Once he offered for her hand...

A comprehensive guide that defines the literature and the outlines the best-selling genre of all time: romance fiction. More than 2,000 romances are published annually, making it difficult for fans and the librarians who advise them to keep pace with new titles, emerging authors, and constant evolution of this dynamic genre. Fortunately, romance expert and librarian Kristin Ramsdell provides a definitive guide to this fiction genre that serves as an indispensible resource for those interested in it—including fans searching for reading material—as well as for library staff, scholars, and romance writers themselves. This title updates the last edition of Romance Fiction: A Guide to the Genre, published in 1999.While the emphasis is on newer titles, many of the important older classics are retained, keeping the focus of the book on the entire genre, instead of only those titles published during the last decade. Specific changes include new chapters on linked and continuing romances, a new section on "Chick Lit" in the Contemporary Romance chapter, an expansion of coverage on the alternative reality subset. This is THE romance genre guide to have.

He's the talk of the ton–for all the wrong reasons! Society's most outrageous–and popular!–escort Nicholas D'Arcy is renowned for his utmost discretion. So when he suddenly finds himself named and shamed by a jealous husband, he reluctantly accepts a summons to the countryside…a fate worse than death! Annorah Price-Ellis isn't what Nick is used to–innocent, feisty and decidedly uncomfortable with the spontaneous heat between them! Suddenly, London's most audacious lover is out of his depth, and in danger of revealing the real man behind the polished facade…. Rakes Who Make Husbands Jealous Only London's best lovers need apply!

Raising the stakes… As the unacknowledged son of the lecherous Lord Westleigh, John "Rhys" Rhysdale was forced to earn a crust gambling on the streets. Now he owns the most thrilling new gaming establishment in London. Witnessing polite society's debauchery and excess every night, Rhys prefers to live on its fringes, but a mysterious masked lady tempts him into the throng. Lady Celia Gale, known only as Madame Fortune, matches Rhys card for card and kiss for stolen kiss. But the stakes are raised when Rhys discovers she's from the very world he despises.…

Updated edition of the beloved classic by the Queen of Regency romance herself, Georgette Heyer, featuring a new Foreword by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James. Arabella's one little while lie has spread through the ton like wildfire... Arabella Tallant, modest daughter of a country clergyman, is on her way to her first London Season when her carriage breaks down outside the estate of the wealthy and bored Mr. Robert Beaumaris. Beau assumes she's simply another young lady throwing herself in his path, which goads the impetuous Arabella into pretending she's an heiress. Much to Arabella's dismay, rather than being brutally set-down, as she intended, Beaumaris is deeply amused. He counters by launching her into high society, which Arabella would enjoy very much if it wasn't for the fortune hunters. Arabella's unpredictable and innocent ways force Beaumaris to start helping others, including a stray dog, an unfortunate urchin, and eventually Arabella's reckless young brother. Along the way, Arabella and Beaumaris become more and more intrigued with each other—which neither will admit, of course, until under extreme duress. "Absolutely delicious tales of Regency heroes... Utter, immersive escapism."—SOPHIE KINSELLA "No one has ever matched Georgette Heyer for charm and wit." —LISA KLEYPAS "Utterly timeless charm... The dialogue sparkles with wit." —NORA ROBERTS, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Romance, adventure, side-splitting humor—no one writes like Georgette Heyer!" —LAUREN WILLIG, New York Times bestselling author

A forbidden attraction... A hidden desire!

What induced the British to adopt foreign coffee-drinking customs in the seventeenth century? Why did an entirely new social institution, the coffeehouse, emerge as the primary place for consumption of this new drink? In this lively book, Brian Cowan locates the answers to these questions in the particularly British combination of curiosity, commerce, and civil society. Cowan provides the definitive account of the origins of coffee drinking and coffeehouse society, and in so doing he reshapes our understanding of the commercial and consumer revolutions in Britain during the long Stuart century. Britain’s virtuosi, gentlemanly patrons of the arts and sciences, were profoundly interested in things strange and exotic. Cowan explores how such virtuosi spurred initial consumer interest in coffee and invented the social template for the first coffeehouses. As the coffeehouse evolved, rising to take a central role in British commercial and civil society, the virtuosi were also transformed by their own invention.

Votes for Women by Elizabeth Robins is a powerful play that delves into the suffragette movement. Set against the backdrop of societal upheaval, the play captures the passion, challenges, and determination of women fighting for their right to vote. Robins' compelling characters and poignant dialogues make this a must-watch for theater enthusiasts.