they're just pretending to be happy. In fact, they're waiting for the right time to tell the kids they're going to divorce.

At the family meeting where they plan to tell their children, their daughter Nicole shares a surprise of her own: she's getting married. How can they spoil her joy with their announcement? They can pretend a little longer—until after the wedding. But questions begin to haunt them as the date draws nearer.

What happened to the love and commitment that held them together for so long? Is it still there somewhere under all the pain and misunderstanding? And is it still possible, alone in the moonlight on an old wooden pier, to once more find . . . a time to dance?

This is the first novel in Karen Kingsbury's celebrated series about the power of commitment and the amazing faithfulness of God.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is set in the early days of the second world war, before Benito Mussolini invaded Greece. Dr Iannis practices medicine on the island of Cephalonia, accompanied by his daughter, Pelagia, to whom he imparts much of his healing art. Even when the Italians do invade, life isn’t so bad—at first anyway. The officer in command of the Italian garrison is the cultured Captain Antonio Corelli, who responds to a Nazi greeting of “Heil Hitler” with his own “Heil Puccini”, and whose most precious possession is his mandolin. It isn't long before Corelli and Pelagia are involved in a heated affair--despite her engagement to a young fisherman, Mandras, who has gone off to join Greek partisans. Love is complicated enough in wartime, even when the lovers are on the same side. And for Corelli and Pelagia, it becomes increasingly difficult to negotiate the minefield of allegiances, both personal and political, as all around them atrocities mount, former friends become enemies and the ugliness of war infects everyone it touches.

British author Louis de Bernières is well known for his forays into magical realism in such novels as The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman. Here he keeps it to a minimum, though certainly the secondary characters with whom he populates his island—the drunken priest, the strongman, the fisherman who swims with dolphins—would be at home in any of his wildly imaginative Latin American fictions. Instead, de Bernières seems interested in dissecting the nature of history as he tells his ever-darkening tale from many different perspectives. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin works on many levels, as a love story, a war story and a deconstruction of just what determines the facts that make it into the history books.

The PowerBook is a dazzling piece of twenty-first century fiction that blurs the lines between past, present, and future, using them as shifting dimensions of a multiple reality.

The story is simple yet profound. An e-writer named Ali, or sometimes Alix, offers a unique service: she will write anything to order, but there's a catch. You must enter the story as yourself and face the risk of emerging as someone else. It's an invitation to become the hero of your own life, to embrace freedom for just one night. However, every freedom has its price, and Ali soon finds that she, too, must pay.

The narrative takes readers on a journey from London to Paris, Capri, and even into Cyberspace, weaving together elements of fairy tales, contemporary myths, and popular culture. It's a tale of failed but ultimately requited love, constantly reinventing itself as it navigates through different realms and dimensions.

The Vow is an inspirational true story of a couple whose love was tested in the most unexpected way. Just two months after their marriage, Krickitt Carpenter suffered a massive head injury due to a tragic car accident, leaving her in a coma.

When Krickitt emerged from the coma, she had no memory of her husband, Kim. She recognized everyone else but him. This heartbreaking reality meant they had to start over and rebuild their relationship from the ground up.

Despite the odds, through patience, dedication, and a shared faith in Christ, Kim and Krickitt fell in love all over again. This story is a testament to the power of love and commitment, and how even in the darkest times, the human spirit can triumph.

Kim Carpenter insists, "I'm no hero. I made a vow." This book captures the essence of their journey and the incredible resilience they showed in the face of adversity.

Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act.

At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.

One of the greatest love stories of all time, this novel has fascinated generations of readers. Dumas's subtle and moving portrait of a woman in love is based on his own love affair with one of the most desirable courtesans in Paris. This is a completely new translation commissioned for the World's Classics.

A Trip to the Stars takes you on an extraordinary journey beginning in Manhattan, where ten-year-old Loren is kidnapped from his young adoptive aunt, Mala. Over the next 15 years, Loren travels to realms both real and imaginary.

Separated by a mysterious abduction orchestrated by his wealthy and eccentric great-uncle, the story unfolds with a blend of imagination, scholarship, and suspense. Nicholas Christopher weaves an epic tale of love and destiny, where the characters' lives are intricately linked in ways they cannot even begin to imagine.

