The Celts knew it as Annwyn, the Otherworld—certainly not a destination IT professional Lori Cooper anticipates when distracting herself with a magazine puzzle page in the dentist’s waiting room. Clues buried in the answers lead her to Tamsin, who claims to command a band of warriors for the queen of the fay. From this, Lori concludes that Tamsin is both insane and dangerous. She’s also quite worryingly attractive. However, Lori’s own sanity becomes a bigger concern when she finds herself held captive in a strange world with yet more puzzles to solve. She must pick her way through layers of illusion and deceit. Nothing and nobody, including Tamsin, is quite as they seem. Who can Lori trust? She will need to uncover the full truth if she is to return home, mind and body intact.
Catalina de Valasco’s parents have her future fully planned. The most important step for a 17th century Spanish noblewoman being, of course, an advantageous marriage. Unfortunately, a series of setbacks has left Catalina unwed. On a galleon bound for the Americas and her latest husband-to-be, Catalina again finds her marriage plans frustrated. Pirates capture the ship, and she is held for ransom. The danger intensifies as they sail into seas which, one day, will become known as “The Bermuda Triangle”. Catalina enters a terrifying world that she could never have imagined or planned for. Yet of all the surprises awaiting her, the most unexpected one is love.
High level politics in the Kavillian empire is a dirty, dangerous game—a game Cassie knows well. As a member of an ambitious imperial family, she has been tutored from birth to play a leading role in the contest for power. Yet even she is caught out when a murderer raises the stakes. Meanwhile her lover, Arian, has problems of her own. Life in the upper strata of Kavillian society is so very different from the honor-based culture of her homeland. She despises the unending, ruthless cycle of intrigue, blackmail, and deception that Cassie views as normal—regrettable sometimes, but more often a source of entertainment. Nor can she accept Cassie’s willingness to sacrifice everything and everyone to advance her family’s position. Arian’s determination to stay true to her own moral code will be put to the test if she is to save their relationship, and Cassie’s life.
Politics in the Kavillian Senate is a dangerous, high-stakes game, and the odds aren’t on Cassie’s side. As imperial envoy, she’s tasked with adding a new region to the empire. Normally, this is a simple matter for the legions, but rivals want Cassie to fail. Without military support, success will require all her guile and cunning, plus a good dose of luck. Persuading the local inhabitants won’t be easy, especially in the case of Arian, the king’s sister. Arian is ardent about her people’s independence and traditions. The land is theirs, given by the gods and paid for in blood. She despises both the empire and its envoy, and doesn’t hesitate to say so. Despite her hostility, Arian is troublingly attractive. Yet Cassie is determined to stay on track and ignore any thoughts of seduction. Things are difficult enough without extra complications—and that’s before the murders start.
The learned author has produced the work with the sole intent to grasp the real Indian civilizational and cultural postulates in the folds of Indian history. As history forms a colossal steep monumental wall with a crest of todayness, it becomes an uptill task to see the lower parts of this characteristic monument from the crest. To see the intended parts, one, brave like a historian, needs climb down with care and hardihood in the valley of such dark monument, to cheak, examine and observe the intended fact. In this work, the author painstakingly has found the truth about the Hindu sub-caste sudra, of which , members overwhelmed time and again against the set caste norms to be rulers and lay foundation of the magnificent dynasties an the Indian sub-continent. This work of History suggests many factual things and nullifies the caste myths-and contributes a lot to the dalits movements. It starts a new debate on the emancipation of castes, present day reservation to sub-castes, and a new perspective of caste system in India. Stands a work of immense value.
Offers an irreverent take on the royal family that united Great Britain, chronicling the trials and triumphs of a dynasty that oversaw the rise of English Protestantism and the evolution of modern British democracy.
Epic romances, fearsome dragons and alien worlds lie between the pages of this volume. Containing more than 35 stories from the early masters of fantasy literature, the narratives here transport the reader to alternate worlds where magic abounds, cosmic terrors lie around the corner and intrepid heroes fight for justice. Drawing inspiration from Norse, Japanese and Chinese mythology as well as from traditional fairytales and modern fears, the authors collected here span the breadth of the genre. Including tales from William Morris, H. G. Wells, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft amongst others, they demonstrate the plethora of imaginative literature that was written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these tales were foundational works, bringing ideas of the supernatural into the mainstream, and through their efforts creating entirely new genres. Before Tolkien, there were many writers embracing the realm of fantastic fiction. The man responsible for its origin was George MacDonald (1824-1905), a Calvinist minister and Celtic scholar, who wrote the first true fantasy novel. He was followed by a number of imaginative successors at the end of the 19th century, including H. G. Wells, Arthur Machen, and Ernest Bramah. After the end of World War I, the pulp magazines opened up the genre to a new generation of writers - particularly H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard - who provided exciting, magical and horrifying tales that fascinated a multitude of readers. By the outbreak of World War II, the outlines of the fantasy genre had been sketched out by these pioneers, and an entirely new type of fiction had been created. This collection includes stories by: Robert E. Howard H. P. Lovecraft G. G. Pendarves H. G. Wells William Morris Lafcadio Hearn Abraham Merritt Arthur Machen Ernest Bramah Robert W. Chambers George MacDonald
"Witty dialogue and clever schemes...Grey's vivid characters will charm readers." —Booklist "Bewitching, beguiling...enchanting and addictive." —Fresh Fiction Regency romance by bestselling author Amelia Grey "grabs you by the heart, draws you in, and does not let go" (Romance Junkies). Now, get the Rogues' Dynasty romance trilogy for one low price. About the Books in this Regency Romance Bundle 1. A Duke to Die For The roguish Duke of Blakewell has a lovely young ward, and he'd better marry her off as soon as possible, before he gives in to temptation. But Henrietta doesn't want a husband—she wants her independence. Sure that she carries a curse that killed her previous guardians, Henrietta wants the duke to sign over her inheritance before something terrible befalls him. In a moment of passion, they become scandalously entangled. Suddenly the duke must take Henrietta's curse seriously, and she must take drastic measures to save him... 2. A Marquis to Marry Alexander Mitchell Raceworth, the dashing fourth Marquis of Raceworth, is shocked when the alluring young Duchess of Brookfield accuses him of stealing priceless pearls belonging to her family. Susannah is the most beautiful, enchanting woman he has ever met, but despite his attraction, he's not about to hand over the pearls. Though suspicion and mistrust drive them apart when the pearls are stolen, Race suggests they pool their resources to recover them. If they do find them, will they finally be able to give in to love, or will the truth about the elusive necklace tear them apart once and for all? 3. An Earl to Enchant Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he's determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment young Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist her fascinating personality and tempting green eyes. But Arianna has a deadly secret: she is in possession of her father's groundbreaking discovery—one that someone would kill for. She can't tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she desperately needs his help. Can he save the lady without losing his heart?
The period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960) has long been treated as an anomaly in the history of China, an age of great disunity between the empires of the Tang and the Song dynasties. Breaking with previous scholarship on China's middle period, this edited volume presents individual studies that focus on the art, culture, and politics of the interregnum, challenging underlying assumptions about the unitary nature of dynastic culture and its value as a category of historical analysis. It understands these decades as a time of important transition in which the incipient cultural shifts of the mature Tang dynasty turned into the foundations of Song society. Consequently it highlights the complex narrative processes that gave birth to Song culture.
