The Bettencourt Affair


Book Description

An NPR Best Book of 2017 Heiress to the nearly forty-billion-dollar L’Oréal fortune, Liliane Bettencourt was the world’s richest woman and the fourteenth wealthiest person. But her gilded life took a dark yet fascinating turn in the past decade. At ninety-four, she was embroiled in what has been called the Bettencourt Affair, a scandal that dominated the headlines in France. Why? It’s a tangled web of hidden secrets, divided loyalties, frayed relationships, and fractured families, set in the most romantic city—and involving the most glamorous industry—in the world. The Bettencourt Affair started as a family drama but quickly became a massive scandal, uncovering L’Oréal’s shadowy corporate history and buried World War II secrets. From the Right Bank mansions to the Left Bank artist havens; and from the Bettencourts’ servant quarters to the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy; all of Paris was shaken by the blockbuster case, the shocking reversals, and the surprising final victim. It all began when Liliane met François-Marie Banier, an artist and photographer who was, in his youth, the toast of Paris and a protégé of Salvador Dalí. Over the next two decades, Banier was given hundreds of millions of dollars in gifts, cash, and insurance policies by Liliane. What, exactly, was their relationship? It wasn’t clear, least of all to Liliane’s daughter and only child, Françoise, who became suspicious of Banier’s motives and filed a lawsuit against him. But Banier has a far different story to tell... The Bettencourt Affair is part courtroom drama; part upstairs-downstairs tale; and part characterdriven story of a complex, fascinating family and the intruder who nearly tore it apart.




Saved by Scandal's Heir


Book Description

Can he awaken dreams she thought lost forever...' Harriet, Lady Brierley, is a respectable widow, determined to keep the secrets of her broken heart deeply buried. But when Benedict Poole--the very man who deserted her--returns, Harriet's safe world threatens to unravel. Believing Harriet left him for a wealthy lord, Benedict must fight to uncover the true consequence and tragedy of their affair years before. But with his family's name now synonymous with scandal, can he hope to win back the trust of the woman he has always loved?




The American Heiress


Book Description

Now including an excerpt from VICTORIA: A Novel, by Daisy Goodwin, the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS. "Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn't?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin's The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." --Allison Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of I Don't Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage. Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James. "For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn't always buy them happiness." --Daisy Goodwin in The Daily Mail One of Library Journal's Best Historical Fiction Books of 2011




The Scandals of an Innocent


Book Description

Miss Alice Lister feels anything but respectable. Bad enough that she is a maid-turned-heiress. Now the insufferably attractive Lord Miles Vickery is certain he can gain her fortune by blackmailing her into marriage—even though it was his deceitful charm that broke her heart once before. But she's positive the terms of her inheritance will prove an impossible task. After all, what rake could be completely honest for three long months? For his part, Miles finds his newfound frankness invaluable in entangling Alice in positions deliciously unbecoming of a lady. Of course, he doesn't yet know that he's falling hopelessly in love with this formidable innocent…or that he will soon go to impossible lengths to prove himself hers forever….




Seduction, Southern Style


Book Description

Ulterior motives are the name of the game. But is she willing to play?




Heiress Without a Cause


Book Description

One title to change his life... A disgraced son with a dark reputation, William "Ferguson" Avenel is content to live in exile - until his father dies in the scandal of the Season. With rumors of insanity swirling around them, his sisters desperately need a chaperone. Ferguson thinks he's found the most proper woman in England - and he won't ruin her, even if he secretly desires the passionate woman trapped beneath a spinster's cap. One chance to break the rules... Lady Madeleine Vaillant can't face her blighted future without making one glorious memory for herself. In disguise, on a London stage, she finds all the adoration she never felt from the ton. But when she's nearly recognized, she will do anything to hide her identity - even setting up her actress persona as Ferguson's mistress. She'll take the pleasure he offers, but Madeleine won't lose her heart in the bargain. One season to fall in love... Every stolen kiss could lead to discovery, and Ferguson's old enemies are determined to ruin them both. But as their dangerous passion ignites their hearts and threatens their futures, how can an heiress who dreams of freedom deny the duke who demands her love? --- Series: Muses of Mayfair #1 Next Book: Scotsmen Prefer Blondes, Muses of Mayfair #2 - available now! Genre: Regency Historical Setting: London, 1812 Length: 94,000 words (full-length novel) Sensuality: Hot




