His pursuit for justice was clear… Until he met her! Vincenzo de Santi has dedicated his whole life to redeeming his family’s crimes. So when Lucy Armstrong offers evidence about her nefarious father in exchange for her freedom, he will show no mercy. No matter how innocent she seems… Lucy must escape her father’s prison, even if that means bargaining with another powerful man. Yet for all Vincenzo proclaims to be coldhearted, his touch is red-hot. For once, Lucy isn’t afraid. However, before Vincenzo can set her free, first she must free him… From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Opera is often regarded as the pinnacle of high art. A "Western" genre with global reach, it is where music and drama come together in unique ways, supported by stellar singers and spectacular scenic effects. Yet it is also patently absurd -- why should anyone break into song on the dramatic stage? -- and shrouded in mystique. In this engaging and entertaining guide, renowned music scholar Tim Carter unravels its many layers to offer a thorough introduction to Italian opera from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. Eschewing the technical musical detail that all too often dominates writing on opera, Carter begins instead where the composers themselves did: with the text. Walking readers through the relationship between music and poetry that lies at the heart of any opera, Carter then offers explorations of five of the most enduring and emblematic Italian operas: Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea; Handel's Julius Caesar in Egypt; Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro; Verdi's Rigoletto; and Puccini's La Bohème. Shedding light on the creative collusions and collisions involved in bringing opera to the stage, the various, and varying, demands of the text and music, and the nature of its musical drama, Carter also shows how Italian opera has developed over the course of music history. Complete with synopses, cast lists, and suggested further reading for each work discussed, Understanding Italian Opera is a must-read for anyone with an interest in and love for this glorious art.

"This book is a celebration of nearly a century of images of Italians in American motion pictures and their contribution to popular culture." "Hollywood Italians covers the careers of dozens of stars including Rudolph Valentino, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, James Gandolfini, and many others. In addition, the book reviews the work of such Italian American directors as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese." "In all, Hollywood Italians discusses scores of films with a concentration on the most important, including their literary and European-cinematic roots. The book is capped by a comprehensive examination of The Godfather and its two sequels, as well as the international television phenomenon The Sopranos."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This study reviews penance within the context of the spirituality of 4th-and 5th-century Italy. By relating the attitudes toward penance and pardon in those days to the changing social position of the Christian community, this text reveals that a new understanding of penance developed as an integral part of the development of the role of the Church in leading sinners to healing and holiness.

The first full-length study of the last great era of Italian opera