The prequel to NYT bestselling author Patricia Rice’s Rebellious Sons series: Christmas in Ireland, where the gifts aren’t always purchased. . . Penniless spinster Honora Hoyt has carved a safe niche in London society as her noble uncle’s hostess —until an old flame re-enters her life, threatening her hard-earned security. Evan, Lord Meath, abandoned his pampered life—and Honora—after a reckless gamble left him lame and disillusioned. Now he’s hoping to perform a good deed for once—but here’s Honora again, desirable, maddening, and in the way. It looks like he’s about to wreck his good intentions, and Honora’s too. Again. In the season of peace, can they resolve their conflicts and find the joy and love that each secretly craves? The Rebellious Sons Series in order: Prequel: The Incomparable Lord Meath Book 1: Wicked Wyckerly Book 2: Devilish Montague Book 3: Notorious Atherton Book 4: Formidable Lord Quentin

From NYT bestselling author Patricia Rice. . . “A wonderful blend of humor, pathos, adventure, and charm, this page-turner is book one in Rice’s promising Rebellious Sons series.” —Shelley Mosley, Booklist * Booklist Top Ten Romance * Nominated for the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® award!  John Fitzhugh Wyckerly has been the spare heir all his life, supporting himself with gambling and charm. The news that he’s inherited the bankrupt title of Earl of Danecroft shatters his indolent world. Even penniless, he’s always paid his debts, but now the estate’s creditors are closing in. He can fake his death and run for cover...or accept overwhelming responsibility and find a rich wife—one who will also accept his illegitimate terror of a daughter. On his way to find an heiress, he meets Abigail Merriweather, who is neither rich nor aristocratic, but she can tame The Terror and stomp cockroaches. Unfortunately, she needs a wealthy, powerful man who will fight her father’s executor and retrieve her four half-siblings. When an unexpected inheritance falls into Abby’s lap, she sets out for London to seek a lawyer. Can Fitz charm his practical Abby into trusting him to save her siblings when it’s doubtful that he can even save himself? And can Abby surrender reason and logic for the folly of love offered by a man who can have any woman he wants but insists he wants only her? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Patricia Rice’s historicals are deliciously fresh, sexy, and fun.”—Mary Jo Putney, author of Not Quite A Wife “Rice is a master storyteller …A wonderful blend of humor, pathos, adventure, and charm, this page-turner is book one in Rice’s promising Rebellious Sons series.” Shelley Mosley, Booklist —a top ten romance for 2010 “I loved it. It's a heartwarming tale that kept me smiling all the way through. Every character entertains and satisfies, from the engaging scapegrace hero who I loved more and more through the book, his wild and insecure love-child and the loving, down-to-earth heroine, right down to the devious old butler and the dyslexic assassin. It's a sweet, sexy, fun romp with so much heart. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.” Anne Gracie, author of The Winter Bride

From NYT bestselling author Patricia Rice: “a delightfully delicious, sensual gem of a read” Joan Hammond, RT Reviews 4 ½ star Top Pick The Pirate and the Princess Nora Adams is a schoolteacher and a poor seaman’s widow--until the day she inherits a fortune and is sent to London to deliver a mysterious message to a foreign princess—who looks surprisingly like Nora. Once Princess Elena receives Nora’s missive, she steals Nora’s identity and vanishes. Left to fend for herself in ill-fitting royal shoes, Nora determinedly sets out in search of the royal escapee. Nick Atherton long ago retired from his villainous life of piracy, but he’s dragged out of his role as fashionable fribble to protect the princess—rather, the impostor. Nick would far rather seduce the comely widow, but first he will have to dodge French spies and pursue misbehaving royalty. For the fate of a nation and a princess, Devil Nick takes to the high seas again, but will his illegal exploits cost him the respectable woman who finally captures his heart? The Rebellious Sons Series in order: Prequel: The Incomparable Lord Meath, a novella Book 1: Wicked Wyckerly Book 2: Devilish Montague Book 3: Notorious Atherton Book 4: Formidable Lord Quentin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joan Hammond, RT Reviews 4 ½ star Top Pick: “a delightfully delicious, sensual gem of a read”