In this lavishly inventive novel, Loren's journey introduces him to a world of wonder, while Mala embarks on her own adventurous path, hoping to overcome the losses that have transformed her life. Their stories remain separate yet intertwined, leading to a final miraculous chapter that will leave readers mesmerized.

Vita Nuova (1292-94) is regarded as one of Dante's most profound creations. The thirty-one poems in the first of his major writings are linked by a lyrical prose narrative celebrating and debating the subject of love.

Composed upon Dante's meeting with Beatrice and the "Lord of Love," it is a love story set to the task of confirming the "new life" inspired by this meeting.

With a critical introduction and explanatory notes, this is a new translation of a supreme work which has been read variously as biography, religious allegory, and a meditation on poetry itself.

On her twelfth birthday, Sierva Maria, the only child of a decaying noble family in an eighteenth-century South American seaport, is bitten by a rabid dog. Believed to be possessed, she is brought to a convent for observation. And into her cell stumbles Father Cayetano Delaura, who has already dreamed about a girl with hair trailing after her like a bridal train. As he tends to her with holy water and sacramental oils, Delaura feels something shocking begin to occur. He has fallen in love, and it isn't long until Sierva Maria joins him in his fevered misery. Unsettling and indelible, Of Love and Other Demons is an evocative, majestic tale of the most universal experiences known to woman and man.

Born Jalal ad-Din Mohammed Balkhi in Persia early in the thirteenth century, the poet known as Rumi expressed the deepest feelings of the heart through his poetry. This volume consists of new translations edited by Deepak Chopra to evoke the rich mood and music of Rumi's love poems.

Exalted yearning, ravishing ecstasy, and consuming desire emerge from these poems as powerfully today as they did on their creation more than 700 years ago. These poems reflect the deepest longings of the human heart as it searches for the divine. They celebrate love. Each poetic whisper is urgent, expressing the desire that penetrates human relationships and inspires intimacy with the self, silently nurturing an affinity for the Beloved.

In this volume, the translator and editor have sought to capture in English the dreams, wishes, hopes, desires, and feelings of a Persian poet who continues to amaze, bewilder, confound, and teach, one thousand years after he walked on this earth.

A powerful tale of grief, love’s enduring bonds, and secrets of the past from #1 New York Times bestselling author and master storyteller Stephen King. Four years after the sudden death of his wife, bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls “Sara Laughs,” Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway.

There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra, away from her widowed young mother, Mattie. As Mike is drawn into Mattie’s and Kyra’s struggle—and as he falls in love with both of them—he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs…now the site of ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here—and just what do they want of Mike Noonan?

Lieutenant Thomas Glahn, a hunter and ex-military man, lives alone in a hut in the forest with his faithful dog, Aesop. Upon meeting Edvarda, the daughter of a merchant in a nearby town, they are both strongly attracted to each other, but neither understands the other's love.

Written in the form of a diary, Pan explores the wild beauty of the Norwegian landscape and delves into the shadowy alcoves of the human mind. It is a lyrical and disturbing portrait of love and the dark recesses of the human psyche.

Set in the 1860s, Silk weaves a tale of Hervé Joncour, a French silkworm merchant, as he travels to Japan—a country closed to foreigners—to acquire silkworm eggs amidst an epidemic threatening France's silk trade. The journey is not only a commercial venture but also a personal odyssey, leading to an illicit and silent affair with a concubine who has "eyes that are not Oriental."

As Joncour makes his clandestine deals with a local baron, the passion between him and the concubine unfolds through subtle, clandestine messages across his visits. Alessandro Baricco's narrative, as smooth and lustrous as the silk in question, spins a story of love that is both enigmatic and intense, highlighting the complexities of connection and desire.

Ethan Quinn shares his late father's passion for the ocean, and he's determined to make the family boat-building business a success. But as well as looking out for his young brother Seth, the strong but guarded Quinn is also battling some difficult home truths.

Grace Monroe, the woman Ethan has always loved but never believed he could have, is learning that appearances can be deceptive. For beneath Ethan's still, dark waters lies a shocking past. With Grace's help, can he overcome the shadows that haunt him and finally accept who he is?

