Se las? noaptea, primul roman al lui Rudyard Kipling, a fost scris ?n 1890, la solicitarea unei reviste populare ?n epoc?, Lippincott’s Magazine. La dou?zeci ?i cinci de ani, Kipling era deja un scriitor de succes. Poemele, povestirile ?i reportajele pe care le publicase despre India ?i creaser? o reputa?ie rapid? ?n insula britanic. Totu?i, Se las? noaptea a fost primit cu r?ceal? de critica vremii, iar de-a lungul timpu lui i s-au repro?at c?r?ii tot felul de lucruri – cruzimea, caracterul melodramatic sau construc?ia implauzibil?. Dar, la fel de bine, toate acestea pot fi v?zute ?i altfel: cruzimea era profetic?; melodrama – inerent?; construc?ia fusese inspirat? de ?nt?mpl?ri reale. De?i romancierul Kipling nu a ajuns s? ?l egaleze pe poet ?i pe povestitor (motiv pentru care a ?i abandonat genul la treizeci ?i cinci de ani – v?rst? la care-?i public? ultimul roman), romanele sale nu i-au pierdut niciodat? cititorii, fiind reeditate f?r? ?ntrerupere (?i chiar ecranizate, cum s-a ?nt?mplat ?n repetate r?nduri cu Se las? noaptea).Romanul acesta ocup? un loc special ?ntre scrierile lui Kipling prin cantitatea de autobiografie ?ncorporat?. ?nceputul este inspirat de copil?ria traumatizant? a micului Rudyard, crescut de ni?te rude ale tat?lui – bigo?i care se foloseau de Biblie ca de un instrument de tortur?. Pe doamna Jannett, personaj desprins parc? din galeria de sadici ai lui Charles Dickens, Kipling o cunoscuse foarte bine ?n persoana doamnei Holloway – femeia care ?i crescuse (?i Kipling, ?i sora lui, Alice, vor l?sa pagini de amintiri despre acest subiect). Apoi, orbirea personajului central al romanului, pictorul Dick Heldar, este un ecou al spaimei lui Kipling ?nsu?i c? ?i-ar putea pierde vederea (ochii slabi l-au sup?rat toat? via?a; unul dintre critici chiar a g?sit ?n miopia scriitorului o explica?ie pentru reaua lui orientare politic? – sprijinirea militarismului ?i a colonialismului). ?ns??i Maisie, prietena din copil?rie pe care Dick o re?nt?lne?te peste ani ?n cea?a londonez?, iubind-o f?r? speran??, este inspirat? dintr-un personaj real – pictori?a Flo Garrard. Kipling o cunoscuse pe Flo ?n adolescen??, ?n 1880, la familia Holloway. Se ?ndr?gostise de aceast? fat? cu aspect androgin, sofisticat ?i bogat.La terminarea colegiului, ?n 1882, Kipling pleac? ?n India (unde va sta ?apte ani), dar Flo, care i-a devenit un fel de logodnic, r?m?ne ?n Europa. Rela?ia nu rezist? din cauza indolen?ei fetei, care nu se obose?te s?-i scrie scrisorile pe care el le a?teapt?. Totu?i, cei doi se re?nt?lnesc la ?ntoarcerea lui Kipling ?n Anglia – ?n condi?ii asem?n?toare celor descrise ?n roman. Dar, de?i Kipling o curteaz? asiduu, se love?te de indiferen?a lui Flo, care, de fapt, nu este atras? de b?rba?i. De?i biografii lui Kipling nu l?muresc dac? Flo i-ar fi m?rturisit lui Rudyard orientarea lesbian?, cert este c? – ?n succesiunea rapid? – rela?ia se rupe din nou, Kipling cade prad? unei depresii ?i apoi ?ncepe s? scrie romanul Se las noaptea.

