Dire new threats face Queen Rejeena of Kriiscon and Aarvan, her queens man. Once again, they must battle treacherous forces determined to separate and destroy them. Queen Tabarana, favored ally of Great Queen Annannear, lusts for the delectable Aarvan. Determined to wrest him from Rejeena, she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. Rejeena must outwit and challenge Tabarana without causing a reign of retaliation upon Rejeenas quarter. The sinister cousin of Rejeenaoutlaw leader Ishtabarradesires to separate Aarvan from his queen and places a hefty bounty on his head even as her assassins stalk Rejeena. Aarvan must locate the hidden escape route of imprisoned outlaws to save the lives of seven honorable women, unjustly accused of outlaw affiliation. He knows a route out of those cells also can create access to the queen for Ishtabarras murderous forces. Animosity between Aarvan and Shabet, captain of the queens guard, deepens into hatred. To regain her former prominence and control, Shabet secretly gathers supporters and conspires to oust the queens man. How can Rejeena retain her queens man against so much opposition? How can Aarvan continue to secure his queens safety from her predatory cousin? The odds are overwhelming, and the two lovers must use every resource available to them if they are to survive.

Queen Rejeena of the island of Kriiscon and her queens man Aarvan live in chaos. Forces oppose the couple from within and without. Continuous assassination hazard stalks the queen while a hefty price rides upon his head. Vengeance and treachery crouch in the shadows, waiting to strike them both. Rejeena and Aarvans tumultuous love / contentious affinity continues, sparked by their opposing views of Kriisconian mores, particularly male slavery. And now the queen carries daughters of his seed in her womb that is vital to hera new tender attachment for him. Entering Caana, they meet a violent group of dissenting men and women who avow to end male slavery on the island at any cost. They, especially, consider the queens man a detested traitor to the brotherhood of men. Their sight was on Aarvan, who showed that his widespread, combative reputation was a persuasive magnet. Their goal is to convert him or kill him as an example to all. Can Aarvan convince their leader Jannsen that he will make a better ally than enemy? A conspiracy emerges involving the great queen and her powerful, deceitful collaborator Queen Tabarana forcing Aarvan to directly defy Kriisconian law. Queen Rejeena faces her most testing battle yet to protect and save her queens man.

LaHeeka, Ancient Conjurah, forewarns: Through choices of act and word, we send undulations into the great infinity residing beyond mortal understanding, which waves eventually flow back. Good begets good; evil begets evil. It is called Karma, and will destroy or reward. Karma takes no prisoners. Despite this ominous warning, Great Queen Tabarana forges ahead with arrogance and rudeness in her conference with powerful, intolerant Mainland rulers. Knowing she imperils the island of Kriiscon, Rejeena and Aarvan intervene to disrupt her perilous plans and avert disaster. Will they succeed, or will Karma intercede? Aarvan encounters destiny when he travels to Silicara to discover his mother’s fate. Is she alive or long dead? He must confront vile persons from his past, including the father who sold him like a shoat for slaughter. Will he emerge the winner, with a mother and happiness, or the loser, burdened with more misery? Meanwhile, Rejeena faces her own Karmic moment when she hears the tale of Ethan, Queen Dorothy’s man—an innocent man tortured even as he saves the quarter from a devastating drought. That tale of horror, and a voice she believes to be LaSheena, causes Rejeena’s mindset to reverse. Can she switch her island away from cruelty and slavery, leading to a better future for all? Or will forces of traditional evil crush her efforts?

Embark on another “nerve-biting and explosive” adventure between worlds in this refreshingly intersectional portal fantasy for adult readers (Tor.com) Saffron Coulter has returned from the fantasy kingdom of Kena. Threatened with a stay in psychiatric care, Saffron has to make a choice: to forget about Kena and fit back into the life she’s outgrown—or pit herself against everything she’s ever known and everyone she loves. Meanwhile, in Kena, Gwen is increasingly troubled by the absence of Leoden—the cruel ruler of the kingdom—and his plans for the captive worldwalkers. Elsewhere, Yena must confront the deposed Kadeja in Veksh. What is their endgame? Who can they trust? And what will happen when Leoden returns?

To avert a devastating war, Great Queen Rejeena must prove to male-centric Mainlanders enholdment has been abolished on Kriiscon. During the conference, the goddess LaSheena reveals to Rejeena a great truth, the answer to many enflaming hurdles dividing persons, communities, races, religions, and nations—possibly the answer to peace everywhere for all time. A simple concept, but how can she present it, thereby convincing others to believe, accept and utilize? Rejeena aborns a son. A Kriisconian Great Queen cannot keep a son; but Aarvan will not tolerate such rejection. Can queen and queen’s man find a solution to this predicament? Despite all Rejeena’s and Aarvan’s endeavors, Mainland warships, carrying thousands of soldiers armed with cannons and guns, attack Kriiscon to conquer, force upon the island their fanatic religion and intrusive culture. What can Kriiscon offer to combat such determined, superior forces? Simultaneously, the lifelong feud between Rejeena and Ishtabarra demands resolution, a battle to the death. Dare she indulge? After years of sacrifice and effort by Kriisconians—women, men and glaalets—to integrate as a peaceful island, how can Rejeena and Aarvan prevent it all shattering into a crushing, calamitous defeat?

A sweeping novel about the extraordinary woman who captured Napoleon’s heart, created a dynasty, and changed the course of history—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Traitor's Wife, The Accidental Empress, and Sisi “I absolutely loved The Queen’s Fortune, the fascinating, little-known story of Desiree Clary—the woman Napoleon left for Josephine—who ultimately triumphed and became queen of Sweden.”—Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls As the French revolution ravages the country, Desiree Clary is faced with the life-altering truth that the world she has known and loved is gone and it’s fallen on her to save her family from the guillotine. A chance encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious and charismatic young military prodigy, provides her answer. When her beloved sister Julie marries his brother Joseph, Desiree and Napoleon’s futures become irrevocably linked. Quickly entering into their own passionate, dizzying courtship that leads to a secret engagement, they vow to meet in the capital once his career has been secured. But her newly laid plans with Napoleon turn to sudden heartbreak, thanks to the rising star of Parisian society, Josephine de Beauharnais. Once again, Desiree’s life is turned on its head. Swept to the glittering halls of the French capital, Desiree is plunged into the inner circle of the new ruling class, becoming further entangled with Napoleon, his family, and the new Empress. But her fortunes shift once again when she meets Napoleon's confidant and star general, the indomitable Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. As the two men in Desiree’s life become political rivals and military foes, the question that arises is: must she choose between the love of her new husband and the love of her nation and its Emperor? From the lavish estates of the French Riviera to the raucous streets of Paris and Stockholm, Desiree finds herself at the epicenter of the rise and fall of an empire, navigating a constellation of political giants and dangerous, shifting alliances. Emerging from an impressionable girl into a fierce young woman, she discovers that to survive in this world she must learn to rely upon her instincts and her heart. Allison Pataki’s meticulously researched and brilliantly imagined novel sweeps readers into the unbelievable life of a woman almost lost to history—a woman who, despite the swells of a stunning life and a tumultuous time, not only adapts and survives but, ultimately, reigns at the helm of a dynasty that outlasts an empire.

Mernissi recounts the extraordinary stories of fifteen queen s and reflects on the implications for the ways in which politics is practiced in Islam today, a world in which women are largely excluded form the political domain.