Scandals, Secrets and Swansongs


Book Description

Behind the images and facades of stars whose fame and fascination continue to outlive them lies the naked truth. How Hollywood stars lived, worked and died is often more dramatic than their films. When we talk about movie stars we usually dwell not on their movies but their personalities or what happened to them or supposedly happened. Their lives interest us even more than their roles, especially, let’s be honest, their mishaps and tragedies, including early deaths. Their scandals define several movie stars, and Hollywood secrets remain a true-gossip staple, particularly sexual secrets. Scandals, Secrets & Swansongs takes a close-up, no-holds-barred look at 101 stars—at their surprising, often shocking, sometimes sordid but always entertaining real selves and lives.




Great Scandals of the Victorians


Book Description

Great Scandals of the Victorians features a collection of true stories that shocked, outraged, angered or simply amused the Victorians in nineteenth-century Britain. Drawing on a wide variety of original material, seven disreputable stories that dominated the national newspapers for many weeks are explored, including the Great Warwickshire Scandal, a highly publicized divorce case where for the first time in history a Prince of Wales was called to give evidence in court; a ‘baby’ scandal that disrupted Queen Victoria’s court and threatened the monarchy; the sex scandals of the Abode of Love, a mysterious religious cult founded by a defrocked clergyman, Henry James Prince and the sensational trial of Fanny and Stella, two outrageous cross-dressers accused of sodomy. Some scandals, though traumatic for the people involved, produced a positive outcome, such as the scandalous custody battle between Caroline Norton and her husband, which led to the passing of the Custody of Infants Act, granting mothers custody of their children following a divorce, and the case of 13-year-old Eliza Armstrong, sold to a brothel keeper for £5, which caused a major scandal and public outrage, but also led to a change in the law, raising the age of consent from 13 to 16 years.




Secrets and Scandals Volume One


Book Description

Everyone has secrets and some of them are a scandal…six sexy, damaged heroes lose their hearts to strong, intelligent women in the glittering ballrooms and lush countryside of Regency England. Her Wicked Ways (Book One) To save his orphanage from collapse, Montgomery "Fox" Foxcroft leads a double life as a highwayman. Banished debutante Lady Miranda Sinclair is his salvation—until she rejects him. Out of options and falling for the heiress, Fox must risk what principles he has left and take advantage of her wicked ways—even if it ruins them both. His Wicked Heart (Book Two) Jasper Sinclair, Earl of Saxton, made a bargain with his devil of a father to marry a proper deb. Instead, he becomes entangled with a sometimes actress, Olivia West, determined to improve her situation. Destitute and desperate, she agrees to one night with Jasper, hatching a scheme to take his money and keep her virtue. However, Jasper uncovers her deception and vows to claim what he’s owed. To Seduce a Scoundrel (Book Three) When debutante Lady Philippa finds herself in a potentially compromising situation, she’s “rescued” by England’s most notorious scoundrel, Lord Ambrose Sevrin. Despite his scandalous past, Ambrose vows to preserve Philippa’s reputation, but instead launches them both on a path to public and personal ruin.




London Scandals: The Complete Box Set


Book Description

The London Scandals series are interrelated standalones with a guaranteed Happily Ever After. Indulge yourself in the heart-pounding romances that scandalize London's ton. FOUR Books - One Convenient Box Set - The Complete London Scandals Series The Wild Lord A reluctant heir on the brink of madness. One woman's desperate quest to save him. A love that won't give up... Becoming Lady Dalton Her sister's unexpected marriage to an earl offers Viola a life of unimaginable luxury - with little room for the viscount determined to have her. When suspicion falls on her for a series of jewel thefts, she has no choice but to turn to him for help. But will her long-held secrets detroy their chance for love? The Lost Lord He's the heir to nothing, lord of no one. He was displaced fom his inheritance when his long-lost brother "miraculously" returned to England. A tragic accident led to his exile. Now he has a plan to reclaim his former glory...all it takes is seducing one wealthy, sheltered young woman. But when she sees through his plot, he's forced to confront his real feelings for the woman he loves. The Duke's Stolen Heart A cunning thief meets her match in am uptight, mistrustful duke. He wants her to steal a beloved heirloom. Instead, she steals his heart. Get the London Scandals box set today and save 50% off the retail price of all 4 books bought separately.