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!

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.

The Bedside Tales of Sultan is a collection of fairy tales, fantasies and moral stories that appeals to children and adults alike. The book unfolds through the story of a young Sultan who develops a sleeping disorder and finds salvation listening to fairy tales in order to ease his loneliness and boredom. Along the lines of the Arabian Nights, every night we listen to a different story which transports us to a new realm. We meet with people from the royal court - sultans, viziers, judges; people who possess magical powers - magicians, sorcerers, and ordinary people - bakers, gardeners, merchants, shoemakers, tutors. We listen to tales of walking clouds, talking fingers, migrating watermelons and fighting letters. Every story is different but they all have one thing in common; they are bedside tales, life lessons that invigorate our imagination. www.bedsidetalesofsultan.com

Set in the compelling world of the Ottoman Empire, The Sultans Favorite continues the saga of Erik from the Phantom of the Opera and his journey to a new lifeand a new love. The Phantom Rejected by the only woman he loved, Erik tries to leave his past behind to begin a new life working as an architect. As the years pass, he accumulates enormous wealth and finds much success. When he is summoned by the sultan of the Ottomans to build a new palace, Erik believes it will be his greatest accomplishment. Yet even in another land he cannot escape his bitterness toward the world, and when the creation of the rulers home appears impossible, his anger only increases. But the arrival of the sultans newest wife awakens feelings Erik thought were long dead. The Widow As widow to the ruler of Constantinople, Alexandria must marry the sultan of the Ottomans in exchange for peace. Alexandria is the sultans third wife and soon finds that accepting her new life is much harder than she imagined. Will she ever find happiness again? When the sultan orders her to work with his architect on her new court, Alexandria discovers a man that hides not only his face, but also his heart For more information, visit www.anneburnside.webs.com

My South Seas Sleeping Beauty is a captivating coming-of-age tale set in the magical jungles of Borneo. Told through the vivid recollections of a Chinese-Malay youth, the novel recounts the life of Su Qi, a troubled, sensitive son of a wealthy family, and exemplifies the imaginative range of one of Taiwan's most innovative writers. "There were all sorts of stories about how my younger sister died," Su Qi begins, hinting at the power of memory to bend and refract truth. Yet whichever the real story may be, the fact is that the death of Su Qi's sister created an irrevocable rift in Su Qi's family, driving his father into the arms of aboriginal women and his mother into a world of her own invention. In an effort to escape the oppression of home, Su Qi loses himself in the surrounding jungle, full of Communist guerillas and strange tropical fauna. The jungle further blurs the line between fantasy and reality for Su Qi, until he meets Chunxi, the beautiful, frail daughter of his father's best friend. Chunxi is an oasis of kindness and honesty in an otherwise cruel and evasive world, but after a bizarre accident, Chunxi falls into a deep coma, and Su Qui flees to Taiwan. In college Su Qi meets Keyi, a vivacious siren who helps Su Qi forget not only his violent past but also the colorful tales of his youth. When a family member dies, however, Su Qi is pulled back to the jungles of Borneo where he begins to unravel the secrets of his family's past-a story stranger than any fairy tale-and learns that his cherished dream of awakening his beloved Chunxi may be more than just a fantasy. Influenced by the lyricism of William Faulkner and the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, My South Seas Sleeping Beauty is a deeply evocative exploration of sexuality and identity and a masterful reworking of Chinese and Western myth. Valerie Jaffee's careful translation retains all the tone and detail of the original work and provides rare access to a new and exciting generation of Chinese writers born in Southeast Asia.

TOXIC DOOM When a British CIA operative in Hong Kong dies moments after sending a cryptic text message, the government needs a special kind of help to deal with the foul play-under-the-radar Mack Bolan expertise. Sent to decipher the coded message and track down the cause of the agent's murder, Bolan discovers someone within the agency leaking information to a known arms dealer. Ambushed at every turn, Bolan's survival instincts have to work double-time to keep him and the three-person team assigned to the case alive. But their lives aren't the only ones at stake. There's a new weapon of mass destruction on the market, a Sleeping Dragon, and a fanatical Arab plans to use it to take back Libya, killing millions in the process. His enemies believe they know their devils, but they haven't met the Executioner.

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.