Showing results for "The Bargain" in Literature & Fiction

In the Sundered Kingdoms, we who tend the Grove do not concern ourselves with what lies beyond our borders. Our purpose is to mend and to grow, and as the firstborn daughter, I, Amara Tyne, am princess to our people. But our lands and earthen powers have fallen under the hungry gaze of a would-be usurper, who demands we bend the knee in his quest to take control of this world. Our only hope for survival is an alliance with the fearsome Mordorin Fae, who rule the Sundered Kingdoms with an iron fist.

Clare Hobb is weary of the strict boundaries her uncles impose at the family conclave, Hobb's Mills. She's in love with Larkin Wade, a handsome farmer her uncles disdain. During one of many trysts between Clare and Larkin, they find her beloved, brain-damaged father, Frank, vainly attempting to aid his brother, Samuel, who has been fatally injured in a wagon runaway accident.

A scientifically minded noblemanLord Alan Gresham is the sixth son of the Duke of Langford and, as such, has been allowed to remain at Oxford to pursue his scientific studies. When the prince regent asks him to debunk the "ghost" of a dead actress haunting Carlton House, he cannot refuse, and is forced back to the Society he deplores. But upon meeting the daughter of the alleged ghost, his calm, logical investigation is disrupted. Learns the breathless chemistry of desire.

Anice Barrington has always been known as the prettiest of the Earl of Werrick's five daughters. Years of trying to prove she's more than beauty has failed, not only with others, but also with herself. When their mortal enemy is laying siege to Werrick Castle, Anice does the only thing in her power to keep her family safe: she offers herself as a bride to her enemy. She swears she will not lose her heart to him, but soon discovers that may be impossible when he stokes her curiosities toward intimacy and lights a burning desire within her.

In the colonized nation of Viryana, Poppy Sutherland lives between cultures. As the brown-skinned adopted daughter of the Viceroy, she is both rejected by white high society and alienated from the people of her native island. When she discovers her opportunistic fiancé's plot to exile her, Poppy flees—straight into the clutches of the Jackal.

Beauty and The Beast Hated and feared, magic was banished from the land. But now, freed from the spells of the wicked bloodmages, magic-both good and evil-returns. And Aren of Fallbrook feels her own power of sight strengthen and grow… Overcome by visions of mayhem and murder, Aren vows to...

Hiding from the horrors of her past, Martha Haskett is content living her days serving as a lady's maid to her friend Eliza. But then her father, the new Earl of Waterford, shows up, with the shocking news that she is now a titled lady. Further turning her life upside down, he proposes a bargain. She will have a single Season in London, and if she does not marry by the end of the Season, she will be gifted with her dowry and a small estate. Despite her mistrust of her father, Martha accepts his offer, but can't seem to let go of the anger that has been festering inside of her.

A man named Redlaw, burdened by sorrow and past regrets, is visited by a mysterious ghost who offers him a strange bargain: to forget all pain and suffering. At first, this gift seems like a blessing, but Redlaw soon discovers that erasing sorrow can also erase compassion, empathy, and human connection.

After surviving the threat known as Eleanor and liberating the Gnomes from the Gnomes, Kendra's party splits up. Syren and Ranker are off to the World Tree to undertake a once-in-a-lifetime quest, while Ken and Anna head to Xaxanda to fulfill a promise and check out recent changes made to the frontier continent. Meanwhile, in Homestead, Ken embarks on a journey of his own as he prepares to marry Theresa…twice.

I left my abusive crime boss husband expecting to start over from nothing. After all, the prenup I signed when I married him is ironclad. But when Tony uses a loophole in the law to go after my ancestral family home—the one I'm currently living in and my grandmother is dying in—I'm desperate to stop him. My witch best friend Maeve offers a solution. She lends me a family spell to call a supernatural advocate to deal with Tony. After all, it takes a monster to stop a monster.

The year is 1191. The place is the Holy Land, where the knights of Christ are embroiled in a war with the armies of Islam. The prize is the holy city of Jerusalem. Led by Richard the Lionheart, the armies of the West are conducting a Crusade against the sultan Saladin. In Cyprus, the king's mother, Eleanor, has struck a devil's bargain to grant Richard victory at any cost. Only Sinan the sorcerer knows that victory will cost the king his immortal soul.

The stage is set Deborah O'Hara loves her life, leading her troupe of actors. But when she becomes entangled in a web of secrets spun by the rakishly handsome Damian Beaumaris, Duke of Cirencester, she is forced to play the hardest role of her life: that of the stunning but disloyal Paulette, the duke's widowed sister-in-law. To regain the honor of his family, Beau needs Deb's help.

In a world reminiscent of Regency England, women's magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family.

POWER HAS A PRICE. SO DOES LOVE. Return to the dark, sensual, and powerful world of the Black Jewels in this long-awaited new story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga. After a youthful mistake, Lord Dillon's reputation is in tatters, leaving him vulnerable to aristo girls looking for...

She calls it a devil’s bargain. I call it a deal she can’t refuse. I was owed a debt and I expected payment. That payment? One night in my bed. My rules. The debt cleared, and she could walk away. There are worse things. And besides, debtors can’t be choosers. The night started as it should. She obeyed as she should. But then something happened. Something I was unprepared for. And what I saw changed everything. I broke my own rules after that.

Young Charlotte Mortimer loves her job teaching the poor children in the local school and she is happy with her steadfast fiancé, Luke. Then, one day, a terrible mining explosion rocks the town, and, suddenly, everything Charlotte thinks she knows is thrown into doubt. The arrival of wealthy businessman Justin Harvard complicates things further. Charlotte must marry him to save the school she loves even if it means sacrificing everything else that is dear to her. There are secrets and lies at every turn to challenge her; will she ever make it as a bargain bride?

In this enchanting historical fantasy about sisterhood and self-discovery, a woman does everything she can to help her sister escape her husband— perfect for fans of C. L. Polk, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Marie Brennan. There is no magic on Prospect Hill—or anywhere else, for that matter. But...

Ken and Anna settle into their new family life and take an active part in the Celestean royal succession, all while continuing his work to make Eternal Legacy Online a better place. While Ken travels overseas to explore Al’Katrap, the home of the Gnomes, Eleanor finds herself caught between two worlds in her attempt to upload into the game. With the Queendom up for grabs, it’s a cutthroat battle for the throne.

When Madan’s father's misdeeds jeopardize his sister's life, Madan strikes his first bargain with Avtaar Singh to save her. Drawn into Avtaar Singh's violent world, Madan becomes his son in every way but by blood. Suddenly it looks as if everything will change for Madan and his family until a forbidden love affair has brutal consequences and he is forced to leave behind all that is dear to him.

Ken finds himself trapped in a strange world while asleep in a coma. Different from his endless dreams, he awakens inside a next-generation MMO. In desperation, this game’s governing AI somehow dragged him into this world. It offers Ken a bargain: it will grant him an escape from his coma, but he must improve the game’s content in exchange. With seemingly no downsides, Ken eagerly accepts the offer. Things might not be as simple as he initially thought, though.