Sjömansbiblioteket

"Martina knew that Sir Hugh Faversham adored her. She was uncertain how she felt about him, but she knew she could always turn to him for help. So when her friend, Harriet, begged her for help to avoid a forced marriage, Martina went straight to Sir Hugh with her plan. She proposed that the two of them should ‘marry’, with Harriet taking her place at the altar at the last minute. Afterwards nobody could be sure who was married to whom and they would all escape on Sir Hugh’s yacht and sort everything out later. Sir Hugh tore his hair at her absurd idea, but he could not let his darling take such risks alone. So much against his better judgement, he plunged into the maddest scheme he could possibly conceive. At the last minute they were joined on the yacht by Robin, a young friend of Sir Hugh’s who was immediately attracted to Harriet. While they were falling in love Martina came to know Sir Hugh better and began to understand her own heart. But then, just when she discovered that he was the man she loved, it seemed that a stupid mistake could have left him married to Harriet after all. They would have to part for ever.

Barbara Cartland was the world’s most prolific novelist who wrote an amazing 723 books in her lifetime, of which no less than 644 were romantic novels with worldwide sales of over 1 billion copies and her books were translated into 36 different languages. As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, theatrical plays and books of advice on life, love, vitamins and cookery. She wrote her first book at the age of 21 and it was called Jigsaw. It became an immediate bestseller and sold 100,000 copies in hardback in England and all over Europe in translation. Between the ages of 77 and 97 she increased her output and wrote an incredible 400 romances as the demand for her romances was so strong all over the world. She wrote her last book at the age of 97 and it was entitled perhaps prophetically The Way to Heaven. Her books have always been immensely popular in the United States where in 1976 her current books were at numbers 1 & 2 in the B. Dalton bestsellers list, a feat never achieved before or since by any author. Barbara Cartland became a legend in her own lifetime and will be best remembered for her wonderful romantic novels so loved by her millions of readers throughout the world, who have always collected her books to read again and again, especially when they feel miserable or depressed. Her books will always be treasured for their moral message, her pure and innocent heroines, her handsome and dashing heroes, her blissful happy endings and above all for her belief that the power of love is more important than anything else in everyone’s life."