In and out . . .

That's Lieutenant Ian MacLean's goal. The leader of a team of highly trained Navy SEALs-- the toughest, buffest fighting men in the world-- the sexy, hard-as-nails bachelor has the brains, guts, and brawn to outthink, outgun, and outmaneuver any enemy. But dealing with a buxom, headstrong, iron-willed Viking maiden from a time a thousand years before Ian was born . . . that's a whole different kind of warfare.

Madrene Olgadottir has no idea where she is or that she's landed ten centuries in the future. After bopping the arrogant soldier on his head and tying him up, the stunning hellion gives him a tongue lashing that makes a drill sergeant sound like a kindergarten teacher. Then she demonstrates that she has her own special way of dealing with overconfident males.

Hoo-yah, it looks like Operation Rodent is about to get . . . Hot & Heavy

What in the name of Thor could be making this Viking so blue? Eating haggis? Listening to those insufferable bagpipes? Traveling through Scotland with the world's worst poet? Searching for the infuriatingly inept witch who's cursed his face . . . and even more important parts?

For Rurik the Viking, life has not been worth living since he left Maire of the Moors. Oh, it's not that he misses her fiery red tresses or kissome lips. Nay, it's the embarrassing blue zigzag she put on his face after their one wild night of loving. For a fierce warrior who prides himself on his immense height, his expertise in bedsport, and his well-honed muscles, this blue streak is the last straw. In the end, he'll bring the witchling to heel, or die trying. Mayhap, he'll even beg her to wed . . . so long as she can promise he'll no longer be . . .

A Viking to bed, not to wed! Medana Elsadottir, known as the Sea Scourge, never planned to become a pirate, but there's no denying her talent. Her female-only tribe has an island hideaway, food aplenty, goods to trade...everything except the means to breed. That's where the strapping Norsemen tied up in her ship's hold come in handy. Eight godly specimens-and Thork Tykirrson is the most virile of them all. Once their, eh, work is done, they'll be free to leave. Medana had naught to due with this gods-awful plan, but she wouldn't mind reaping the benefits. Wed or bed...this Viking has plans of his own. Renowned as the wildest Viking of his time, Thork was returning home to regain his father's favor. Mayhap even (shudder) marry. His brazen-and very beautiful-kidnapper has likely done him a favor in preventing such an irksome fate. That doesn't mean he'll let her off easy. No one takes anything from a Viking that he's not willing to give...not even a violet-eyed vixen who sets off the wildest fantasies.

Has an eye for the ladies, loves a good fight. Splits his sides over rude jokes. Won't ask directions no matter how lost he is . . . even in a longship, for the love of Odin Sound like anyone you know? Maybe every man you know?

Toste and Vagn Ivarsson are all that and more--a lot more. Identical Viking twins, they came squalling into this world together, rode their first horses at the age of seven, their first maids during their thirteenth summer, and rode off on longships as untried fourteen-year-old warriors. And now, having seen only thirty and one winters, they are about to face Valhalla together. Or maybe something even more tragic: being separated. For even the most virile Viking must eventually leave his best buddy behind and do battle with that most fearsome of all opponents--the love of his life.

When enemies become lovers, you know you're in for a scorching hot read! Rene LeDeux's burned out by D.C. politics and only wants to build his cabin in peace. But if his wacky, matchmaking great-aunt has her way, Bayou Black's prodigal son will be hitched before the summer's over. And when Valerie "Ice" Breaux, Rene's high school crush turned nemesis, is abducted by Rene's activist friends, it starts to look like Tante Lulu just may get her wish. Mon Dieu! It's bad enough being kidnapped, but did she have to land in the lap of the most irritating, sexiest hunk she's ever laid her eyes on? Now Val's stranded in Rene's remote cabin, besieged by irrepressible LeDeux relations, not to mention a dingbat duo out to save the swamp. It's a heat wave, guar-an-teed! Val vows she'll give her heart to the Cajun bad boy when alligators fly. Rene swears to get the girl who got away. It's never been steamier in the bayou than with two people this red-hot with desire...and more than ready for love.

