The first book to put the sacred and sensuous bronze statues from India’s Chola dynasty in social context From the ninth through the thirteenth century, the Chola dynasty of southern India produced thousands of statues of Hindu deities, whose physical perfection was meant to reflect spiritual beauty and divine transcendence. During festivals, these bronze sculptures—including Shiva, referred to in a saintly vision as “the thief who stole my heart”—were adorned with jewels and flowers and paraded through towns as active participants in Chola worship. In this richly illustrated book, leading art historian Vidya Dehejia introduces the bronzes within the full context of Chola history, culture, and religion. In doing so, she brings the bronzes and Chola society to life before our very eyes. Dehejia presents the bronzes as material objects that interacted in meaningful ways with the people and practices of their era. Describing the role of the statues in everyday activities, she reveals not only the importance of the bronzes for the empire, but also little-known facets of Chola life. She considers the source of the copper and jewels used for the deities, proposing that the need for such resources may have influenced the Chola empire’s political engagement with Sri Lanka. She also investigates the role of women patrons in bronze commissions and discusses the vast public records, many appearing here in translation for the first time, inscribed on temple walls. From the Cholas’ religious customs to their agriculture, politics, and even food, The Thief Who Stole My Heart offers an expansive and complete immersion in a community still accessible to us through its exquisite sacred art. Published in association with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Love: To Mahesh, it is something to die for. To Sivani, it is just a fiction. To Mr. M, it is something to live for. To Miss. S, she is yet to discover it. Sivani knows secrets about Mahesh which could alter his life. Miss. S seeks secrets which Mr. M holds. Fate starts spicing things up by putting all of them in a single track. Their definitions about love and life start changing. One tries to win over the other and the other tries to win over the life itself. The rest won't have much left but to surrender. The girl who stole my Heart, is a tale of true love that outlived all the odds.

Desire, danger, intrigue, and steamy seduction unite a sexy spymaster and an intrepid bluestocking as Stefanie Sloane’s luscious new series continues. Possessed of a brilliant mind and a love for puzzles, Dashiell Matthews, Viscount Carrington, is a crucial member of the elite Young Corinthians spy league. Assuming the façade of an addle-brained Adonis, he hunts for a notorious London murderer known as the Bishop. When fate causes him to cross paths with Miss Elena Barnes, Dash discovers an enigma that will prove delightfully intoxicating to unravel: a voluptuous beauty as intelligent as she is fearless. Only the lure of a collection of rare books bequeathed to her family by Dash’s late father could tempt Elena from her cozy rural life to the crush and vanity of London. But if Elena finds his lordship to be the most impossibly beautiful man she’s ever seen, he also seems to be the stupidest. Which made her body’s shameless response to his masterful seduction all the more unfathomable. Yet when she discovers Dash’s mission to track the dangerous Bishop, she willingly risks everything—her trust, her heart, her very life—to join him. From the Paperback edition.

It takes true grit to build a billion-dollar dynasty like the Ford family ranch. But when it comes to finding love, all it takes is one handsome cowboy to steal a woman’s heart in Cowboy Stole My Heart by Soraya Lane. SHE’S RIDING SOLO As one of the heirs to the River Ranch fortune, Mia Ford is practically Texas royalty. But that doesn’t mean she’s some pampered princess. She can saddle up and ride a horse as well as any man, even a hard-working cowboy like Sam Mendes. For years, she’s harbored a crush on the strong, silent horseman. But how can she make a move when she’s his boss? HE’S TAKING THE REINS Sam Mendes is through with love—or so he thought. Still recovering from a breakup, he’s doing everything in his power to resist Mia Ford. It’s bad enough she’s the kind of beauty who drives men wild with desire. It’s even worse she’s got him so worked up, aching to kiss her lips, when he’s supposed to be working her ranch. Is this lovestruck cowboy willing to risk losing his job—and breaking his heart—to win the girl of his dreams? “Lane warms hearts of readers across the globe.” —RT Book Reviews

