The Princess Stakes

"Vivid, sensual and beautifully written"—Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author Born to an Indian maharaja and a British noblewoman, Princess Sarani Rao has it all: beauty, riches, and a crown. But when Sarani's father is murdered, her only hope is the next ship out—captained by the boy she once loved...and spurned. Captain Rhystan Huntley, the reluctant Duke of Embry, is loath to give up his life at sea. But duty is calling him home, and this is his final voyage. Leave it to fate that the one woman he's ever loved must escape to England on his ship. "The PRINCESS STAKES came along just when I needed it most. There's star-crossed, swoony, steamy love, true to the genre—but there's also a subtle, searing focus on racism, colorism, and what it means to belong that is rare for a historical romance, which elevates it to a unique and truly resonant read."—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author

When millionaire jockey Willie Rich is murdered immediately after winning the $100,000 Princess Stakes, his old friend Max Roper, successful investigator, decides to find out who-dunit. It was set up to look like an accidental death--Willie drowned in his own pool--but Max didn't believe that. Fortunately for him, he is very much at home in the environs of a race track, because the person who might have wanted Willie dead was going to be one of the diverse people who are the usual habitués of a track: touts, gamblers, jockeys, trainers, rich horse owners and their wives and women, and even stableboys on the make. Max discovers that Willie had found a diary that pointed the finger of an earlier murder at someone who had kept right on covering his tracks. That someone, he figures, had to be among the following cast of characters: Ty Clayton, rich oil man, whose horses Willie rode. A man with a passion to win and an ungovernable temper. His wife, Monica, who had once been a magnificently beautiful movie star and who had run through four husbands, several fortunes and part of her looks. Was she being blackmailed? Kilburn, Willie's agent, who was shrewd enough to get away with murder and who had been heard arguing with Willie just before the death. Pam Clayton, Ty's daughter, who had disappeared when Willie's body was found. Tom Hunter, recent arrival from Acapulco, who was around the race track asking some very curious questions and backing them up with muscle. Then, of course, there was Penny, Willie's wife, who had liked Willie's money but very little else about him; and Johnny Cashio, the syndicate torpedo who like everything about Penny. And Joe Zale, who might have been jealous enough of Willie to do him in. And there are were also the people from Monica Clayton's past: Charnock, who dispensed psychic truths to adoring audiences and counted Monica among his most ardent disciples. Was he blackmailing her, or was it his secretary, Dorn? Someone, among this fantastic cast of characters, manages to involve Max in considerable personal jeopardy and violence before he triumphantly brings the murderer to book.

Thirty young women. A handsome prince. A battle to the death Water is scarce. Deserts have taken over the land. Nuclear war has devastated humanity. Humans live in walled super cities to keep out the irradiated. The land that was formerly known as America is divided into kingdoms ruled by royal elites.Born into the lowest Echelon of the Kingdom of Phangloria, sixteen-year-old Zea Calico faces a life of hunger, thirst, and toil. The only way out of this drudgery is revolution, and Zea is desperate to help the cause. When the palace calls for candidates to compete to marry Prince Kevon, Zea joins the Princess Trials to search the palace for weaknesses. The trials should be a fairytale of sumptuous meals, ballgowns, and romance, but one misplaced word causes Zea to attract the Prince's attention. When Zea uncovers the man beneath Prince Kevon's public facade, she is at risk of falling in love and losing sight of her mission. But the televised beauty pageant turns deadly, and Zea must fight for survival.Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Selection, this exciting tale of courage, intrigue, and betrayal will have you turning pages.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • You are cordially invited to the wedding of Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo. The Death Star is destroyed. Darth Vader is dead. The Empire is desolate. But on the forest moon of Endor, among the chaos of a changing galaxy, time stands still for a princess and her scoundrel. After being frozen in carbonite, then risking everything for the Rebellion, Han is eager to stop living his life for other people. He and Leia have earned their future together, a thousand times over. And when he proposes to Leia, it’s the first time in a long time he’s had a good feeling about this. For Leia, a lifetime of fighting doesn’t seem truly over. There is work still to do, penance to pay for the dark secret that she now knows runs through her veins. Her brother, Luke, is offering her that chance—one that comes with family and the promise of the Force. But when Han asks her to marry him, Leia finds her answer immediately on her lips . . . Yes. Yet happily ever after doesn’t come easily. As soon as Han and Leia depart their idyllic ceremony for their honeymoon, they find themselves on the grandest and most glamorous stage of all: the Halcyon, a luxury vessel on a very public journey to the most wondrous worlds in the galaxy. Their marriage, and the peace and prosperity it represents, are a lightning rod for all—including Imperial remnants still clinging to power. Facing their most desperate hour, the soldiers of the Empire have dispersed across the galaxy, retrenching on isolated planets vulnerable to their influence. As the Halcyon travels from world to world, one thing becomes abundantly clear: The war is not over. But as danger draws closer, Han and Leia find that they fight their best battles not alone, but as husband and wife.

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