Explores Celestina's role as a key interlocutor in European literature and thought in the context of debates about the human condition. Winner of the 2015 Publication Prize awarded by the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland. Celestina by Fernando de Rojas is a canonical work of late medieval Spanish literature and one ofthe earliest European "best-sellers". However, while we have clear evidence of its popularity and influence, scholarship has not adequately answered the question of why it continued to hold such appeal for early modern audiences.This book explores Celestina's role as a key interlocutor in European literature and thought; it argues that the work continued to be meaningful because it engaged with one of the period's defining preoccupations: the human condition, an idea often conceptualised in pro et contra debates about the misery and dignity of man. Taking an ideological and comparative approach that focuses on Celestina's reception in sixteenth-century Spain and Italy, it reads Rojas's work against a network of texts that were translated and printed concurrently in both peninsulas yet which have not previously been examined in depth or detail alongside it, including Baldassare Castiglione'sIl Cortegiano, Fernan Perez de Oliva's Dialogo de la dignidad del hombre, and Pietro Aretino's Vita delle puttane. Each chapter explores themes common to sixteenth-century debates about the human condition, such as self-knowledge, self-fashioning, the formative role of language, the tension between freedom and constraint, as well as the access to knowledge provided by vernacular fiction in the context of early modern censorship. Rachel Scott is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at King's College London.

The rise of political Islam has provoked considerable debate about the compatibility of democracy, tolerance, and pluralism with the Islamist position. As "The Challenge of Political Islam" reveals, Egyptian Islamists today are more integrated into the political arena than ever, and are voicing a broad spectrum of positions, including a vision of Islamic citizenship more inclusive of non-Muslims.
Based on Islamist writings, political tracts, and interviews with Islamists--including members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and other important contemporary thinkers--this book looks closely at how modern, politically-oriented Egyptian Islamists perceive non-Muslims in an Islamic state and how non-Muslims respond. Clarifying the movement's aims, this work uncovers how Islamists have responded to the pressures of modernity, the degree to which the movement has been influenced by both a historical Islamic framework and Western modes of political thinking, and the necessity to reconsider the notion that secularism is a precondition for toleration.

The rise of political Islam has provoked considerable debate about the compatibility of democracy, tolerance, and pluralism with the Islamist position. As The Challenge of Political Islam reveals, Egyptian Islamists today are more integrated into the political arena than ever, and are voicing a broad spectrum of positions, including a vision of Islamic citizenship more inclusive of non-Muslims. Based on Islamist writings, political tracts, and interviews with Islamists-including members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and other important contemporary thinkers-this book looks closely at how modern, politically-oriented Egyptian Islamists perceive non-Muslims in an Islamic state and how non-Muslims respond. Clarifying the movement's aims, this work uncovers how Islamists have responded to the pressures of modernity, the degree to which the movement has been influenced by both a historical Islamic framework and Western modes of political thinking, and the necessity to reconsider the notion that secularism is a precondition for toleration.

With Yoga for Mind, Body & Spirit, bring the foundations of yoga into all aspects of your life! Live the yoga life with Yoga for Mind, Body & Spirit. From increasing physical strength and flexibility to decreasing stress, this books provides a blueprint for applying all aspects of yoga to all aspects of everyday life. Not sleeping well? There's an asana for that? Back sore? There's a pose to help. Pinpoint how you want to implement yoga with focused poses and meditations that will help bring balance to your mind and body. Author Rachel Scott's experience as a certified yoga instructor and educational designer comes through on every accessible and informative page, resulting in a book has everything you need to practice yoga, from explanations for beginners to more advanced practice. Rachel is the Director of Teachers' College and Development at YYoga, Canada's largest yoga company headquartered in Vancouver, BC and contributes regularly to Yoga International and the Huffington Post. She shares her knowledge exuberantly; enjoy her tips, classes, and musings at www.rachelyoga.com.

This is the first of the Connelly Witch books. It is the SAME book that is for sale in the combined book The Connelly Witches. A family history page has been added to help readers keep track of the Connelly and Arcos bloodlines. In Shattered Images, Jolynn Raymond introduces the Connelly Witches. They are a family whose magical talents date back hundreds of years. Those who bestowed the powers had only one command, protect mankind from the demons who would torment and destroy them. Rachel Connelly-Grey is a woman who has turned her back on her family's magical heritage and responsibilities in order to be with the man she loves. She soon learns that forsaking her birthright and wishing for solitude from the family she must remain close to has horrible consequences, ones that she is no longer prepared to fight against. While her family searches for her, Rachel must fight a demon that is determined to wipe out her family one witch at a time. Though he starts with Rachel, his evil touches her little girl, who sees all that is happening to her mother in horrifying visions. Can the Connelly witches come together in time to save Rachel and stop the evil that will destroy their clan or will Syrull, the Demon of Reflections, be allowed to begin his annihilation of the Connelly Witches by trapping Rachel in a hellish dimension before moving on to kill all who bear the Connelly name?

