Kirjahaku

Time is not a river. It is a vast cosmic sea. Where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface, past and future being eternally present. And occasionally, one expanding ring intertwines with that of another, weaving the lives of two people together. . . .In 2012, Emme Wilde can't find the right guy. She wants to feel that swept-off-your-feet dizziness of true love. But so far, her dating life has come up short. Star Trek geek? Nice but too serious. Hippy artist? Cute but too vulnerable. Instead, Emme obsesses over the portrait of an unknown man in an old locket. Granted, a seriously dreamy guy with delicious, wind-swept hair she just itches to run her fingers through. But still. Dead men may be great listeners, but they are not exactly boyfriend material. Emme travels to England, determined to uncover his history and conquer the strong connection she feels.In 1812, James Knight has given up finding the right woman. All he wants is someone to share his love of adventure. Instead, his life has become a Shakespearean drama. His brother languishes in a tragic star-crossed romance. His beloved sister clings to life, slowly dying of consumption. But then he finds a beautiful mystery woman, dripping wet and half-dead, beneath a tree on his estate. Now if he can uncover her history, perhaps adventure-and romance-will find him at last.

Fate will draw two people together, traveling centuries if necessary. But even so, predestined lovers still have the choice to walk away . . . In 2014, Marc Wilde--martial artist and actor--finds his life a mess. His latest film, Croc-nami, is being trashed on social media, sending his acting career into a tailspin (crocodile pun . . . nice). His dating history isn't much better. Romantic love? Not so much. And then there is the tiny matter of blackmail. Someone knows about the time portal in the cellar of Duir Cottage and is threatening to tell the world unless Marc pays up. So yeah . . . life not going so well. In 1814, Kit Ashton has problems of her own. Her brother has disappeared (again), leaving Kit penniless and forcing her to take up employment as a lady's companion (sigh). Worse, there are French spies in the area, and Kit finds herself pulled into the conspiracy. Add in the sudden appearance of a wind-swept, silver-tongued rogue who makes Kit want to flirt, flirt, flirt . . . it all leaves her one misstep from disaster. Kit is determined to find her brother and return home, all while guarding her heart and (most importantly) keeping her secrets . . . well . . . secret.

An ancient curse, fractured at the birth of three brothers.Two strangers helplessly drawn to each other.A love story two hundred years in the making.Claire Raythorn arrives in Florence, Italy, shattered, alone, and anxious to rebuild her life--preferably one without men. But she soon finds herself hunted and haunted-- literally--when a mysterious stalker dressed like Mr. Darcy from BBC central casting appears in her photos. And only her photos. Who is this man? And what does his ghostly presence mean?Dante D'Angelo simply wants to safeguard his brothers, despite the family curse that hounds his vision. But then Claire Raythorn walks into his life, untouched somehow by his curse. Soon, everything Dante thought he knew about himself starts to unravel, dragging Claire down with him.Set against the lush backdrop of Florence, Italy--both past and present--Claire and Dante fight for a future together. But, first, they must uncover their shared past . . .

***A WHITNEY AWARD FINALIST 2017***Time is not a river. It is a vast cosmic sea, where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface. Usually, the eternal ocean oscillates in harmony, all lives breathing up and down as one. But something has broken this equilibrium, turning the cosmic ocean into turbulent waters . . . In 1828, Daniel Ashton, Lord Whitmoor, faces a problem of epic proportion-an earthquake has caused the time portal in Duir Cottage to stop functioning, disrupting the cosmic ocean and threatening Time itself. He needs a computer to crunch numbers and provide a solution. But with the time portal on the fritz, a computer is two hundred years in the future. So Daniel sets out to find the next best thing-an anonymous mathematical genius of legendary renown. Fossi Lovejoy knows she is too odd, too intelligent, too old and too poor to ever marry. So she busies herself in her father's ministry and her mathematical equations, choosing to focus on what she has, not what she lacks. But then Lord Whitmoor publishes one of her private theorems, taunting her to respond. Fossi is compelled to action-when you have so little in life, you defend the few things that are yours with ferocious tenacity. Even if it means matching wits with the infamous Lord Whitmoor.Can two people past their youth find unexpected love?This final installment in the Amazon bestselling House of Oak series can easily be read as a stand-alone book. Check out the other books in the series, all available now on Amazon: Intertwine (House of Oak, Book 1)Divine (House of Oak, Book 2)Clandestine (House of Oak, Book 3)Refine (House of Oak, Book 4)

