Elise had no idea when she came home that day that she'd end up mated to a complete stranger. A new Alpha and the need for an alliance between packs have made her a pawn Excerpt: She lay beside him, staring blankly at the ceiling. The deed was done. They were mated. It didn't matter that she had no love for him nor he for her. Political alliances were more important than feelings...

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • Is love between equals possible? This modern classic is a delightful intellectual love story that explores the deepest canyons of romantic love even as it asks large questions about society, geopolitics, and the mystery of what men and women really want. “Luminous…Few books evoke the state of love at its apogee.” —The New York Times Book Review “The best rendering of erotic politics…since D.H. Lawrence…The voice of Rush’s narrator is immediate, instructive and endearing.” —The New York Review of Books The narrator of this splendidly expansive novel of high intellect and grand passion is an American anthropologist at loose ends in the South African republic of Botswana. She has a noble and exacting mind, a compelling waist, and a busted thesis project. She also has a yen for Nelson Denoon, a charismatic intellectual who is rumored to have founded a secretive and unorthodox utopian society in a remote corner of the Kalahari—one in which he is virtually the only man. What ensues is an exhilarating quest and an exuberant comedy of manners: “A dryly comic love story about grown-up people who take the life of the mind seriously.” —Newsweek

Despite enormous changes in patterns of dating and courtship in twenty-first-century America, contemporary understandings of romance and intimacy remain firmly rooted in age-old assumptions of gender difference. These tenacious beliefs now vie with cultural messages of gender equality that stress independence, self-development, and egalitarian practices in public and private life. Through interviews with heterosexual and LGBTQ individuals, Ellen Lamont’s The Mating Game explores how people with diverse sexualities and gender identities date, form romantic relationships, and make decisions about future commitments as they negotiate uncertain terrain fraught with competing messages about gender, sexuality, and intimacy.

Pamela C. Regan’s The Mating Game: A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage, Third Edition is the only introductory text about human mating relationships aimed specifically at a university audience. Encompassing a wide array of disciplines, this comprehensive review of theory and empirical research takes an integrated perspective on the fundamental human experiences of attraction and courtship; mate selection and marriage; and love and sex. Strongly grounded in methodology and research design, the book offers relevant examples and anecdotes along with ample pedagogy that will spark debate and discussion on provocative and complex topics.

In all his 150 years as dragon, sexy, handsome Crown Prince Alexander d’Mateo de Drakon Tremaine has been treated with privilege and respect. And then he met a half-blood who turned his world upside down and made him see life in a new light. Alex would do anything for Emma, even fight to the last drop of his royal blood to keep her safe. But they can never be more than friends, for Alex is destined to marry and mate with a princess from a rival clan to unite their two kingdoms. Half-blood dragon Emma Kantris is servant to Alex’s intended, and she knows his marriage will mean much-needed change for both dragon clans. Through his union with Princess Sabrina, Alex can finally eradicate the hated caste system that suppresses Emma and other half-bloods. Secretly, her heart longs for Alex, the dashing prince who has been a friend when all others deserted her, even though Emma has been warned to stay away. But when Emma is abducted by her enemies, it’s Alex who’s off to rescue her, and in doing so he may pay a price that could endanger them both…

Meet Ivana ('call me Vanny') Jones, a sexy, beautiful, warm-hearted professional chess-player. She has a problem: she's only attracted to guys who can beat her... so what's she to do when a chess amateur, the Russian billionaire Boris Bogolyubov, proposes marriage?Not only that, but as Vanny tries to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a chess grandmaster, she develops a crush on Norwegian sex-god Sven while also falling for a stunning and adoring Frenchwoman. Meanwhile, Vanny's hoping a revolutionary new drug treatment will save her best friend Charlotte's life.Set in London, Monaco, Budapest, Helsinki, Odessa, New York... and Leicester, this sparkily written, passionate, emotional and entertaining novel will rock your boat... even if you've never shouted'Checkmate!'

One of the world’s most respected voices on erotic intelligence, Esther Perel offers a bold, provocative new take on intimacy and sex. Mating in Captivity invites us to explore the paradoxical union of domesticity and sexual desire, and explains what it takes to bring lust home. Drawing on more than twenty years of experience as a couples therapist, Perel examines the complexities of sustaining desire. Through case studies and lively discussion, Perel demonstrates how more exciting, playful, and even poetic sex is possible in long-term relationships. Wise, witty, and as revelatory as it is straightforward, Mating in Captivity is a sensational book that will transform the way you live and love.