Bane the Bastard is the illegitimate son of the Rigante king who men called Demonblade. Born of treachery, Bane grew up an outcast in his own land, feared by his fellow highlanders, and denied by the father whose unmistakable mark he bore–the eyes of Connavar, one tawny brown, the other emerald green. Hounded from the country of his birth, Bane found acceptance across the seas–only to have it stripped away in an instant by a cruel and deadly swordsman. Now fighting as a gladiator in the blood-soaked arenas of the Empire, Bane lives for one thing: revenge. And he pursues his goal with the same single-minded determination that won his father a crown. But more is at stake than a young warrior’s quest for vengeance. The armies of the Stone are preparing to march on the lands of the Rigante. The fate of human and Seidh alike will be decided by the clash of swords–and by the bonds of twisted love and bitterness between a father and a son . . .

U.S. Treasury agent Alexandra LaDuca crisscrosses Europe in pursuit of an ancient relic stolen from a Madrid museum, and the chilling secrets behind its theft. She must make the toughest decision of her life--whom should she trust?

In the Scottish wood, a clan of immortal shape-shifting wolves takes in an orphan girl, Gillian, as one of their own. But when she matures into a beautiful woman and falls for a mere mortal, her forest family and new lover are plunged into a fiery, passionate struggle to claim Gillian's heart, body, and soul...

When she is kidnapped by Mexican troops who believe that her brother Jeb is a scalphunter, Wylena, desperately searching for a means to escape, is rescued by a valiant Apache warrior who vows to help her clear her brother's name. Original.

New York Times bestselling author James W. Huston returns with his most powerful thriller to date. Exploding with international intrigue, sizzling courtroom drama, and heart-stopping action, Falcon Seven delivers an all-too-realistic tale of America under fire. A U.S. Navy F/A-18 flying over Afghanistan is suddenly diverted and ordered to bomb a building in Pakistan, where a meeting between al Qaeda and the Taliban is taking place. After destroying their target, the fighter jet is immediately hit by Stinger missiles and the pilots eject over Pakistan. They are captured, assaulted, and dragged through the streets of Peshawar. The world is on edge. The fliers are quickly forced onto a secret Falcon jet headed for the Netherlands, where they'll stand trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court. The building they hit was actually a medical post constructed by Europeans for Afghan refugees---and sixty-five innocent people were killed. It's up to Washington criminal defense lawyer and former Navy SEAL Jack Caskey to defend the two navy officers and get to the bottom on what is beginning to seem like an orchestrated event. The National Security Council pushes President Obama to employ the act passed under George W. Bush that authorizes the use of force to extract Americans held by the International Criminal Court. While the president initially approves a special operations team to grab the Americans, he later withdraws to cooperate with the ICC. Already fighting a losing battle for his clients, an outraged Caskey works with his contacts in the shadowy world of special operations and CIA operatives to free his clients himself . . . or help them battle through an international show trial and face imprisonment---for life.

Once the mighty fortress had stood strong, defended by the mightiest of all Drenai heroes, Druss, the Legend. But now a tyrannical, mad emperor had seized control of the fortress, and his twisted will was carried throughout the land by the Joinings --- abominations that were half-man, half-beast. Tenaka Khan was a half-breed himself, hated by the Drenai for his Nadir blood and despised by the Nadir for his Drenai ancestry. But he alone had a plan to destroy the emperor. The last heroes of the Drenai joined with him in a desperate gamble to bring down the emperor -- even at the cost of their own destruction.

