Victorian Society

The Duke's Children is the sixth and final audiobook in the Palliser series. Plantagenet Palliser, the Duke of Omnium and former Prime Minister of England, is widowed and wracked by grief. Struggling to adapt to life without his beloved Lady Glencora, he works hard to guide and support his three adult children. Palliser soon discovers, however, that his own plans for them are very different from their desires. Sent down from university in disgrace, his two sons quickly begin to run up gambling debts.

When Queen Victoria stepped onto the throne of Great Britain and Ireland in 1837, gone were the days when the monarch had supreme authority over the kingdom. Victoria ruled at the head of a government with which she was meant to converse, debate, and ultimately guide, and it was a job she sometimes struggled to perform. Victoria described herself as an emotional creature and blamed her gender for what she believed were her shortcomings as a monarch.

When crime creeps into the drawing rooms of the elite, even Sherlock Holmes must tread carefully. In this new collection, Watson recounts cases where Holmes was drawn into the glittering — and treacherous — world of London’s high society. Behind every curtsey and champagne toast lies scandal, deception, and murder. From grand balls to fox hunts, country estates to gentlemen’s clubs, the great detective must navigate etiquette as deftly as evidence, with Watson as his ever-steady guide through a landscape of whispered threats and deadly secrets. A vanished viscount. A deadly ...

A lady should never be obliged to think of matters financial! But when Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe's carefree, extravagant lifestyle vanishes with the demise of her husband, her only hope lies in retrieving a family treasure - a Renaissance masterpiece currently in the hands of a cunning art collector in Venice. Thankfully, the Lady Travelers Society has orchestrated a clever plan to get Willie to Europe, leading a tour of mothers and daughters...and one curiously attentive man.

Three months after discovering her supernatural heritage and thwarting her uncle's dark ritual, eighteen-year-old Briar Worthington receives an urgent summons that will test her newfound abilities like never before. Dr. James Burton of Ravenscroft Hall writes with alarming news: the boundaries between worlds are deteriorating at an unprecedented rate, and he believes Briar's unique dual heritage may be the key to preventing catastrophic collapse. Accompanied by her loyal companions Catherine Winters and Mrs. Winters, Briar embarks on a treacherous journey across boundary-fractured moorlands...

Meg Swift has a tiny problem with stealing. What else is she to do when her uncle triples the estate rents? She learns how to mend roofs, plant turnips—and how to steal. She's too busy for her godfather's parade of single gentlemen at the Cinderella Ball. Dougal Black has just been plucked from a millhouse as the last of the Thorncroft duchy bloodline. And if he's not married by the end of the year, the Prince of Wales will choose his bride for him. But Dougal doesn't know the rules of this new world. Luckily, Meg does.

After 10 years of adventure, Colin Smith, the bastard son of a viscount, returns to the place he most despises - London. But only until he can sell off some of his treasures. He has no use for the stifling rules of the ton, but he's more than happy to play the game if it gets him what he wants.

About the Book: Beatrice Webb, a pioneering social reformer and co-founder of the London School of Economics and Political Science, left behind a rich intellectual legacy. This insightful study examines her autobiography, My Apprenticeship, not just as a historical account but as a work of literary significance. By tracing Webb’s journey of self-discovery, her critique of class structures, and her evolving engagement with the working class, the book underscores the depth of her narrative. Placing her work alongside other literary and intellectual figures of her time, this research ...

A historical fiction novel set in the Five Towns of England during the late 19th century, Three Penny Sunday offers an engaging journey into the life of an intriguing character, Edward Henry Walker, born in 1867. Tracing his trajectory from a modest upbringing in Bursley to prominence, the novel weaves a rich tableau of the era's local pottery industry often referred to as "potbanks", and the tight-knit, gossip-ridden community that shapes the town's social and political landscape. Henry's Course Initially an ordinary boy, Henry secures a surprise scholarship at twelve, albeit through ...

In 1897 orphan Rose Turner revisits Exeter, the city of her birth. A chance meeting inspires her to find a way to better her life and escape the drudgery for which she’s been trained. She also learns the truth of her family’s death in a tragic fire ten years before. Back in London she enrols at a cookery school and becomes a key member of the team hired out to grand houses to cater for important guests, for she has a particular talent with ice-cream. At several of these she encounters George Kemble, self-made businessman, in line to succeed to the Duke of Fairleigh’s title, should he ...

