The Sheikh S Prize

The flaw in his jewel When Sheikh Zahir Ra'if Quarishi took a Western woman as his wife, it caused outrage among his people. And marrying Sapphire Marshall turned out to be the biggest mistake of Zahir's life. As cold and untouchable as her jeweled namesake, Sapphire fled the kingdom before sharing the marriage bed, leaving Zahir to face the shame alone—and his bank account five million dollars lighter. Now his ex-wife has been spotted in his desert and before she can run again, Zahir plans to banish her from his mind once and for all, beginning with reclaiming his wedding night!

A hot-blooded sheikh pursues his cold-hearted runaway bride in this contemporary romance by a USA Today–bestselling author. When Sheikh Zahir Ra’if Quarishi took a Western woman as his wife, it caused outrage among his people. And marrying Sapphire Marshall turned out to be the biggest mistake of Zahir’s life. As cold and untouchable as her jeweled namesake, Sapphire fled the kingdom before sharing the marriage bed, leaving Zahir to face the shame alone—and his bank account five million dollars lighter. Now his ex-wife has been spotted in his desert and before she can run again, Zahir plans to banish her from his mind once and for all, beginning with reclaiming his wedding night!

The Gulf monarchies (Saudi Arabia and its five smaller neighbours: the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain) have long been governed by highly autocratic and seemingly anachronistic regimes. Yet despite bloody conflicts on their doorsteps, fast-growing populations, and powerful modernising and globalising forces impacting on their largely conservative societies, they have demonstrated remarkable resilience. Obituaries for these traditional monarchies have frequently been penned, but even now these absolutist, almost medieval, entities still appear to pose the same conundrum as before: in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring and the fall of incumbent presidents in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, the apparently steadfast Gulf monarchies have, at first glance, re-affirmed their status as the Middle East s only real bastions of stability. In this book, however, noted Gulf expert Christopher Davidson contends that the collapse of these kings, emirs, and sultans is going to happen, and was always going to. While the revolutionary movements in North Africa, Syria, and Yemen will undeniably serve as important, if indirect, catalysts for the coming upheaval, many of the same socio-economic pressures that were building up in the Arab republics are now also very much present in the Gulf monarchies. It is now no longer a matter of if but when the West s steadfast allies fall. This is a bold claim to make but Davidson, who accurately forecast the economic turmoil that afflicted Dubai in 2009, has an enviable record in diagnosing social and political changes afoot in the region.

Caroline is shipwrecked. Washed up onto a hostile Middle Eastern coast, she falls into the hands of a local Bedouin tribe. Summoned into the presence of the handsome and forbidding Sheikh, he names his price. Her body is his, to use as he sees fit for one night. And he does not intend to be gentle. ~~~~~ PG Excerpt ~~~~~ When Caroline came to, she found herself in a much more comfortable position. She was lying to something soft, and she felt warm, but not too hot. Above her was a roof made of fabric, so she wasn?t out in the unforgiving sun. There were no wet clothes against her body either. Slowly, she moved her head to look around. She was in a tent that was decorated with colourful fabrics and beads of some sort, but there didn?t seem to be much in the way of furniture. On one of the pillows strewn around the tent sat a woman with tanned skin and long black hair in braids. She seemed to be engrossed in the beading work in her hands, but she looked at Caroline when she inadvertently made a sound by moving to sit up on the mattress. The woman dropped her work and rushed to her side. She asked something in her own language, her voice kind and soft, but Caroline couldn?t understand a word. ?I?m sorry, I don?t understand you,? she said, wincing at the way the words scraped her dry throat.