Centuries After Connavar'S Triumphant Battles Against The Invading Army Of Stone Gained The Rigante Their Freedom, The Clan Finds Itself Oppressed Once Again. Magic That Once Flourished Has Been All But Snuffed Out. The Varlish King And His Barons Have Stolen Rigante Lands And Robbed The People Of Their Culture And Liberty. From The Rigante'S Former Seat Of Power The Black-Hearted Moidart Rules; Only In The North Are The Clansmen Free. There, In The Druagh Mountains, The Magic Still Reigns, Strengthened By Bold, Brilliant Victories Of The Outlaw Leader Known As Ravenheart. In The South, Civil War Has Drenched The Land In Blood, And The Armies Of Destruction Are Slowly Creeping North Where Ravenheart Waits, Believing The Armies Of Hated Moidart Will Come, Led By The Brutal Ruler'S Only Son, Stormrider. Ravenheart And Stormrider: Enemies Of Uncommon Courage, Are Unaware That The Fate Of Their World Lies In Their Hands. Both Are Destined To Be Heroes, But One Of Them Is Doomed. For A Secret Lost In The Uncharted Past Has Returned To Haunt These Two Warriors As They Face, Not Only The Malice Of Powerful Men, But The Vengeance Of An Ancient Evil, Rising From The Bloodshed To Slake Its Thirst. As Immense Armies Of Darkness Advance, It Seems As If Nothing Will Stop Them. They Crush Their Enemies With Ease, Until Only A Few Thousand Highlanders Stand Before Them, With No Help In Sight. But These Are Not Ordinary Men. They Are Clansmen, And More Than That, They Are Rigante.

IN LOVE AND WAR, SOME OATHS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN... Riding into the arena under the furling blazon of the blue falcon, Sir Conan de Corbney accepts a token from the young beauty, Lady Chandra, sparking a romance foretold long ago. That is, unless Conan's mother can help it. Colluding with her son's rival, Sir Tedric, Lady Udele secretly arranges a more lucrative marriage for her son and weds him to Edwina--Chandra's older sister--while Sir Tedric claims the fiery Chandra for himself. Thus begins the star-crossed lovers' quest, amidst treachery and betrayal, for the path back to each other's arms. When a knight is pledged twice, once for loyalty and once for love, which oath will prove stronger? From private chambers to the distant bloodstained shores of the Crusades under King Richard's reign, THE BLUE FALCON is a timeless tale of adventure, treachery, and above all, an unforgettable love story. Robyn Carr is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Virgin River Series and The Thunder Point Series. PRAISE FOR ROBYN CARR'S HISTORICALS: "She has done it again. Robyn Carr is absolutely marvelous." -Danielle Steel "Adventure, danger, derring-do, as well as doings at the glittering anything-goes court of Charles II...Carr tells an entertaining yarn." -Publishers Weekly "A fast, gripping story...The reading public can anticipate good books from an imaginative new author." -Best Sellers

Falcon Hunter is a half-Seneca, half-white sniper with sights set on proving himself as a warrior by helping to free America from British rule. Belle wants love, and the care-free Falcon she once knew. When Falcon leaves with the Colonial army, Belle's sister convinces her to follow him, and tend the American wounded. Along the way, she's captured by the British. Pretending to be politically aligned with her captors, Belle sees first-hand what war does to men and her heart longs to care for the soul-weary man Falcon has become. All she needs now is for him to find her. Previously Titled: Wild Legacy REVIEWS: "Phoebe Conn weaves family life and high passion... 4 stars!" RT Magazine THE HEARTS OF LIBERTY, in series order Savage Destiny Defiant Destiny Forbidden Destiny Wild Destiny Scarlet Destiny

This Open Access book analyses the interplay between governing, evaluation and knowledge with an empirical focus on Swedish higher education. It investigates the origins, logics, and mechanisms of evaluation and quality assurance reforms and their dynamic interactions with institutional, national and European policy contexts. The chapters report findings from extensive empirical studies that offer detailed insight into the work of governing in higher education, by giving voice to actors at various levels and positions including the ministry, national agency and University employees. Central themes include the influence of European policy, changing system designs, media relations and quality assurance enactments in University institutions. The book also explores the ways in which an emerging professional cadre, labelled qualocrats, enacts and mediates evaluation and quality assurance policy and practice. Taken together, the expanding evaluation machinery in Swedish higher education highlights the pivotal role of knowledge as a governing resource, and points to special features of evaluation as a particular form of practice that makes knowledge work for governing.