“Intriguing protagonists, quirky secondary characters, and a surprising plot make for an endearing sequel to …The Wicked Wyckerly” – Publishers Weekly A taciturn soldier and a social butterfly —is the perfect home worth the price of a marriage of inconvenience? Blake Montague’s draconian temper and clever mind belong on the Continent, decoding French communications. Instead, as the youngest son of a baron, he’s terrorizing London ballrooms in search of a wife who will buy the commission he can’t afford. Jocelyn Carrington, after years of smiling through the pain inflicted by an uncaring family, has just inherited a fortune. Now she can buy the special home with an aviary her eccentric younger brother needs—but Blake Montague’s family owns it. They offer the house if she will marry their son and prevent him from marching off to war. Except Blake will use her dowry to buy his commission. How can Jocelyn gain the home of her dreams while keeping alive a courageous man with a bad habit of attracting trouble? Can Blake believe the beautiful Jocelyn might actually free him from his family’s manipulations? Can this wary, cynical pair open their hearts to trust in the power of love? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Rice takes her cast of characters—including the naughty French-speaking parrot, Percy—on a passionate, sensual, rib-tickling romance. A master of the nuances of humor, she brings joy, lots of love, and plenty of laughter to this fast-paced, unforgettable second Rebellious Sons story”— 4 ½ stars Top Pick, Joan Hammond, RT Reviews

He's a tradesman; she's a marchioness. They have only one thing in common....Having married once out of desperation, the Virgin Widow Lady Belden has no intention of giving up her independence... until her long-lost siblings arrive on her doorstep. By law their guardianship belongs to the power-hungry marquess of Belden, but Bell will defy law and society to keep her newly reunited family together. Formidable in trade, unlucky in love, Lord Quentin Hoyt has eyed Lady Bell from afar--not just because she possesses the family fortune, but because she's the most desirable woman he's ever met. Now that the widowed Bell is ripe for seduction, the shrewd Scotsman is prepared to negotiate the business merger of his lifetime.Who will be the victor when the imperial Lady Bell engages the clever Lord Quentin in a battle of wits over life, lust, and love?

Christmas in Ireland! Penniless spinster Honora Hoyt has carved a safe niche in London society as her noble uncle's hostess -until an old flame re-enters her life, threatening her hard-earned security. Evan, Lord Meath, abandoned his pampered life-and Honora-after a reckless gamble left him lame and disillusioned. Now he's hoping to perform a good deed for once-but here's Honora again, desirable, maddening, and in the way. It looks like he's about to wreck his good intentions, and Honora's too. Again. In the season of peace, can they resolve their conflicts and find the joy and love that each secretly craves?

"Having married once out of desperation, the Virgin Widow Lady Belden has no intention of giving up her independence... until her long-lost siblings arrive on her doorstep. By law their guardianship belongs to the power-hungry marquess of Belden, but Bell will defy law and society to keep her newly reunited family together. Formidable in trade, unlucky in love, Lord Quentin Hoyt has eyed Lady Bell from afar--not just because she possesses the family fortune, but because she's the most desirable woman he's ever met. Now that the widowed Bell is ripe for seduction, the shrewd Scotsman is prepared to negotiate the business merger of his lifetime"--From publisher description.

In World History as the History of Foundations, 3000 BCE to 1500 CE, Michael Borgolte investigates the origins and development of foundations from Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. In his survey foundations emerge not as mere legal institutions, but rather as “total social phenomena” which touch upon manifold aspects, including politics, the economy, art and religion of the cultures in which they emerged. Cross-cultural in its approach and the result of decades of research, this work represents by far the most comprehensive account of the history of foundations that has hitherto been published.