Miss Belle Heartstone-heiress and savvy businesswoman-needs a husband. Immediately. As in, yesterday would not have been soon enough. Her mother's attempts at matchmaking have been disastrous. So Belle decides to solve the problem her way-survey the market and purchase the best groom available. Colin Radcliffe, Marquess of Blake-debt-ridden and penniless-needs a large infusion of cash. Desperately. Preferably cash that does not come with a wife attached. It is no surprise, then, when he receives Miss Heartstone's brazen proposal-her cash, his title, their marriage-that he politely declines. But before he leaves her, Blake suggests something truly radical: Maybe before finding a husband, Belle should find herself. His simple words send them both on an unexpected journey, spanning continents and years, entwining their lives in ways neither could have foreseen. Can two lonely souls move past societal expectations and forge a unique life together?Please note: The basic storyline of Seeing Miss Heartstone was originally published as a novella titled, An Invisible Heiress, in the Spring in Hyde Park anthology. This current novel is a greatly expanded version of that plot, adding over 200 pages of text and creating a more robust, well-developed story.

Lady Jane Everard cannot abide the new Earl of Hadley. The unmannered Scot is a menace to genteel ladies everywhere, what with his booming laugh and swishing kilt and endless supply of 'ochs' and 'ayes.' Jane wishes Lord Hadley would behave as an earl should and adhere to English rules of polite conduct. Andrew Langston, the new Earl of Hadley, knows that the English aristocracy think poorly of his lowly Scottish upbringing. This is hardly new. History is littered with the English assuming the worst about Scotland. By living up to their lowest expectations, he is simply fulfilling his civic duty as a Scotsman. Jane sees Andrew as an unmannered eejit. Andrew considers Jane to be a haughty English lady. But, as the saying goes, . . . opposites attract. And what if beneath his boisterous behavior and her chilly reserve, Andrew and Jane are not nearly as different as they suppose? Can Scotland and England reach a harmonious union at last?

Lady Sophronia Sorrow considers herself an unlikely heroine. Why, just her name alone proves this. Sophronia Sorrow sounds like a girl from a gothic penny novel-the foolish miss who falls prey to a rake and becomes an object lesson for the true heroine to avoid. No, despite her mawkish name, Sophie refuses to spend her life invisible and unwanted, relegated to the margin of the text. Despite her eccentric, bluestocking ways, there must be a place where she is wanted. If only she could uncover the identity of her natural father, perhaps she would belong there?But one thing Sophie knows for sure-unlike that foolhardy miss in a novel, she will not succumb to a rake. No matter how thoroughly the rakish Lord Rafe Gilbert may tempt her.Lord Rafe Gilbert longs for freedom-freedom from his controlling father, freedom to live his life as he chooses. He knows playing the rake keeps his autocratic father in check, but Rafe longs to determine his own destiny. Case in point, he fell in love with Lady Sophie years ago, but his father's threats and his mother's health prevent him from pursuing Lady Sophie in earnest. So when Fate thrusts Sophie into his path, Rafe knows he must turn her away and distance himself. But doing the right thing has never been so impossibly difficult.Sophie and Rafe soon find themselves on a journey together from London to a castle in the Scottish Highlands. Along the way, can two kindred souls heal from past hurts and seize a second chance to write a love story of their own?

Ewan Campbell fought to free himself from his past. Quite literally. A former prizefighter, he now earns his living as an artist. But Ewan still fights more figurative opponents-dark memories that threaten to overwhelm him. Worse, when he is hired to assist a famous painter, Ewan finds himself falling for the man's highborn niece, Lady Kildrum. Such feelings are pointless. Countesses do not fall in love with impoverished Highlanders, no matter what fairy tales say.Violet Kerr, Lady Kildrum, struggles to make decisions. She is a countess in her own right, for heaven's sake. Decision-making skills should flow through her blood. After all, her life's path is clear-marry a nobleman, provide for her sisters, and see to the welfare of her tenants. Though Violet has made one decision-She must curb her attraction to Ewan Campbell, her uncle's new art assistant. The lowly Highlander, no matter how alluring, is not a proper suitor for a countess.She definitely should not fantasize about the man. Or, if she does, she should not allow such fantasies to lead to very real kissing. Because kissing could bring on the most difficult decision of all- What happens if Violet chooses to fall in love with the one man she can never have?

