Sheikh Najib blasted into Rosalind Lewis’s life and staked a sultan’s claim on her son! Her denial of the boy’s royal lineage was met with deaf ears—and relentless kisses. When danger threatened, mother and child were whisked into Najib’s exotic world, a faraway place where protection meant marriage. But with every night in the arms of her sheikh “husband,” Rosalind’s secret threatened to surface. Would the truth bring a bitter end—or a heartfelt vow?

The renowned Turkish author’s memoir of serving Sultan Mehmed V provides a rare look inside the palace politics of the late Ottoman Empire. Before he became one of Turkey’s most famous novelists, Halid Ziya Usakligil served as First Secretary to Sultan Mehmed V. His memoir of that time, between 1909 and 1912, provides first-hand insight into the personalities, intrigues, and inner workings of the Ottoman palace in its final decades. In post-Revolution Turkey, the palace no longer exercised political power. Instead, it negotiated the minefields between political factions, sought ways to unite the empire in the face of nationalist aspirations, and faced the opening salvos of the wars that would eventually overwhelm the country. Usakligil includes interviews with the Imperial family as well as descriptions of royal nuptials, the palaces and its visitors, and the crises that shook the court. He also delivers an insightful and moving portrait of Mehmed V, the man who reigned over the Ottoman Empire through both Balkan Wars and World War I.

The cold eyes of this absolute ruler somehow made my body heat up... Esmeralda traveled to a desert country to rescue her father who was detained for fraud, but the gorgeous King Zaid took her to his palace and gave her a cruel order: "You must not leave the palace without my permission... if you fear for your father's life." Esmeralda was confused, but when her father fell ill in the detention center, she begged Zaid to save him, and in exchange she would give him everything he wanted. Eventually, Esmeralda couldn't resist Zaid's charms and gave her innocence to him, not knowing that she would become pregnant with his heir...

She will become his bride! Newly crowned sultan Zaid Al-Ameen is determined to rid his country of corruption. Unfortunately for Esme Scott, that means arresting her conman father—leaving her with little choice but to strike a deal with his captor. Zaid sees a golden opportunity in social worker Esme: his country needs reform, and it’s her area of expertise. But working together sparks an insatiable longing—and after a heated encounter, they realize she’s pregnant! Zaid’s sensual power over Esme leaves her helpless to resist his demands. She never imagined she’d become wife to a sultan—until Zaid’s expert touch persuades her otherwise…

Sheikh Ashraf possessed the fortitude of a hundred sultans—still, he was mightily tempted by the seductive allure of the mysterious and ravishing Dana Morningstar. Never had a woman unravelled his restraint like the sumptuous television celebrity. But for Ashraf, romance was unfathomable—his objective was to seize his family’s stolen throne. In this power struggle, was Dana a courier of danger, an assassin’s bait? Ashraf’s instincts said she was an ally.... Still, to control the vixen, he would keep her close as a lover. Perhaps a night of passion would conquer all doubt!

Hardly anyone paid attention when Sultan Khan arrived in London on April 26, 1929. A humble servant from a village in the Punjab, Khan had little formal education and barely spoke English. He had learned the rules of Western chess only three years earlier, yet within a few months he created a sensation by becoming the British Empire champion. Sultan Khan was taken to England by Sir Umar Hayat Khan, an Indian nobleman and politician who used his servant’s successes to promote his own interests in the turbulent years before India gained independence. Sultan Khan remained in Europe for the best part of five years, competing with the leading chess players of the era, including World Champion Alexander Alekhine and former World Champion Jose Raoul Capablanca. His unorthodox style often stunned his opponents, as Daniel King explains in his examination of the key games and tournaments in Khan’s career. Daniel King has uncovered a wealth of new facts about Khan, as well as dozens of previously unknown games. For the first time he tells the full story of how Khan, a Muslim outsider, was received in Europe, of his successes in the chess world and his return to obscurity after his departure for India in 1933.

A history of 600 years - an epic story of a dynasty that started as a small group of cavalry mercenaries to become the absolute rulers of the greatest and longest lasting Islamic empire in history.

Page-turning mystery, grandly seductive romance and full historical immersion into Moroccan court history, this exquisitely depicted and intensely absorbing novel follows in the bestselling tradition of The Tenth Gift and The Salt Road. 1677, Morocco. Behind the magnificent walls and towering arches of the Palace of Meknes, captive chieftain's son and now a lowly scribe, Nus Nus is framed for murder. As he attempts to evade punishment for the bloody crime, Nus Nus finds himself trapped in a vicious plot, caught between the three most powerful figures in the court: the cruel and arbitrary sultan, Moulay Ismail, one of the most tyrannical rulers in history; his monstrous wife Zidana, famed for her use of poison and black magic; and the conniving Grand Vizier. Meanwhile, a young Englishwoman named Alys Swann has been taken prisoner by Barbary corsairs and brought to the court. She faces a simple choice: renounce her faith and join the Sultan's harem; or die. As they battle for survival, Alys and Nus Nus find themselves thrust into an unlikely alliance--an alliance that will become a deep and moving relationship in which these two outsiders will find sustenance and courage in the most perilous of circumstances. From the danger and majesty of Meknes to the stinking streets of London and the decadent court of Charles II, The Sultan's Wife brings to life some of the most remarkable characters of history through a captivating tale of intrigue, loyalty and desire.

The "fascinating . . . lively" story of the Russian slave girl Roxelana, who rose from concubine to become the only queen of the Ottoman empire (New York Times). In Empress of the East, historian Leslie Peirce tells the remarkable story of a Christian slave girl, Roxelana, who was abducted by slave traders from her Ruthenian homeland and brought to the harem of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in Istanbul. Suleyman became besotted with her and foreswore all other concubines. Then, in an unprecedented step, he freed her and married her. The bold and canny Roxelana soon became a shrewd diplomat and philanthropist, who helped Suleyman keep pace with a changing world in which women, from Isabella of Hungary to Catherine de Medici, increasingly held the reins of power. Until now Roxelana has been seen as a seductress who brought ruin to the empire, but in Empress of the East, Peirce reveals the true history of an elusive figure who transformed the Ottoman harem into an institution of imperial rule.