Lucy Bell burns with determination. Convinced an arrogant aristocrat is to blame for her expulsion from her beloved school, the penniless girl sets out to visit her best friend to help her undo the catastrophe. But when a storm on the road leaves her in a compromising position with a handsome gardener, she is swept away by his gruff kindness.

Lady Ludmilla Windmere is mortified. The spinster extraordinaire has fallen in love with her best friend, and that cannot be. The problem? She hasn't met him. Not once. For they have only ever corresponded by letter. When she sets out to uncover his identity, her world shatters. For Addy turns out to be none other but London's worst rake. Adrian St. Addington is perturbed. The rakehell extraordinaire is developing a marked tendre for a spinster, and that cannot be. The problem? She might be mistaking him for someone he is not. Or, what is worse, know precisely who he is.

Charles Ellsworth is a young Englishman on his triumphant Grand Tour when the dissolution of his family fortunes and his own recklessness leave him stranded and in debt. He enters service as a tutor in the household of M. Tremblay, with nothing but his wits and the kindness shown him by an elderly maid to depend on. Pretty Jeanne Martineau played ingenue roles with a traveling theatre company before the manager absconded with the receipts. Now she works as a maid for the rakish M. Tremblay to avoid starvation, but escaping his groping hands requires she don the disguise of a hideous old woman.

Gregory Dinard, a young and inexperienced duke, finds himself in need of a companion to help him navigate the intricacies of his new role. Uncertain of his abilities and unwilling to take a chance at love, he looks for a marriage of mutual benefit rather than a match of mutual affection.

Weary of his decadent life, the wicked Duke of Rochford arrives in Bath with every intent to turn over a new leaf. But when the prim, meddling, feisty headmistress of the neighboring school unleashes her outspoken opposition to Marcus’s presence, he decides to turn his new house into a gambling den, if only to vex her.

Eliza Rose is the perfect lady—accomplished in pianoforte, riding, and multiple languages—until a scandal disrupts her privileged world. The fallen Rose family has struggled to regain their standing until a fortuitous connection helps Eliza re-secure her family’s place in Society, giving her everything she believed she wanted.

When their elderly guardian dies, Faith Whitford is determined to set up house in Bath and look for respectable country gentlemen for her four sisters. She has no ambitions for mingling with the ton. What she did not expect was a new guardian, in the form of a London Beau to be appointed over them, nor that he would take any interest in their care.

Lord Farnsworth would rather rot in debtor’s prison than sell the one place that feels like home to him—his mother’s manor. That is, until he meets the woman who wants to buy it. Sally Duncan is beautiful, intelligent, and as rich as a baron—a rich baron, not a cash-strapped one like Lord Farnsworth. She’s the solution to every one of his financial problems and is bewitching to boot. All he needs to do is sell her his beloved manor and then charm her to the altar, and the manor will be his again. Simple, right?

Rose Portman, determined spinster, has a bit of a predicament. Her great aunt has challenged her to get married before Twelfth Night and promised that, if she does, Rose will inherit the perfect country cottage with the funds to maintain it. Rose has always wanted to get away from London and Society, and this could be her chance! But the catch is that Rose has to attend a holiday house party in York and find a husband among the guests. Worst of all… she must marry for love.

Julia Cummings has long been acquainted with loss - her mother, her brother, her sister, her friend, all gone too soon. But the loss that pushed her grief to the limit as a young girl was that of her best friend, Lucas Jonquil, who abandoned her without looking back. Now, eight years later, Lucas has returned to Lampton Park, and Julia has steeled herself - she will never forgive the man who broke her heart.

When Arabella Grant’s wicked aunt dies suddenly, both Arabella and her cousin Lady Isabelle cannot help but feel relieved. She’d made their lives miserable, and now Lady Issie is free to read to her heart’s content, and Bella is free from taunts about her ignoble birth. Their newfound freedom is threatened, however, when Issie’s great-aunt commands her to travel to London for a come-out Issie has never wanted. Issie, who is in poor health, is convinced she’ll drop dead like her mother did if she drops into a curtsy before the queen.

