Francesca’s father is a well-known painter in the bustling port city of Amsterdam; he is also a gambler. Though their household is in economic chaos, thankfully the lessons she learned in his studio have prepared her to study with Johannes Vermeer, the master of Delft. When she arrives to begin her apprenticeship, Francesca is stunned to find rules, written in her father’s hand, insisting that she give up the freedoms she once enjoyed at home- including her friendship with Pieter van Doorne, a tulip merchant. Unaware of a terrible bargain her father has made against her future, Francesca pursues her growing affection for Pieter even as she learns to paint like Vermeer, in layers of light. As her talent blooms, “tulip mania” sweeps the land, and fortunes are being made on a single bulb. What seems like a boon for Pieter instead reveals the extent of the betrayal of Francesca’s father. And as the two learn the true nature of the obstacles in their path, a patron of Francesca’s father determines to do anything in his power to ensure she stays within the limits that have been set for her. The Golden Tulip brings one of the most exciting periods of Dutch history alive, creating a page-turning novel that is as vivid and unforgettable as a Vermeer painting.

Europe’s rapacious hunger for other people’s lands is one of the key shaping forces of our contemporary world. Everything is touched by our colonial past, from the way we see the world to the food we eat. Our contemporary preoccupations and ills – from globalization to humanitarian intervention to international terrorism – have colonialism somewhere in their genetic make-up. The character and policies of contemporary international organizations – from the United Nations to the European Union - have also been deeply affected by the colonial inheritance of their members, whether as perpetrators or “victims”. Weaving together the complex strands of history and politics into one compact narrative, this book addresses the key theories of colonialism, examining them against contemporary realities. It goes on to looks at how the different policies of colonisers have had profoundly contradictory effects on the way different empires ended in the 20th century. These endings in turn affected the entire nature of modern day international relations. It also exposes the moral ambiguities of colonialism and the hypocrisies, which underlay colonial policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Will the consequence of their forbidden night finally be revealed in this scandalous reunion story by USA TODAY bestselling author Heidi Rice? A four-year-old secret… From that unforgettable night! Since the passionate hours Lacey Carstairs spent with CEO Brandon Cade, her life couldn’t have changed more dramatically. Even her name has changed! Yet when writer Lacey is told to interview Brandon at the last minute, she can’t believe he doesn’t recognize her—at all… However, it’s his invitation to be his plus-one at a ball in Paris that Lacey finds most shocking—and privately thrilling! Until Brandon finally recognizes her and the past begins to crash into the present… Starting with Lacey’s biggest secret: their child! From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Journey through the splendor and the excesses of the Gilded Age "Every aspect of life in the Gilded Age took on deeper, transcendent meaning intended to prove the greatness of America: residences beautified their surroundings; works of art uplifted and were shared with the public; clothing exhibited evidence of breeding; jewelry testified to cultured taste and wealth; dinners demonstrated sophisticated palates; and balls rivaled those of European courts in their refinement. The message was unmistakable: the United States had arrived culturally, and Caroline Astor and her circle were intent on leading the nation to unimagined heights of glory."—From A Season of Splendor Take a dazzling journey through the Gilded Age, the period from roughly the 1870s to 1914, when bluebloods from older, established families met the nouveau riche headlong—railway barons, steel magnates, and Wall Street speculators—and forged an uneasy and glittering new society in New York City. The best of the best were Caroline Astor's 400 families, and she shaped and ruled this high society with steel. A Season of Splendor is a panoramic sweep across this sumptuous landscape, presenting the families, the wealth, the balls, the clothing, and the mansions in vivid detail—as well as the shocking end of the era with the sinking of the Titanic.

Meet Me at the Border presents unforgettable vistas of nature that include the world's highest sand dunes just minutes away from endless beaches, the world's oldest desert, an exceptional variety of wildlife in sanctuaries that are role models in environment preservation, safaris that bond one with nature, a hotel made entirely from ice and snow, an underground hotel, service that's an effortless whisper, blazing sunsets melting into lantern-lit romance, cruises that are almost sinful in terms of what they offer, meals that are the envy of royalty, thermal springs that provide instant rejuvenation, festivals that border on the subline, people who are still living in the past, and much more a must-read.