Jotham is King of the House of Protection. He was the youngest male ever to assume the position because of the sudden death of his father in Jotham’s twentieth cycle. In the forty cycles since becoming King, he married his life mate, Lata, and lost her in a transport accident. He had two sons and lost his youngest, Dadrian, due to his son’s own treachery. Now his first son, Barek, is interested in a woman and Jotham is going to find out everything about her that he can. Jacinda is from the House of Healing. She is the widow of an Assemblyman for the House of Protection. Stephan was her life mate even though he was twenty cycles older than her. His sudden death devastated her and if it weren’t for her three children, she isn’t sure she would have survived. In the cycles that have followed his death, she has learned to live with her loss and more importantly has learned that life can still be good. When Jotham summons Jacinda to the Palace, his only intent is for her to help him gather information on Amina, Jacinda’s great-niece. That plan goes out the window when Jacinda refuses. She challenges not only his right to interfere in Barek’s life, but questions how he's lived his own since Lata’s death. Two strong personalities come together after having loved and suffered the loss of that loved one. Can they find enough common ground and courage to chance a new love? Or are they destined to live the rest of their lives alone?

The purpose of this book is to examine the foreign policy of Jacinda Ardern's New Zealand Government between 2020 and early 2023 when the COVID-19 pandemic intersected with an evolving and often tumultuous post-Cold War global environment. This context witnessed the erosion of an international rules-based order and the renewal of great power competition. In particular, the Indo-Pacific has become a contested strategic space, which impacted on New Zealand's foreign policy interests.As a self-proclaimed small state, New Zealand faced distinct challenges: the Ardern Government formulated a distinctive foreign policy that drew on the success of its handling of the pandemic as well as Aotearoa New Zealand's indigenous values, and emphasised the importance of a good international reputation, strong diplomatic networks, and multilateral cooperation to maintain and grow its influence.This interdisciplinary volume brings together academics, policymakers and practitioners and provides essential reading for anyone interested in how relatively small states such as New Zealand can navigate significant foreign policy challenges in an increasingly complex and contested system of international relations.

Cassandra Chamberlain always stood out. It was hard not to at 6’1” and 165 pounds with jet black hair and sapphire blue eyes. And if that wasn’t enough, she was also brilliant, having graduated from Harvard at 15, taught at MIT at 19 and been nominated for the prestigious Magellan Award at 25. But she’d never really fit in. Not with her peers, not with her contemporaries, only with her family. But everything changed when Earth was attacked. Cassandra and her niece, Victoria, were the only survivors. Suddenly, the smartest woman on the planet had to relearn everything. Everything she believed to be true was challenged and she had to learn to survive not only for herself but for Victoria because someone wanted them dead. Admiral William Zafar is the youngest Admiral ever in the Coalition of United Planets Fleet and the hero of the Battle of Fayal. At 7’1”, he’s 325 pounds of Carinian male in his prime who is feared and respected throughout the Fleet. He is a Royal from the House of Protection, carrying its birthmark and considers its King one of his oldest friends. But when the Regulians destroy a previously unknown planet leaving only two survivors, he found he was willing to risk everything to protect the woman he loves from the Regulians and the Carinian traitor who wants her dead.

Victoria Lynn Chamberlain at two, she was abducted by an alien race, the Regulians. At nine, her world literally exploded when the Regulians returned, destroying Earth. She and her aunt were the only survivors thanks to another alien race, the Carinians. Now she’s eighteen, a new graduate from their top medical school, and is ready to claim her life mate, Lucas. The handsome Carinian pilot that saved her all those years… cycles ago. Major Lucas Matthew Zafar was decorated pilot for the Coalition, who has worked hard for every promotion and earned every decoration, despite his father being High Admiral. Nine cycles ago, he crashed on an alien world and discovered his life mate, a nine-cycle girl with flame-red hair and sparkling, green eyes. She captivates everyone around her with her strength and determination. She is his world or will be once she grows up. When he’s injured in an explosion, he discovers that his wait is finally over for Victoria has more than grown up. Together they discover what it truly means to be life mates. That it is about doing what is best for the other even if it is not the best for you. That you have to do more than just love, you have to trust and be willing to sacrifice the things you never thought you would. Moreover, if you are lucky, and the ancestors are watching over you, you just might get everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

Stephanie Michelakakis worked and sacrificed for her position as a Lieutenant in the Coalition. She was on track to become the first woman ever accepted into a Royal Guard, specifically King Jotham's Royal Guard. Then a life-altering injury shattered her dreams. Now she must figure out how to move on with her life. Nicholas Deffand was the youngest male ever named as the Captain of King Jotham's Royal Guard. He served and protected his King to the exclusion of everything else. But now he's found a woman who not only understood what his job entailed but his dedication to it as well. These two dedicated people never expected to find love. Will they be strong enough to make it work or will their relationship be another sacrifice they must make?

Cali has spent her entire existence hiding everything she truly is from everyone… including her family. Love isn't something she believes in. She's seen the harm that so-called emotion can cause in her own parents' relationship and wants no part of it. Star Base Commander Jamis Dexxirs and his Sub Commander Taarig Ynn are well known for their attitudes toward females and their sexual preferences. They are Apre, one of the most powerful, long-living beings in the universe, so why settle for one female when there were so many to choose from.

It’s a busy time within House Luanda. Women are finally choosing Warriors. A facility is being prepared for the first willing females from Earth. The time is drawing near for Grim and Lisa’s daughter to be presented, and Grim is struggling with it. The thought of his Queen being at risk terrifies him. Then Grim discovers another threat that affects not just his queen but every Tornian, Kaliszian, and person on Earth. New life and old grudges are revealed during this fragile time, and only the Goddess knows what will happen.