The Sheikh S Stubborn Employee

Emily Baker is in a heap of trouble. Her beloved horse farm is struggling financially, and she’s just found out her late father sold her favorite horse to a sheikh from a country she’s never heard of. The buyer, Zaman Abdul-Rahman is sexy as all get-out, the sort of man who makes a fling with a sheikh seem like a good idea. But Emily isn’t looking for romance, and certainly not with the overbearing alpha male who shows up to take away her beloved and pregnant horse, Riah. Emily refuses to let him until Zaman makes her a generous offer: he’s taking Riah, but he’ll also buy another horse and bring Emily to Qadir for six months to train it for an important race. Despite her hesitation, Emily knows the influx of cash will be enough to save the farm. Before she knows it, she’s traveling to the tiny kingdom and being seduced, not only by this beautiful foreign land but by Zaman, who’s just too gorgeous to resist. Zaman isn’t the sort of man to fall for a woman, especially one with such a fierce streak of independence. But he can’t help being wildly attracted to the beautiful American, and he secretly admires her strength and intelligence. Emily will only be in Qadir for six months, so what’s the problem with giving into their searing passion for a short fling? After all, he’s an expert at not growing too attached to anyone. This time, though, things are different. Emily is different. Maddeningly hard-headed. Thoroughly lovely. And…pregnant with his child. At the news, Zaman’s world shifts dramatically. His protective instincts kick into high gear—and end up pushing Emily away. It soon becomes clear, though, that the only race he wants to win is the one for Emily’s heart…

Makayla Riggs is convinced her father was wrongfully convicted, and she’s going to prove it. Her father died in prison in Qadir, a tiny Arabic country, after being found guilty of stealing a diamond from the royal family. Convinced her father was framed by the al Baians, the powerful family he was working for, Makayla heads to Qadir and finds an unlikely ally in Sheikh Baqir Abdul-Rahman, who has his own suspicions about the al Baians. As the two work together to uncover the truth, Makayla can’t help but find herself falling under the charming sheikh’s spell. How can she not when Baqir is the only one who believes her father was framed? Baqir is trying to solve several other jewelry thefts and knows he’s treading in dangerous territory to place blame for all the thefts on the al Baians. Yet he finds himself willing to do just about anything to help Makayla. Their long nights investigating the original theft brings them closer, and it isn’t long before the two finally give in to the red-hot chemistry that's been torturing them since they met. When Makayla is threatened by the al Baians, Baqir is desperate to protect her; a kind of desperation that feels like more than chemistry: he’s fallen deeply in love with the beautiful American. But will Baqir be too late to save Makayla, will she disappear forever from his life?

Holly Remington can’t believe the burning chemistry she feels with Sheikh Malik Abdul-Rahman. It’s like getting knocked in the head with a baseball bat—except far more pleasant. Though she’s supposed to be all business while her company tries to win a lucrative development contract in the oil-rich country of Qadir, Holly simply can’t stop herself from happily succumbing to his charm. When she’s called back home after her father suffers a stroke, thoughts of her sheikh romance are never far away. It’s only when she’s ready to return to Qadir to continue her work that she discovers Malik gave her more than sexy memories. She’s pregnant—with twins. And when she sees him again, Malik makes it painfully clear he’s not only rejecting her development proposal, he’s not interested in any other formal proposal either. He wants all of her. But Holly isn’t sure that’s available, or ever will be. Sheikh Malik has never reacted to another woman like he does Holly. She’s all business—at least in the beginning—and he finds himself oddly compelled to get to know her other side. Intimately. When he finds out she’s pregnant with his children, he find himself wanting her more. But when Holly begins to talk about how she wants to develop his oasis herself—the one that her company had been desperate to buy and the very one his mother loved and hoped one day would belong to Malik’s future wife, he pulls the breaks on their whirlwind romance. How can he love a woman who seems so out of touch with everything he values? And yet, how can he not love the only woman whose ever touched his soul?

The Sheikh’s Surprise Twins Holly Remington can’t believe the burning chemistry she feels with Sheikh Malik Abdul-Rahman. It’s like getting knocked in the head with a baseball bat—except far more pleasant. Though she’s supposed to be all business while her company tries to win a lucrative development contract in the oil-rich country of Qadir, Holly simply can’t stop herself from happily succumbing to his charm. When she’s called back home after her father suffers a stroke, thoughts of her sheikh romance are never far away. It’s only when she’s ready to return to Qadir to continue her work that she discovers Malik gave her more than sexy memories. She’s pregnant—with twins. And when she sees him again, Malik makes it painfully clear he’s not only rejecting her development proposal, he’s not interested in any other formal proposal either. He wants all of her. The Sheikh’s American Assistant Makayla Riggs is convinced her father was wrongfully convicted, and she’s going to prove it. Her father died in prison in Qadir, a tiny Arabic country, after being found guilty of stealing a diamond from the royal family. Convinced her father was framed by the al Baians, the powerful family he was working for, Makayla heads to Qadir and finds an unlikely ally in Sheikh Baqir Abdul-Rahman, who has his own suspicions about the al Baians. As the two work together to uncover the truth, Makayla can’t help but find herself falling under the charming sheikh’s spell. How can she not when Baqir is the only one who believes her father was framed? The Sheikh’s Stubborn Employee Emily Baker is in a heap of trouble. Her beloved horse farm is struggling financially, and she’s just found out her late father sold her favorite horse to a sheikh from a country she’s never heard of. The buyer, Zaman Abdul-Rahman is sexy as all get-out, the sort of man who makes a fling with a sheikh seem like a good idea. But Emily isn’t looking for romance, and certainly not with the overbearing alpha male who shows up to take away her beloved and pregnant horse, Riah. Emily refuses to let him until Zaman makes her a generous offer: he’s taking Riah, but he’ll also buy another horse and bring Emily to Qadir for six months to train it for an important race. Despite her hesitation, Emily knows the influx of cash will be enough to save the farm. Before she knows it, she’s traveling to the tiny kingdom and being seduced, not only by this beautiful foreign land but by Zaman, who’s just too gorgeous to resist.

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 Sharif 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?

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.