Enemy of the Wallflower


Book Description

Lady Cora Stephens has an enemy. A certain earl has always been the bane of her existence. Her father loved him and probably secretly wished he'd been his son, not his friend's. He'd tormented her when they were children, and his arrogance had only grown with age. She vowed one day to wipe the smugness away and replace it with the same pain she had endured for years. Hayes Grant, Earl of Thornton hadn't led the charmed life most had believed—even if the façade he presents to the world enhances that belief. His father was a brute of a man and beat him more times than he could count. He didn't get a reprieve until after the rotten man died, but the damage had already been inflicted, and could never be undone. Hayes lashed out at anyone that showed him kindness, not trusting its veracity—even the only girl he'd ever loved. He wished he could have taken back all the things he'd said to Cora over the years, but some things couldn't be changed. She would never believe he loved her. Why should she? He'd been a complete arse over the years. It was for the best though. He was too damaged to ever love her as she deserved, and the only good thing he could ever do for her was save her from himself. Cora's desire for revenge turns to something else as she learns about Hayes's past. His pain had been far greater than hers, and her heart breaks for him, but it may be too late. Some wounds can never heal…even when love is given freely.




Wicked and the Wallflower


Book Description

When Wicked Comes Calling . . . When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber and offers his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees—on one condition. She’s seen enough of the world to believe in passion, and won’t accept a marriage without it. The Wallflower Makes a Dangerous Bargain . . . Bastard son of a duke and king of London’s dark streets, Devil has spent a lifetime wielding power and seizing opportunity, and the spinster wallflower is everything he needs to exact a revenge years in the making. All he must do is turn the plain little mouse into an irresistible temptress, set his trap, and destroy his enemy. For the Promise of Passion . . . But there’s nothing plain about Felicity Faircloth, who quickly decides she’d rather have Devil than another. Soon, Devil’s carefully laid plans are in chaos and he must choose between everything he's ever wanted . . . and the only thing he's ever desired.




The Devil in Winter


Book Description

"I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows that." Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London. A marriage of convenience is the only solution. No one would have ever paired the shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome viscount. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Evie is a woman of hidden strength—and Sebastian desires her more than any woman he's ever known. Determined to win her husband's elusive heart, Evie dares to strike a bargain with the devil: If Sebastian can stay celibate for three months, she will allow him into her bed. When Evie is threatened by a vengeful enemy from the past, Sebastian vows to do whatever it takes to protect his wife . . . even at the expense of his own life. Together they will defy their perilous fate, for the sake of all-consuming love.




Conspiring with the Enemy


Book Description

Despite the strong influence of just war theory in military law and practice, warfare is commonly considered devoid of morality. Yet even in the most horrific of human activities, there is frequent communication and cooperation between enemies. One remarkable example is the Christmas truce—unofficial ceasefires between German and English trenches in December 1914 in which soldiers even mingled in No Man’s Land. In Conspiring with the Enemy, Yvonne Chiu offers a new understanding of why and how enemies work together to constrain violence in warfare. Chiu argues that what she calls an ethic of cooperation is found in modern warfare to such an extent that it is often taken for granted. The importance of cooperation becomes especially clear when wartime ethics reach a gray area: To whom should the laws of war apply? Who qualifies as a combatant? Should guerrillas or terrorists receive protections? Fundamentally, Chiu shows, the norms of war rely on consensus on the existence and content of the laws of war. In a wide-ranging consideration of pivotal instances of cooperation, Chiu examines weapons bans, treatment of prisoners of war, and the Geneva Conventions, as well as the tensions between the ethic of cooperation and the pillars of just war theory. An original exploration of a crucial but overlooked phenomenon, Conspiring with the Enemy is a significant contribution to military ethics and political philosophy.




Rogue Wallflower


Book Description

Lady Victoria Spencer has loved one man her entire life. Of course he never notices her. Why should he? She’s a wallflower and no one pays the unwanted ladies much mind. Had she been a bit plump? Yes. Now that she no longer is, she has a plan. She’s going to become a rogue wallflower, and only one man will do as her first lover. David Brooks, Earl of Foxcroft had led a charmed life. Right up until his father died and he was forced to take responsibility for his family and the estate. His father had run the coffers nearly empty and it had been up to him to restore their fortune. He could have married an heiress, but felt that was a cowardly way out. Instead he focused on rebuilding his fortune. Now that he feels secure enough with his family’s status he has decided to take a wife. Only one woman will do, but now that he can claim her, she would rather take a lover, not a husband. All Victoria needs is a gentleman well versed in everything roguish to give her those lessons. David seizes upon the opportunity. He is more than willing to use her curiosity to his advantage. As long as in the end, he’s the only rogue she wields her newfound skills on.




The Wallflower's War


Book Description

Tragedy and humiliation made Mercy Price a forgotten wallflower. Fate will grant her vengeance – and true love. A full-length sweet romance about cold revenge, thawing hearts, and the redeeming power of love. After losing her mother and most of her hearing to fever, Mercy Price slips into obscurity inside her own family. When a band of noble second sons called the Four Horsemen publicly humiliate Mercy, her dreadful stepmother’s ensuing campaign of terror forges Mercy into a survivor bent on revenge. Mercy’s opportunity for retribution arrives with one astonishing catch. The author of the revenge plan is the terribly handsome August Wycliff – one of her former tormentors now living under an alias. A man who supposedly died on the battlefields of Spain. Certain Wycliff doesn’t remember her, Mercy dives into his madcap plan to present her as a foreign noblewoman at the Horsemen’s grand house party, have her win the ardor of each, and then take their precious tokens of brotherhood before rejecting them. Little does Wycliff know, Mercy plans to humble him as well. To do so, she must slip behind his defenses and uncover evidence of wrongdoing with which she might destroy him. Why he desires vengeance against his former friends remains a mystery to Mercy, as does another inconvenient fact – Wycliff has recognized Mercy from the start. Astonished by Mercy’s transformation, he tries to dismiss his mounting fascination with her by considering Mercy no more than a tool of vengeance against the Horsemen for their cold betrayal on the day of his supposed death. Wrapped in swirling secrets and immersed in fractious banter, Mercy and Wycliff work together to carry out the complex ruse. However, a powerful and growing mutual attraction leads each to regret what they might sacrifice for the sake of vengeance – including a future that includes friendship, love, and… perhaps even each other.




