The Engagement Bargain

Make-believe betrothal Rock-solid and reliable, confirmed bachelor Caleb McCoy thought nothing could rattle him--until he discovers he needs to pose as Anna Bishop's intended groom. After saving her life, his honorable code bid Caleb watch over the innocent beauty. And a pretend engagement is the only way to protect her from further harm. Raised by a single mother and suffragist, Anna doesn't think much of marriage--and she certainly doesn't plan to try it herself. But playing Caleb's blushing bride-to-be makes her rethink her independent ways, because their make-believe romance is becoming far too real... Prairie Courtships: Romance on the range

Courted by a cowboy The Engagement Bargain by Sherri Shackelford Raised by a single mother and suffragist, Anna Bishop doesn't think much of marriage—and she certainly doesn't plan to try it herself. But after an attempt on her life, a pretend engagement to confirmed bachelor Caleb McCoy is the only way to protect her from further harm. Playing Caleb's blushing bride-to-be makes Anna rethink her independent ways. Because their make-believe romance is becoming far too real… Cowboy Seeks a Brideby Louise M. Gouge Marybeth O'Malley is everything rancher Randall Northam seeks in a wife…if only she'd say "I do." But Marybeth won't marry until she locates her long-lost brother. When Rand agrees to help her with her search, she can't deny her surprisingly warm feelings toward her prospective groom. Could this untamed but honorable cowboy show her he's the husband she never knew she wanted?

Lord Davenport and Lord Pennella have just made a bet for the hand of Miss Regina Giles. The gentleman she chooses wins the loser’s estate. It’s the most daring wager at White’s, and quite possibly the most foolish. Toby York, the Earl of Davenport, knew it was a mistake to make the wager when Lord Pennella stormed into White’s bragging that he could get any lady he wished. Toby really should have kept his mouth shut. But he didn’t. And now there are only three things he can do to protect Miss Giles. One, he must get her to choose him instead of Pennella. Two, he must make sure she never finds out about the wager. And three, he must quietly break off the engagement so that she is free to marry a gentleman worthy of her. As long as he doesn’t fall in love with her, there should be no problems. Too bad things never work out the way they’re planned.

Their engagement is accidental. Indulging their passion is deliberate... Commanding tycoon Matias Silva is less long-term romance, more million-dollar business deals. Until his sweet childhood friend Georgie White anxiously confesses his family believes they’re engaged. Matias never does anything by halves—if they’re going to pretend, he’s all in. Whisking Georgie to his sprawling coastal mansion, he’ll ensure everyone believes their charade. But discovering Georgie’s true innocence suddenly makes their fake relationship feel unexpectedly—deliciously!—real... Turn the page and begin this captivating fake engagement story “Loved this romantic read.” —Goodreads Reader on Contracted for the Spaniard’s Heir “A sexy and entertaining romance” —Goodreads Reader on The Tycoon’s Ultimate Conquest

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. This book examines the politics of revenue bargaining in Africa at a time when attention to domestic revenue mobilization has expanded immensely. Measures to increase taxes and other revenues can - but do not always - lead to a process of bargaining, where revenue providers negotiate for some kind of return. This book offers in-depth analyses of micro-instances of revenue bargaining across five African countries: Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. The case studies all draw on a common theoretical framework combining the fiscal contract theory with the political settlement approach, which enables a systematic exploration into what triggers revenue bargaining; how these processes unfold; and finally, if and when they result in an agreement - whether that is a fiscal contract or not. From these empirically rich case narratives emerges a story of how power and initial bargaining position influence not only whether bargaining occurs in the first place, but also the processes and their outcomes. Less resourceful taxpayers find it harder to raise their voice, but in some cases even these groups manage to ally with other civil society groups to protest tax reforms they perceive as unfair. Indirect taxes such as VAT often trigger protests, as do sudden changes in tax practices. Revenue providers rarely call for improved services in return for paying tax, which would be expected to nurture the foundation for a fiscal social contract. Instead, revenue providers are more likely to negotiate for tax reductions, implying that governments' efforts to increase revenue are impeded. Indeed, we find many instances of state-society reciprocity when ruling elites try to be responsive to revenue providers' demands. The Politics of Revenue Bargaining in Africa hence provides insights into the nature and dynamics not only of revenue bargaining but of policymaking in general as well as its implications for state-society reciprocity in Africa.

It’s purely platonic…until they say "I do!" Enjoy this marriage-of-convenience romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Chantelle Shaw! The desire: instant! The diamond: forever? New bride Paloma Morante can’t ignore the pull of attraction to Daniele Barado. She also can’t ignore the shame of his one-time rejection or that she had to agree to his convenient terms… Self-made tycoon Daniele will protect Paloma from her uncle’s plan to steal her inheritance. In return, he’ll gain the social standing he lost when his aristocratic mother abandoned him. Their vows are for show. But the heat that ignites behind the closed doors of their Tuscan palazzo is definitely, wildly, not! From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Support-Bargaining, Economics and Society links support-bargaining to Darwin's theory of natural selection and traces the implications of support-bargaining and money-bargaining across society. It provides a wholly different account of the functioning of human societies from anything that has gone before. Social scientists, ever since there have been such people, have missed the crucial human characteristic – the propensity to seek support – that has given rise to group formation and the evolution of human society.