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Seven Viking Romances
By Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards, Hermann Palsson, Paul Edwards. 1985
Combining traditional myth, oral history and re-worked European legend to depict an ancient realm of heroism and wonder, the seven…
tales collected here are among the most fantastical of all the Norse romances. Powerfully inspired works of Icelandic imagination, they relate intriguing, often comical tales of famous kings, difficult gods and women of great beauty, goodness or cunning. The tales plunder a wide range of earlier literature from Homer to the French romances - as in the tale of the wandering hero Arrow-Odd, which combines several older legends, or Egil and Asmund, where the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops is skilfully adapted into a traditional Norse legend. These are among the most outrageous, delightful and exhilarating tales in all Icelandic literature.Seven Scarlet Tales
By Justine Elyot. 2013
A brand new sizzling collection of linked short stories by the highly acclaimed author of the ebook sensation, On Demand…
They include the actress/director of a new production of Kiss Me Kate discovering the fun of a real life ‘taming’, a sizzling BDSM ménage, an innocent’s first day at a private fetish club and a very kinky encounter with a famous screen star.Selected Tales
By Brothers Grimm. 1982
Selected Tales contains some of the most timeless and enchanting folk and fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, translated…
with an introduction by David Luke in Penguin Classics.These folktales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are among the most memorable stories in European culture - conjuring up a world of spells and bewitchment, outwitted villains and cruel stepmothers, animal bridegrooms and enchanted princesses. Tales such as 'Hansel and Gretel', 'Little Red Cape' and 'The Robber Bridegroom' depict the dangers lurking in dark forests, and others, including 'Briar-Rose' and 'Snow White' show young beauties punished by unforgiving sorceresses. Other tales include 'Thickasathumb', which portrays a childless young couple whose wish for a baby is granted in an unexpected way, while 'The Frog King' tells of a rash promise made by a haughty princess to share her bed with a frog, and a fortune is won in 'The Blue Lamp', when a soldier gains a kingdom with the help of a magic lamp.David Luke's vibrant translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing the key themes of the tales and the literary background of the Brothers Grimm. This edition also includes new further reading and a chronology, with notes and a glossary.Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) are nowadays simply known as 'the brothers Grimm'. Both brothers were state-appointed librarians in Kassel, and later members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Berlin, where Frederick William IV of Prussia had invited them to settle. Two of Germany's greatest scholars, Jacob is regarded as the founder of the scientific study of the German language, and with his brother Wilhelm initiated the Deutsches Wörterbuch, a dictionary of all words in modern High German since 1450.If you enjoyed the Selected Tales of the Brothers Grimm, you might like Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, also available in Penguin Classics.Secrets of the Henna Girl
By Sufiya Ahmed. 2012
Life as Zeba knows it could be over for good . . .Zeba Khan is like any other sixteen-year-old girl:…
enjoying herself, waiting for exam results . . . and dreaming of the day she'll meet her one true love.Except her parents have other plans.In Pakistan for the summer, Zeba's world is shattered. Her future is threatened by an unthinkable - and forced - duty to protect her father's honour. But does she hold the secrets that will help her escape?** Sufiya Ahmed's stunning debut teenage book explores the illegal practice of forced marriage in Britain.** 10 million under 18s in the world become child brides every year.** The UK government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) receives over 1,700 calls from at-risk annually. Up to 15% of victims of forced marriage are male.The Secrets Between Us
By Laura Madeleine. 2018
A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal…
and the dangers of war.‘Sublimely satisfying’ Veronica Henry, author of The Forever HouseHigh in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war.Fifty years later, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself…Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries' Before the Rains.*Laura Madeleine's writing is...‘Mouth-watering and mysterious’ Leah Fleming, author of The Glovemaker's Daughter‘Delightful and delicious’ Nina George, author of The Little Paris BookshopSecrets
By Bali Rai. 2013
JIT can’t be bothered with school. His mum’s new boyfriend is doing his head in, and the last thing on…
his mind is dealing with lessons and homework. He needs the gang’s help, and fast . . . SUKY and Imi have been going out for ages. But there’s trouble in paradise – namely, Suky’s strict parents. A whole load of drama is about to kick off . . .Two great stories from the Devana High gang.The Second Time I Saw You: The Oxford Blue Series #2 (The Oxford Blue series #2)
By Pippa Croft. 2014
If you can't get enough of E. L. James, Sylvia Day and Samantha Young, you'll love this passionate romance. It's…
