Den rika och osympatiska dottern till earlen av Milbrooke, Marilyn, gör allt för att utestänga sin fattiga, men mycket vackra kusin Hermia från sällskapslivet. Men när hon vill snärja den stilige och rike markisen av Deverville blir hon tvungen att ta Hermia till hjälp. Slumpen gör att följden blir en helt annan än vad hon tänkt sig. Markisen är inte det lättfångade byte hon trott ... Barbara Cartland (1901-2000) är den mest produktiva författaren i det tjugonde århundradet. Vi har över 650 böcker från Cartlands romantiska hand. Hennes böcker är översatta till 38 språk, och med över en miljard sålda exemplar kan det inte längre finnas någon tvekan om att Barbara Cartland är en av världens största romantiker. Cartlands böcker äger rum i de finare engelska kretsarna och i exotiska miljöer. Kärleken är häftig mellan de passionerade hjältarna och vackra hjältinnorna, men gång på gång går de igenom prövningar. Men äkta kärlek är alltid starkast och det finns ingenting den inte kan besegra.

Beseiged by suitors at court, Princess Ileana of Zokala vows never to marry but meets a handsome outlaw who captures her heart

A lovely young girl becomes the object of a bet between the cynical Marquis of Ardsley and two friends who wager that they can pass off a tradesman's daughter as an aristocrat

AS EAGLES FLY Natasha Melikov was a Countess and a hostage. Kidnapped from her home in Tzarist Russia by Moslem rebels, she and her young brother were being held captive high in the Caucasian mountains. Overcome with fear, Natasha made an otherwise unthinkable bargain: her brother would go free and she would give herself in marriage to a rebel ally, the Sultan of Turkey. Knowing Natasha needed an escort out of the mountains to guarantee her safe delivery to the Sultan, her captors turned to the handsome, irreproachable Lord Athelstan—already in the Caucasians on a diplomatic mission. But Athelstan refused to lend either his name or his country's to such an unprincipled exchange. His cool rejection of her impassioned pleas for her brother's life was transforming the Countess' fear into frenzied desperation . . . BARBARA CARTLAND

Returning to Scotland after leaving when he was sixteen to escape his cruel father, the Duke of Strathnarn must negotiate with an enemy clan who is holding his nephew prisoner, and encounters horror, violence, and romance as a result.

Giselda had nowhere to turn. Without the money for the operation her young brother might die. Her wealthy employer, the Earl of Lyndhurst, might be kind and generous but she could never accept his charity. He must not know the terrible reason for her family's poverty. Choking back her pride and knowing that she was about to forfeit the love and respect she so tenderly wished from him, she said in a very low voice: "I have... heard, and I do not think I am mistaken, that there are... g-gentlemen who will pay large sums of money for a girl who is... p-pure. I want... I must have... £50 immediately... and I thought perhaps you could find me... someone to give me... that amount."

Arriving home from school, Bertilla is sad to find her home unprepared for her and her widowed mother is far from pleased to see her. Even worse, Lady Alvinston, a celebrated Society beauty, makes it clear that she has no intention of allowing her pretty eighteen-year-old daughter anywhere near the glittering London social scene she enjoys so much herself. As her mother continues her scheming to snare a wealthy husband before her looks fade, the last thing she needs is Bertilla making it obvious that she is old enough to have a grown up daughter. So when handsome Lord Saire, the prize amongst all of the eligible bachelors, happens upon Bertilla at a railway station, Lady Alvinston determines that their paths shall never cross again. Hastily packed up and sent to live with her mean-spirited Aunt Agatha, a Missionary in Sarawak, Bertilla is reconciled to the fact that she will never see England again. Feeling rejected, unloved and facing the deprivations of a Second Class ticket on her long sea voyage to Malaya, she is astounded to meet Lord Saire once more. Cut off from everything she knows and thrown into the elegant world of the steamship Saloon, Bertilla clutches at the kindness offered by Lord Saire, the man the Society matron's call, 'the Love Pirate'. Dashing, independent and a well-known heartbreaker, Lord Saire is cast in the unusual role of rescuer as they travel towards the beauty and mystery of the Far East. Acting as guardian and protector to Bertilla is very different to the passionate but brief relationships with Society beauties he normally enjoys and demonstrates the caring side of his nature. But is this a role he relishes or are his eyes really on the sophisticated married women he usually spends time with? As a man who has shunned love and marriage is he really the ideal protector for Bertilla as she dreams of freedom, romance and true love?

