Patricia Rice

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 his 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?

If you were desperate--if your family's existence depended on your ability to use an uncertain magic--would you use it? What if using that power--or not--controlled the rest of your life and happiness? The death of Celeste Rochester's father on the voyage from Jamaica to London leaves her and her young siblings nearly penniless in a foreign country. Forced to battle lawyers for her inheritance and the roof over their heads, Celeste's only weapon is her mysteriously compelling voice. Having become a barrister to fight injustice, Lord Erran inexplicably incites a riot with his first impassioned speech. Barred from the courtroom, he acts as solicitor for his brother, the Marquess of Ashford. His first job for Ashford requires moving tenants from his brother's townhouse-a simple task until Erran meets the uncommon beauty living there and realizes she is under attack. Erran cannot heave Celeste's desperate family from their home, even though his blind brother needs the property. Nor can he sit back and watch unseen enemies do the job for him. Can Celeste trust him to defeat their foe? And if Erran succeeds in saving the lady with the intoxicating voice, can he bear to evict her-when she alone understands the turbulence ruining his life? "With unconventional recurring characters, passion and a bit of danger, this is a compelling read from a master of whimsy, mayhem and laughter. The second Unexpected Magic book is a magical tale of love". Reviewed by: Joan Hammond, RT Reviews

As an astrologer, Lady Azenor Dougall sadly realizes her stars are a danger to her beloved siblings and has banished herself from her Scots home. As the Malcolm family librarian, she dutifully creates zodiac charts for her often eccentric and mysterious relations-until the day she realizes a dire conjunction of planets spells a fatal threat in a distant branch of the family. Lord Theophilus Ives, heir presumptive to the Marquess of Ashford, Earl of Ives and Wystan, is a dedicated astronomer who has perfected a telescope capable of seeing beyond Saturn's moons. Living in an all-male family that distrusts the women who regularly abandon them, Theo is undaunted by the tumult of his life-until the day the luscious Lady Azenor arrives to warn them that the marquess is in danger. Can Aster, the Prophetess of Doom, convince a laughing disbeliever of peril? And what are the chances she can escape the fate her stars predict if she lingers too long in Lord Theo's enthralling company?

"Christmas 1815." Upstairs and downstairs, Holbourne Hall is abuzz with preparations for a grand ball to celebrate the year s most festive and romantic holiday. For at the top of each guest s wish list is a last chance to find true love before the New Year "" A chance meeting beneath the mistletoe, a stolen glance across the dance floor amid the sumptuous delicacies, glittering decorations, and swell of the orchestra, every duchess and debutante, lord and lackey has a hopeful heart. There s the headstrong heiress who must win back her beloved by midnight or be wed to another .the spinster whose fateful choice to relinquish love may hold one more surprise for her a widow yearning to glimpse her long-lost love for even one sweet, fleeting interlude a charming rake who finds far more than he bargained for. And many other dazzling, romantic tales in this star-studded collection that will fill your heart and spice up your holidays "

Poison, passion, pandemoniumAnastasia Devlin is a genius at organizing her eccentric family and her online clients, but she seriously doesn't have time for playing detective. Then her super-geeky teenage brother Tudor claims his hacker worm has escaped and is chewing through the Internet. This, followed by the news that the executives of a major computer company have croaked from exotic fish poison, sets Ana's danger radar pinging. Soon, Tudor is running from government agents, a trained assassin, and corporate spies. Tudor's worm might have led to murder, but Ana's landlord--the infuriatingly competent Amadeus Graham--could take the fall. Before long, Ana has four bodies, dozens of suspects, and more trouble than she can count. On top of which, the Internet is on the brink of collapse. Finally Ana gets more than a glimpse of sexy Graham, the enigmatic tycoon who holds the family's inheritance hostage. But this time, she holds the trump card and is about to secure their future--if she lives long enough. FAMILY GENIUS SERIES IN ORDER: Evil Genius, Undercover Genius, Cyber Genius, Twin Genius, Twisted Genius

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?