Prima Ballerina Darcey Bussell takes you on a captivating journey to a faraway land of ballet and magic, the wonderful world of Enchantia! The first of a sparkly new series for all young girls who dream of being a ballerina, or simply love to dance… Delphie’s greatest dream is to become a ballerina, and she can't quite believe it when she is invited to join the new ballet school. But there's more to Madame Zarakova's than it at first seems and with the help of some very special ballet shoes, Delphie finds herself spinning into a whole new world…

Printr-un ciudat vicleug al sentimentului, i se prea c nu simte nici o dorin de a o revedea. Imaginea pe care i-o pstra n minte i ndestula gndurile. Prezena ei mai degrab l nelinitea dect si-o dorea. La ce bun sa revad ea o fiin obinuit A-i vorbi ba de una, ba de alta i se prea cu neputin. André ar fi preferat ca ea s rmn departe de el. Absena ei l scutea s-i mrturiseasc iubirea. De altfel, ce vorbe s fi gsit ndeajuns de nflcrate i apoi, i-ar rde n nas! L-ar lua peste picior!“

Pentru c-l iubesc pe Lucien, l iubesc cu o dragoste ce nu va pieri dect odat cu mine. Iar dumneavoastr ai crezut c inima mea era de vnzare! Ce mult trebuie s m dispreuii! Resping cu groaz acest trg ruinos. l iubesc pe Lucien. l iubii i dumneavoastr. Foarte bine: s aleag! i acum cred c nu mai avem ce s ne spunem.n loc s plece, fiica milionarului ngenunche, apoi ngim cu un glas pe care lacrimile l fceau i mai de neneles.l iubesc i, dac el nu m iubete, am s mor! Fie-i mil!“

Shelly Hansen was horrified when Great Aunt Milly's infamous wedding dress arrived. Family legend said she'd marry the next man she met. So when she ran into handsome Mark Brady, Shelly told herself - and him - that she wasn't interested. But then she started seeing him everywhere…

Olivia drops in to see her neighbour, Ethan Sherbourne to deliver a Christmas card…but ends up staying for the festive season to help him look after a tiny abandoned baby! Ethan and Olivia are the perfect couple – but is Ethan the baby’s father? And if so, is he free to get involved with Olivia?

Part of the Mills & Boon 100th Birthday Collection After a disastrous first day Talie Calhoun is sure her sexy new boss, Jude Radcliffe, will hate her forever – they’re complete opposites! Jude is married to his work, while Talie believes life is for living. Her real job will be to persuade Jude to live life to the full – with her!

Part of the Mills & Boon 100th Birthday Collection A forbidding, regal date... A life of duty and protocol has made King Daniel of Voltavia seem aloof. So when Lizzie Boothe is assigned the task of trying to secure an interview with him, she is anxious about the forthcoming encounter. But after one kiss she can sense that underneath his cool exterior lies a passionate man. A man who is falling in love with Lizzie despite his best intentions…

Rafael de Mendez always knew that Kit was the woman he wanted to marry. But after he suffers from memory loss, their relationship is tested as they try to rebuild what they once had. And can he ever forget that she should have been his brother’s bride?

Part of the Mills & Boon 100th Birthday Collection Loveday West was thrilled when Dr. Andrew Fforde offered her a job as his temporary receptionist. She hadn’t expected to fall in love with him – but he was just so handsome and charming! But was her place in his life as temporary as her contract?

When Poppy sent the tall, dark and handsome Santino Aragone a valentine’s card to cheer him up, Santino responded by making love to her. Suddenly, Poppy was expecting her boss’s baby, and he was determined to put a ring on her finger…

Part of the Mills & Boon 100th Birthday Collection Mary Crandell had been shattered by the end of her marriage, but for the sake of her children she was determined to put herself back on track… and the arrival of caring, compassionate policeman Matt Clark in her life gave her the strength and inspiration she needed.

Wasn't it madness to marry his secretary to provide his baby daughter with a mother? Jane, Mark's secretary, didn't think so. She'd been secretly in love with Mark since she'd started working with him. But she wanted their marriage to be for love – not convenience…

A short story sequel to the bestselling romcom You Had Me At Hello! In You Had Me At Hello, the one who got away came back… but what happened next? Together, apart and then back together again, Rachel and Ben had a rollercoaster ride to get here. But now happily in love and partners in crime once more, it feels like it’s all been worth it. But when a face from the past reappears, misunderstandings come between them once more. Can they hold on to their happy ever after?