THE SAINT AND THE SINNER Pandora was not eavesdropping. It was only by accident that she found herself overhearing the horrifying conversation between her uncle and guardian—the Bishop of Lindchester—and his wife. "I have not had a chance to tell you," began Pandora's uncle, "that Prosper Witheridge asked me yesterday if he could pay his addresses to Pandora." "You mean to say he wishes to marry her?" asked the Bishop's wife. "She should be grateful, deeply grateful, that a good man should wish to make her his wife." Pandora suddenly realised that she had been holding her breath for so long that she was now gasping for air. Prosper Witheridge! Was it possible for one moment to entertain the idea of him as a husband?

Yamina froze as a new wave of terror swept over her. Life had become so dangerous. Caught in Constantinople during the Crimean War, the exquisite young Russian had been forced to seek refuge in a Sultan's harem from a mob that would have torn her apart. And when the harem became too perilous—not to her life but her virtue—Yamina had to flee again. Hidden in the bottom of an Oriental trunk masquerading as a gift from the Sultan, she was carried aboard a ship in the harbor. Yamina felt she was safe at last. Until she heard the voice of the man accepting the Sultan's gift—a man she despised. She would rather be back in the harem—or dead at the bottom of the Bosporus Straits—than be imprisoned aboard ship with such a monster!

Although beautiful young Laetitia is a Princess, she and her family lead a life more befitting paupers. Despising them for the gypsy blood that runs in their veins, the Grand Duchess, their cruel Cousin Augustina, bullies and oppresses them just as she persecutes the Romany people and banishes them from Ovenstadt's Capital. If only Laetitia could call upon some ancient gypsy spell to make things right. Worse still, Laetitia hears that the hateful woman has arranged for her daughter, Princess Stephanie, to marry King Viktor of Zvotana, despite her love for Laetitia's handsome brother Kyril. Determined to save Stephanie from a loveless marriage, Laetitia enlists the help of a Romany Voivode and his powerful gypsy magic and then meets the King disguised as a gypsy princess - only to find herself enraptured by the Voivode's spell and filled with a love too powerful to be denied -

Torilla heard voices drawing near and she braced herself for a contact with the Marquis—a man whose reputation for extravagance and cruelty terrified her. "Here is Gallen, Torilla, and now you can meet him," she heard her cousin say. With an effort Torilla raised her eyes. Then her heart did a double somersault in her breast and the whole room seemed to whirl around her. Torilla recognized the notorious Marquis of Havingham as none other than the handsome stranger who had saved her from peril the night of her stagecoach accident!

The mildness and beauty of Hong Kong were so welcome after the horrible English winters. As lovely and delicate as the flower she was named for, Azalea need warmth and sunlight to survive. Not that Azalea would ever be truly happy in her new home. Her aunt and uncle kept her in a humiliating stat of domestic slavery. her inferior position, they insisted, was more than justified by the unmentionable disgrace in her past. Her vicious guardians had succeeded in breaking Azalea's spirit. But they couldn't prevent a determined young man from falling in love with her. Nor could they stop him from uncovering the shameful secret that clouded Azalea's happiness.

