Showing results by narrator "Catherine Bilson" in All Categories

Much Ado About Nothing appears to have been written about 1599, shortly before As You Like It and Twelfth Night. The action combines two narrative threads: the spirited comedy of the courtship of Benedick and Beatrice, and the somber tale of confused love between Hero and Claudio. The first is a creation by Shakespeare and the second appears to have been drawn from an Italian source, either by Bandello or Ariosto. The action takes place in Messina. Eponymous lovers Hero and Claudio seem to be ideally matched and nearly everyone is looking forward to their impending marriage.

The plot follows the usual trajectory of a young girl falling in love and the relationship becoming compromised by unforeseen circumstances. In this case, Austen’s heroine is a naïve country girl, Catherine Morland, who has an addiction to reading the Gothic horror novels which were so popular in the Regency period. When she is invited to stay at the family seat of her love interest and discovers it to be a vast and ancient castle, her romantic imagination runs riot. What secrets lie hidden in this vast pile over which the widowed head of the house exercises an iron control?

I, Damon, the King of the Northern clan, am busy rebuilding my kingdom which fell into the pit of destruction under the rule of my father. I am determined to be a better, stronger, kinder King. But stepping out of the shadow of a tyrant is harder than I imagined.

This collection is the sweet/tame version of the Regency Brides boxed set. These stories bring you all the adventure you expect between two people falling in love, without the inclusion of any explicit scenes or harsh language. Expect dreamy happily-ever-afters, no cliff-hangers, and a series that can be enjoyed in any order.

Queen Brenna of Gyldarhagi has found peace in both her life and her kingdom. Until the gods send a cryptic message warning that her enemies are gathering once more. Who are these enemies and why are they set on taking from her that which she holds most dear?

Lady Charlotte Dunford will marry for love, or not marry at all. Finding a husband shouldn’t be difficult, not with her beauty, wealth, and spirit. She’s already caught the eye of several gentlemen, including her brother’s friend Archie, whose pious nature hides a sparkling wit and an uncanny ability to draw out her secrets. Including the biggest secret of all: her future husband must be a virgin. An impossible condition for the gentlemen of the ton...except for Archie, who can fulfill all her demands.

Kitty’s family is on the brink of financial ruin, and her hand in marriage is their most valuable asset. The spirited tomboy would rather care for her horses than tend to a husband—even if her betrothed is a dashing duke. But to save her family, Kitty accepts the dull life of a duchess, and the societal expectations that will surely crush her soul. Her handsome fiancé, with his extravagant stables and shared love of horses, takes her by surprise. And so does the attraction she feels with every whispered word and flammable touch.

She dislikes handsome and arrogant Mr Hartwell, but is he an enemy? Miss Caroline Barnes is shocked to discover she has a secret family she’s never met! Aristocratic Mr Hartwell tells her of her cousin’s lonely plight, and Caroline reluctantly agrees to visit Julia at the gothic sounding Canons Grange. Her stay in the English countryside is more intriguing than she expected, with smugglers, secrets, and the dashing but mysterious Mr Bell, as well as delightful walks and a faithful if naughty dog!

A mysterious castaway. A Scottish hero determined to protect her. Can they survive the storm?Cast adrift on the Indian Ocean, Maria carries a terrible secret. Wherever she goes, death soon follows, and she’s powerless to prevent it.

Smuggled ashore by the kind widow Merry D’Angelo, Maria begins her new life in the colonial port city of Fremantle. But no matter how settled she seems, Maria can't stop wondering about what happened to William McGregor.

Emma is a vivacious twenty-year-old, who has spent her life in the pleasant seclusion of a village community and who lives with her widowed valetudinarian father. Most of the neighbors admire and approve of her, except for George Knightley, a local landowner, who often expresses his disapproval of Emma’s highhanded and controlling tendencies, in particular her assumption of the unofficial role of matchmaker.

Lucinda Darby never dreamed that she would accidentally climb into the wrong bed during her seduction when she accepted a wicked dare! After one night of passion with Alexander, the Earl of Chisholm, Lucinda finds herself more than attracted to Alexander.

First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is the most polished of Jane Austen’s novels, with a humorous and upbeat mood. It was written at a time when the author’s narrative powers were fully developed and the story flows with an ease that conceals the skill of its construction. The plot line follows the sequence of a love relationship apprehended, misunderstood, and finally realized, which has since become a standard format of the romcom genre. However, Austen complicates the action by involving not one but four romantic relationships in the plot.

When the sorceress Marienne foretells my mate is a human, and she is in trouble, I don’t think. I fly. Fly to the human world to hunt those men who have stolen her and would sell her into Hell itself. No-one will stand between me and my mate.

Firmly regulated on the shelf as a wallflower, Miss Felicity Harrington has little hope for her future. Unwilling to remain as a lady’s companion forever, she accepted a devilish earl’s outrageous offer that she pretends to be his fiancée for a few weeks.

It’s been over two years since her fiancé, Robert, died at the battle of Waterloo, and Maggie Radley has spent almost all that time lost in a fog of grief. When she receives a letter from the war office, explaining that they have no record of Robert, she is determined to get to the truth.

Having released Egypt from Ay’s clutches, Ankhesenamun returns to Crete to retrieve Intef from the underworld. But a deal struck with a god, even a minor one like a gate guardian, cannot easily be undone. Once again, Ankhesenamun will be tested. Once again, she will have to decide just how much she’s willing to give up to achieve her aim. This is the final full-length instalment in the Amarna Age series. Blending history and fantasy, the Amarna Age series is set in 18th dynasty Egypt where the old gods have been worshipped for thousands of years and magic is a matter of belief.

Miss Frederica Williams accepted a dare to kiss Percy Devereaux Marquess of Wolverton, her guardian. That he is a disreputable rake and she is hopelessly falling in love with him makes the situation far, far worse. But perhaps Percy is hiding his feelings for his rebellious ward, and so things become complicated as she tries to turn her newly acquired wiles upon a far too experienced libertine, while Percy is determined to try and be honorable and keep himself away from the young temptress who is under his protection.

Ankhesenamun has lost everything, including her position as queen. But there is one thing that might save her yet: the Eye of Horus, a fabled artefact which is supposed to confer ultimate power on the one who wields it. If she can find it, it might help her to take back the throne and avoid war with the Hittites. But the gods don’t intend the Eye to be easily found, and they've barely even begun testing Ankhesenamun to see if she's strong enough to wield it.

Mourning Thrax’s death, Ankhesenamun tries to find peace again. But as she resumes her normal life, her world is upended by another death—this time, that of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. As Ankhesenamun tries to keep control of her throne and her country, the chief advisors tighten their own hold on power. Stripped of all authority and confined to her chambers, Ankhesenamun finally does the unthinkable—she sends a message to the Hittite king offering the throne to one of his sons.