This is the second novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts' stunning Chesapeake Bay Saga, where the Quinn brothers must return to their family home on the Maryland shore, to honor their father's last request. Ethan Quinn is a waterman. He wasn’t born to the tradition but has embraced it. He’s a quiet man whose heart runs as deep as the waters he loves. And now, with his father gone, Ethan is determined to make the family boatbuilding business a success. But amidst his achievements lie the most important challenges of his life… There’s a young boy who needs him, and a woman and child he loves but never believed he could have. To shape his life around them, Ethan must face his own dark past—and accept not only who he is but what he hopes to become.

In the fall of 1948, Ernest Hemingway made his first extended visit to Italy in thirty years. His reacquaintance with Venice, a city he loved, provided the inspiration for Across the River and into the Trees, the story of Richard Cantwell, a war-ravaged American colonel stationed in Italy at the close of the Second World War, and his love for a young Italian countess.

A poignant, bittersweet homage to love that overpowers reason, to the resilience of the human spirit, and to the world-weary beauty and majesty of Venice, Across the River and into the Trees stands as Hemingway's statement of defiance in response to the great dehumanizing atrocities of the Second World War.

Solennels parmi les couples sans amour, ils dansaient, d'eux seuls préoccupés, goûtaient l'un à l'autre, soigneux, profonds, perdus. Béate d'être tenue et guidée, elle ignorait le monde, écoutait le bonheur dans ses veines, parfois s'admirant dans les hautes glaces des murs, élégante, émouvante, exceptionnelle, femme aimée, parfois reculant la tête pour mieux le voir qui lui murmurait des merveilles point toujours comprises, car elle le regardait trop, mais toujours de toute son âme approuvées, qui lui murmurait qu'ils étaient amoureux, et elle avait alors un impalpable rire tremblé, voilà, oui, c'était cela, amoureux, et il lui murmurait qu'il se mourait de baiser et bénir les longs cils recourbés, mais non pas ici, plus tard, lorsqu'ils seraient seuls, et alors elle murmurait qu'ils avaient toute la vie, et soudain elle avait peur de lui avoir déplu, trop sûre d'elle, mais non, ô bonheur, il lui souriait et contre lui la gardait et murmurait que tous les soirs ils se verraient.

Ariane devant son seigneur, son maître, son aimé Solal, tous deux entourés d'une foule de comparses : ce roman n'est rien de moins que le chef-d'œuvre de la littérature amoureuse de notre époque.

On a snowy Saturday night in 1979, after making love for the first time, high school senior Karen Ann McNeil confides the dark visions she's been suffering to her boyfriend, Richard. Only a few hours later she descends into a coma. Nine months after that, she gives birth to a daughter, Megan, her child by Richard. Karen remains comatose for the next 18 years. Richard and her circle of friends reside in an emotional purgatory throughout the next two decades, passing through careers as models, film special-effects technicians, doctors, and demolition experts before finally being reunited while working on a conspiracy-driven supernatural series. Upon Karen's reawakening, life grows as surreal as the television show. Strange, apocalyptic events begin to occur. Later, amid the world's rubble, Karen, Richard, and their friends attempt to restore their own humanity.

American Star is a gripping tale of love, ambition, and revenge set against the dazzling backdrop of Hollywood and New York. At its heart are two extraordinary lovers, Nick and Lauren, whose teenage romance was the talk of their small town—forbidden, sizzling, and unforgettable.

Separated by a tragedy that sent them into different worlds, Nick and Lauren rise to fame in the most glamorous industries. Nick becomes one of Hollywood's biggest stars, while Lauren surprises everyone with a modeling career that takes off beyond her wildest dreams.

As they navigate through a whirlwind of parties, drugs, and sex, they are haunted by a secret they share, trying to live without each other—only to find they can't. Their fates collide at the plush Los Angeles estate of a powerful music industry magnate, where a secret vendetta unfolds in a sudden, murderous heat.

American Star is a compelling story of power, sex, money, and fame, where the ambitious and lethal Hollywood wives push their way to the forefront, achieving everything their famous husbands have and more.