Oppressed and trodden on by her aunt and uncle, the Duke and Duchess of Bruntwick, who despise her because her father died in debt and her mother was French, Rocana Brunt yearns to escape the confines of their Bruntwick Castle. Yet when her dear cousin Lady Caroline is ordered much against her will to marry the imperious Marquis of Quorn, simply to extricate him from a potential scandal over one of his many liaisons, loyal Rocana agrees to take her cousin’s place at the altar so that Lady Caroline may elope with her beloved Patrick. At least she believes that this deception and the loveless marriage that would undoubtedly follow, might free then her from her virtual slavery. Her deceit is not revealed until long after the wedding, when she and the Marquis reach Paris and her cousin and Patrick are safely and ecstatically wed. And soon, through her own magic and some dangerous escapades, Rocana herself feels a glimmer of hope that she too is about to find eternal happiness in a true love of her own.

Liebe unterm Tropenmond - bk1512; Erich Pabel Verlag; Barbara Cartland; pocket\_book; 1981

The love between the dashing Duke of Marazion and the lovely and innocent artist Ilitta is threatened by a ruthless blackmailer

Raised by her aunt and uncle, the sanctimonious Duke and Duchess of Berkhamsted, the golden-haired and beautiful Alida Shenley lives in the shadow of the ‘shame’ that her late and much-loved father brought upon the family by marrying for love – and because her mother was a ballerina. Being on the stage was tantamount to prostitution in Alida’s Guardians’ eyes and they inflict terrible punishments and humiliation upon her for what they see as her parent’s appalling sins. Even worse than her uncle’s savage whippings is the fact that he forbids her ever to marry as the carries the ‘bad blood’ of her mother. But hope eventually stirs in her heart when she is asked to accompany her cousin Mary on a voyage to Russia to meet the handsome young Prince Vorontski, whom Mary is to marry even though she flirts outrageously with the sinister Count Ivan, who is on the Steamer escorting them to St. Petersburg. In Russia Alida’s dreams of happiness are dashed as she falls hopelessly in love with Prince. Worse still she finds that Mary has conspired with Count Ivan for her to marry his father, a Russian General as despicable and brutal as her uncle. But just as she despairs of ever finding love with the Prince, Fate intervenes amid a life or death confrontation with a murderous pack of wolves in the Russian snow and her life is changed forever.

Odbywa się wielki, piękny bal. Wszyscy bawią się wybornie, oprócz mężczyzny w zielonej masce. Jest wyraźnie znudzony oraz zdegustowany zachowaniem jego uczestników, zwłaszcza zaś wyuzdanych kobiet. Na szczególne potępienie skazuje Lorindę, która jest bezwstydna, odważna, krnąbrna. Jest świadkiem tego, jak odmawia wielu swoim adoratorom ulegającym jej olśniewającej urodzie. W rozmowie z przyjacielem, który zdradza mu więcej o tajemniczej Lorindzie oznajmia, że chętnie podjął by się wyzwania poskromienia kobiety i okiełznania jej wybuchowego temperamentu. Ojciec Lorindy jest hazardzistą iw ostatnim pojedynku przegrał całą ich posiadłość. Ojciec chcąc unikną hańby chce się zastrzelić. Od tego pomysłu odgania go Lorinda, która proponuje, aby przeprowadzili się do Kornwalii i oddali cały dług. Tam ojciec czuje się uwięziony, ale dochodzą go słuchy, że właśnie z Indii powrócił Durstan Hayle i chce umówić się z nim na grę, aby go ograć z dość sporego majątku, którym dysponuje. Czy ten plan się powiedzie? Czy Lorinda pomoże ojcu w doprowadzeniu do spotkania? Kim okaże się mężczyzna w masce i czy uda mu się wygrać zakład?-

BEWITCHED The handsome Marquis of Ruckley was in a fit of temper. He raced his horses up the drive to his country estate with such speed he couldn't swerve to avoid the girl in the path of his carriage. Greatly relieved she was still alive, the Marquis carried the beautiful girl up to one of his guest bedrooms. When she recovered consciousness the next morning, Ruckley discovered that his emergency houseguest was a gypsy. His unfortunate accident could turn out to be a stroke of luck: only the day before at his London club, the Marquis had bet he could pass off a common girl as a lady of quality. The enchanting, intelligent gypsy was perfect for the impersonation. What an easy way to win a thousand pounds! But the Marquis hadn't wagered on falling madly in love with his pretty imposter.

