Showing results by narrator "Catherine Bilson" in All Categories

Abandoned by her mother and ignored by her father, it is hardly any wonder young Elizabeth Bennet’s curiosity soon brings about trouble and marriage to a man she does not love. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s family - save for his cousin Mr. Darcy - despises her, and life is not what she dreamed of. As she matures and grows from an impetuous girl into a woman, Elizabeth’s most reliable source of friendship and comfort becomes Mr. Darcy. When tragedy strikes, leaving her a widow, she is free to discover who has been in her heart all along.

Darcy is aware that Miss Elizabeth Bennet doesn’t care for him, which suits him perfectly. After all, he has no intention of courting the aggravating country miss. Even so, he must see her often and they develop a tentative friendship. Both make it clear to each other that it is friendship, not love. As those around them seek their help for their romantic relationships, Darcy and Elizabeth are steadfast in avoiding romantic involvement with each other. Or are they?

Widowed at a young age, Fitzwilliam Darcy has no reason to think he'll ever find the love his first marriage lacked. Instead, he dedicates himself to his roles as father and co-guardian, determined to excel at both. But when love finally finds him, will he be too mired by the strife of the past to recognize it?

It is 1817 and Elizabeth Darcy is mistress of Pemberley, adored by her husband and splendidly happy. She does not know what adversity awaits her family: mistrust, scandal, tragedy, and a secret that must be kept at all costs. Almost 200 years later, Evie Martin does not even know that she is descended from the Darcys of Pemberley when their history disrupts her life. Who is Charlie Hayward, the charming, cynical private detective and why has he contrived to meet her? What are the elusive "Elizabeth Papers", and why did Elizabeth Darcy herself want them destroyed?

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.

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.

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.

As a 12-year-old girl, Elizabeth Bennet witnesses a traumatic experience that shapes how she views men. She learns the hard way that a handsome face can mask cruelty and depravity. This experience forever alters her relationships with her sisters, her parents, and her friends. How will a changed Elizabeth Bennet react to Fitzwilliam Darcy's insults at the Meryton Assembly?

From New York Times best-selling author Joanne Wadsworth comes the first three books in the Regency Brides series. Includes number one best-selling The Duke’s Bride, The Earl’s Bride, and The Wartime Bride. Expect passionate happily ever afters, no cliff-hangers, and a series that can be enjoyed in any order. It’s time to travel to Regency England where there are dashing dukes and loyal ladies.

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.

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!

A Pride and Prejudice What If...? story. What if...Mr Collins had been even more despicable than in Jane Austen's original tale? Would such an infamous relation destroy Elizabeth and Darcy's chance of happiness forever, or would his actions set in motion an entirely different sequence of events?

Persuasion was the last novel completed by Jane Austen and was first published posthumously in December, 1817. The story represents an interesting configuration of Austen’s characteristic narrative patterns. The heroine, Anne Eliot, is something of an old maid—she is twenty-seven years old, still single and is considered by family and friends to have lost her youthful beauty. Several years earlier, her engagement to Captain Frederick Wentworth had been broken off, due to the insistence of her family that the Captain lacked the wealth and status needed for a suitable husband.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Arriving from America to claim the earldom he never expected to inherit, Thomas Havers finds himself responsible for not only a huge estate full of servants and tenants, but also several female relatives. A countess to help him negotiate the unfamiliar intricacies of his new position is essential and sooner, rather than later. But how is he to choose? The beautiful Lady Louisa is born and bred for the role, but Thomas finds his heart pulling him in another direction entirely.

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.

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.