Sarah MacLean

We were discussing the fine puppetry of fate.

But stay away from him, Juliana. When we said we wanted to make you a good match, Leighton was not who we imag

That brow arched once more. "Does it? You think people will believe it when the truth is that I ruined you on an abandoned estate before your father stormed the house with a rifle?"She hesitated. "I would not call it storming.""He fired several rounds at my house. If that isn't storming, I don't know what is.

You want me.___ant does not begin to describe the way I feel about you,_ his low voice promised. __ant is nothing compared with the level of desire I have. With the desperation I feel. With the way I long for you.

She told herself that she was happy to meet her executioner.

I think there__ a ton of fear in the perception of romance in part because there__ something very realistic in great romance _ namely, that women have the right to demand relationships that are based on equality and honesty and trust and, yes, a great sex life.

It should all feel splendid. You tell me if it doesn't, and I shall rectify the situation.

Temptation turns you. It makes you into something you never dreamed, it presses you to give up everything you ever loved, it calls you to sell your soul for one, fleeting moment.[..] It makes you ache...you'll make any promise,swear any oath. For one...perfect...unsoiled taste

We are a motley bunch. But we more than make up for it with tenacity." ~ Ralston to Simon

Yes, she was a scandal.Her brother simply didn__ know it.__ fell in the Serpentine today.___es, well, that doesn__ usually happen to women in London. But it__ not so much of a scandal as it is a challenge.

{Calpurnia)"My mother_she__ desperate for a daughter she can dress like a porcelain doll. Sadly, I shall never be such a child. How I long for my sister to come out and distract the countess from my person."He joined her on the bench, asking, "How old is your sister?""Eight," she said, mournfully."Ah. Not ideal.""An understatement." She looked up at the star-filled sky. "No, I shall be long on the shelf by the time she makes her debut.""What makes you so certain you__e shelf-bound?"She cast him a sidelong glance. "While I appreciate your chivalry, my lord, your feigned ignorance insults us both." When he failed to reply, she stared down at her hands, and replied, "My choices are rather limited.""How so?""I seem able to have my pick of the impoverished, the aged, and the deadly dull.

No matter how troubled a character's history, romance novels tell us, love can be built upon it, and happily-ever-after can result. What's more, the darker the past, the brighter the future - and the better the read.

There is perhaps no more rewarding romance heroine than she who is not expected to find love. The archetype comes in many disguises - the wallflower, the spinster, the governess, the single mom - but always with one sad claim: Love is not in her cards.

Teenagers are asking, 'Who am I?' and 'How do I fit in?' in every aspect of their lives, and the best YA romances appreciate that there is more to a teen's life than finding love.

The best partnerships aren't dependent on a mere common goal but on a shared path of equality, desire, and no small amount of passion.

I am happy to pay you," she announced. "For your services."A harsh, strangled sound cut through the room. It came from him. "Pay me."She nodded. "Would say, twenty-five pounds do?""No."Her brows knit together. "Of course, a person of your--prowess--is worth more. I apologize for the offense. Fifty? I'm afraid I can't go much higher. It's quite a bit of money.

Let me be clear. Last I was aware you were neither my husband nor my father nor my King. Therefore, any control you may imagine you hold over me is just that- imaginary

Men are not nearly as evolved as women are, nor as intelligent, evidently