Grace Sinclair has been callously cast out of her home. And though taken in as an orphaned child by the vicar and his wife, her unsurpassed beauty makes it impossible for her to remain in the vicar’s household - with two daughters of their own about to enter Society, the vicar and his wife see Grace as nothing but competition. Thankfully, Grace’s estranged Aunt Bell has agreed to take her in to her home in London. But Grace soon learns her situation has just gotten much worse.

Diana Boyle, a wealthy young widow, has no desire to ever marry again. Particularly not to someone who merely wants her for her fortune. So when she discovers that she’s listed in a directory of rich, single women she is furious, and rightly so. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the man who published the Bachelor’s Directory, and is horrified to find he is far more attractive than his actions have led her to expect. However, Diana is unmoved by Max’s explanation that he authored the list to assist younger sons like himself who cannot afford to marry unless it’s to a woman of means.

When a dully dressed family arrive at Tremaine Towers, home of Cedric Marchmont, Earl of Tremaine, the other residents are shocked, thinking them some poor relations. The earl's family have been dubbed The Royals by his youngest sister Ophelia, for since unexpectedly becoming the family of an earl, they have been encouraged in every fashionable excess to fit their new position in society. Agatha, the countess, Charles the dandified brother, Ophelia and Queenie, the sisters, must hold themselves with new dignity, says the earl.

London, 1813. With his reputation and inheritance on the line, Lord Percy is determined to win the heart of the coveted diamond of the season. When that beautiful woman vanishes, his failure seems all but certain. Unless, that is, he can find her. Lady Grace is devastated when her best friend disappears. Society may be willing to believe the worst, but Grace knows her friend would never run off without leaving her a clue. Someone kidnapped her—but who?

It’s the flight before Christmas and Molly just got an unexpected gift: a free first-class upgrade on her plane trip home for the holidays. Bring on the complimentary cocktails! But after one too many, she spills all her secrets to the hot guy seated next to her—only to wake up mortified when her buzz has worn off. At least she never has to see Liam again ... or so she thinks. When Molly arrives at Christmas House, the festive rental home that she and her family are sharing with her sister’s fiancé and his wealthy family, she discovers that Liam is one of the new in-laws. Oops.

When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Living in a year around Christmas town has its drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It's why I like to hibernate away in my cave - I mean housekeeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits. And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest - which she was determined to win.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

After a snowstorm grounds her flight, Lucy makes a last-ditch effort to get home for Christmas using a rideshare app. She thinks she’ll be taking a road trip with a stranger...but the guy who shows up is someone she knows all too well. He’s the hookup she ghosted a few months ago, and now she’ll be stuck in a car with him for the most awkward road trip of her life.

Lady Ludmilla Windmere is mortified. The spinster extraordinaire has fallen in love with her best friend, and that cannot be. The problem? She hasn't met him. Not once. For they have only ever corresponded by letter. When she sets out to uncover his identity, her world shatters. For Addy turns out to be none other but London's worst rake. Adrian St. Addington is perturbed. The rakehell extraordinaire is developing a marked tendre for a spinster, and that cannot be. The problem? She might be mistaking him for someone he is not. Or, what is worse, know precisely who he is.

Stella Caldway lives life boldly. She worked hard to become the youngest real estate broker in the oceanside city of Baywood, Oregon. What made her different was that she was no stranger to time travel. Yeah, she had to shake her head whenever she gave it too much thought. All she had to do was look at the man she fell in love with to remind her that time travel was indeed quite real.

Phoebe Atkinson is what society might call unconventional. Instead of marrying well like other women born to wealth, she chose to be a schoolteacher. Not to mention she lives in a leaky flat in an unfashionable part of town rather than stay in her parents’ mansion. But when her most promising pupil goes missing she has only one option: beg her sister’s best friend, the powerful Duke of Ellis, for help.