the beginning of a new term at Wyckham College, Oxford, and a fresh start for Lauren Cusack. Her fingers were badly burnt when a whirlwind romance with gorgeous English aristocrat, Alexander Hunt, became too hot to handle - and now she's determined to keep her distance. But her resolve is shaken when Alexander appears on her doorstep, completely torn apart after hearing devastating news. Lauren knows that she should stay away, but their chemistry is undeniable and she soon finds herself back in Alexander's arms. Can Lauren handle the drama that comes with Alexander Hunt? Or will she have to sacrifice the most exhilarating passion she's ever known . . .You won't be able to put down the sizzling second novel in Pippa Croft's Oxford Blue romance series. ____________'This series has me hooked' 5***** reader review'Seriously addictive!' 5***** reader review'An exciting, sexy read' 5***** reader review'Absolutely gripping romance with plenty of heat' 5***** reader reviewScottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan
By Gordon Jarvie. 2008
Mystery and excitement abound in this lively collection of fairy tales, folklore and legends, which celebrate Scotland's enormously rich oral…
tradition and offers a carefully chosen combination of old favourites such as Tam Lin, Thomas Rymer and Adam Bell, as well as more modern stories by master story-tellers like Andrew Lang, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Buchan.Save the Date
By Allie Spencer. 2013
Family weddings can be hell…...and, marooned in Italy for her cousin’s nuptials, Ailsa can be forgiven for thinking that this…
one is worse than most. With the bride and groom at loggerheads and the guests in uproar, it is a million miles away from the rest and relaxation she'd been hoping for.And then suddenly, in the middle of the mayhem, she comes face-to-face with Nick, the man she walked out on just a few months earlier.How can Ailsa help get the wedding back on track when she and Nick can’t stop arguing? But if they do, she might remember why she fell in love with him in the first place - and then there really would be trouble.Discover the emotionally gripping and uplifting page-turner that will put a smile on your face'Heart-breaking and full of hope' WOMAN…
& HOME 'Wonderful, compassionate, unpredictable' GRAEME SIMSION, author of THE ROSIE PROJECT 'I genuinely couldn't recommend Saturdays At Noon enough' 5***** READER REVIEW________EMILY JUST WANTS TO KEEP THE WORLD AWAY.After getting into trouble yet again, she's agreed to attend anger management classes. But she refuses to share her deepest secrets with a room full of strangers.JAKE JUST WANTS TO KEEP HIS FAMILY TOGETHER.He'll do anything to save his marriage and bond with his six-year-old son, Alfie. But when he's paired with spiky Emily, he wonders whether opening up will do more harm than good.The two of them couldn't be more different. Yet when Alfie, who never likes strangers, meets Emily, something extraordinary happens.COULD ONE SMALL BOY CHANGE EVERYTHING?_________'Totally loveable and completely unforgettable' CLAIRE POOLEY'I loved this book' KATIE FFORDEReaders LOVE Saturdays at Noon . . .'Such a special book . . . the characters jump off the page and pull you immediately into their world' 5***** Reader Review'This book was FANTASTIC. When I wasn't reading it I couldn't stop thinking about it' 5***** Reader Review'Outstanding. I have goosebumps typing this review . . . The story telling is the best I have read in a long time' 5***** Reader ReviewLonglisted for the Guardian's 'Not The Booker' prize!Heavenstone Secrets (Heavenstone #1)
By V. C. Andrews. 2010
Secrets are at home here...and there is no escape.The Heavenstone sisters live with their mother and father in a grand…
old mansion in bluegrass Kentucky. Semantha, the younger and prettier one, is afraid of so many things—darkness, strange noises, mysterious whispers in the night. But nothing frightens her more than her sister, Cassie. She is older and wiser, and always telling Semantha what to do, what to wear, and how to behave around those wicked boys at school. Semantha has her eye on one special guy—but Cassie has other plans for her. In the Heavenstone house, big sister knows best. When tragedy strikes like a lightning bolt from heaven, Semantha&’s life becomes a living hell. Under Cassie&’s constant, watchful eye, she feels like a prisoner—a helpless pawn in her sister&’s cruel game. When Cassie begins wearing their mother&’s clothes and vying for their father&’s affections, Semantha realizes she must bring their twisted sibling rivalry to an end...before a new generation is born.Highlander in Love (Lockhart Family #3)
By Julia London. 2005
The Lockhart brothers' quest for an ancient family heirloom has proved fruitless...and an unpaid loan has left them indebted to…
their rival, Payton Douglas. With no recourse, the Lockharts offer Payton their most valuable commodity: their sister Mared's hand in marriage. Raised to despise the Douglas name, Mared outwardly agrees to the marital bargain for the sake of her family; secretly, she concocts a plan to ensure Payton will not wish to marry her. Seeing the handsome, virile laird Payton face-to-face, however, threatens a centuries-long enmity -- and awakens Mared's deepest desires. But she will not be swayed. Choosing to repay her family's debt by working as his housekeeper instead of wedding him, she finds herself inexorably drawn to the man she vowed to resist. Then a profound discovery changes everything....Now, no longer bound by a promise to her family, Mared must let her heart decide if the laird Payton is the enemy of past legend -- or if he holds the key to a future filled with a passion beyond her wildest dreams.Jade (Wildflowers #3)
By V. C. Andrews. 1999
All she wanted to do is forget her past...Jade had listened to Misty and Star tell their stories. Now it…
is her time to speak. But she can't. For while the others in Dr. Marlowe's therapy group had exposed their hidden pains and secret pasts, they are nothing like Jade. They don't know what it is like to be a pawn in a courtroom battle too hateful to ever forgive. Or that escaping the madness had lured Jade into an ordeal too traumatic to forget...Heart Song (Logan #2)
By V. C. Andrews. 1997
