In 1774, Josiah Wedgwood, master craftsman possessed with a burning scientific vision, embarks upon the thousand piece Frog Service for Catherine the Great. Josiah's nephew Tom journeys to America to buy clay from the Cherokee for this exquisite china. Tom is caught up in the American rebellion, and falls for a Cherokee woman who will come to play a crucial role in Josiah's late, great creation: the Portland Vase. As the family fortune is made, and Josiah's entrepreneurial brilliance creates an empire that will endure for generations, it is his daughter Sukey, future mother of Charles Darwin, who bears clear-eyed witness. A novel of epic scope, rich in warmth, intellect and humanity, The Potter's Hand explores the lives and loves of one of Britain's greatest families, whose travails are both ordinary - births, deaths, marriages, opium addiction, depression - and utterly extraordinary.

On Christmas Eve seventeen years ago, Morgan Winter was traumatized by the discovery of her parents' brutally murdered bodies in a Brooklyn basement. When shocking new evidence overturns the killer's conviction, Morgan is forced to face the horrifying realization that the real killer is still out there.Trapped between past nightmares and present danger, she hires Pete Montgomery, the former NYPD detective who once promised the helpless young Morgan that he'd find her parents' killer. With nothing more than an old case file and crime scene photos, Monty enlists the specialized skills of his son, Lane, a photojournalist who performs covert image analysis for the CIA. In a cruel twist of fate, they expose the devastating secrets of the dark past, only to discover that while the dead may be buried, danger lives on . . .

One touch can change everything...Hitman Dmitri Lisko is determined to avenge his father. Once he takes out the man he believes is responsible for his family's tragedies, he's done killing for good. But a mysterious woman may tempt Dmitri to change his plan.Sonya Truss was murdered in a Ukrainian village in 1968. Now she's reappeared in San Francisco as a rusalka--the ghost of a wronged woman. And she's thirsty for the blood of her killer. But she has to make things right before she's trapped between worlds forever.Sonya's enigmatic siren powers stir Dmitri's long-buried chivalry, and he finds himself compelled to help her. He also can't resist giving her a taste of the pleasures she never experienced while she was alive. Soon they discover that touch has surprising consequences. Yet when their shared mission comes to cross-purposes, they must choose between deadly sacrifice--or surrendering to the one act that can save them both.60,000 Words

Lainie Smith Morris is perfectly content with her life in New York City: she has four children, a handsome surgeon husband, and good friends. This life she has built is shattered, however, when her husband Charles announces he has accepted a job in Elliot, New Jersey, and that the family must relocate. Lainie is forced to give up the things she knows and loves.Though Charles easily adapts to the intricacies of suburban life, even thriving in it, Lainie finds herself increasingly troubled and bored by her new limited responsibilities, and she remains desperate for the inspiration, comfort, and safety of the city she called home. She is hopelessly lost—until, serendipitously, she reconnects with an old friend/rival turned current Elliot resident, Jess. Pleased to demonstrate her social superiority to Lainie, Jess helps her find a footing, even encouraging Lainie to develop as an artist; but what looks like friendship is quickly supplanted by a betrayal with...

When the Venezuelan freelance terrorist Arsenio Cruz broke out of prison he made straight for Barcelona. Once there, he was struck by photographs that paparazzi had snatched of the Princess of Wales, currently holidaying off Spain on the yacht Mirabelle. Indisputably worthy of his nickname 'El Asesino' (The Assassin), Arsenio nevertheless decided to kidnap rather than kill the Princess, spurred on by the thought of the biggest ransom ever demanded. However, in order for his plan to succeed he would have to go head to head with Major Zaki Fernandez of the elite Special Boat Service, the very man who had put him behind bars all those years ago. Marine F SBS: Royal Target sees the legendary SBS tested to their very limits as they race against the clock to thwart one of the most audacious kidnappings of the 20th century. ...

Regency London…Brendan Townsend is a young man who is very loyal to his friends. So when Tony—his best friend, occasional lover, and a complete screw-up—comes to him in trouble, Brendan is determined to help. Tony is being blackmailed by the owner of a “molly house”, the private club that Tony—and other like-minded gentlemen—frequent in order to indulge their entertainment needs.Brendan is disappointed in his friend, but goes to seek the help of his older brother’s military commander. Philip Carlisle is a gentleman to Society, and also a man Brendan’s brother trusted completely and told his younger brother to seek out if he ever was in trouble. Philip is a 40-year-old widower, and finds himself charmed, for the first time, by an attractive young man. Brendan is likewise besotted with hero-worship, especially when Philip turns the tables on the blackmailer and saves the day for many of Society’s closeted sons.What...

In the game of espionage, love is a weakness... When Viscount Margrave joined the Regent's Consul, an elite group of spies formed during the Napoleonic Wars, he did so with the understanding he would never marry. Danger lurks around every corner in the world of intrigue, and vulnerability quickly becomes a nail in one's coffin. Unfortunately, the most alluring debutante of the Season has set her cap for him, and resisting the desire to make her his own is sweet torture. In the game of courtship, love is the prize... ​One magical kiss from her uncle's handsome godson under the mistletoe convinced Sophia Darlington of what she suspected all along. Lord Margrave is her soulmate. Persuading the stubborn viscount, however, is an exercise in frustration. One moment he encourages her to find a more suitable husband, then he frightens away would-be suitors with his dark glowers and menacing presence. The man is impossible, but she...

With a New Afterword As a prizewinning foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Geraldine Brooks spent six years covering the Middle East through wars, insurrections, and the volcanic upheaval of resurgent fundamentalism. Yet for her, headline events were only the backdrop to a less obvious but more enduring drama: the daily life of Muslim women. Nine Parts of Desire_ _is the story of Brooks' intrepid journey toward an understanding of the women behind the veils, and of the often contradictory political, religious, and cultural forces that shape their lives. Defying our stereotypes about the Muslim world, Brooks' acute analysis of the world's fastest growing religion deftly illustrates how Islam's holiest texts have been misused to justify repression of women, and how male pride and power have warped the original message of a once liberating faith. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll, and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king. War may be hell, but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso’s employ, it’s a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular — a shade too popular for her employers taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto’s reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die. Her allies include Styria’s least reliable drunkard, Styria’s most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a barbarian who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that’s all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started… Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.

100 of literature's sexiest stories, chosen by Mariella Frostrup and the Erotic Review. Strict mistresses, naughty maids, handsome gardners and disarming strangers; literature is awash with love, sex and desire. This collection brings together 100 of the best examples, hand-picked by Mariella Frostrup and the Erotic Review. From romance and seduction to downright dirty deeds, here are prize-winners, bestsellers and rising stars, each of whom prove that when it comes to the bedroom, a little fiction goes a long way. So whether you're looking for love, lust or something in between, this gorgeous anthology is the perfect gift... or bedside companion.