Lady Catherine MacFarlane thought she knew who she was going to marry. A man courted her, and her cousin arranged a betrothal. But when her should-be-betrothed decides to embroil himself in scandal, Catherine is left practically at the altar. With few options available at court, Catherine wonders if she can convince her uncle, Laird MacFarlane, to allow her to return home to the Highlands.Rab MacLaren is the type of Highlander every lady at court talks about: savage and uncouth. Disinterested in women who spend their days switching gowns and gossiping, Rab is content to conduct his business with King Robert the Bruce and leave. He's not inclined to reform his rugged Highland ways and is content to be an outsider until Rab encounters Catherine, a woman he hasn't seen since childhood. Ongoing strife between the MacFarlanes and MacLarens forces Catherine and Rab to keep to the shadows. Will their romance ever see the light and have a chance to bloom?

When a simple family gathering is no longer simple… Rose Kyla, named for her grandmothers and the oldest granddaughter of the renowned Laird Liam Sinclair, assumes a visit to her great-aunt and great-uncle will be the same as always. But the merriment among the Sutherlands ends abruptly when the dashing Highlander, Blaine Keith, arrives, seeking support against the clan that has plagued the Sutherlands and Sinclairs for three generations. Unbeknownst to anyone, Rose Kyla has an ally among their common enemy. Can Rose Kyla convince her family in time to trust her judgment? Can she convince Blaine to trust her secret connection in a clan determined to destroy his? When a request for help opens the door to love… Blaine Keith, freshly off yet another battlefield, arrives amidst a family gathering of Camerons, Sutherlands, and Sinclairs when he seeks support from Laird Cameron against Clan Gunn. The strawberry-blonde beauty he meets threatens to distract him from his mission and demands from his family threaten to change the course of his life. There are no lengths Blaine won’t go to as he proves to Rose Kyla that his feelings aren’t fleeting. Can Blaine satisfy his family’s expectations while keeping the woman he loves? Can he put aside his fears for Rose Kyla and trust a friend among the enemy? Rose Kyla and Blaine find themselves falling love as they face a future of uncertainty. Family duty, feuds, and failed first impressions threaten to derail their burgeoning romance as they defend their clans and the explosive passion that erupts between them. Their enemy soon discovers this Sinclair couple is like all the others. Heaven help the person foolish enough to come between them. The Clan Sinclair Legacy is Celeste Barclay’s STEAMY spinoff from The Clan Sinclair and The Highland Ladies. This highly in demand, new series takes readers back to where Celeste began with the next generation of the Clan Sinclair. This STEAMY collection will continue to prove that in the Sinclair family, the men are strong, and the women are fierce.

Is age just a number? Magnus Mackenzie hasn’t been to Dunbeath Castle in nearly three years. Eager to see the clan he fostered with and to visit with his half-sister, Siùsan, he welcomes a trip to visit the Sinclairs. Barely escaping a doomed betrothal, Magnus intends to put the near disaster behind him. He’s unprepared for the beautiful woman he meets just beyond the castle gates. Saoirse Sinclair is not the lass he remembers. Is beauty only skin deep? Saoirse Sinclair was fond of Magnus when she was a child. He was kind and fun loving, but the man who arrives to stay with her family stirs feelings in her that he never has before. Doubtful about their age difference, Saoirse’s family is less than supportive as the couple draws closer. But when an inexplicable illness threatens to steal Magnus from her, Saoirse is determined to use her healing skills to protect the man she loves and the future they plan together. Can this unlikely couple prove everyone wrong? Clan rivalry and failed alliances threaten to end their relationship when it’s barely begun. Determined to create a long life together, Magnus and Saoirse battle her family’s skepticism and an outside force that’s determined to prevent another Sinclair-Mackenzie bond. If you love scorching romance that will sweep you away to the medieval Scottish Highlands, you’ll love Celeste Barclay’s newest installment to The Clan Sinclair Legacy. Highland Jewel is the third installment in Celeste Barclay’s STEAMY spinoff from The Clan Sinclair and The Highland Ladies. This highly in demand new series takes readers back to where Celeste began with the next generation in The Clan Sinclair Legacy. This STEAMY collection will continue to prove that in the Sinclair family, the men are strong, and the women are fierce.

A gentle giant during peace, a bear on the battlefield… Blake Sinclair is fresh from the battlefield having fought alongside his father, Magnus, and his uncles and cousins. Sent to accompany Sir Andrew of Moray back to Stirling, Blake intends to avail himself of the various entertainments the town offers. But he finds the royal court, absent its exiled king, is far less hospitable to Highlanders than it ever was. Forced to navigate the uncharted waters of royal politics, Blake soon finds himself in over his head. A lady at court, a warrior at heart… Cerys Kerr is making the best of being relegated to serving as a lady-in-waiting to an absent queen exiled in France. Underestimated by the men swarming throughout Stirling Castle, Cerys is both observant and shrewd. When she meets the towering Highlander amidst courtly intrigue, Cerys realizes more than familial ties by marriage bind them as they work together to uncover subterfuge at the highest level. A couple underestimated, soulmates determined to win… Blake and Cerys become embroiled in a plot that could destroy the hard-fought Scottish independence. They must trust one another to escape Stirling with their heads still attached to their necks and help protect the freedom Blake’s family spent two generations fighting for. If you love sizzling romance that will sweep you away to the medieval Scottish Highlands, you’ll love Celeste Barclay’s newest installment to The Clan Sinclair Legacy. Highland Bear is the second installment in Celeste Barclay’s STEAMY spinoff from The Clan Sinclair and The Highland Ladies. This highly in demand new series takes readers back to where Celeste began with the next generation in The Clan Sinclair Legacy. This STEAMY collection will continue to prove that in the Sinclair family, the men are strong, and the women are fierce.