The Curse of the Clan (#65) by Barbara Cartland

Beautiful, young, yet fiercely independent, Shikara Bartlett sorely misses her much-loved father, the renowned archaeologist Professor Richard Bartlett, who appears to have gone missing on his latest “dig” in Egypt. What’s worse is that in his absence her strait-laced guardian is determined to marry her off to the middle-aged Lord Stroud, who is pompous, boring and far too old at forty-four. She certainly does not love him ¬– and she never will. So Shikara tries to escape, using a rope from her window. But the rope is too short and she can’t reach the ground. Luckily for her, the Marquis of Linwood has just made a similar escape from a married woman’s nearby boudoir and hears Shikara’s cries for help and saves her. Somehow she persuades him to take her on his yacht to Egypt in search of her lost father. And, slowly but surely, Marquis who famously hates woman falls under the spell of this headstrong waif who professes to hate men.

Nach dem finanziellen Ruin und Selbstmord ihres Vaters ist Nerita Dunbar in Londons Gesellschaft auf sich allein gestellt. Trotz allem stolz und von unabhängigem Geist lehnt Nerita es ab auf die Wohltätigkeit ihrer Verwandten zu vertrauen, sondern bewirbt sich unter falschem Namen als Kinderfräulein im Haushalt des Marquis von Wychbold. Aber bald fühlt sie sich magisch von der Aura des abweisenden Marquis angezogen, der mehr Interesse an diesem Kinderfräulein zeigt als sich schickt.

No Darkness for Love [Mass Market Paperback]

Inghilterra, 1819 Costretta a sposare Lord Rothwyn, Lalitha scopre di provare un tenero quanto inaspettato sentimento per lui, ma si convince di non essere ricambiata e, disperata, fugge lontano. Grande, dunque, è la sua sorpresa quando il marito la raggiunge e le chiede di ripensare alla sua decisione. Così, con il cuore colmo di speranza e trepidazione, Lalitha accetta di ritornare a casa. Proprio quando la felicità sembra a portata di mano, però, una serie di imprevisti rischia di cambiare il corso delle loro vite per sempre...

When Gracila turned up her exquisite face to gaze at Lord Damien, he said in a trembling voice: ''For God's sake, do not look at me like that... you who are so pure, so perfect, so innocent. Now when I see you, I know that I must go away. Go away!'' She echoed: ''But I do not understand.'' ''I cannot meet you anymore. It is wrong for you, and hell for me.'' Gracila longed to cradle his head in her arms. ''You have suffered,'' she murmured, ''but perhaps I can make you happy.''

Een meisje dat door haar oom en nichtje in een vreemd land is achtergelaten, wordt verliefd op de leider van de revolutie, die daar is uitgebroken. In de boeken van Cartland is de hoofdrolspeelster meestal een onschuldige, pure vrouw, die een intrigerende, avontuurlijke man ontmoet. Het einde is altijd goed, en liefde overwint alles. Daarmee heeft Cartland een oeuvre geschapen dat haar vele lezers vooral troost en comfort geboden heeft.

After her young nephew and two nieces’ parents are drowned in a tragic sailing accident off the coast of Cornwall, the beautiful red-headed Tamara is devastated by their loss and realises almost at once that she is the only person who can look after the three children as she loves them so much. She speaks to the local Solicitor, who tells her that there is no money left in her brother-in-law’s estate and so she has no choice but to take the three children to their uncle, the Duke of Granchester, who lives in splendid isolation in a vast sprawling but intimidating Castle in Gloucestershire. The prospect at once appals Tamara. Firstly because she despises the Duke for the way he had cut off all contact with her sister and brother-in-law as he disapproved of their marriage, thinking that she was an actress when in fact she was a renowned opera singer. Worse still, Tamara has written a somewhat scurrilous novel portraying the Duke as the vile character she believes him to be! And the novel is just about to be published in London! Arriving at Granchester Castle in the guise of the children’s Governess, she finds the Duke to be as arrogant, high-handed and annoyingly handsome as her fictional portrayal of him and she hates him even more bitterly. Until a touch of love intervenes and changes everything forever.

