Anthony Hope
Though best remembered as a writer of pulse-pounding action-adventure novels, British author Anthony Hope's literary talent was wide-ranging. In the collection Comedies of Courtship, Hope tries his hand at the short romance story, and the result is a series of sweet tales of love interlaced with plenty of wit, shenanigans, and hijinks.
We can't always choose the object of our affections, and often, Cupid's arrow causes people to fall in love with the most unsuitable candidates. That's a theme that surfaces time and time again in the collection Frivolous Cupid from British writer Anthony Hope. Bringing together one novella and a series of short stories, this delectable delight will enchant romance fans.
Although this novel from Anthony Hope doesn't have the same level of swashbuckling sword play as his best-known work, The Prisoner of Zenda, it is still a fast-paced, action-packed read. Containing elements of mystery and romance, The Secret of the Tower explores unusual goings-on in the Tower Cottage, a centerpiece of the small English village of Inkston.
Lord Lynborough has never done things the easy way. Born into privilege and afforded every advantage in life, he shirks the path of least resistance and stands up for his unique moral code in every situation. At the height of a distinguished military career, he decides to retire in order to pen a memoir. Things are going swimmingly until he has a chance meeting with one Helena Vittoria Maria Antonia, a real spitfire of a woman. Will Lynborough
...For centuries, the British aristocracy hinged on an labyrinthine tangle of inheritance laws, many of which were contradictory and seemingly illogical. In this page-turner from Anthony Hope, young Harry Tristram is forced to grapple with this complicated code when he discovers a shocking secret about his own lineage—and the disastrous impact that the truth might have on his social standing and financial well-being.
7) Quisante
British author Anthony Hope was a popular and prolific writer of action-adventure novels with strong romantic elements, but his talent as a creator of sharply drawn, unforgettable characters ranks his work head and shoulders above the cookie-cutter potboilers that crowd the genre. Quisante is a perfect example of this. In it, an ambitious young man born of a low station seeks to improve his lot in life by winning the hand of a moneyed socialite.
...Anthony Hope's Mrs. Maxon Protests is a novel of female liberation that manages to be unpredictable and flout the conventions of the genre. Protagonist Winnie Maxon has done everything she was supposed to do in life, but finds her husband unbearable and the conventions of married life stifling. Is she strong enough to withstand the social pressure to conform and find true love on her own terms?
Rodolphe Rassendyll, un touriste anglais, arrive à Strelsau, capitale d'un pays imaginaire d'Europe Centrale, la Ruritanie. Il y rencontre un lointain cousin dont il est le parfait sosie, le prince héritier Rodolphe V. Celui-ci doit être couronné roi le lendemain, mais à l'issue de la soirée que les deux parents éloignés passent ensemble, le futur souverain ne peut être ranimé: il a bu un vin drogué par une complice de son demi-frère,
...Though it definitely breaks the mold of his best-known work, The Prisoner of Zenda, the humorous romp Mr. Witt's Widow was one of English novelist Anthony Hope's most successful books. George Neston finds himself enmeshed in a romantic entanglement with the young, beautiful widow Neaera Witt—but their courtship doesn't go as smoothly as he hoped.
12) Second String
In the early twentieth century, longstanding social mores in England began to shift rapidly, with centuries-long institutions and belief systems beginning to fall by the wayside. Anthony Hope's Second String conveys the tumult of the era through a tale of two politicians—one with aristocratic roots, one a salt-of-the-earth populist—and their respective career arcs.
15) Double Harness
16) Phroso A Romance
17) A Man of Mark
Settle in for a roller-coaster ride of intrigue, mystery and misconduct in Anthony Hope's The Indiscretion of the Duchess. Two young men venture out on a visit to a coquettish female acquaintance whose husband happens to be out of town, setting off a staggering array of unforeseeable consequences. If drawing-room mysteries are your cup of tea, this thrilling tale should merit a spot on your must-read list.