The Sheikh's Pretend Fiancée Liyah Reed returns to the Middle East hoping for something more than her humdrum life back at home, but what she finds is beyond her wildest dreams... Five years after her first stay as a foreign exchange student, American librarian Liyah returns to the Middle East. The move goes against her practical nature, but even a plain jane like herself sometimes thirsts for adventure. When a favor for a friend thrusts her into the path of beguiling billionaire Asad Sharif, Liyah’s sensible life may become something far more…sensual. Liyah is ensnared by Asad’s seductive charm, but she’s way out of her depth. Billionaire businessman Asad Sharif has willing women falling at his feet on multiple continents, but what he needs is a wife...or at least the appearance of one. To convince investors that he’s a dependable man, what Asad needs is a fake fiancée. The bookish American Liyah is the perfect choice, and when she accepts his pretend proposal, Asad’s sister is eager to help Liyah look the part. When his shy wallflower unexpectedly blooms into a stunning beauty, Asad will have to work doubly hard not to lose himself in Liyah’s strawberry blonde hair and enticing curves. The Sheikh's Tamed Bride Rashid Sharif has never apologized for his wild lifestyle, but after one scandal too many his family is fed up with his playboy ways. He’ll agree to his brother’s outrageous demand that he marry, but it won’t be to some wallflower as his conservative family would prefer. If he’s going through with this farce, there’s only one woman he’ll take as his wife—his sister-in-law’s American friend Mila. She’s a rebellious little thing, with fiery passion simmering beneath her icy exterior. Although Mila’s never been more than coldly polite to him, Rashid will do what it takes to win her over. Mila’s always been a wild child, but when she chose to follow her dreams to Dubai it wasn’t to work as a glorified waitress. She needs a chance to get ahead, but when that opportunity comes, it’s not a job she’s offered—it’s a marriage. Rashid Sharif is ridiculously handsome, richer than sin…and a complete player. Mila wants nothing to do with the womanizer, even when he offers her more money than she could make in a lifetime. But when the notorious bad boy begins to play nice, Mila finds it hard to resist temptation. As Rashid works to woo Mila, a simple seduction suddenly seems like something more. But can she ever trust the sinful sheikh, or will Mila always worry that Rashid is only playing games with her heart? The Sheikh's Stubborn Assistant American college grad Katie is as ambitious as she is creative, so when she learns of a friend’s brother who owns an art gallery in Dubai, she leaps at the chance to jumpstart her career in the luxurious city. But her dream job quickly becomes a nightmare when she discovers her new boss is as unpleasant as he is handsome. Khalid may make her pulse race but not even his dark mystique, lithe muscles and ridiculous wealth are enough to make up for his rudeness. Katie won't back down though, and she won't quit until Khalid realizes exactly what she has to offer. Some say Sheikh Khalid Sharif has more love for art than for people, but he never concerns himself with the opinions of others. He's determined to expand his gallery into one of Dubai’s greatest museums and nothing will get in his way—not even his fire-haired new gallery assistant. Khalid knew it was a mistake to hire the Western woman—the determination in her amber green eyes is a distraction, and her striking beauty practically makes his blood boil. Despite this, Khalid refuses to let Katie alter his course. As Katie and Khalid continue to clash, their attraction simmers just beneath the surface. But is it enough to melt Khalid’s icy exterior or will Katie be left out in the cold?

Muhammad bin Salman Al-Saud and Muhammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the respective princely strongmen of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have torn up the old rules. They have spurred game-changing economic master plans, presided over vast anti-corruption crackdowns, tackled entrenched religious forces, and overseen the mass arrest of critics. In parallel, they also appear to have replaced the old 'sheikhly' consensus systems of their predecessors with something more autocratic, more personalistic, and perhaps even analytically distinct. These are the two wealthiest and most populous Gulf monarchies, and increasingly important global powers--Saudi Arabia is a G20 member, and the UAE will be the host of the World Expo in 2021-2022. Such sweeping changes to their statecraft and authority structures could well end up having a direct impact, for better or worse, on policies, economies and individual lives all around the world. Christopher M. Davidson tests the hypothesis that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now effectively contemporary or even 'advanced' sultanates, and situates these influential states within an international model of autocratic authoritarianism. Drawing on a range of primary sources, including new interviews and surveys, From Sheikhs to Sultanism puts forward an original, empirically grounded interpretation of the rise of both MBS and MBZ.