It was in the autumn of the year 1828, that an elderly and infirm gentleman was slowly pacing up and down in a large dining-room. He had apparently finished his dinner, although it was not yet five o\'clock, and the descending sun shone bright and warm through the windows, which were level with the ground, and from which there was a view of a spacious park, highly ornamented with old timber. He held a newspaper in one hand, and had the other behind his back, as if for support, for he was bent forward, and looked very feeble and emaciated. After pacing for some time, he sat down in an easy chair and remained in deep thought, holding the newspaper in both his hands.

Lord Dixon is known among the wilder members of the ton for two things, his very exclusive brothels specializing in the most exotic of pleasures and his habit of keeping a concubine, a well-paid, full-time prostitute, at his country home for a year at a time. But romance can still be found in his shadow.Sam Nelson has been a spy on the Continent since he was sixteen. Now that the war is over, his handlers are ready to cut him loose, but spying is all knows. When one final mission comes up, Sam is ready to take it and prove he is still a valuable agent, even when the mission is merely infiltrating one of Lord Dixon's notorious house parties to retrieve a letter being used to blackmail the son of an influential peer.Lord Brisban knows he's a bit of a joke. It's why goes to Dixon's brothels, the only place he feels comfortable asking for the services of a man, and even there he won't ask for what he really wants, a chance to use a paddle or a whip. When young Mr. Nelson comes begging...

In the Kentucky frontier of the 1770s, Temperance Tucker has learned to be fleet of foot, accurate with her bow, and silent about the past. But her family secrets complicate her growing attraction to a handsome Virginia land surveyor.

A brave mouse attempts to rebuild a fallen empire in this second book of the epic Mouseheart series set in the subway tunnels of Brooklyn, and for “fans of Erin Hunter, Brian Jaques, and Kathryn Lasky” (School Library Journal).The battle to free Titus's camps is over, and Hopper, Zucker, Firren, and their loyal followers are working to rebuild. But the tunnels are in a state of chaos, and without the sinister peace accord to protect the rodents, Queen Felina and her growing army of ferals is a greater threat than ever before. In the Mūs Village, Pinkie has led a coup and is now ruling with an iron paw. And Pup has become cold and defiant, a change that Hopper never saw coming. When exterminators raid the tunnels, Hopper is snatched away by the intruders and taken back up to the daylight world where he was born. Upland, Hopper makes new allies, and as he enjoys the sights and sounds of Brooklyn, he wonders if he will...

In the brave new Japan of the 1870s, Taka and Nobu meet as children and fall in love; but their relationship will test the limits of society. Unified after a bitter civil war, Japan is rapidly turning into a modern country with rickshaws, railways and schools for girls. Commoners can marry their children into any class, and the old hatred between north and south is over - or so it seems. Taka is from the powerful southern Satsuma clan which now dominates the country, and her father, General Kitaoka, is a leader of the new government. Nobu, however, is from the northern Aizu clan, massacred by the Satsuma in the civil war. Defeated and reduced to poverty, his family has sworn revenge on the Satsuma. Taka and Nobu's love is unacceptable to both their families and must be kept secret, but what they cannot foresee is how quickly the tables will turn. Many southern samurai become disillusioned with the new regime, which has deprived them of their swords, status and honour. Taka's father abruptly leaves Tokyo and returns to the southern island of Kyushu, where trouble is brewing. When he and his clansmen rise in rebellion, the government sends its newly-created army to put them down. Nobu and his brothers have joined this army, and his brothers now see their chance of revenge on the Satsuma. But Nobu will have to fight and maybe kill Taka's father and brother, while Taka now has to make a terrible choice - between her family and the man she loves ... **Review "A magnificent, sweeping tale of love and war in nineteenth century Japan. No-one writes about Japan with more mastery of historical and cultural detail than Lesley Downer. I was enthralled by this wonderful novel." -- Katie Hickman "This tale of a forbidden love, set during the era of the Last Samurai, completely captivated me. I was swept along by Taka and Nobu's struggle to be together in the face of family opposition, social difference and, ultimately, war. The world of the book - 1870s Japan - is vividly evoked. But most of all this is a compelling and intensely romantic story, beautifully told." -- Isabel Wolff "Against the backdrop of civil war, Lesley Downer has created a rich epic of love, confusion and loyalty. Her deep knowledge, powers of description and meticulous attention to detail draws us into the hopes and fears of 19th Century Japan in such way that you will taste the food, watch the fashions, smell the streets and live through the personal tumult of a society on the edge of change. With Across a Bridge of Dreams, Ms Downer shows she is a writer at the very top of her game." -- Humphrey Hawksley "Like the era she describes, Downer has united two contradictory themes: love and war. Fans of period romance should be sure to pack Across A Bridge Of Dreams this summer, but those who prize blood over love in historical fiction will also find much to enjoy." Independent "An epic tale of love and war, full of colour." Choice, July 2012 About the Author Lesley Downer's mother was Chinese and her father a professor of Chinese, so she grew up in a house full of books on Asia. But it was Japan, not China, that proved the more alluring, and she lived there for some fifteen years. She has written many books about the country and its culture, including Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World, and Madame Sadayakko: The Geisha who Seduced the West, and has presented television programmes on Japan for Channel 4, the BBC and NHK. She lives in London with her husband, the author Arthur I. Miller, and still makes sure she goes to Japan every year. 

