A sharp sword and a powerful spell are not the answer to every problem an adventurer is bound to face. Ultimate Intrigue, the latest hardcover rules reference for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, arms players with every bit of charm, grace, innuendo, and insult necessary to defeat even the most difficult social encounters. This expansive 256-page hardcover book delves into the shadowy world of intrigue, giving both players and GMs alike plenty of rules to add to their game. Engage in social combat, dueling with words instead of steel. Participate in a heist, working as a team to steal a valuable object or vital piece of information. Curry favor with the local churches, guilds, and royals with a complete influence system. Give your character an edge in social situations with a wide variety of new archetypes, feats, spells, and gear! Ultimate Intrigue also introduces a new Pathfinder RPG class: the vigilante. Influential socialite by day, avenging warrior by night, the vigilante is ready for anything, but he must take care to ensure that no one learns about his secret life! Ultimate Intrigue includes: -The vigilante, a new character class that lives two lives, one as a respected member of the community, another as a crusader willing to do anything to get the job done. -Character options for every class that relies on skills to win the day, including the alchemist, bard, druid, hunter, inquisitor, investigator, mesmerist, ranger, rogue, slayer, spiritualist, and more! -A complete system of influence, giving the GM a new way to reward players for helping out an organization or community. -Rules for social combat and verbal dueling, using words as weapons to accomplish goals and defeat foes. -Dozens of feats and spells that can be used in a social setting, some to spy with and some to hide the truth. -...and much, much more!

This book is about the apparent incompatibility of romantic love and conventional marriage. They go together (the popular song has it) like a horse and carriage. But if the horse is ailing or otherwise not up to the task, the carriage will slowly rot away in the carriage house. It is also about the perverse fact that people bring to such relationships their expectations from the past as they remember them. Typically, they had hopes and dreams for their future together. When these are dashed, it occurs to them that they were better off before they got hitched. It is also about the fact that when love befalls us, we lose our bearings. Love is blind, and all that. We drift into the conventional fairy tale about living happily ever after. Thats to be desired. But the fairy tale ends with that line. It never tells us what we need to do or be in order to live happily ever after. Under the spell of the fairy tale, which is basic fare in various forms in our culture, we set off happily enough. But how is it possible to maintain the delusion of the love state in the banality of the everyday life that inevitably ensues? Who told us that making a living or keeping a house in order is a far different world than a wedding? Who told us that babies rule the house, unless they are tended by someone else? Copulate we apparently must. But that has consequences that are not a part of the fairy tale. So people end up on the other side of the mirror. The world is not about lovers, the realization creeps upon us. It is about 40,000 other things. And those have to be dealt with most often before anything else. Thus the title, And They Lived Happily Ever Before. Imagination and reality are often two very different things. This book answers the question, What Does Love Have to Do with It? The answers may surprise you. But they will make love affairs that end in marriage far better than you might even imagine they could be.

From the moment Billie Rae Rasmussen crashes into him, Tanner Chisholm realizes he is on a collision course with destiny. As Whitehorse's cowboy with a heart of gold, there is no way he could overlook the fear that shadows her eyes. Something has her running scared, but now that she is in his protective arms he intends to keep her safe. Billie Rae can't run fast enough—or far enough. And if she sticks around this small town, the danger that follows her could put her newfound hero at risk. But Tanner refuses to leave her side, and his love gives Billie Rae the hope and courage she needs. Now she'll fight to take back her life…or die trying.

"Life out on the Chisholm Ranch was never dull." That's Dakota Lansing's impression, anyway. But she was always on the other side of the fence, keeping her distance from Zane Chisholm, the cowboy with a bad reputation. Now her family secrets are threatening to be unearthed and she's afraid where they'll lead, especially if it means setting foot on the Chisholm ranch .... With both their lives in jeopardy, Dakota is forced to admit Zane is her only hope of staying alive. Targeted by unknown assailants, Zane discovers his mysterious connection to Dakota is much bigger than either suspected. The feisty beauty is more than his match and is becoming harder to resist. With time running out, should he let her rope him in and go along for the ride?"--Publisher.

Three novels by the prize-winning international-bestselling author in one volume —the complete saga of Catherine the Great’s passionate rise to power. The Romanov Trilogy brings three of Evelyn Anthony’s most successful works together in one collection following the dramatic life of Catherine the Great. Rebel Princess: Augusta Fredericka’s fantasy of reigning as Catherine the Great comes true after marrying Grand Duke Peter Romanov. But the repulsive—and sexually and emotionally impotent—heir to the Russian throne is not the man she expects. A succession of lovers may fulfill her, but they’ve also left her vulnerable to her seditious husband’s plot to have her arrested for treason. Curse Not the King: Since her husband’s assassination, Catherine has ruled for a decade. But her son—the rightful heir to the throne—has never forgiven her seizure of power, or forgotten his father’s murder. Little does he know the sacrifices she’s made—as mother and empress—to safeguard his liberty and life. Now, all Catherine can do is pray that her son’s blind rage won’t destroy them both. Far Flies the Eagle: Following victory in Europe, Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte is ready for his next conquest: Russia. What has he to fear from such a young czar? But Alexander, the grandson of Catherine the Great, should not be underestimated. A powerful adversary, he’s already murdered his own father to ascend to the throne. Vanquishing the French emperor will be a pleasure. Sweeping from Paris to the Kremlin to the battlefield, Anthony’s historically authentic trilogy offers a fascinating glimpse into the Romanov family and of the grand ambitions of one woman. “Miss Anthony knows how to highlight the . . . drama and intrigue that gradually change a trembling girl into a woman of brilliance and power” (The New York Times).

And God said: "Let there be light." And there was light. These words mark the first step in the creation of all life. The very genesis of light is tied to the nature and purpose of God--God as the author of light, as the pouring out of light, as light itself. Believers in the three Abrahamic faiths have always understood God as light. The Hebrew scriptures celebrate this divine illumination: "Yahweh is my light and my salvation . . ." (Psalm 27). Christians, too, proclaim that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1.5). For Muslims, "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth" (Sura 24.35). And theologians and mystics of all ages have explored the revelation and meaning of divine light. This volume explores the theme of divine illumination in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Theologians, physicians, and philosophers share their wisdom and understanding of the uncreated light that God is, the created physical light of the world, and the relationship of enlightenment to human reason and ethics. Contributors: Philip Amerson Jamal Badawi Kimberley Curnyn Mark A. Dennis, Jr. Souleymane Bachir Diagne Wendy Doniger Peter Knobel Larry Murphy William Murphy Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern Morton Schapiro Jan van Eys Kenneth L. Vaux Sara Anson Vaux Richard Vaux Julie Windsor Mitchell K.K. Yeo

When a mystery woman with a gleam in her eye and trouble on her mind hops on the back of Logan Chisholm's Harley, he thinks he's in for a wild ride. But Jennifer "JJ" Blythe James might be more than he bargained for. The pretty pop star is running scared. Desperately trying to escape her past, JJ's defenses are on high alert. She doesn't really want the cowboy's protection, but Logan knows that with a killer on her trail, she needs it. It's the only way the songbird who's corralled his heart will live to sing another day.