Halabi Sheikhs


Book Description

These three sexy sheikhs make the pages of this trilogy smolder as they fall hard for the women they were meant to be with forever. The Haliba brothers are as different as night and day, but they do have a couple things in common: they’re all gorgeous and they all just can’t stop themselves from falling in love. In The Sheikh King's Ward, Bashar Halabi is shocked to find out the “little girl” he’s named guardian to is actually twenty-seven-year-old beauty, Fiona Nadide. If only he can marry her off before he falls in love with her himself! Chadil thinks a fake courtship will keep his family clear of scandal in The Sheikh’s Fake Courtship, only to realize there’s nothing fake about what he feels for Raina Mousa. Danyal Halabi relishes his role as the family’s black sheep in The Sheikh's Mail-Order Bride—until his antics leave him unwittingly engaged to beautiful American and single mother Jayne Barnes. USA Today Bestselling Author Leslie North pens a page-turning trilogy where fake fiancées, surprise babies, and opposites attract make the road to forever a real challenge for three heart-stealing brothers.




The Sheikh’s Mail-Order Bride


Book Description

Prince Danyal Halabi has always been the black sheep of the royal family, with no responsibilities and no plans for the future. And now thanks to his drinking buddies’ prank, he’s about to prove everyone has been right about him all along. Getting a mail-order bride was just a lark, something his friends laughingly convinced him to do after he’d had one too many. But what started out as a joke is now standing at the palace’s front door with a toddler in tow. Yes, Jayne Barnes is just as beautiful in person as she is in her profile picture, but does she really expect him to marry her? And could their contract be binding? Danyal enjoys his life as a playboy, and the thought of being a father to Jayne’s son and opening himself up to any woman is terrifying. There’s no way he’s getting married. But his older brothers have different ideas… Desperate times call for desperate measures, which was how Jayne got herself and her son, Noah, into this mess. With no home and a near-empty bank account, this mail-order bride business was a Hail Mary that actually worked. Well, would have worked if the prince had been serious about marrying her. Now, she’s stuck here in Al-Mifadhir, at least until the lawyers figure out if the contract they signed is valid. In the meantime, to avoid yet another scandal for the royals, she’s agreed to have a fake courtship to silence the gossips and appease Danyal’s brothers. Spending time with a hot prince isn’t too much of a sacrifice. Besides, her son has bonded to Danyal in a way that is as heartwarming as it is worrisome. There’s no denying Danyal is charming and spectacularly sexy. But he’s hiding something vital from her, and now Jayne has to decide if this man is worth staying for...




The Sheikh’s Fake Courtship


Book Description

Just once, Raina Mousa wants to do something daring, something her loving but strict parents would never approve of. Though Raina’s lived most of her life in the U.S., she’s agreed to an arranged marriage and to settle down in her parents’ home country of Al-Mifadhir. Before she meets her fiancé, however, she can’t resist having a night of fun with the hot, sexy man she meets in a bar. The next morning, though, she’s horrified to discover the man she’s just spent one unforgettable night with is her future husband’s brother, Chadil Halabi. The good news? Chadil’s elderly and confused aunt brokered a marriage contract with a man who was already married. So now Raina doesn’t feel quite so guilty about her amazing night with Chadil. But then Chadil’s aunt makes things infinitely worse by announcing to the world that Chadil and Raina are engaged. Chadil’s solution? A fake courtship. They’ll spend a few weeks together, say they don’t suit, then go their separate ways. Except things are about to get a little bit complicated… Chadil knows a fake courtship is not the best solution to their predicament, but it’s vital his family avoid scandal. What’s the worst that can happen? Plus, spending time with Raina isn’t exactly a trial. Once their time together is over, Chadil can continue his blissfully free bachelor’s life and Raina can return to Baltimore. Yet their moments together prove they’re far more compatible than either had thought, and they’re getting pretty darn good at fooling the press into believing they really are a couple. They just need to get through the next few weeks without doing something monumentally stupid in front of the paparazzi. If only Raina could understand appearances mean everything—even more than the truth. But the press is relentless, and it isn’t long before rumors of a break-up are rampant. Problem is, this time the press has the story totally correct. To save their relationship, Chadil has to do the hardest thing he’s ever done: be honest with himself, with the press…and with Raina.




The Sheikh King’s Ward


Book Description

When King Bashar Halabi finds out he’s guardian to a recently orphaned girl, he welcomes her into his palace. But he’s stunned when the “girl” turns out to be a twenty-seven-year-old American beauty, Fiona Nadide. According to a secret stipulation in her father’s will, Fiona will not obtain her inheritance and be free from guardianship unless she marries before her 28th birthday. But to Fiona, arranged marriages are archaic. She has absolutely no intention of getting married, and certainly not to a man handpicked by Bashar. The truth is, the only man she’s interested in is her smouldering guardian. As his ward, Fiona is strictly off limits to Bashar, and his advisors would be shocked if they knew where his thoughts about Fiona were drifting. Problem is, Bas can’t stop wishing he could have her for himself.




Sheikha's Determined Police Officer


Book Description

One last chance for love… Aaliyah Botros is beginning to wonder if she’ll ever get her chance at love. Her two best friends are both in happy relationships. But Aaliyah’s insanely overprotective family seem determined to fend off any potential suitors. When she bumps into her old flame Joseph, she’s delighted to find that he’s just as charming as ever. In fact, he’s even more handsome, muscular and disarming than she remembered. But despite the connection she still feels in her heart, Aaliyah knows her family will never approve. Joseph can’t believe his luck, running into Aaliyah after all this time. He never stopped thinking about her after high school. While he may be a respected police officer in his community, he knows it won’t be so easy to earn the respect of the aristocratic Botros family. It only takes one magical night to reignite the passion between Aaliyah and Joseph, but with her strict family standing in the way, is their relationship doomed from the start? Previously published as Sheikha's Determined Police Officer.