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? "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

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? "Rice has crafted her novel with plenty of witty, engaging characters and a healthy dose of romance. Clever Bell is a splendid protagonist, and readers will cheer her efforts to get men to take her seriously and treat her as an equal." Publishers Weekly

Complex conspiracies to the right, dastardly deaths to the left, and all Ana wants to do is save her family's inheritance. When her half-sister Patra arrives on the Maximillian mansion doorstep with the news that Patra's father was murdered and the killers are after Patra, Ana is off on another race to protect her eccentric family. Graham, the hunky spy in the attic who holds the mansion ransom, has a stake in this mystery if he wants to prevent Ana and her family from turning his high tech bat cave into Grand Central Station. While Ana unravels a tangle of gangsters and media moguls, she's also saving Patra from murderous zombie racers and preventing brother Nick from exacting justice by wrapping their coked-up lawyer in a rug and smuggling him through customs. Murder in Ana's world comes accompanied by mayhem and madness...and a sexy glimpse of the man who holds their inheritance hostage.

The Pirate and the Princess Nora Adams believes she is only a schoolteacher and a poor seaman's widow until the day she inherits a fortune, and her mother sends her to London to deliver a mysterious message to a newly arrived foreign princess--who looks much like Nora. Once Princess Elena receives Nora's missive, she steals Nora's identity and vanishes. Left adrift in unfamiliar waters wearing ill-fitting royal shoes, Nora determinedly sets out in search of the real royal. 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--or the false princess. Nick would far rather seduce the comely widow, but to do so, he must dodge French spies and pursue misbehaving royalty. For the fate of a nation, Devil Nick takes to the high seas again, but will that cost him the only woman he could ever love? Joan Hammond, RT Reviews 4 1/2 star Top Pick: "a delightfully delicious, sensual gem of a read"Rebellious Sons series in order: Prequel novella: Incomparable Lord MeathBook #1 Wicked WyckerlyBook #2 Devilish MontagueBook #3 Notorious AthertonBook #4 Formidable Lord Quentin

Duke meets shrew. Taming doesn

An Irish rogue and a duke's daughter should have nothing in common except trouble... Though enchanted by the selfless beauty of a duke's granddaughter, Michael is a man of many names but none his own and has wisely kept his distance. But two years after the disastrous fire that brought Lady Blanche Perceval into his life, he is saddled with a lost, lying Irish waif and needs a woman's understanding aid. To his dismay, the generous lady he remembers now despises him for deserting her when she needed him most. Blanche has inherited all the wealth and responsibility of a dukedom, even if it is her cousin who wears the title. Forced to rely on her men of business to help her make decisions since she has no experience or knowledge of her own, she is at constant odds with the new duke who wishes to marry her for the sake of the estate. When the irresistible and unreliable Michael O'Toole materializes in her life to enlist her care for another of the abandoned orphans he's rescued as he once did for her, Blanche doesn't know whether to kill him or kiss him. After terrorists blow up her carriage, it becomes apparent that running away might be the best choice of all, but can they survive the pitfalls of their impossible attraction? Regency Nobles series: Book #1: Genuine Article Book #2: The Marquess Book #3: English Heiress Book #4: Irish Duchess "Finally, Michael O'Toole I?ve been waiting for his story ever since I read Patricia Rice's The Marquess years ago. Michael and his delicious duke's granddaughter demonstrate why bad boys are best " Mary Jo Putney, author of No Longer a Gentleman

In this sparkling holiday collection, eight acclaimed authors unwrap the most daring of Regency delights . . . Christmastime in England--a time for passionate secrets, delicious whispers, and wicked-sweet gifts by the fire. From a spirited lady who sets out to save her rakish best friend from an unsuitable engagement, to a bold spy who gets the unexpected chance to win the woman he's always loved, to a vicar's daughter who pretends to be a saucy wench, these holiday tales will make you curl up in front of the fire for a memorable season of mischief and mistletoe . . .

Change and Conflict is part of the Irish History in Perspective series, which forms part of the Cambridge History Programme. The series comprises books for pupils and teachers which will meet the requirements of the history curriculum for Northern Ireland at key stage 3. These specially commissioned books allow pupils to understand how developments at a local, national and international level have helped to shape the economy, culture and political structure of Ireland. Change and Conflict addresses Core 2 of the Northern Ireland history curriculum: Britain, Ireland and Europe from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries.