The Suitor Short Story

Mary Balogh’s charming and warm-hearted eBook original short story is a testament to the steadfast devotion of true love, as a young miss on the marriage mart cleverly plots to claim her one and only. If circumstances were different, Philippa Dean would be happy to fall in love with Viscount Darleigh. He is certainly the perfect gentleman and everything her parents want: titled, handsome, respectable. His blindness only reinforces his quiet power and strength. But Philippa does not love him. Her heart is already taken and there is only one thing she can do: Thwart the matchmaking plans. Julian Crabbe is desperate to rescue the woman he fell in love with two years ago. Then, he was a reckless cub, justly earning Philippa’s parents’ scorn. Now, he is every inch a respectable suitor and determined to prove it before it is too late. Intrude on the viscount’s house party? Gladly. Interrupt the match of the season? Happily. For nothing can stop the power of a love that will not be denied. Includes a preview of Mary Balogh’s delicious new novel, The Arrangement! Praise for The Proposal “This is Mary Balogh at her riveting best. Everyone loves a wounded hero, and Balogh introduces us to an unforgettable one who discovers the healing power of love.”—Debbie Macomber “[Mary Balogh] writes with wit and wisdom. . . . The Proposal is both moving and entertaining and the beginning of what promises to be an outstanding series.”—Romance Reviews Today “A historical romance of unusual thoughtfulness and depth.”—Publishers Weekly

Lady Augusta Worth, eldest daughter of the Duke of Faraday, will not settle for anything less than love. When she arrives in London late in the Season, she has high hopes of making a match. She has already attracted a long list of potential suitors, all of whom have noteworthy prospects. To help in making the difficult decision, she invites them all to a Country House party just after the Season's end. But before any future husband of Lady Augusta's can approach her for her hand, he must also gain the approval of her family. And that may prove to be more difficult than expected, as one by one, whether self-implicated, aided by another, or by sheer circumstance, each of her suitors discredit themselves. It will take a true Gentleman of Worth to capture Lady Augusta's heart.

When Cornelia Greystock received a proposal from Sir James Hawkston, she couldn’t bear it. It had been inspired, she knew, from pity and remorse—not love. Unable to face him afterward, she leaped at an offer of employment from the Countess, Lady Du’Breven. Serving as her companion, Cornelia struggles to adjust to the change in her social status, but the hard work distracts her from her broken heart. That is, until the Countess decides to hold a summer house party at her family estate and invites Sir James. Sir James has never recovered from his disappointment when Miss Greystock refused his proposal and then fled. When he grudgingly accepts an invitation to Lady Du’Breven’s house party, however, he is astounded to find Miss Greystock there. One thing is certain—this time he’ll court her the way he always should have. He is almost certain she returns his feelings, but he must tread carefully. If she refuses his proposal a second time, it would not be gentlemanly to ask a third. As time grows short and she continues to hold him at arms-length, will he find a way to at last win her hand?

Suitors are Scarce in Lagos is a collection of ten short fiction which captures the myriad experiences of women, men, and young adults in one of the busiest cities in West Africa - Lagos. "Who is Sane in Lagos?" takes the reader through a typical day on the road in Lagos. In "A Bullet from Nowhere," a newly-wed bride relocates from the countryside to Lagos to live with her husband, but falls into unintentional prostitution. In "Caged Bird," a Boko Haram escapee couple arrives Lagos only to be sucked into the fast pace of Lagos life. In the title story, a suitor-seeking woman discovers that suitors are scarce in Lagos in spite of the teeming male population of the city. Similarly, all the other stories build themselves around the geographical fabric of Lagos. The collection interrogates the features of Lagos. It probes into the demographics that make up the city, including its people, its glamour and color, and its raw dogged determination to succeed no matter the odds. The stories excoriate the peculiar vices of Lagos. In addition to its variegated thematic elements, the collection employs simple language, humor, and sarcasm to reveal that it is not only suitors that are scarce in Lagos, but other human aspirations and desires also. Suitors are Scarce in Lagos has the potential to become a tour de force on the bourgeoning Lagos genre.