The Marquis gazed in amazement at Fortuna's gold-white hair and enchanting little face. "She's unlike anyone I've seen before." But that was not true, he realized. She was like someone! Who was it? Who could it be? When the Marquis learned an astonishing truth about her, he knew he could use this adorable young beauty as a weapon against his enemy. So he laid elaborate and cynical plans to avenge an old wrong. But he did not count on Fortuna’s spirit and courage. Nor did he understand the strange stirrings in his worldly heart. Had he plotted revenge too well, only to lose his true love?

The lovely young Nun walked into the garden and Andre found that he was following her. "It is very pretty," she said. "And so are you." She looked up at him in surprise, and as their eyes met, it was impossible to look away. They just stood staring at each other. It seemed as if the whole garden vibrated like the sun itself. "What has happened to us?" Andre asked and the words were almost a whisper. "I want to hold you, kiss you, yet I know it is forbidden ..." The Nun gave a little cry and put up her hands to cover her eyes. "I ... I must not . . . listen to you!" Instinctively Andre reached out his arms towards her. "Oh God!" he cried. "I cannot help myself!"

Banished by her malicious stepmother, Lady Cranleigh, after the death of her father, Melita braves a long and lonely sea voyage from England to the Caribbean island of Martinique. With a heavy heart at leaving her childhood home, as her father has left her penniless, she has no choice but to comply with her stepmother’s bidding and accept her reduced circumstances with grace. As the ship sails ever closer to her destiny, Melita is determined to face her new life as a lowly Governess to motherless little Rose-Marie with fortitude. Arriving in the French colony, Melita is delighted to discover Martinique is a sun-drenched island blessed with beauty. Overwhelmed by the clear blue skies and the abundance of colourful flowers and shrubs, she begins to believe that she can be happy again, especially when she meets the handsome and surprisingly young, Comte de Vesonne, her new employer. Gazing at each other in astonishment, both are pleasantly surprised to discover something that they were not expecting. But not everyone at the sugar plantation is so pleased to welcome her and, when Melita hears drums pounding softly in the night, shattering the tranquility of the safe haven she has found at Vesonne, she remembers with foreboding the warnings she has heard about Voodoo practiced by the African slaves. Can the mysterious old woman that the slaves call their Mamba really call on the spirits of the dead? And if so, do they mean to help or harm her and the Comte she so much admires and is beginning to love? One thing is for sure – she will protect her young charge, little Rose-Marie, with her life if needs be.

THE CASTLE OF FEAR Tatika Lynch's exotic good looks first aroused the attentions of the lecherous Lord Crowley. Later, her wit and intelligence captivated him. He would possess her—at any cost. But Tatika did not love him and would not marry him. Desperate and alone, she fled to Scotland. There she took refuge in Castle Craig with the Dowager Duchess and her son. The Duke was young and extraordinarily handsome. Yet there was something hidden in his past, a dreadful secret people only whispered about. How could anyone love such a man, Tatika wondered. Yet there was a strange magnetic quality about the Duke. Tatika found herself drawn to him more and more . . .

Da Candida Walcotts far dør, ser hun sig nødsaget til at sælge sit dyreste hingsten Pegasus, som hun har haft siden den var føl. Men da køberne, Major Hooper, tilbyder at købe hesten og ansætte Candida til at træne den, tager hun imod tilbuddet og tager til London. Her skaber den smukke hingst med sin smukke rytter furore, og de får især opmærksomhed fra hjerteknuseren Lord Manville, der tilbyder at købe Pegasus med kun en enkelt at Candida følger med.