Twenty years ago, Claire Maloney was the willful, pampered, tomboyish daughter of the town's most respected family. Despite her privileged background, she formed an unlikely friendship with Roan Sullivan, a fierce, motherless boy who lived in a rusted-out trailer amid junked cars.

No one in Dunderry, Georgia—least of all Claire’s family—could understand the bond between these two mavericks. But Roan and Claire belonged together . . . until that dark afternoon when violence and terror overtook them, and Roan disappeared from Claire's life.

Now, two decades later, Claire is adrift, and the Maloneys are still hoping the past can be buried under the rich Southern soil. But Roan Sullivan is about to walk back into their lives...

By turns tender, sexy, heartbreaking, and exuberant, A Place to Call Home is an enthralling journey between two hearts. It's a deliciously original novel from one of the most imaginative and appealing new voices in Southern fiction.

Published to international critical and popular acclaim, this intensely romantic yet stunningly realistic novel spans three generations and the unimaginable gulf between the First World War and the present. As the young Englishman Stephen Wraysford passes through a tempestuous love affair with Isabelle Azaire in France and enters the dark, surreal world beneath the trenches of No Man's Land, Sebastian Faulks creates a world of fiction that is as tragic as A Farewell to Arms and as sensuous as The English Patient. Crafted from the ruins of war and the indestructibility of love, Birdsong is a novel that will be read and marveled at for years to come.

California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything. Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does . . . the One who will never let her go.

A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.

Son of the Morning is a captivating tale by the New York Times bestselling author, Linda Howard. This novel takes you on an extraordinary journey through time and love.

Grace St. John, a scholar specializing in ancient manuscripts, unexpectedly discovers a cache of fragile, old documents. Little does she know, these documents are the missing link to a lost Celtic treasure. As soon as she deciphers the intriguing legend of the Knights of the Templar—long fabled to hold the key to unlimited power—Grace becomes the target of a ruthless killer intent on abusing the coveted force.

To stop him, Grace must seek the help of a celebrated warrior bound by duty to uphold the Templar's secret for all eternity. But to find him—and save herself—she must travel back in time to the barren hills of 14th-century Scotland. There, she confronts Black Niall, a fierce man of dark fury and raw, unbridled desire.

Driven by a mix of fear and passion, Grace enlists this brazen knight to join her in a modern-day search for a killer. In their quest to protect a timeless secret, they uncover a love for all time—and a deadly duel of honor that risks everything they have.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is your handbook for surviving and succeeding during the exciting teen years with both your sanity and sense of humour intact. It contains invaluable lessons on the nature of friendship and love, the importance of belief in the future, and the value of respect for yourself and others.

Without feeling criticized or judged, you'll relate to and learn from the inspirational stories. Like a good friend, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul will be there for you when you need someone and cheer you up when you're down.

Rob is a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend, Laura, has just left him for the guy upstairs, and Rob is both miserable and relieved. After all, could he have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection? Rob seeks refuge in the company of the offbeat clerks at his store, who endlessly review their top five films; top five Elvis Costello songs; top five episodes of Cheers.

Rob tries dating a singer, but maybe it's just that he's always wanted to sleep with someone who has a record contract. Then he sees Laura again. And Rob begins to think that life with kids, marriage, barbecues, and soft rock CDs might not be so bad.

Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation.

Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine and subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, one of her most profound.

The Giant's House is an unusual love story about a little librarian on Cape Cod and the tallest boy in the world. This magical first novel from Elizabeth McCracken captures the essence of unexpected connections and the beauty of peculiar relationships.

Set in the year 1950, in a quaint town on Cape Cod, twenty-six-year-old librarian Peggy Cort feels like love and life have stood her up. That is, until the day James Carlson Sweatt—the "over tall" eleven-year-old boy who's the talk of the town—walks into her library and changes her life forever.

Two misfits whose lonely paths cross at the circulation desk, Peggy and James are odd candidates for friendship. Yet, they soon find their lives entwined in ways neither could have predicted. In James, Peggy discovers the one person who's ever truly understood her, and as he grows—six foot five at age twelve, then seven feet, then eight—so does her heart and their singular romance.

The Giant's House is a tender and quirky novel about learning to welcome unexpected miracles and the strength of choosing love in a world that offers no promises or guarantees.