Lady Cassiopeia Anderby’s spendthrift stepbrother plans to sell her on the London marriage mart to the highest bidder. He holds a threat over her to assure her compliance. When Cassie meets Richard Hawke, a self-made man with a disastrous past, she realizes he is not a gentleman but an adventurer. Still, he promises her the best possible future she is likely to have. Can she trust him? Regency Romance by Charlotte Louise Dolan; originally published by Signet

Divya’s day started out rough. She almost missed the bus and had a rough ride to school. Divya knew that her rough day was nothing compared to what Bus Driver McCool was going through. He never forgot Divya or drove like a race car driver. Something was up. Determined to find out answers and help, Divya follows Bus Driver McCool. What she finds out is not at all what she thought. These mysteries are perfect for your early fluent reader. With longer sentences and fewer illustrations, these are suited to keep readers guessing as they solve for clues. • Underlying issues related to friends, family, and growing up • Keeps kids guessing with false clues • Extensive back matter

Now a Bride is what fans of New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh’s Mistress series have been clamoring for: more passion and more drama featuring the Dudley siblings. In anticipation of the enticing third book in the Mistress trilogy, The Secret Mistress, here are never-before-published scenes from More than a Mistress and No Man’s Mistress—plus Mary Balogh’s new epilogue for the series. • JOCELYN AND JANE: Three new scenes—“The Proposal,” “The Wedding,” and “Return to Acton Park”—spark more fiery passion from charmingly arrogant Jocelyn and spirited Jane. • FERDINAND AND VIOLA: Two unpublished scenes—“The Wedding” and “Home to Pinewood Manor”—prove once again that this unlikely but perfect couple is made for each other. • THE REUNION: FIVE YEARS LATER: Enjoy a brand-new chapter that reunites readers with all three Dudley couples and their children and answers every fan’s biggest question: What happened after the last page was turned? NEW: The enchanting prequel to the Mistress series! Readers got to know madcap Angeline and straitlaced Edward through the romantic adventures of the Dudley brothers. But Angeline and Edward have their own story of passion to tell in The Secret Mistress. BONUS: This eBook includes an excerpt from Mary Balogh's The Secret Mistress.

Sophia has three suitors vying for her hand, but the scandal behind her birth could ruin her reputation and her chance at love.Sophia never expected to grow out of her awkwardness and be nicknamed society's darling Golden-locks during her first London Season. Now, three of the most eligible men of the ton are invited to her house party in hopes of securing a most advantageous match. Shortly before they arrive, Sophia stumbles upon her birth record and an alarming discrepancy. She is determined to discover the identity of her real mother at all costs. Can she choose someone to marry before her secret is out, and her reputation is ruined forever?Terrance is a second son of an Earl with no great inheritance and no abundance of charm. When pitted against his brother and his best friend as a suitor for Sophia's hand, Terrance isn't even going to pretend to be a contestant. Again and again, fate throws Terrance into Sophia's path until Terrance realizes two things: Sophia is hiding something and, despite his stubborn nature, he is most definitely in love with her. If he chooses to fight for her, he'll risk losing the brotherhood he's relied on all his life.

From ensorcelled princesses to a frog that speaks, an enchanting collection of fairy tales from the Newbery Medal–winning author. The last mortal kingdom before the unmeasured sweep of Faerieland begins has at best held an uneasy truce with its unpredictable neighbor. There is nothing to show a boundary, at least on the mortal side of it; and if any ordinary human creature ever saw a faerie—or at any rate recognized one—it was never mentioned; but the existence of the boundary and of faeries beyond it is never in doubt either. So begins “The Stolen Princess,” the first story of this collection, about the meeting between the human princess Linadel and the faerie prince Donathor. “The Princess and the Frog” concerns Rana and her unexpected alliance with a small, green, flipper-footed denizen of a pond in the palace gardens. “The Hunting of the Hind” tells of a princess who has bewitched her beloved brother, hoping to beg some magic of cure, for her brother is dying, and the last tale is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses in which an old soldier discovers, with a little help from a lavender-eyed witch, the surprising truth about where the princesses dance their shoes to tatters every night.

"A literary titan of his time, one of the most innovative novelists in contemporary Latin American letters." -The Washington Post The most distinctive thing about the Gamal sisters is that they are, essentially, indistinguishable (except for a modest mole). The twin spinsters spend their time trying to mask any perceptible differences they have while working hard at their thriving tailoring business in a small town in rural northern Mexico. When? Thirty years ago? Fifty years ago? Who can say-the world seems not to intrude on Ocampo very much. Gloria and Constitution take an almost perverse delight in confusing people about which one is which. But then a suitor enters the picture, and one of the sisters decides that she doesn't want to live a life without romance and all the good things that come with it. The ensuing competition between the sisters brings their relationship to the breaking point until they come up with an ingenious solution that carries this buoyant farce to its tender and even liberating conclusion. Suffused with the tension between our desire for union and our desire for independence, Daniel Sada's One Out of Two is a giddy and comic fable by one of the giants of contemporary Latin American literature.