From #1 bestselling author V.C. Andrews (Flowers in the Attic, My Sweet Audrina) comes the second book in the captivating…
Logan series...Melody Logan was as alone as a solitary gull, with only the wild Atlantic wind to lift her spirits... When Melody Logan's mother died in a car accident, Melody lost the last shred of family she had ever known. She was practically a stranger to the Logans, her wealthy relatives on Cape Cod, where she now drifted on a sea of dark secrets. In the eyes of gentle Aunt Sara, Melody was a replacement for her dead daughter, while for Uncle Jacob she was a reminder of the family's shameful past. Only good-hearted Cary seemed to care, and since it was revealed that she and Cary weren't truly cousins, the affection that had always surged between them now crested in thrilling waves. But Melody knew she could never truly echo Cary's loving promises until she discovered her own buried identity. Despite Grandma Olivia's dagger-like threats, Melody sought out Belinda, a mysterious, half-crazy woman who was her real grandmother. Belinda gave Melody hope — and a glimmer of the pearls of truth she knew were hidden in the shifting Cape Cod sands. Somehow, someday, the story of her past would be her hard-won treasure, to be savored in a world of sunshine and happiness...where she truly belonged.Sami's Silver Lining (The Lost and Found)
By Cathy Cassidy. 2018
The must-have second book in the brilliant Lost and Found series from Cathy Cassidy, bestselling author of the Chocolate Box…
Girls. Forced to flee his home in Syria for safety in England, Sami attempts to begin a new life but struggles to overcome the pain of the past. Memories of the long and dangerous journey across icy waters, armed with only his dad's old coat, a flute and the hope of a brighter future, are never far away.Can his new friends in the Lost and Found band and a blossoming romance with the girl of his dreams melt his frozen heart or is it too late to find a silver lining?Praise for Cathy's books: Touching, tender and unforgettable. GuardianSagas of Warrior-poets
By Leifur Eiricksson. 1997
Kormak's Saga, The Saga of Hallfred Troublesome-Poet, The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue, The Saga of Bjorn, Champion of the Hitardal…
People, Viglund's Saga Set in the farmsteads of Viking age Iceland at a time when the old ethos of honour and heroic adventure merged with new ideas of romantic infatuation, each of these sagas features poet heroes, complex love triangles, and travels to foreign lands.In Iceland, the age of the Vikings is also known as the Saga Age. A unique body of medieval literature,…
the Sagas rank with the world’s great literary treasures – as epic as Homer, as deep in tragedy as Sophocles, as engagingly human as Shakespeare. Set around the turn of the last millennium, these stories depict with an astonishingly modern realism the lives and deeds of the Norse men and women who first settled in Iceland and of their descendants, who ventured farther west to Greenland and, ultimately, North America. Sailing as far from the archetypal heroic adventure as the long ships did from home, the Sagas are written with psychological intensity, peopled by characters with depth, and explore perennial human issues like love, hate, fate and freedom.Sagas and Myths of the Northmen
By Jesse Byock. 2006
In a land of ice, great warriors search for glory...When a dragon threatens the people of the north, only one…
man can destroy the fearsome beast. Elsewhere, a mighty leader gathers a court of champions, including a noble warrior under a terrible curse. The Earth's creation is described; tales of the gods and evil Frost Giants are related; and the dark days of Ragnarok foretold.Journey into a realm of legend, where heroes from an ancient age do battle with savage monsters, and every man must live or die by the sword ...The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer
By Jesse Byock. 1990
The epic Viking Age stories that inspired J. R. R. Tolkien and Wagner's Ring cycleWritten in thirteenth-century Iceland but based…
on ancient Norse poetry cycles, The Saga of the Volsungs combines mythology, legend and sheer human drama. It tells of the cursed treasure of the Rhine, a sword reforged and a magic ring of power, and at its heart are the heroic deeds of Sigurd the dragon slayer, who acquires magical knowledge from one of Odin's Valkyries. One of the great books of world literature, the saga is an unforgettable tale of princely jealousy, unrequited love, greed, vengeance and the downfall of a dynasty. Translated with an Introduction by Jesse L. ByockPart of a new series Legends from the Ancient North, Beowulf is one of the classic books that influenced JRR…
Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings'So the company of men led a careless life,All was well with them: until One beganTo encompass evil, an enemy from hell.Grendel they called this cruel spirit...'J.R.R. Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating and teaching the great epic stories of northern Europe, filled with heroes, dragons, trolls, dwarves and magic. He was hugely influential for his advocacy of Beowulf as a great work of literature and, even if he had never written The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, would be recognised today as a significant figure in the rediscovery of these extraordinary tales.Legends from the Ancient North brings together from Penguin Classics five of the key works behind Tolkien's fiction.They are startling, brutal, strange pieces of writing, with an elemental power brilliantly preserved in these translations.They plunge the reader into a world of treachery, quests, chivalry, trials of strength.They are the most ancient narratives that exist from northern Europe and bring us as near as we will ever get to the origins of the magical landscape of Middle-earth (Midgard) which Tolkien remade in the 20th century.