The Sunni Tragedy in the Middle East


Book Description

An unprecedented look at social breakdown and Sunni-led jihad in northern Lebanon Northern Lebanon is a land in turmoil. Long under the sway of the Assad regime in Syria, it is now a magnet for Sunni Muslim jihadists inspired by anti-Western and anti-Shi‘a worldviews. The Sunni Tragedy in the Middle East describes in harrowing detail the struggle led by an active minority of jihadist militants, some claiming allegiance to ISIS, to seize control of Islam and impose its rule over the region's Sunni Arab population. Bernard Rougier introduces us to men with links to the mujahidin in Afghanistan, the Sunni resistance in Iraq, al-Qaeda, and ISIS. He describes how they aspire to replace North Lebanon’s Sunni elites, who have been attacked and discredited by neighboring powers and jihadists alike, and explains how they have successfully positioned themselves as the local Sunni population’s most credible defender against powerful external enemies—such as Iran and the Shi‘a militia group Hezbollah. He sheds new light on the methods and actions of the jihadists, their internal debates, and their evolving political agenda over the past decade. This riveting book is based on more than a decade of research, more than one hundred in-depth interviews with players at all levels, and Rougier’s extraordinary access to original source material. Written by one of the world’s leading experts on jihadism, The Sunni Tragedy in the Middle East provides timely insight into the social, political, and religious life of this dangerous and strategically critical region of the Middle East.




Sectarianism without Sects


Book Description

This volume analyses the transformation of social sectarianism into political sectarianism across the Arab world. Using a framework of social theories and socio-historical analysis, the book distinguishes between ta'ifa, or 'sect', and modern ta'ifiyya, 'sectarianism', arguing that sectarianism itself produces 'imaginary sects'. It charts and explains the evolution of these phenomena and their development in Arab and Islamic history, as distinct from other concepts used to study religious groups within Western contexts. Bishara documents the role played by internal and external factors and rivalries among political elites in the formulation of sectarian identity, citing both historical and contemporary models. He contends that sectarianism does not derive from sect, but rather that sectarianism resurrects the sect in the collective consciousness and reproduces it as an imagined community under modern political and historical conditions. Sectarianism without Sects is a vital resource for engaging with the sectarian crisis in the Arab world. It provides a detailed historical background to the emergence of sect in the region, as well as a complex theoretical exploration of how social identities have assumed political significance in the struggle for power over the state.




Islam, Modernity and a New Millennium


Book Description

As the world becomes increasingly globalised Islam faces some important choices. Does it seek to "modernise" in line with the cultures in which it is practised, or does it retain its traditions even if they are at odds with the surrounding society? This book utilizes a critical rationalist viewpoint to illuminate many of the hotly contended issues in modern Islam, and to offer a fresh analysis. A variety of issues within Islam are discussed in this book including, Muslims and modernity; Islam, Christianity and Judaism; approaches to the understanding of the Quran; Muslim identity and civil society; doctrinal certainty and violent radicalism. In each case, the author makes use of Karl Popper’s theory of critical rationalism to uncover new aspects of these issues and to challenge post-modern, relativist, literalist and justificationist readings of Islam. This is a unique perspective on contemporary Islam and as such will be of significant interest to scholars of Religious Studies, Islamic Studies and the Philosophy of Religion.




The Quest for Democracy in Iran


Book Description

The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 launched Iran as a pioneer in a broad-based movement to establish democratic rule in the non-Western world. In a book that provides essential context for understanding modern Iran, Fakhreddin Azimi traces a century of struggle for the establishment of representative government. The promise of constitutional rule was cut short in the 1920s with the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty. Reza Shah, whose despotic rule Azimi deftly captures, maintained the façade of a constitutional monarch but greeted any challenge with an iron fist: “I will eliminate you,” he routinely barked at his officials. In 1941, fearful of losing control of the oil-rich region, the Allies forced Reza Shah to abdicate but allowed Mohammad Reza to succeed his father. Though promising to abide by the constitution, the new Shah missed no opportunity to undermine it. The Anglo-American–backed coup of 1953, which ousted reformist premier Mohammed Mosaddeq, dealt a blow to the constitutionalists. The Shah’s repressive policies and subservience to the United States radicalized both secular and religious opponents, leading to the revolution of 1979. Azimi argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood this event by characterizing it as an “Islamic” revolution when it was in reality the expression of a long-repressed desire for popular sovereignty. This explains why the clerical rulers have failed to counter the growing public conviction that the Islamic Republic, too, is impervious to political reform—and why the democratic impulse that began with the Constitutional Revolution continues to be a potent and resilient force.




Terrorism, Security and the Power of Informal Networks


Book Description

This innovative work examines the concept of the informal network and its practical utility within the context of counterterrorism. Drawing together a range of practitioner and academic expertise it explores the character and evolution of informal networks, addressing the complex relationship between kinship groups, transnational linkages and the role that globalization and new technologies play in their formation and sustainability. By analysing the informal branch of networked organization in the context of security policy-making, the chapters in this book seek to address three questions: how do informal networks operate? which combination of factors draws individuals to form such networks? what are their structures? Informal networks are necessarily elusive owing to their ad hoc development, amorphous structures and cultural specificity but they are nonetheless pivotal to the way organizations conduct business. Identifying and manipulating such networks is central to effective policy-making. Terrorism, Security and the Power of Informal Networks argues that informal networks are important to policy-makers and their mastery is critical to success both in tackling the challenges of hostile networks and in the processes of organizational reform currently preoccupying governments. Practitioners, policy-makers and researchers in the fields of international politics, international relations, history and political science will find much to interest them in this timely resource.