Three dragons. One woman. A reverse harem fantasy that will leave you breathless and begging for more... Dareena Sellis is a nobody. The orphaned daughter of a no-name farmer, she toils away as a serving girl at Hallowdale Inn, her only marriage prospects either shipping off to war, or pawing at her skirts with their grubby, gnarled hands. But fate takes a strange turn the day a dragon huntress comes to town. Suddenly, Dareena is swept off to Dragon's Keep, trading in her raggedy dresses for silken gowns, her closet-sized room for feather pillows and spacious gardens, and her miserable suitor for three very handsome, veryvirile dragon princes. For Dareena is not a nobody. She is the Dragon's Gift--the one woman chosen by the gods every century to bear children for the future king of Dragonfell. Despite her pre-ordained path, Dareena's fate is far from certain. The crown has not given birth to more than one son in nearly a thousand years, and the line of succession is far from clear. Neither of the princes are willing to cede Dareena to the other, and yet she must choose. For the enemy is knocking on Dragonfell's door, and Dareena's decision could either mean the kingdom's salvation... ...or annihilation.

Is China a rogue donor, as some media pundits suggest? Or is China helping the developing world pave a pathway out of poverty, as the Chinese claim? In the last few years, China's aid program has leapt out of the shadows. Media reports about huge aid packages, support for pariah regimes, regiments of Chinese labor, and the ruthless exploitation of workers and natural resources in some of the poorest countries in the world sparked fierce debates. These debates, however, took place with very few hard facts. China's tradition of secrecy about its aid fueled rumors and speculation, making it difficult to gauge the risks and opportunities provided by China's growing embrace. This well-timed book, by one of the world's leading experts, provides the first comprehensive account of China's aid and economic cooperation overseas. Deborah Brautigam tackles the myths and realities, explaining what the Chinese are doing, how they do it, how much aid they give, and how it all fits into their "going global" strategy. Drawing on three decades of experience in China and Africa, and hundreds of interviews in Africa, China, Europe and the US, Brautigam shines new light on a topic of great interest. China has ended poverty for hundreds of millions of its own citizens. Will Chinese engagement benefit Africa? Using hard data and a series of vivid stories ranging across agriculture, industry, natural resources, and governance, Brautigam's fascinating book provides an answer. It is essential reading for anyone concerned with China's rise, and what it might mean for the challenge of ending poverty in Africa.

Dragon's Gift, Book One in the Gilded Serpents Trilogy, is a thrilling tale of intrigue and adventure, complete with faeries, demons, mystical pendants and dragons. An ancient evil threatens the kingdom of Princess Kwyleena. After awakening from a coma, she befriends a dragon, Baelwyn, and soon learns of an impending war. She begins a journey across the lands in an effort to stop a vile prince from marrying her and destroying her kingdom! Throughout this quest, Kwyleeana and her companions make new friends and new foes, while encountering faeries, kidnappers, love, and a demon-possessed forest. With its twists, turns, and shocking revelations, you will find Dragon's Gift difficult to put down.

When a mysterious bomb goes off in town and Aeri's closest friends are turned to stone, it becomes a race against the clock to stop the demon who is still at large. Every six hours, another bomb takes out more people.

A mistaken identity. A fated mate. A Merry Christmas. Sterling Ordered to hunt down his little brother in the human world, Sterling is torn between duty and finding his own place as the middle son of a controlling father. Dragon law insists that living among the humans, mating with them, is strictly forbidden, but it’s hard to believe the law is right, especially around his happily mated brothers. He misses his clan, and in this time that seems devoted to giving gifts and showing love to the people who mean the most, Sterling feels like he’s horribly out of place, caught between honor and a life of his own. Of course, when he stumbles across a curvy, tempting woman in need of some Christmas cheer, breaking the law and drinking some eggnog don’t seem like such a bad idea. Cassandra How can Santa call in sick two days before Christmas Eve? Working as a manager in a department store is hardly Cassandra’s ideal career, and if the replacement Santa she found doesn’t show up soon, she’s certain it’ll be a short-lived one too. Although the hot, giant beast of a man walking up to her hardly looks like the jolly man with a belly that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly, she’ll take what she can get. Even if it means using pillows from the home department to mask his rippling abs. She never thought she’d find Santa Claus all that attractive, but with Sterling Carmine sitting on the throne in the winter wonderland, she finds herself stealing glances at him, watching him laugh and smile with the kids lined up to sit on his lap. He’s hiding something though, and when the real replacement Santa shows up, Sterling’s got some explaining to do if he wants to save Christmas after all.

"One morning, Cai finds more than fish in the river. Come with him on this magical journey. And meet the dragon"--Back cover

Slow-burn urban fantasy romance

Stolen from her homeland. Separated from her mates. Is there any hope for Dareena and her dragons? Or is their kingdom destined to fall? When Drystan and his brothers managed to drive their madness-stricken father from the throne, Dareena thought the worst of their troubles were over. But the elves are knocking at their door, demanding reparations, and with a new general at the helm, they will not let Dragonfell off the hook so easily. To buy their kingdom time, and save their armies from certain destruction, Dareena and Alistair allows themselves to be taken to Elvenhame, where they will be held hostage until the countries can come to an agreement. But while the two kingdoms squabble, the real enemy continues its insidious assault. Both Dragonfell and Elvenhame unknowingly teeter on the brink of destruction, and unless Dareena and her mates can uncover the true conspiracy, their world will fall to darkness...

"In Will Africa Feed China?, Deborah Brautigam, one of the world's leading experts on China and Africa, challenges the conventional wisdom that the Chinese are leading the great African land grab. Her eye-opening analysis sheds new light on the myths and realities of China's evolving global quest for food security"--

"The Dragon's Gift offers a rare opportunity to introduce, to the wider international audience, some of the most sacred Buddhist images of Bhutan. From the wealth of material surveyed, the organizers of the exhibition have selected over one hundred objects of superior aesthetic achievement and deep religious significance, the vast majority of which have never before been seen in the West. Nearly all of the works of art presented in this catalogue are from active temples and monasteries and remain in ritual use. Most of the items are painted or textile thangkas or gilt bronze sculptures which date primarily from the 17th to the 19th centuries - a golden age in the Buddhist arts of Bhutan. Ranging from depictions of Tantric deities to individualized portraits of Buddhist masters, the exhibition and catalogue present outstanding works of art with a wide iconographic scope. For the Buddhist people of Bhutan, these sacred items are conceived as supports along the journey to enlightenment, and are of vital spiritual significance. Complementing the presentation of sacred works of art is the documentation of the ancient Cham dances of Bhutan, to which the dance preservation team was given privileged entree. Having documented over three hundred hours of sacred and secular dances, they have made a first assay of one of the few surviving treasures of the trans-Himalayan movement tradition. These differing approaches to the visual and moving arts provide further insight into the unique experience of Buddhism in Bhutan. A brief sampling of the variety of extant dance lineages - some many centuries old - is included on the DVD contained within the catalogue."--Publisher's website.