Lucy Bell burns with determination. Convinced an arrogant aristocrat is to blame for her expulsion from her beloved school, the penniless girl sets out to visit her best friend to help her undo the catastrophe. But when a storm on the road leaves her in a compromising position with a handsome gardener, she is swept away by his gruff kindness.

Florence Ellsworth reluctantly lives in the shadow of her family’s notoriety. Mortified that her widower father is on the hunt for his fourth wife, she accepts an engagement to a staid clergyman in the desperate hope for propriety. But she’s unprepared when her sire’s newly hired attorney proves to be young, sincere, and handsome.

Reverend Augustus Shackleford's mission in life (aside from ensuring the collection box was suitably full every Sunday) was to secure advantageous marriages for each of his eight daughters. A tall order, given the fact that in the Reverend's opinion they didn't possess a single ladylike bone in the eight bodies they had between them. Quite where he would find a wealthy titled gentleman bottle headed enough to take any of them on remained a mystery and indeed was likely to test even his legendary resourcefulness.

Charles Ellsworth is a young Englishman on his triumphant Grand Tour when the dissolution of his family fortunes and his own recklessness leave him stranded and in debt. He enters service as a tutor in the household of M. Tremblay, with nothing but his wits and the kindness shown him by an elderly maid to depend on. Pretty Jeanne Martineau played ingenue roles with a traveling theatre company before the manager absconded with the receipts. Now she works as a maid for the rakish M. Tremblay to avoid starvation, but escaping his groping hands requires she don the disguise of a hideous old woman.

Mr. Benedict Grey is the only heir to a long-standing title, and he knows his duty: find a suitable girl, get married, secure the succession beyond himself. But if a gentleman could be called a wallflower, Benedict would fit the description perfectly. And for the past six years, he’s been out of Society more than he’s been in it. How will he find a woman to wed and bed when he can barely converse with the ladies of the ton?

To protect what little family she has left, Lady Catrin Fitzalan switches places with her cousin when King Edward orders the pious girl to wed his royal champion, a vicious knight called the King’s Raven. Rumors abound that this savage is responsible for the deaths of Lady Catrin’s father and brother. How can she allow her sweet cousin to wed a murderer?

Mrs. Lydia Lewis has given up on broken promises. Marrying her soul mate only to be attacked during his heartbreaking absence, she finds refuge as an incognito ducal housekeeper. Captain Jacob Lewis is angry and hurt. Returning from military service to discover his spouse has vanished into thin air, he begins an almost hopeless search to bring her home. Can this star-crossed pair reclaim newlywed bliss?

Ex-Australian Specialist Response Group leader, Tim “Harry” Harrigan, has been running covert ops for almost a decade. A lone wolf, he’s single-handedly taken down terrorists and national security threats, or so he thinks. He’s been in the game far too long, and when he sees a familiar threat, he knows his time is up.

Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father's death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm marketed to the elite . . . to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society when they want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend's father as a potential traitor.

In a realm of shadowed secrets within a royal family, love, betrayal, and power intertwine as they grapple with a legacy steeped in deception. Ladislav, a young man destined to become Grand Duke, finds his world irrevocably altered by truths so shocking they threaten to shatter the kingdom.

Theodor Fontane's best-known novel is published in simple language for the first time. Theodor Fontane's best-known novel is published in simple language for the first time. It largely complies with the ISO 24495-1:2023 plain language standard. We have also largely adapted it for plain language. The content is also typographically designed to be particularly reader-friendly. The book is suitable for readers with limited reading ability, English as a second language or with cognitive impairments.

A harrowing story full of romance and danger, A Lady's Escape follows along as our heroine inadvertently finds herself caught in the seedy underbelly of London crime, and is forced to help a man she can’t trust in order to have even a small chance of keeping her life. Emily Beaumont fled to London to put space between herself and her now ex-fiancé, who was caught in a compromising position with another woman. Swearing off all men entirely, she’s out for a drive to clear her head when she encounters a woman in need of help. Unfortunately, the woman in need is actually a thief and pulls ...