A lonely woman with far too many secrets… Greer Gunn feared for her life every day that she breathed the same air as her father. An unwanted reminder that he had no heir, Greer employed her greatest defense. She looked and learned, tucking away her clan’s secrets that she used silently to defend her people against her father’s inept leadership and to keep their enemies at bay. When her father’s death leaves her adrift among a clan that no longer wants her, Greer turns to her longtime friend for shelter. But it’s her friend’s brother who plagues her every waking and dreaming moment. Can Greer put aside the secrets she shares with him and find happiness with a man who was once her adversary? A man locked in his memories… Thormud Sinclair, future heir to the almighty Clan Sinclair, finds himself once more entangled with the beautiful but elusive Greer Gunn. Their past is one no one knows about, and one they both wish to forget. But that’s impossible when it was Greer’s uncle who slayed Thor’s best friend the first time they rode out to battle. Events surrounding that fateful day continue to divide them while ghosts from their pasts push them together now. A decade after losing his friend, Thor stands to lose even more to Clan Gunn. His heart. Can Thor put aside the memories he shares with her and discover whether fate truly had something else in store for them? A threat and questionable honor… When some secrets just won’t remain buried, a threat to Greer’s life leaves this pair with little choice but to get along. Events beyond their control call Thor’s honor and loyalty into question. While being forced together might turn these enemies to lovers, will the encroaching danger allow these tortured souls to find peace? The Clan Sinclair Legacy is Celeste Barclay’s STEAMY spinoff from The Clan Sinclair and The Highland Ladies. This highly in demand new series takes readers back to where Celeste began with the next generation of the Clan Sinclair. This STEAMY collection will continue to prove that in the Sinclair family, the men are strong, and the women are fierce.

The focus of this study is court literature in early sixteenth-century England and Scotland. The author examines courtly poetry and drama in the context of a complex system of entertainment, education, self-fashioning, dissimulation, propaganda and patronage. He places selected works under close critical scrutiny to explore the symbiotic relationship that existed between court literature and important socio-political, economic and national contexts of the period 1500 to 1540. The first two chapters discuss the pervasive influence of patronage upon court literature through an analysis of the panegyric verse that surrounded the coronation of Henry VIII. The rhetorical strategies adopted by courtiers within their literary works, however, differed, depending on whether the writer was, at the time of writing the verse or drama, excluded or included from the environs of the court. The different, often elaborate rhetorical strategies are, through close readings of selected verse, delineated and discussed in chapter three on David Lyndsay and chapter four on Thomas Wyatt and Thomas Elyot.

The story of Ben & Jerry’s and its controversial acquisition by Unilever, based on interviews with insiders and “rich in details” (Kirkus Reviews). Ben & Jerry’s has always been committed to an insanely ambitious three-part mission: making the world’s best ice cream, supporting progressive causes, and sharing the company’s success with all stakeholders: employees, suppliers, distributors, customers, cows, everybody. But it hasn’t been easy. This is the first book to tell the full, inside story of the inspiring rise, tragic mistakes, devastating fall, determined recovery, and ongoing renewal of one of the most iconic mission-driven companies in the world. No previous book has focused so intently on the challenges presented by staying true to that mission. No other book has explained how the company came to be sold to corporate giant Unilever or how that relationship evolved to allow Ben & Jerry’s to pursue its mission on a much larger stage. Journalist Brad Edmondson tells the story with an eye for details, dramatic moments, and memorable characters. He interviewed dozens of key figures, particularly Jeff Furman, who helped Ben and Jerry write their first business plan in 1978 and became chairman of the board in 2010. It’s a funny, sad, surprising, and ultimately hopeful story.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

From legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting story about “an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred” (The Washington Post) and bringing the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine together—a “joyful, uplifting” (Entertainment Weekly) tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences, “the sign of a master elevating his own legendary game yet again” (USA TODAY). Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis. In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face—including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others. “Written in masterly Stephen King’s signature translucent…this uncharacteristically glimmering fairy tale calls unabashedly for us to rise above our differences” (Booklist, starred review). Elevation is an antidote to our divisive culture, an “elegant whisper of a story” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), “perfect for any fan of small towns, magic, and the joys and challenges of doing the right thing” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

How does society deal with a serial killer in its midst? What if the murderer is a Catholic priest living among native villagers in colonial Peru? In The Chankas and the Priest, Sabine Hyland chronicles the horrifying story of Father Juan Bautista de Albadán, a Spanish priest to the Chanka people of Pampachiri in Peru from 1601 to 1611. During his reign of terror over his Andean parish, Albadán was guilty of murder, sexual abuse, sadistic torture, and theft from his parishioners, amassing a personal fortune at their expense. For ten years, he escaped punishment for these crimes by deceiving and outwitting his superiors in the colonial government and church administration. Drawing on a remarkable collection of documents found in archives in the Americas and Europe, including a rare cache of Albadán’s candid family letters, Hyland reveals what life was like for the Chankas under this corrupt and brutal priest, and how his actions sparked the instability that would characterize Chanka political and social history for the next 123 years. Through this tale, she vividly portrays the colonial church and state of Peru as well as the history of Chanka ethnicity, the nature of Spanish colonialism, and the changing nature of Chanka politics and kinship from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century.