In the foreboding halls of Worthington Manor, eighteen-year-old Briar has always known she was different. Raised by a stern housekeeper and a reclusive uncle, her only friend the housekeeper's daughter, Briar's sheltered life is shattered when she stumbles upon a chilling secret. Every week, a mysterious coach leaves the manor at midnight. But where does it go? And what sinister purpose does it serve? As Briar delves deeper into her family's shadowy past, she uncovers a legacy of dark rituals and otherworldly power. With each revelation, the line between reality and the supernatural blurs, ...

A detective mystery novel set in London during the late 19th century, "Dead Diamond" brings readers into the gritty, desperate world of Paddington, where a struggling writer's life becomes entangled in an intricate web of crime, desperation, and love. The narrative thrusts protagonist, Andrew Thomas, into the heart of an intriguing criminal investigation set against the backdrop of poverty-stricken London. Thomas, a struggling writer fighting poverty, pawns his father’s treasured items and encounters the enigmatic Zillah, the impressive granddaughter of pawnbroker Daniel Stevens. This ...

When Frederick, an American expatriate traveling in Europe, meets the commonplace, newly rich Miller family from New York, he is charmed by the daughter, Daisy, and her "inscrutable combination of audacity and innocence". The Millers have no perception of the complex code that underlies behavior in European society, and Winterbourne is astonished at the girl's unworldliness and her mother's unconcern when Daisy accompanies him to the Castle of Chillon.

Dashing and elegant, Baron Christian St. Clair is the toast of the ton... and a man with a closely guarded secret. For his dazzling looks and celebrated charm mask his late-night escapades as the elusive Peacock, enemy of the rich and benefactor of the poor. Now Gabrielle Laurence, the destitute beauty who loathes St. Clair's rakish ways and power over her social standing, is close to discovering the truth. But can he convince her to trust a rogue—and take a chance on the passion that flares between them?

"Using wit and romance with a master's skill, Kasey Michaels aims for the heart and never misses." -- #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nora Roberts Waiting for You, Book One in the Love in the Regency series: SINS OF THE FATHER… Jack Coltrane grew up with his father’s red-haired tomboy ward Meredith Fairfax chasing after him, always begging to tag along in his adventures during the years they resided at Coltrane House. Jack was variously annoyed, flattered, and as the years passed and childhood faded, both he and Merry sensed a slow change in their relationship. Friendship, ...

Redemption and Desire: The Rakish Heart of Andre Ackley Once London's most notorious rake, Andre Ackley has lost everything: his reputation, his place in society, and his pride. But when he sets out to clear his name and uncover the truth behind the jewelry theft that ruined him, he finds himself entangled in a far more complex web of intrigue and desire. His quest leads him to a captivating and elusive woman, the suspected thief who has captured his heart. As they join forces to unravel the mystery of the Fabergé eggs, Andre's determination ignites a passion that threatens to consume them...

Things are looking up in Riverford, Texas, in June 1898. Czech immigrant, Sarah Novak, is finally graduating from teacher's college. Surely she will now put aside all that foolishness about being a professional woman and marry Lee Logan. After all, what young woman could ask for more? Lee is a handsome, young banker who will take his new bride off to bustling Fort Worth, Texas, and give her a life of luxury.

Caroline Monday knows better than to trust the dark and dangerous Morgan Blakely, Marquis of Clayton and England's infamous spy. Plotting revenge against a powerful enemy, Morgan will stop at nothing to secure Caroline's help — even claiming that she's a long-lost heiress and not the penniless orphan she'd thought herself. Yet as she's drawn into a world of old grudges and long-buried secrets, where the past is unraveled and the future uncertain, Caroline yearns to believe Morgan's words ... and to give in to a desire that's stronger than her fear ...

"Using wit and romance with a master's skill, Kasey Michaels aims for the heart and never misses." -- #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nora Roberts Someone to Love, Book Two in the Love in the Regency series: Abigail Backworth Maldon is no fan of marriage, having buried her late husband after his embarrassing demise (he toppled headfirst out of a bedroom window in an attempt to avoid an angry husband). But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t see its advantages — just not for her. The part she likes best is the idea of marrying off her niece to a suitable husband. To Abigail, “suitable...

This multi-layered novel concerns complex social relationships in a provincial Victorian neighborhood and the struggle to hold fast to personal integrity in a materialistic environment.