Miss Eilidh Fyffe always assumed her life would follow a predictable pattern-meet a charming man, fall in love, marry, and live happily ever after. But when an accident damages her memory, she is left with only questions. Has she already fallen in love and married? If only she could remember . . . Master Kieran MacTavish has spent six years searching for his lost wife. But, turns out, finding Eilidh alive is only the beginning of the battle. She has no memory of him-no recollection of their courtship, love, or handfasting. Refusing to be discouraged, Kieran relishes the chance to make Eilidh fall for him all over again. Surely he can rekindle the flame of their love.But the intervening years have changed them both. Eilidh is crippled by grief-the deaths of her father, her younger brother, Jamie, and others overwhelm her. And the more Kieran comes to know this new Eilidh, the more he is haunted by the woman she once was. Throughout it all, one question looms large-Is your love still your love if the person they once were no longer exists?

As a young woman, Leah Penn-Leith fell hopelessly in love with Captain Fox Carnegie-the only irrational mark on her decidedly sensible life. Fox, unfortunately, did not return her regard. Their story should have ended there. After all, Fox left for India. And Leah returned home to Scotland to rear her much younger brothers. But twenty years later, Fox appears on Leah's doorstep-older, scarred, and world-weary-proposing a marriage of convenience between them. He needs a mother for his young ward, and Leah, with her capable good sense, comes highly recommended. What woman could say No to such a proposal? Not Leah. Fox has always wreaked havoc on her ability to think rationally. But after their marriage, Leah confronts the chaotic reality of Fox's life. His castle, ten miles up a rugged Highland glen, is shambolic. His ward, Madeline, is a precocious handful. Fox's time in India is shrouded in rumor and mystery. Worst of all, Fox himself is distant and broken, his personality as altered as his scarred body. Throughout it all, Leah is left with two questions: What happens to a woman after her most-cherished fantasy comes true? And can a marriage, begun in practicality, transform into something deeper? Something like . . . love.

Viola Brodure, gentlewoman and celebrated authoress, faces a personal dilemma suited for a novel-everyone wishes for her to make a love match with Ethan Penn-Leith, the famous Highland Poet. And by everyone, she means everyone-her father, her adoring readers, the gossip columnists, and her patron, the overbearing Duke of Kendall. Why, even Queen Victoria herself has given a nod of approval to the match. After all, the popular novelist and the famous poet are the perfect heroine and hero for their own love story. A literary dynasty waiting to be born. The problem, of course, is that Viola has never met Ethan, not in the flesh, at least. She has read about him and devoured his poetic writings, but does the man himself live up to his dashing reputation? Malcolm Penn-Leith exists in twilight. He manages his farm, Thistle Muir, in the shadow of the Scottish Highlands. As the older brother of the renowned Ethan Penn-Leith, Malcolm tends to his prized cows while Ethan basks in the limelight. Harder still, Malcolm lives under a cloud of grief after the death of his wife five years ago. But then Miss Viola Brodure arrives in Malcolm's wee village, intent on meeting Ethan and beginning a courtship. Viola-petite, blond, shy, and English-is nothing like Malcolm's late wife. And yet, Viola awakens a piece of his heart that he thought lost in the abyss of his grief. For her part, Viola is surprised to find herself more attracted to the stoic Malcolm than the charming Ethan. So now what? She isn't meant to fall in love with the man adjacent to Ethan Penn-Leith. That's not the plot she had outlined. After all, Malcolm and Viola are not the match made in heaven that everyone wishes to see. As social pressures mount, can Malcolm and Viola overcome the weight of his past and the expectations of her future to forge a new path together? Please note that the basic elements of this story first appeared in a novella entitled A Ring of Gold. This current novel is a greatly-expanded adaptation of that novella.