Haunted by the past… Cold Creek is a place with a dark history, especially for the Lockwoods. Now adults, the three Lockwood sisters are still recovering from the events that led to the destruction of their family when they were children. Determined to move forward, Tess and Kate are making fresh starts, ready to put bad—even deadly—memories to rest and settle happily in the small but booming town. And they’re hoping their older sister, Charlene, can do the same. Char is back in town seeking comfort as she figures out her next move. A social worker used to difficult situations, she soon runs afoul of some locals who think she’s sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. She’s certain something sinister is being covered up, and when she witnesses Matt Rowan being run off the road, she knows she’s right. Working together, Matt and Char figure uncovering the truth will be dangerous, but living in Cold Creek won’t be safe for any of them until its secrets are revealed.

On their last assignment, GORGON agents Chris Gibson and his partner John Soong protected Russian mob lawyer Andrei Voronin rather than killing him. They covered Andrei's tracks, forged a shaky relationship, and their international intelligence and paramilitary group staged Andrei's death and took him into the fold. Nikita Kazakov, a Russian cop who had used Andrei as a source and promised him protection, plots to avenge his protege. He soon tracks down Chris-the "killer"-only to find a man he desires, and Chris is just as intrigued. Amidst the danger of the unsolved mystery still lingering around Andrei, Chris and Nikita stalk each other, meet for heated sex, and try to work out who the other is: criminal, cop, hitman... or lover.

"The true sequel to Twain's masterpiece." —The Christian Science Monitor At the start of this exuberant adventure story, Huck Finn's life is back to normal in St. Petersburg, Missouri: The Widow Douglas expects him to wear clean clothes and eat with a knife and fork, and Jim now gets paid two dollars a week for the same chores he did as a slave. But when tragedy strikes and Huck is framed for the murder of Judge Thatcher, the two old friends have no choice but to finally "light out for the Territory"—and straight into the chaos of the California Gold Rush. With tenacious lawman Bulldog Barrett in hot pursuit, Huck and Jim zigzag west, encountering a colorful cast of con artists, vixens, outlaws, and Indians along the way. Huck's dastardly Pap even makes an appearance, rising from a watery grave to menace his son once again. When the adventurers visit a rowdy San Francisco theater, they find their greatest surprise yet: A...

On the night of Guinevere's birth, there was a prophecy that foretold she would one day be highest lady in the land and wed to a great king. But 13 years have passed, and the prophecy couldn't be further off. Guinevere is now an orphan and a ward of her aunt and uncle, the king and queen of Gwynedd. Tomboyish and awkward, Gwen is no great beauty, and nobody takes the prophecy seriously--especially not Gwen.But then one day Gwen meets a strange young man in the woods who claims to be part of an ancient tribe whose mission is to guard and protect her. Then she stumbles across a sinister plot brewing within the castle walls--one she alone might be able to prevent. Guinevere is beginning to realize her destiny is more complex than it seems--and this is only the beginning.From the Hardcover edition.