Passion divides and unites a spirited pair of lovers in a 16th-century battle of the sexes. Witty dialogue and slapstick humor abound in this ever-popular comedy. Inexpensive, unabridged edition perfect for students.

Molly Abberwick, trustee of her late father's foundation, is furious with her new consultant, scientist-philosopher Dr. Harry Stratton Trevelyan. Harry is brilliant, sexy, and absolutely impossible. His outrageous suggestion of a scientifically inspired affair with her is positively the last straw.

Besides, Molly's got a much more serious problem; she's become the target of a stalker whose sinister pranks are swiftly escalating into violence. Only Harry, of all people, seems to comprehend the true nature of the threats against his alluring boss.

As a dangerous predator closes in on Molly, the enigmatic Dr. Harry seizes the day to reveal himself in a totally unexpected light.

Axel Heyst, a dreamer and a restless drifter, believes he can avoid suffering by cutting himself off from others. Then he becomes involved in the operation of a coal company on a remote island in the Malay Archipelago, and when it fails he turns his back on humanity once more. But his life alters when he rescues a young English girl, Lena, from Zangiacomo's Ladies' Orchestra and the evil innkeeper Schomberg, taking her to his island retreat. The affair between Heyst and Lena begins with her release, but the relationship shifts as Lena struggles to save Heyst from the detachment and isolation that have inhibited and influenced his life.

Marked by a violent and tragic conclusion, Victory is both a tale of rescue and adventure and a perceptive study of a complex relationship and of the power of love.

In Wizard's First Rule, Richard Cypher's world was turned upside down. Once a simple woods guide, Richard was forced to become the Seeker of Truth, to save the world from the vile dominance of Darken Rahl, the most viciously savage and powerful wizard the world had ever seen. He was joined on this epic quest by his beloved Kahlan, the only survivor among the Confessors, who brought a powerful but benevolent justice to the land before Rahl's evil scourge. Aided by Zedd, the last of the wizards who opposed Rahl, they were able to cast him into the underworld, saving the world from the living hell of life under Rahl.

But the veil to the underworld has been torn, and Rahl, from beyond the veil, begins to summon a sinister power more dreadful than any he has wielded before. Horrifying creatures escape through the torn veil, wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting world above.

If Rahl isn't stopped, he will free the Keeper itself, an evil entity whose power is so vast and foul that once freed, it can never again be contained.

Richard and Kahlan must face Rahl and the Keeper's terrible minions. But first, Richard must endure the ministrations of the Sisters of the Light, or die from the pain of magic that is his birthright and his curse. While Richard undertakes the arduous journey to the forbidden city of the Sisters, Kahlan must embark upon a long and dangerous mission to Aydindril, citadel of the old wizards, where she hopes to find Zedd and the help only he can lend to their desperate cause.

War, suffering, torture, and deceit lie in their paths, and nothing will save them from a destiny of violent death, unless their courage and faith are joined with luck and they find the elusive...Stone of Tears.

The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood dream. This novel gives voice to the longings of men and women everywhere-and shows us what it is to love and be loved so intensely that life is never the same again.

In a remote river town deep in the Ecuadoran jungle, Antonio José Bolívar seeks refuge in amorous novels. But as tourists and opportunists begin to make inroads into the area, the delicate balance of nature is disrupted, leading to a dangerous shift.

Translated by Peter Bush, this captivating tale explores the intersection of humanity and nature, where an elderly widower finds solace in the pages of romance novels while confronting the challenges posed by the encroaching modern world.

Neil Klugman and pretty, spirited Brenda Patimkin - he of poor Newark, she of suburban Short Hills - meet one summer and dive into an affair that is as much about social class and suspicion as it is about love.

The novella, the first book published by Philip Roth, explores issues of both class and Jewish assimilation into American culture.

Anna de la Senda is a woman whose very name is a legacy of love; her daughter, Mariela, grows up to embody all its beauty and tenderness. Anna possesses an extraordinary empathy that draws to her a marvelous collection of lovelorn souls, who form a mischievous chorus in the novel and play matchmaker between Anna and a lonely widower. Their meddling takes Anna's life in a direction she could never have imagined, one filled with magic and uncertainty.