Treasured is the last book in the Beneath the Shadows of Evil Trilogy. First there was Taken... Alliana was a young Gypsy woman stolen from her family, she was to be used and discarded, but fate had other ideas. Mikhal was the cruel and evil vampire lord, he was to be feared and despised for all of time, but destiny wouldn't allow it. Then there was Torn... Mikhal never intended to care for Alliana, and she never intended to forgive him for the cruelty he inflicted upon her. Once love began to enter his heart, he vowed to make his unwilling bride happy in her new life. Try as he might to convince her he had changed, Alliana's heart remained torn between the pain her heart could not forget and the tenderness Mikhal now showed her. Now there is Treasured... The evil his past created, threatens their fragile bond and all they hold dear. She will kill to protect her family. He will do anything to save the love he can once more feel. Who will win in the war between the horrors of his past and the promise of their future? Can their love survive the evil he wrought for a hundred years? Can love and goodness overcome terror and hate? Evil means to destroy their happiness. Can a love that is so fragile survive? Who will triumph when darkness once again comes to call? The final battle unfolds in Treasured... Beneath the Shadows of Evil Book Three

Though this is a historical romance, this book contains graphic BDSM sex. Elizabeth is the unwilling victim of sexual slavery, forced into the harem of a sadistic man. Maxwell is callous and cruel, and cares nothing for the women he kidnaps. He is not a hero or a character you will love at first sight. The lovers in my stories must fight hard for their happily ever afters. Nothing comes easy or quick. Packed off by her mother and the church elders because of her rebellious nature, lovely Elizabeth Thornton finds herself living in India. She has been sent there to be trained as a Zenana missionary, but fate has other things in mind. Maxwell Harrison is a rogue with few morals. His job is to capture and train beautiful women in the art of sadistic passion for his cruel employer's harem. He sets his sights on Elizabeth the moment he sees her, knowing she will be a golden treasure among the other women, a unique toy in a gilded toy box. Once properly trained, she will make an exquisite sex slave. Beautiful and schooled in the art of pain and pleasure, taught to crave the lash, always ready to be taken whenever she is desired.
Elizabeth's spirit struggles against her fate, and though her body responds to Maxwell's teachings, she cannot stop her fight for freedom. Maxwell has never cared for any of the women he has abducted, but he cannot deny what he feels for his latest captive. Once love touches his heart, Maxwell knows he cannot turn Elizabeth over to his boss, but freedom isn't easily obtained. They are trapped within the palace walls, and within the city itself. Jeeval is rich and powerful, and doesn't take kindly to those who wish to steal his possessions. To stay means Elizabeth will become a concubine, lost to Maxwell forever. To flee means to risk death, but life without each other is no life at all. Can they escape and find their happily ever after, or will their quest for freedom cost them everything?

Jolynn Raymond has written a book that shares the details of her own long lasting domestic discipline marriage and her experience surrounding power exchange relationships. It explains why these unconventional relationships work so well for so many couples. The book is an in-depth tutorial that takes the relationship past the simple act of discipline, to building a rock solid foundation that will ultimately create a deep bond of trust and love between those involved. Taken In Hand will guide those interested in adding consensual domestic discipline, dominance and submission, and structure to their own relationship through the initial steps of communication, understanding and discovering both partner's needs, creating mutual and realistic expectations, rules, and consequences, to the inevitable first spanking. Taken In Hand will prove useful to those just starting out, as well as to those with some experience, as Ms. Raymond outlines the pitfalls, difficulties, and successes she has encountered in her own marriage. She also emphasizes the importance of consent, and pays special attention to the fine line between discipline and abuse. The last part of the book examines the styles and types of spanking, gives an anal sex tutorial, talks about the responsibilities or being a dominant and gives tips for the submissive partner. Whether you need insight into BDSM as it relates to relationships or are trying to build a domestic discipline marriage from scratch, Taken In Hand will prove to be a comprehensive and practical guide.

For hundreds of years Alex was ruled by his demon half, preying on mankind, causing misery and death. That was before he met Raven. With a long family history of battling demons, Raven is a witch who was entrusted with great magic on the condition it be used to vanquish evil. She fought each battle with righteous fury, until she met Alex. The sparks between them burst into flames and though they were sworn enemies, sometimes love can't be denied. Turning their backs on the Powers that Be, they gave in to their heart's demands. Raven's faith in Alex, reawakening his human heart. When Raven suddenly disappears, her family is frantic; and no one is more distraught than Alex. Their search through the old magic books tells a tale to horrible to accept, and one Alex will never allow. Now trapped in a world where nothing feels right and memories of who she is evade her, Raven is struggling to adjust to a life that is confusing and mysterious. The one person who triggers a feeling of familiarity is a man who she's been warned to stay away from. Though she's told he is evil, Raven simply can't resist the magnetism she feels for the only person who is familiar. As her family races against time, Raven is drawn closer to the demon who wishes to kill her. Will Alex be able to get Raven to remember who she is and bring her to safety, or will the demon he once was wipe out the Connelly family before Raven regains her memory and her magic?

Dark Obsession is a collection of erotic BDSM scenes. There is no long build-up of surrounding story line, just snap shots of real life erotic F/f, BDSM play. That is not to say the stories are purely porn without a plot. The characters are fleshed out, there is dialog, and there is enough backstory to become intimately connected to the participants in each scene as well as creating an emotional connection between the players themselves. The reader joins each couple just prior to the BDSM scene taking place, or at the start of it, and is drawn into their world of kinky and highly explicit sex.

Torn is the second book in the Beneath the Shadows of Evil Trilogy. Amid the grandeurs of her husband's castle, the once wild gypsy Alliana struggles against those who would trap her in the gilded cage. Tormented, abused, and toyed with, Alliana has no intention of ever trusting the vampire who took her from the life she loved. Though she knows she is bound to her new husband for life, the now pregnant Alliana refuses to see anything but evil inside him. Through a twist of fate, the consequences of his cruel and evil ways are forced upon the Master Vampire, Mikhal the Merciless. Like it or not, he can experience the terror and hate he inspires in his bride, and finds he has no taste for the agony he causes her. Sickened by Alliana's pain and hatred, he vows to inspire trust in the beautiful Gypsy who has warmed his cold heart. Though true love has yet to bloom, Mikhal is determined to make his unwilling bride happy in her new life. But even as he does everything in his power to bring Alliana joy, there are others all around them who are plotting to destroy the fragile hope for love and happiness between Mikhal and Alliana.