A COWBOY ALWAYS GETS WHAT HE WANTS Talk about a bad hair day. Louisiana beauty salon owner Charmaine LeDeux has a loan shark on her tail, and Raoul Lanier, the six-foot-three hunk of testosterone she thought she divorced, has just delivered a bombshell: They're still married! At least the rundown ranch they've inherited together is the perfect hideout. It's hard enough for Raoul to play cowboy to a bunch of scrawny steer, let alone suffer the exquisite torture of living with the delectable Charmaine, who's declared herself a born-again virgin. What's a man crazy with desire to do? With the moon shining over the bayou, this Cajun cowboy must sweet-talk his way into his wife's arms again...before she unties the knot for good!

New York Times bestselling author Sandra Hill continues her sexy Deadly Angels series, as a Viking vangel's otherworldly mission pairs him with a beautiful chef who whets his thousand-year-old appetite ...Once guilty of the deadly sin of gluttony, thousand-year-old Viking vampire angel Cnut Sigurdsson is now a lean, mean, vampire-devil fighting machine. His new side-job? No biggie: just ridding the world of a threat called ISIS while keeping the evil Lucipires (demon vampires) at bay. So when chef Andrea Stewart hires him to rescue her sister from a cult recruiting terrorists at a Montana dude ranch, vangel turns cowboy. Yeehaw! The too-tempting mortal insists on accompanying him, surprising Cnut with her bravery at every turn. But with terrorists stalking the ranch in demonoid form, Cnut teletransports Andrea and himself out of danger-accidentally into the tenth-century Norselands. Suddenly, they have to find their way back to the future to save her family and the world ...and to satisfy their insatiable attraction.

Most of the stories attempt to represent aspects of both the personal and the political lives of women in South Africa and how these are inseparably intertwined. For example, 'South bound' tells of Harriott's life as a colonist arriving in Port-Natal during the late 1800s. It examines British working-class women's options at that time by exploring the possible reasons for her decision to emigrate. In 'Thicker than water', the journey from a Second Boer War refugee camp in Queenstown to Johannesburg, is narrated by Isabella, inward bound, and by Hester, outward bound. The story explores the impact of war, stereotype and discrimination on them both and shows how women are able to foster supportive relationships despite prevailing politics. 'By any other name' touches on the history of District Six and reflects on the political uprisings of the 1970s , the resulting loss and displacement, and consequent longing for home. 'Unsettled' expands on this story and engages with the question of how contemporary white women forge a (new) sense of identity and belonging in this country and grapple with the loss of family and friends who chose to leave rather than contribute to the New South Africa. 'Could be' uses the story of Anene Booysen as its departure point and looks at the issue of violence against women. 'For your own good', 'What it takes' and 'Incognito' are not connected to a specific political or historical event, yet also raise important social issues of ageing, loss of identity, family disintegration, gender violence and friendship.

"A Viking to bed, not to wed "

Medana Elsadottir, known as the Sea Scourge, never planned to become a pirate, but there s no denying her talent. Her female-only tribe has an island hideaway, food aplenty, goods to trade everything except the means to breed. That s where the strapping Norsemen tied up in her ship s hold come in. Eight godly specimens and Thork Tykirrson is the most virile of them all. Once their work is done, they ll be free to leave. Medana had naught to do with this gods-awful plan, but she wouldn t mind reaping the benefits.

"Wed or bed this Viking has plans of his own."

Renowned as the wildest Viking of his time, Thork was returning home to regain his father s favor and maybe even marry. His brazen and beautiful kidnapper has likely done him a favor in preventing such an irksome fate. But that doesn t mean he ll let her off easy. No one takes anything from a Viking that he s not willing to give, not even a violet-eyed vixen who sets off the wildest fantasies.