While Anna is rediscovering passion, Mariela is encountering it for the first time. Anna wishes to protect Mariela from all worldly disappointments, but she cannot. The cadence of their daily lives is interrupted by loss, ungovernable and haunting, as Anna finds herself torn between the man who wants her badly and the daughter who needs her more.

The Unfastened Heart is a novel about the succor of true friendship and the marvel of true love.

Margaret Mary, the eldest Concannon sister, is a glass artist with an independent streak as fierce as her volatile temper. Hand-blowing glass is a difficult and exacting art, and while she may produce the delicate and the fragile, Maggie is a strong and opinionated woman, a Clare woman, with all the turbulence of that fascinating west country.

One man, Dublin gallery owner Rogan Sweeney, has seen the soul in Maggie's art, and vows to help her build a career. When he comes to Maggie's studio, her heart is inflamed by their fierce attraction—and her scarred past is slowly healed by love.

Alisa Perne is the last vampire. Beautiful and brilliant, she hunts alone, living among humans, living off humans. But someone is stalking her. Someone wants her dead.

Alisa has a choice to make - to keep a long-held promise or protect the mortal she seems to be falling for. As the story unfolds, Alisa navigates the complexities of her existence, exploring themes of love, survival, and destiny.

In a world where ancient powers clash with modern-day dilemmas, Alisa's journey is one of self-discovery and intrigue. Will she embrace her vampire heritage or succumb to the allure of human connection?

With ravishing beauty and unsettling intelligence, Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an Italian villa at the end of World War II. Hana, the exhausted nurse; the maimed thief, Caravaggio; the wary sapper, Kip: each is haunted by the riddle of the English patient, the nameless, burned man who lies in an upstairs room and whose memories of passion, betrayal, and rescue illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning.

The gold rush sparked a new American dream for those who staked their claims in the rich soil of undeveloped Indian territories. To Blaze Braddock, a beautiful, pampered daughter of a millionaire, it was a chance to flee the stifling codes of Boston society. But when Jon Hazard Black, a proud young Absarokee chief, challenged her father's land claim, Blaze was swept up in a storm of passions she had never before even imagined.

Taken hostage by the Indian warrior, Blaze Braddock surrendered to the dreams of a defiant people and found love in the arms of a man who had sworn to be her enemy.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a violent world, in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud. In this death-filled setting, the movement from love at first sight to the lovers' final union in death seems almost inevitable.

And yet, this play set in an extraordinary world has become the quintessential story of young love. In part because of its exquisite language, it is easy to respond as if it were about all young lovers.

Sophie's Choice is a poignant and deeply moving novel that intertwines the narratives of three distinct individuals. At the heart of the story is the aspiration of a young man from the South, who holds an unwavering dream of becoming a writer. This ambition is set against the backdrop of a tumultuous love affair, marked by both passion and strife, between a brilliant Jewish man and a captivating Polish woman.

The novel delves into the harrowing past of the woman, Sophie, revealing a traumatic wound that haunts her—the very wound that propels both her and Nathan, her lover, on a path towards destruction. Sophie's Choice explores themes of love, guilt, and the lasting impact of the past on the present, making it a timeless exploration of the human condition.

Pan Tadeusz is an epic tale of country life among the Polish and Lithuanian gentry during the years 1811-1812. Written by Adam Mickiewicz, it is perhaps Poland's best-known literary work and has been translated into almost every European language.

This bilingual edition features Kenneth R. Mackenzie's celebrated English translation. The plot encompasses the typical elements of a romantic, historical novel: a feud between two ancient families, a love story crossed by the feud, and a mysterious figure who dominates the action. Additionally, it includes a host of eccentric subordinate characters, humorously depicted.

To Poles of all generations, the life, the scenes, and the characters in Pan Tadeusz embody the ideals, sentiments, and way of life of the whole nation.

In the resplendence of William the Conqueror's London court, the lovely Saxon captive, Lady Nicholaa, was forced to choose a husband from the assembled Norman nobles. She chose Royce, a baron warrior whose fierce demeanor could not conceal his chivalrous and tender heart.

Resourceful, rebellious, and utterly naive, Nicholaa vowed to bend Royce to her will despite the whirlwind of feelings he aroused in her.

