Ki Lawwnum, the leonine Captain of the Imperial Guards, is sworn by sacred oath to serve the mighty Galactic Empire. But the emperor's madness is imperiling the lives of the empress and their daughter. Ki Lawwnum must choose--to stand beside his emperor or to bring peace back to his empire.

Reproduction of the original: The Guardsman by Homer Greene

Budapest’s most beautiful young actress is notorious for affairs that only last six months. When she finally marries, she chooses the city’s most handsome and talented young actor. Five and a half months later, suspecting his new wife is getting restless, the actor takes on his most daring role yet—disguising himself as a dashing Emperor’s guardsman—to test her fidelity and win her love. But the more he woos his wife as this guardsman, the more insanely jealous he gets of the character he feels compelled to play. This new translation by Richard Nelson is sharp, funny, and perhaps calls to mind that other psychodrama about a stormy marriage, Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?

Sixteen years after Ayden came to her aid on the Prime's Highway, former novice priestess Elysa is reunited with the kindly vampire when she is brought to Saron Castle, where Ayden is now the Commander of the Prime's Guard. But just as it seems the couple have found happiness with each other, a new threat emerges which threatens to tear them apart. With danger all around them, will they ever find happiness? Each book in The Land of the Blood of Allaron Legend is stand-alone, but for the greatest enjoyment, the following reading order is recommended: The Daughter of Teragon The Fair Isle Princes The Guardsman's Lover The Duchess of Farrow The Warrior Queen The Lady of Saron Please note: This ebook contains content of a sexual nature, making it unsuitable for younger readers.

Almost all of the very little we know of Menander comes from the preface of his History. Having studied the law, Menander did not become an advocate, preferring instead to become a 'man-about-town'. He was saved from this life of degradation by the accession of the poetry and history enthusiast Emperor Maurice, and the rewards that being a writer could now bring. Whether his History was commissioned by the Emperor is not known, but he was certainly given some high-level encouragement. Menander's portrayal of Justin is more even-handed than most, but his approval of Tiberius is much more effusive, especially with regard to his Persian policy. Overall, Menander's main interest seems to have been Roman relations with foreign peoples - Persians and Avars, particularly - and his depiction of the Persian state as being equal to Rome was prophetic, both empires disappearing less than a century after he was writing.