Since joining the harem, Helena has been surrounded with luxury and extravagance. But, she’s not sure of much anything – herself included. What does it mean to be a harem girl? Are her dreams as she knew them over? And how in the hell is she supposed to tune a harp? Love is a distant thought. Helena’s more concerned about learning to survive in the new world of palace life... that is, until she glances at the young prince of Salomana, and finds him gazing right back, his gold-flecked eyes burning a hole straight through to her heart. Arad is tall, wild, and has a pair of curled horns to match his machismo. He’s never considered settling down... until a mysterious woman he’s never noticed catches his attention. Entranced by her curves, her eyes, and the way she moves, Arad isn’t about to look away, even if she catches him staring. But in a kingdom going back a thousand years, love is never simple. She’s a commoner. He’s an ibex-shifting royal, destined to be king. For Arad to take Helena as his wife would be akin to blasphemy. When he decides he must be with her forever Arad knows the old ways must have to go. If that means he has to topple a kingdom, so be it. He won’t stop until he has her, and can calm the ache in his heart. Will their love survive the fires of revolution? Or will Arad and Helena be swallowed up in a world of politics and intrigue that neither ever wanted?

Think you know everything there is to know about Hammer Films, the fabled "Studio that Dripped Blood?" The lowdown on all the imperishable classics of horror, like The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula and The Devil Rides Out? What about the company's less blood-curdling back catalog? What about the musicals, comedies and travelogues, the fantasies and historical epics--not to mention the pirate adventures? This lavishly illustrated encyclopedia covers every Hammer film and television production in thorough detail, including budgets, shooting schedules, publicity and more, along with all the actors, supporting players, writers, directors, producers, composers and technicians. Packed with quotes, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, credit lists and production specifics, this all-inclusive reference work is the last word on this cherished cinematic institution.

A fascinating illustrated history of one of the strangest, and cruelest, cultural institutions ever devised. A worldwide best seller, translated into twenty-five languages. “I was born in a konak (old house), which once was the harem of a pasha,” writes Alev Lytle Croutier. “People around me often whispered things about harems; my own grandmother and her sister had been brought up in one.” Drawing on a host of firsthand accounts and memoirs, as well as her own family history, Croutier explores life in the world’s harems, from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century, focusing on the fabled Seraglio of Topkapi Palace as a paradigm for them all. We enter the slave markets and the lavish boudoirs of the sultanas; we witness the daily routines of the odalisques, and of the eunuchs who guarded the harem. Here, too, we learn of the labyrinthine political scheming among the sultan’s wives, his favorites, and the valide sultana—the sultan’s mother—whose power could eclipse that of the sultan himself. There were the harems of the sultans and the pashas, but there were also “middle-class” harems, the households in which ordinary men and women lived out ordinary—albeit polygamous—lives. Croutier reveals their marital customs, child-rearing practices, and superstitions. Finally, she shows how this Eastern institution invaded the European imagination—in the form of decoration, costume, and art—and how Western ideas, in turn, finally eroded a system that had seemed eternal. Juxtaposing a rich array of illustrations—Western paintings, Turkish and Persian miniatures, family photographs, and even film stills—Croutier demystifies the Western erotic fantasy of “the world behind the veil.” This revised and updated 25th anniversary edition of Harem includes a new introduction by the author, revisiting her subject in light of recent events in Turkey, and the world.

Four wolf shifters. Four swashbuckling adventures. Four journeys of fantasy and romance. Wolf's Bane: Mai Fairchild will do anything to protect her sister—even if it means accepting a dangerous job with a werewolf who would kill her if he knew her true form.... Moon Glamour: Half-werewolf Athena keeps her human sister safe by steering clear of shifters. But when an intriguing alpha offers her a brighter future, she's tempted into running with wolves. Moon Stalked: Honor wraps herself in her pelt to shift to wolf form. But when her cousin’s pelt is stolen, she must team up with her greatest enemy to get it back. Paradigm Shift: While scouting his new territory, a fifteen-year-old alpha discovers strange scents wafting up out of a hole in the ground. Are there vampires lurking beneath his turf? An exclusive Wolfie short story. Dive into four tales of bestselling urban fantasy in this series-starter variety pack!