THE FLAME IS LOVE Emmeline Nevada Holtz was the richest—and the most sheltered—girl in America. Temporarily stranded in Paris without a chaperone, Emmeline realized that this was her one chance to experience life in a way she never had before. Her determination to enjoy her new-found freedom would lead Emmeline to some of the most dissolute pleasure palaces in Paris and to social acquaintances whose respectability was just a front for a most horrifying evil. But it would also lead her straight into the arms of the only man she would ever love.

La vita è diventata un incubo di terrore e disperazione per l'adorabile Wivina Compton da quando Jeffrey Farlow, capo della banda di contrabbandieri del villaggio, è determinato a renderla sua moglie. Wivina disprezza Farlow con tutta sé prova repulsione di fronte alle sue avances, ed è certa che sia stato proprio lui ad ordinare l'omicidio di suo padre. Tuttavia nessuno nel villaggio oserebbe ostacolare Farlow e i suoi uomini, e Wivina è certa che la obbligherà a sposarlo con la forza. C'è solo un uomo che può salvarla dal suo il tenebroso Lord Cheriton, stimato eroe di guerra napoleonico arrivato al villaggio proprio per stanare Farlow e i suoi traffici illeciti. Barbara Cartland (1901 – 2000) è stata una scrittrice britannica molto prolifica, specializzata in particolare in romanzi rosa e novelle romantiche. In oltre settant'anni di attività scrisse oltre 730 romanzi e fu, con oltre un miliardo di copie vendute, una delle autrici di maggior successo di tutti i tempi. Tra gli anni Settanta e Novanta divenne una personalità mediatica soprattutto grazie a numerose apparizioni televisive e partecipazioni a eventi mondani, nonché in quanto imparentata con la giovane Lady Diana, principessa del Galles. Tra i titoli più conosciuti a livello internazionale spiccano "Amore innocente", "La ballerina e il principe" e "Passione sotto la cenere".

Markisen av Swayne skadas i en olycka och förs till läkarens hus. Där vårdas han av Rowena, den äldsta av läkarens döttrar som är förtrollande vacker. Markisen förälskar sig i Rowena och hans kärlek blir besvarad. Men då Rowena upptäcker att börd betyder mer för markisen än kärlek, beslutar hon sig för att sätta honom på plats. Ska hon lyckas i sitt uppsåt?Cartlands böcker äger rum i de finare engelska kretsarna och i exotiska miljöer. Kärleken är häftig mellan de passionerade hjältarna och vackra hjältinnorna, men gång på gång går de igenom prövningar. Men äkta kärlek är alltid starkast och det finns ingenting den inte kan besegra.

Proud Talbot McCarron, Duke of Invercaron, falls in love with a lovely, mysterious waif, but their love is threatened by arranged betrothal to the cold, cruel Countess of Dalbeth

Da lord Blackstones vidunderskønne datter, Sandra, erfarer, at hendes stedmor har planer om at sende hende af vejen hos en gammel tante i Bedfordshire, løber hun hjemmefra og tager ansættelse som selskabsdame hos den vanskelige enkegrevinde af Kyle. Her træffer hun enkegrevindens kyniske søn, jarlen af Kyle. Lidt efter lidt finder Sandra ud af, at hans franske kone på grund af krigen ikke kan komme ud af Frankrig, og at nogle skumle personer søger at presse penge af ham. Og hun opdager, at hun har tabt sit hjerte. Barbara Cartland (1901-2000) var en engelsk forfatter til romantiske romaner, der er blevet solgt i adskillige millioner eksemplarer. Cartland udgav sin første roman i 1922 og har skrevet i alt 723 bøger, der er blevet oversat til 36 forskellige sprog. På grund af sin effektivitet i sin forfattergerning, er hun nævnt i Guinness rekordbog for flest udgivne bøger i løbet af et enkelt år. Barbara Cartland blev i 1991 hædret af dronning Elizabeth II som Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire til ære for Cartlands sociale og politiske bidrag, foruden sit forfattervirke, i næsten 70 år.