Exploiting Muscovy's Time of Troubles, Poland has invaded the chaotic country. Twenty-two-year-old Jacek Dąbrowski is an honorable, ferocious warrior in a company of winged hussars-an unrivaled, lethal cavalry. When his lieutenant dies in battle, Jacek is promoted to replace him, against the wishes of his superior, Mateusz, who now has more reason to eliminate him. Jacek dedicates his life to gaining the king's recognition and manor lands of his own. Consequently, he closely guards his heart, avoiding lasting romantic entanglements. Unscathed on the battlefield, undefeated in tournaments, and adored by women eager to share his bed, Jacek has never lost at anything he sets out to conquer. So when he charges toward his goals, he believes nothing stands in his way. Upon his return from battle, Jacek deviates from his ordinarily unemotional mindset and rescues enemy siblings, fifteen-year-old Oliwia and her younger brother, Filip, from their devastated Muscovite village. His act of mercy sets into motion unstoppable consequences that ripple through his well-ordered life for years to come-and causes him to irretrievably lose his heart. Oliwia has her own single-minded drive: to protect her young brother. Her determination and self-sacrifice lead her to adopt a new country, a new religion, and a new way of life. But it's not the first time the resilient beauty has had to remake herself, for she is not what she appears to be. As Jacek battles the Muscovites and Tatars threatening Poland's borders for months at a time, Oliwia is groomed for a purpose concealed from her. All the while, Mateusz's treachery and a mysterious enemy looming on the horizon threaten to destroy everything Jacek holds dear.

Originally published in 1837 in two volumes, this is the 1845 edition which combines both into one handy volume. It is the account of Norbert Landsheit, late sergeant in the York Hussars and 20th Light Dragoons, who saw service in the Peninsular War. He related his military life to the Rev. George R. Gleig, whom he met whilst an inmate at Chelsea Hospital in London, where the Gleig was rector at the time. Landsheit had an amazingly long career, and his memoir provides a fascinating insight into the experiences of a German soldier within the British Army.

Generally considered to be his masterpiece, Vanity Fair is Thackeray's resplendent social satire that exposes the greed and corruption raging in England during the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars. Subtitled "A Novel Without a Hero," it traces the changing fortunes of two unforgettable women: the scheming opportunist Becky Sharp -- one of literature's most resourceful, engaging, and amoral heroines -- and her foil, the faithful, naive Amelia Sedley. Thackeray's subversive, comic attack on the hypocrisy and "dismal roguery" of an avaricious world resonates 150 years later with implications for our own times. -- Publisher description.

William Thackeray Full name William Makepeace Thackeray. (1811 — 1863) A famous English novelist. Thackeray is famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of the English society. Vanity Fair was first published in 1848, with the subtitle A Novel without a Hero, reflecting Thackeray's interest in deconstructing his era's conventions regarding literary heroism. The story follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Emmy Sedley amid their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars.