The author of "Seductress" examines the ladies' man and answers the eternal question: what do women want?

"Lose yourself: Swoon has wicked fun answering that age-old query: What do women want?"—Chicago Tribune Contrary to popular myth and dogma, the men who consistently beguile women belie the familiar stereotypes: satanic rake, alpha stud, slick player, Mr. Nice, or big-money mogul. As Betsy Prioleau, author of Seductress, points out in this surprising, insightful study, legendary ladies’ men are a different, complex species altogether, often without looks or money. They fit no known template and possess a cache of powerful erotic secrets. With wit and erudition, Prioleau cuts through the cultural lore and reveals who these master lovers really are and the arts they practice to enswoon women. What she discovers is revolutionary. Using evidence from science, popular culture, fiction, anthropology, and history, and from interviews with colorful real-world ladykillers, Prioleau finds that great seducers share a constellation of unusual traits. While these men run the gamut, they radiate joie de vivre, intensity, and sex appeal; above all, they adore women. They listen, praise, amuse, and delight, and they know their way around the bedroom. And they’ve finessed the hardest part: locking in and revving desire. Women never tire of these fascinators and often, like Casanova’s conquests, remain besotted for life. Finally, Prioleau takes stock of the contemporary culture and asks: where are the Casanovas of today? After a critique of the twenty-first-century sexual malaise—the gulf between the sexes and women’s record discontent—she compellingly argues that society needs ladies’ men more than ever. Groundbreaking and provocative, Swoon is underpinned with sharp analysis, brilliant research, and served up with seductive verve.

Betsy Prioleau’s biography of Gilded Age female tycoon Miriam Leslie is “an appropriately twisty tale of someone trying to outrun her origins. . . . Her story sparkles, as intoxicating as a champagne fountain that somebody else is paying for” (New York Times Book Review). Among the fabled tycoons of the Gilded Age—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt—is a forgotten figure: Mrs. Frank Leslie. For 20 years she ran the country’s largest publishing company, Frank Leslie Publishing, which chronicled postbellum America in dozens of weeklies and monthlies. A pioneer in an all-male industry, she made a fortune and became a national celebrity and tastemaker in the process. But Miriam Leslie was also a byword for scandal: she flouted feminine convention, took lovers, married four times, and harbored unsavory secrets that she concealed through a skein of lies and multiple personas. Both during and after her lifetime, glimpses of the truth emerged, including an illegitimate birth and a checkered youth. Diamonds and Deadlines reveals the previously unknown, sensational life of the brilliant and brazen “empress of journalism,” who dropped a bombshell at her death: she left her entire multimillion-dollar estate to women’s suffrage—a never-equaled amount that guaranteed passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. In this dazzling biography, cultural historian Betsy Prioleau draws from diaries, genealogies, and published works to provide an intimate look at the life of one of the Gilded Age’s most complex, powerful women and unexpected feminist icons. Ultimately, Diamonds and Deadlines restores Mrs. Frank Leslie to her rightful place in history as a monumental businesswoman who presaged the feminist future and reflected, in bold relief, the Gilded Age, one of the most momentous, seismic, and vivid epochs in American history. Includes Black-and-White Images

From the author of the multi-million copy bestseller The 48 Laws of Power and The Laws of Human Nature, a mesmerizing handbook on seduction: the most subtle and effective form of power When raised to the level of art, seduction, an indirect and subtle form of power, has toppled empires, won elections and enslaved great minds. Immerse yourself in the twenty-four maneuvers and strategies of the seductive process, the ritual by which a seducer gains mastery over his target. Understand how to "Poeticize Your Presence," “Keep them in Suspense – What Comes Next” and “Master the Art of the Bold Move”. Every bit as essential as The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction is an indispensable primer of persuasion that reveals one of history's greatest weapons and the ultimate form of power.

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been. A riveting mystery for fans of We Were Liars. Eleven years ago, six kindergartners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to. Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max--the only one who hasn't come back. Which leaves Max's sister, Avery, wanting answers. She wants to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story. But as details of the disappearance begin to unfold, no one is prepared for the truth. This unforgettable novel--with its rich characters, high stakes, and plot twists--will leave readers breathless.

From the NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, & USA TODAY bestselling series Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe Winston remembers everything—every look, every word, every single unrequited second—and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone. Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . . Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists. But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . . Dr. Strange Beard is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a stand-alone, and is the fifth book in the USA TODAY bestselling Winston Brothers series. ***** Read the entire Winston Brothers series! Beauty and the Mustache Book #0.5 USA Today Bestseller Truth or Beard Book #1 USA Today Bestseller Grin and Beard It #2 USA Today Bestseller Beard Science #3 USA Today Bestseller Beard in Mind #4 USA Today Bestseller Dr. Strange Beard #5 New York Times Bestseller Beard with Me #5.5 (Coming September 2019) Beard Necessities #6 (Coming October 2019) ***** Topics: contemporary romance, romantic comedy, southern romance, small town, series, geek romance, nerdy girl romance, nerdy girl, geek girl, romantic comedy series, comedy, comedy series, funny romance, laugh romance, modern romance, urban romance, Tennessee, Tennessee romance, USA today, new york times bestselling author, USA today bestseller, USA Today bestseller, small town romance, friends to lovers romance, enemies to lovers romance, smart romance, something funny to read, lighthearted romance, light romance, hot romance, Penny Reid, penny reid romance, beard romance, bearded, wanderlust romance, romance novel, romance book, romantic comedy books, romance for adults, romance books, funny romance, funny romance, funny books, comedy books free, rom com, hilarious, romance series, romance books, beach reads, new adult, college, funny, female, stories, sensual, sensual romance, alpha male, hot guy, racy, sexy, heartwarming, heart-warming, family, love, love books, kissing books, emotional journey, contemporary, contemporary romance, romance series, long series, long romance series, bearded hero, sassy, captivating romance, hot, hot romance, mistaken identity romance, sparks, loyalty, swoon, interracial romance, African American heroine, childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, virgin romance, bearded brothers, saga

Is what the French mean by infidelity the same as what Australians mean? Or the same as the Japanese, or the Finns? Do different countries have different rules when it comes to extramarital sex?Delving into this taboo subject, Pamela Druckerman interviewed people all over the world, from retirees in South Florida to Muslim polygamists in Indonesia; from Hasidic Jews to the men who keep their mistresses in a concubine village outside Hong Kong. She talked to psychologists, sex researchers, marriage counsellors, and, most of all, cheaters and the people they've cheated on. Russian husbands and wives don't believe that beach-resort flings violate their marital vows. Japanese businessmen declare, "If you pay, it's not cheating". And South Africans may be the masters of creative accounting – pollsters there had to create separate categories for men who cheat and men who cheat only when drunk.With all this bending of the boundaries of marriage, knowing that by international standards Australians are extremely faithful may come as comforting news. Or maybe not.