New York Times bestselling author Amy Ewing delivers a dark and riveting tale that "will have fans of Oliver’s Delirium, Cass’s The Selection, and DeStefano’s Wither breathless.”* The Jewel has many meanings: wealth, beauty, royalty. But for Violet, the Jewel has always meant servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet is destined for the Jewel. She is trained as a surrogate for the elite and is bought by the Duchess of the Lake at auction. And she quickly learns that beneath the Jewel’s glittering façade lies the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life. Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life...all while fighting for her survival. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess’s control. A forbidden love sparks. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom. *BCCB

When her musical accompanist, Gemino the doll, has a terrible accident, Pavelle the dancer and the surrounding shadows come to his aid.

This novel, banned shortly before publication in Sept '08 by Random House, attracting British and world-wide media attention, tells for the first time the moving but little known love story between Mohammed and his favoured wife Ai'sha. A wonderful fast-paced novel and an uplifting subject that readers from all religions will enjoy.

Miranda Gallagher hears someone downstairs as she waits for her husband, Seamus, on their wedding night. It’s not her husband, but an intruder. With all the gold-mad people crowding into Seattle on their way to the Yukon, Miranda meets the intruder with her late father’s gun. She is shocked when the man, who calls himself Russ Foster, tells her that her husband sold the house to Russ so he would have money to get to the Klondike. A search for her husband ends with a corpse, and Miranda discovers Russ, though he now owns her house, doesn’t intend to throw her out into the street. Instead, he asks her to be his business partner when he turns her home into The Jewel Palace, a gentlemen’s club. Not a brothel, but certainly not the respectable life Miranda had. But she has nowhere else to go. Russ, who is an excellent businessman, has seen that the best way to get rich is to supply the men going north and to help the men who hit a strike spend their money when they return to Seattle. Miranda tries not to fall in love with Russ, but she’s charmed by his kindness and sense of humor. Then the past intrudes, and everything they have done to make The Jewel Palace a success is threatened. Is their love strong enough to save them?

An English orphan unwittingly holds the key to a powerful source of magic The graduation ceremony of the Grand and Ancient College of Siberian Witches takes place in the winter darkness of the Far North. But despite the celebration, the night is full of warnings and worry. The Wanderer is abroad in search of the coveted Jewel Seed that has been lost for centuries. Whoever finds it can unlock all knowledge and will have unlimited power. . . . Meanwhile, orphan Nonnie Smith is leaving the home she shares with her grandmother and grown siblings in Sesame Green to go live in London with her cousins and eldest sister, Una. Nonnie’s problems begin when her old neighbor Mrs. Wednesday returns from the Siberian witch conference and discovers that someone has taken a mysterious shirt off her clothesline. Nonnie is sure the linen blouse was Una’s, but why is Mrs. Wednesday so desperate to get her hands on it? Then Una is kidnapped—along with famous historical characters Julius Caesar, Mozart, and Jane Austen—and it’s up to Nonnie and her cousin John to outsmart both the Winter People and Mrs. Wednesday in order to save her.. The Jewel Seed is Joan Aiken’s retelling of a story her father, the poet Conrad Aiken, used to tell her and her siblings when they were young. This ebook features illustrations by Peter Bailey and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author’s estate.