Ferocious in battle, seasoned in passion, Royce was surprised by the depth of his emotion whenever he caressed his charming bride.

In a climate of utmost treachery, where Saxons still intrigued against their Norman invaders, Royce and Nicholaa reveled in their precious new love... a fervent bond soon to be disrupted by the call of blood, kin, and country!

Paradise, the first book in the Second Opportunities series, is a tale of love, betrayal, and redemption. It follows the story of corporate raider Matthew Farrell, who has transformed from a poor, scruffy kid from Indiana's steel mills into a powerful figure courted by world leaders and closely watched by the media. Matthew is prepared to move in on the Bancroft empire, a legendary department store chain.

Meredith Bancroft, a cool and composed executive in her family's business, once defied her father to marry the intensely magnetic Matt Farrell, leading to a short-lived and disastrous marriage. Now, with the Bancroft firm facing a hostile takeover, Meredith must face Matt once again. As the tension between them escalates, they are haunted by memories that are both sweet and painful. Suspicion and restlessness grow, and they are left wondering if they can trust each other and seize the chance at a tender miracle that lies before them.

Jace Montgomery was a stranger in Chandler. Tall, proud, and ruggedly handsome, he would make any woman’s heart beat faster…

Even shy, sweet Nellie Grayson — Nellie, who thought only of her beautiful younger sister’s happiness. With Nellie’s tireless aid, Terel Grayson easily became the belle of Chandler, Colorado.

Yet Jace, homesick for his close-knit family in Maine, took immediately to Nellie. For the first time, Nellie was the center of attention. It was a heady, delightful feeling… almost as wonderful as the moment when Jace gave her her very first kiss.

Nellie was sure her romantic idyll would end — how long could Jace resist the lovely Terel’s charms? But with the help of an enchanting new friend, Nellie would discover that her flirtatious sister might not be the woman to win the gallant Jace Montgomery….

Orphaned after her parents were killed by Comanches, Loretta Simpson still lives in terror that the warriors will return, her fear so powerful, she is no longer able to speak a word.

Hunter of the Wolf believes that Loretta is a woman of ancient prophecy whom he must honor. But Loretta can only see him as the enemy who has kidnapped her, and she refuses to succumb to his control—or his touch.

Despite the hatred between their peoples, Loretta and Hunter gradually find their enmity changing to respect and care. In the midst of such conflict, it will take all the force of their love to find a safe haven.

From New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood, whose novels have enchanted millions of readers worldwide, comes a breathtakingly romantic novel about a mismatched young wife and husband who, despite their differences in background and temperament, fall inexorably in love. The Bride sweeps readers back to the savage beauty of medieval Scotland....

By the king's edict, Alec Kincaid, mightiest of the Scottish lairds, must take an English bride. And Jaime, the youngest daughter of Baron Jamison, is his choice. From his first glimpse of the proud and beautiful English lady, Alec felt a burning hunger stir within him. This was a woman worthy of his fearless warrior's spirit. And he aches to touch her, tame her, possess her...forever.

But with the wedding vows, Jamie pledges her own secret oath: She will never surrender her love to this Highland barbarian. He was everything her heart warned her against -- an arrogant, brooding scoundrel whose rough good looks and seductive embrace fire her blood. But when strange accidents begin to threaten Jamie's life and an old rumor that Alec killed his first wife spreads anew, something far more dangerous than desire threatens to conquer her senses.

With all the storytelling power and insight into the human heart that have made her one of the bestselling authors of our time, Julie Garwood takes readers on an unforgettable romantic journey rich in humor, suspense, and historical detail.

Outlander, a novel by Diana Gabaldon, offers an unrivaled blend of storytelling and unforgettable characters, set against a richly detailed historical backdrop. The story begins in the Scottish Highlands in 1945, where Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, is reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles and is transported back in time to 1743.

Suddenly, Claire becomes an outlander in a Scotland embroiled in war and clan raids. Amidst the dangers, her only chance of safety lies in the hands of Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. As Claire navigates this new world, she faces a torn existence between her fidelity to her husband and the compelling attraction to Jamie. This spellbinding novel weaves together adventure, passion, and history, resulting in a love story that transcends time itself.