Vanza

Beatrice Poole may be a vicar's daughter, but that doesn't mean she's a stranger to the darker passions. Indeed, she knows enough about gothic terrors to have carved out a highly successful career penning "horrid novels." But now the talented authoress finds herself in the midst of an ominous adventure that rivals anything she's ever written.Her beloved Uncle Reggie is dead, Beatrice suspects that he was murdered - all because of his keen interest in a fabled treasure that may not even exist. Rumors abound that the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite, said to give their possessor the most unnatural powers, have surfaced in London. Yet Beatrice needs more than rumors to uncover the truth. That's why she's braved the wilds of Devon to seek out a leading authority on antiquities and ancient legends: The famously eccentric, unquestionably reclusive, possibly dangerous Earl of Monkcrest, a man believed to dabble in the supernatural.But bearding the Mad Monk of Monkcrest in his den and dangling the possibility of uncovering a fabulous artifact before him may be the biggest mistake of Beatrice's life. For suddenly, she finds herself joined in an uneasy alliance with a man who is every bit as fascinating as one of the heroes in her novels.

With 22 million of her books in print, and 12 consecutive New York Times best-sellers to her credit, Amanda Quick is a phenomenally popular author of historical romances. With This Ring, set in Regency England, sends a beautiful, headstrong woman on a perilous quest for the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite. To recover her family’s meager fortunes, Beatrice Poole must locate the antiquities stolen from her favorite uncle shortly before his highly suspicious death.

Emma Grayson is a sharp-tongued, quick-witted woman who's employed - for the time being - as a lady's companion. Her presence is required at a tiresome country house party, where she encounters the legendary Edison Stokes! Then murder strikes, and Emma realizes the awful truth. Unless she and Edison devise a scheme to outwit the merciless killer, she could forever lose the man of her dreams - and even her very life.

The widow Madeline Deveridge is both admired and feared by high society. Devastatingly beautiful, she is rumored to have killed her wealthy husband. Artemis Hunt is a handsome gentleman who is also a master of secret arts. His concentration on his own affairs is shattered, however, when Madeline demands his help one fog-shrouded night. Brought together by a mutual bargain - and a ghost - their bond sparks an attraction that will be far more dangerous than either suspects.

She's known as the Wicked Widow, for rumors abound that she dispatched her husband to the next world. But Madeline Deveridge has a more vexing problem than her scandalous reputation. Her husband's ghost is haunting her! She must exorcise him, and turns to Artemis Hunt for aid. Owner of London's favorite pleasure gardens, Artemis is no stranger to the exotic and the mysterious. So he agrees to join Madeline in her unusual enterprise, never expecting to find himself in the thrall of true passion. But the ghost is a real menace - and intent on using Madeline for a deadly purpose.

While investigating a suspicious death, private inquiry agent Ambrose Wells finds himself on the grounds of Aldwick Castle - and in the midst of utter chaos. The ramshackle castle is in flames - and a beautiful woman and four young girls are taking flight on horseback. It turns out that the strong-minded Miss Concordia Glade and her four bright students are on the run from a notorious London crime lord who'll stop at nothing to destroy them.