The Duke Who Stole My Heart is the sweet/tame version of The Duke’s Bride. My dearest brother, Harry, if you receive this letter it will be because I’ve eloped with an honorable American shipping merchant and will soon be sailing far from England to his home in the Americas. This decision doesn’t come easily. I’ve tried my best to convince your dear friend, the Duke of Ashten, to live again and remove himself from his own self-imposed exile, but in doing so I have instead been reminded of the day he first stole my heart. Eight years old, I was at the time, six years younger than the two of you. I adored chasing you both down to the river, climbing trees, and watching you fish. That was when I first fell in love with Ashten, but unfortunately that love is not reciprocated, even though I wish it were. Our dear sister posts this letter to you on my behalf as my valise is now packed and I’m about to escape from under Mama’s eagle eyes for Gretna Green. An adventure awaits me, one hopefully without a brooding duke and a battle of wills at play. Please, remain safe during this dreadful war. I miss you, terribly. Your ever-loving sister, Ellie. Each book in this series is standalone, and can be enjoyed out of sequence. SWEET REGENCY TALES SERIES The Duke Who Stole My Heart, #1 The Earl I Adore, #2 To Love During War, #3 My Secret and the Earl, #4 The Prince Who Captured Me, #5 Beware of the Pirate Prince, #6 FREE, FREEBIE, PERMA-FREE Fans of the following books and series are known to enjoy this epic Historical romance series: Bridgerton Bridgerton: The Duke and I The Viscount Who Loved Me An Offer From a Gentleman Romancing Mister Bridgerton To Sir Phillip, With Love When He Was Wicked On the Way to the Wedding Bridgerton Collection It’s in His Kiss First Comes Scandal The Bridgertons Happily Ever After Because of Miss Bridgerton The Other Miss Bridgerton The Truth About Dukes My Last Duchess The Grand Sophy A Rogue by Any Other Name The Countess Lord of Scoundrals Romancing the Duke Venetia Persuasion Pride and Prejudice Sense and Sensability Someone to Romance Arabella Gentle Rogue A Night to Surrender The Duchess Deal About a Rogue Regency Buck Cotillion Friday’s Child The Quiet Gentleman The Convenient Marriage Sylvester Black Sheep Now a Bride First Comes Marriage Then Comes Seduction The Proposal The Arrangement Slightly and Simply novels The Mistress trilogy Huxtable series Fans of the following authors are known to enjoy this epic Historical romance series: Jane Austen Julia Quinn Lisa Kleypas Kinley MacGregor Eloisa James Christina Dodd Stephanie Laurens Suzanne Enoch Karen Hawkins Grace Burrowes Georgette Heyer Sarah MacLean Lynsay Sands Loretta Chase Tessa Dare Jennifer Ashley Mary Balogh Johanna Lindsey Caroline Linden Sophie Jordan Sabrina Jeffries Free, free ebook, free novel, permafree, ebook, novel, Regency romance, historical, medieval romance, Regency fantasy, Regency fantasy romance, Regency novel, Regency ebook, Victorian romance, Victorian, tudor romance, tudor, pirates, aristocracy, London, England, Regency war, royalty, prince, princess, Napoleonic war, Napoleon, forbidden love, love, romance, first in series, series book, adult, kings and queens, king, queen, prince, princes, princess, duke, duchess, earl, countess, marquess marquis, baron, baroness, sir, madam, Her Majesty, His Majesty, Your Grace, my lord, my lady, fantasy, paranormal, time travel, paranormal romance, new adult, new adult romance, battle, warriors, protectors, regency, romance, duke, prince, aristocracy, epic. Regency romance free books, Epic Sagas, Free Adult Books, Animals & Nature, Regency Romance Bundle, Regency Romance Books Free, Free Regency Books, Popular Series, Regency Books Free, Regency Box Set, Regency Boxed Set, Regency Collection, Free Regency Books For Adults, Top Rated Books, Tricks, Regency Omnibus, Epic Fairy Tales, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Spells & Charms, Epic Historical Books Free, Free Romance Books, Free Historical Books, Horse Books For Free, Epic Free, Free Historical Romance Books For Adults, Omnibus Set, Omnibus Best Books For Adults, Essential Reads, Epic Historical, Royalty, Free Books For Adults, Omnibus Bundle, Adult Omnibus, Free Series Starters, Free Historical Books For Adults, New Adult Series, Free Adventure Books, Historical Box Set, Regency Romance box set, Top Rated Historical Collection, Free Audiobooks, Heroine, Free Medieval Box Sets, Sword And Sorcery, Women’s Omnibus, Free Books For Women, Regency Stories, Medieval Stories, Tudor Stories, Historical Stories, Victorian Stories, Regency series, Free Series Box Sets, For Women, Regency Books Free, Adult Books Free, Historical Omnibus, Best Rated Omnibus, Omnibus Collection, Boxed Set, Free Books To Read And Download, New Adult Romance Books, Magical Adventures, Free Books, Top Fairy Tales Box Set. Sweet, sweet romance, clean, clean and wholesome, clean romance, clean and wholesome romance.

Heartwarming story of an unconventional love between two women.

Enter a world of glamour, wealth and beautiful people. Enter the world of the Sehgal family and friends. A brand new series of books! You can run, you can hide, but you can't escape the past! VJ Bellani, cop extraordinaire, is a man with many secrets. When circumstances force him to protect the enemy's daughter, he takes up the assignment with an eye at finally laying the past to rest and perhaps even extracting vengeance. What he did not expect was Diya Thakur! Rebelling against her extremely conservative family, Diya Thakur moved to Mumbai to build a career in fashion design. Her dreams of living a free life are dashed when they hire a bodyguard to watch over her--and to spy on her for them, at least that's what she suspects. Forced to be together 24X7, VJ and Diya make no effort to hide their contempt for one another. The battle lines are drawn early, but destiny has a way of interfering even with the best laid plans. Can something as simple as love change everything, especially when revenge has been the primary motive for so long? Will VJ finally claim his past in order to claim her? Living on the Edge is the fourth book in The Sehgal Saga (Family & Friends). It can be read as a stand-alone. If you like reading strong characters in stories centered on family and friends then you will love this series of books.