Two bloody brilliant short stories from No. 1 bestselling crime writer Stuart MacBride, featuring DS Logan McRae and his boss DI Steel STRAMASH: Something fishy is happening on the isle of Jura. DS Logan McRae gets a phone call from DI Steel ordering him to come to the island at once. One freezing night’s sleep in a hatchback and two storm-battered ferries later, Logan arrives – but there’s no sign of Steel. She's lumped him in the middle of a policing nightmare, with bodies, and bullets, and tiny wee boats. And a dangerous hard man who’s meant to be dead… DI STEEL’S BAD HEIR DAY: Why is DI Steel in an even worse mood than usual? Is it because it’s Christmas? Or maybe it's because the missing persons case she’s just caught looks like a hoax from a mile off? Or is it because she’s just been left a huge amount of money…? One thing’s for certain: Steel’s having a bad day, and she’s hell bent on making sure Constable Guthrie has one too.

Samantha knows what she wants from life – and she’s got it! 1.A loving family. OK, her Mum’s plan to marry her off to the world’s most metrosexual man might not be ideal… but it’s only because she cares! 2.A great job. Or at least: a job that leaves plenty of time to update Twitter and shop for designer bargains online… 3.A credit card, with a very generous limit. So generous that she’s just spent over $10,000 on an antique kimono… But suddenly Samantha’s charmed life starts to fall apart! From a hair-related fire to losing her job, Sam’s facing bad karma – and it all started when she bought that kimono… Sure, it’s ridiculous. How could a piece of silk ever bring bad luck? But it can! Because, whether Samantha likes it or not, someone wants to teach her a lesson: it’s what’s inside that counts. But will Samantha slow down long enough to listen?

36 Hours Serial As a devastating summer storm hits Grand Springs, Colorado, the next thirty-six hours will change the town and its residents forever…. For Her Eyes Only Part 3 Jessica's visions have continued unbidden since she blacked out at the lodge the night of the storm. She doesn't know if the vision of Stone Richardson dead is real or fantasy. For a cop like Stone, being in the line of fire is part of the job. That doesn't stop just because the woman he loves has a vision. He needs to keep investigating the mayor's murder, whatever the risk. So much is at stake now that they've found each other again. And neither can see the future with certainty, or predict when danger will strike. Don't miss the continuing drama in Grand Springs with Cinderella Story by Elizabeth August.

36 Hours Serial As a devastating summer storm hits Grand Springs, Colorado, the next thirty-six hours will change the town and its residents forever…. For Her Eyes Only Part 2 Ever since she blacked out at Squaw Creek Lodge the night of the storm, Jessica's been having visions. What does it mean? If only she could have a vision about where things are going between her and Stone–but that's still a mystery. And since her last vision of Stone in danger, she has even more to worry about. Stone's glad to have Jessica back in his life. And since he found out the truth about the mayor's death, he's taking her visions seriously. But if Olivia's death wasn't an accident, there's a killer out there, and Jessica might be in danger…. The story concludes in For Her Eyes Only Part 3.

Three sisters with Big secrets. Get ready to meet...SAVANNAH COURTNEY PEYTON The Diamond sisters never knew their father and never could catch a break. But their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad - a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come and live in a gorgeous penthouse suite. Suddenly they have access to all that their dad's money can provide, meaning it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusions, fitting in is nothing compared with finding out the truth about their past...

36 Hours Serial As a devastating summer storm hits Grand Springs, Colorado, the next thirty-six hours will change the town and its residents forever…. Cinderella Story Part 2 Nina Lindstrom and Alex Bennett are from two different worlds. But since that stormy night at the lodge, a business arrangement has brought the waitress and the millionaire together. Alex's grandfather think's they're engaged–a little fantasy Nina's willing to indulge while Alex pays Tommy's hospital bills. When Alex has another proposal for Nina, it seems to be business as usual for him. His offer could make life so much easier for the widow and her son. But it's not so easy for Nina to separate her head and her heart. The story concludes in Cinderella Story Part 3.

"Fast Fiction Romantic - short stories with a Happy Ever After When CEO Gabe Fulton invites his assistant to his beach house, Kara Kincaid can't wait to spend two sun-soaked weeks with her boss. They're in Charleston to seal a lucrative deal in private, but Kara's determined to show Gabe a side of herself he's never noticed at the office: the Kara who favors bikinis over blouses, who's just as happy building sandcastles with his four-year-old as she is building a business empire. And this Kara is definitely not interested in keeping things professional. But Gabe recently divorced a woman who loved his money more than she ever loved him—or their daughter. Kara can tell those wounds are still fresh. And with a troubled past of her own, she'll have to work overtime to prove she's in it for the man, not his billions.