The Wallflower Identity


Book Description

Lilah Stevens first season was the worst a lady could ever have. She hadn’t been a mere wallflower, she’d been the Wallflower. The one that had ended up with her name on everyone lips and a ruined reputation. Before that fateful day no one had ever noticed her. Afterwards, she couldn’t show her face in society without the whispers being uttered at her mere presence. It had been enough to make anyone run and hide, but she refused to allow him that satisfaction. She would make that infernal viscount rue the day they had ever crossed paths, even if it made her reputation terminally unrepairable. Henry Collins, the Viscount of Harcrest had always been a consummate rake. He didn’t see any reason to change. He loved his life and it was a grand one. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t have a care in the world, and he liked it that way. He doesn’t pay any attention to rumors, but after that fateful encounter he wonders if perhaps it is time he should. Surely, he couldn’t have done what she suggested. Even he wasn’t that depraved… Lilah wishes she could once again embrace the identity of a wallflower, a role she used to hate, but that is a past she can never reclaim. But somehow, she starts to wonder if she had it all wrong and it might be enough to lead her to a place she never expected: love.




Isolating the Enemy


Book Description

In the crucial moment after the Korean War, the United States and the People’s Republic of China circled each other warily. They shifted between confrontation and conciliation, ratcheting up tension yet also embarking on peace initiatives. Tao Wang offers a new account of Sino–American relations in the mid-1950s that situates the two great powers in their international context. He reveals how both the United States and China adopted a policy of attempting to isolate their adversary and explores how Chinese and American leaders perceived and reacted to each other’s strategies. Although the policy of the Eisenhower administration was to contain China, Washington often overestimated Chinese aggressiveness, worrying allies and neutral states. Sensitive to the differences within the Western camp, Chinese leaders sought to convince American allies to persuade the United States to back down. Wang analyzes diplomatic maneuvering over a peace settlement in Indochina, an American defense pact with Taiwan, and the anticolonial Bandung Conference, showing how political pressure pushed American leaders to make concessions. He challenges the portrayal of Communist states as driven by ideology, showing that Chinese leaders adopted a pragmatic policy during these crucial years. Drawing on Chinese, Taiwanese, Russian, Vietnamese, British, and American archival material, including reclassified Chinese Foreign Ministry documents, Isolating the Enemy offers new insight into Chinese diplomacy in the 1950s and U.S. foreign policy under the Eisenhower administration through a nuanced portrayal of Sino–American interactions.




A Wallflower's Midsummer Night's Caper


Book Description

A Midsummer Night’s masquerade at her family’s country home presents the Honorable Nancy Lovelace with the perfect opportunity for revenge against the man who ruined her first London season—a man she’s known since childhood, a man she’d once thought she loved. With the help of her crew of younger relatives, she’ll give him his comeuppance. Simon Crayding’s newly inherited properties are in disarray, and, thanks to his bad behavior, he’s no longer known to society as Captain Crayding but as the Swilling Duke. When an old school chum invites him for a Midsummer Night’s party, he jumps at the chance to lick his wounds among friends… as well as apologize to his friend’s sister, Nancy, because apparently, he’s done something to hurt her, he just doesn’t remember what. It soon becomes clear that Nancy will not easily forgive. Never one to resist a challenge—or a beautiful woman—Simon vows to find out why. As the night unfolds and passions rise, will Simon be well and truly punished, or will Nancy be caught in her own game?




Fighting The Wrong Enemy


Book Description

Antiglobalist forces have been gaining greater momentum in recent years in their efforts to reverse what they view as the negative effects of an integrating global economy. Their influence was felt earlier when efforts to create a Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) ended in failure in 1998 after France left the bargaining table at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, effectively killing the initiative. In this book, through an evaluation of the MAI itself and the issues raised by its opponents, Edward M. Graham takes a fresh look at the growing backlash against globalization. He first explores whether the MAI negotiations failed due to political maneuvering by antiglobalist nongovernmental organizations (supported by US organized labor) or because of irreconcilable differences among the negotiating parties over the substance of the issue of foreign direct investment. He then objectively and thoroughly assesses antiglobalist assertions that the activities of multinational firms have had negative effects on workers both in the home (investor) and host (recipient) nations, with a special focus on developing nations. An important finding is that multinational firms tend to pay workers in developing nations wages that are significantly above prevailing wages. Graham then examines the issue of globalized economic activity and the environment, finding that economic growth in developing nations can lead to increased environmental stress but also finding that foreign direct investment can lead to reductions in this stress. He finds that the worry of many environmentalists of a "race to the bottom" is not borne out by the evidence. The final chapters assess whether or not a negotiation to create a comprehensive agreement on investment should be included in a multilateral negotiating round at the World Trade Organization in the near future. The interests of developing nations in this agenda are given special attention. Graham indicates that, while many developing nations would accept such rules, it might nonetheless be premature to press for a comprehensive agreement at this time. Rather, a limited investment agenda might be both more feasible and more productive.