Title: Her Desert Prince
Author: Marie Tuhart
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Book Blurb:
Catherine Taylor, no stranger to life’s school of hard knocks, at 18 leaves her dysfunctional family behind, striking out on her own to embrace her passion for art. Years of hard work has given her a degree of acclaim. When offered the opportunity to work in the middle eastern country of Bashir to create the defining mural for the new children's critical care ward, Catherine embraces the chance to meld her love of children and her love of art. What she doesn’t think she is ready for is the blatant and instant passion she feels the moment she meets the successful country’s crown prince, Malik. Malik al-Hakim has been raised with the sole purpose of someday becoming the king of Bashir. Years of careful preparation by his loving family has him ready to take the yoke from his father one day, but nothing could prepare him for the instant lust he feels the moment he sees Catherine. Never one to let an opportunity slip by, Malik pursues Catherine, convincing her to explore their desire. But when political intrigue places Catherine in danger, Malik soon realizes lust has evolved to love and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the woman of his dreams safely by his side, no matter how hard she tries to fight their fate.
Excerpt:
Exiting the customs door, Catherine Taylor glanced around at the people waiting. She didn’t see anyone holding a sign with her name. Maybe they were late or waiting outside at pickup.
Halfway to the arrival area, the noise of a large group of men shouting questions at a man walking in her direction caused her to pause. Her attention centered primarily on the man.
His raven hair was disheveled as if some woman had run her fingers through it, and his broad shoulders were straight, adding to his height and his features. His dark brown skin made her think he was of Middle Eastern descent. The man was beyond handsome, an artist’s vision, and her fingers itched to pull out her pad and begin sketching. If only she could see his downcast eyes.
The men around him shouted questions in English. Subtle lines appeared around his mouth, and his lips slightly tightened. Something wasn’t right. Then he glanced up at her.
Catherine couldn’t explain it, but the impact of his stare caused her to lose her breath. Fire flared to life in his dark eyes. His entire concentration was on her now. A shiver of desire ran through her body at the combination of his dark eyes, strong chin, high cheekbones, and full lips.
Someone jostled her, breaking the contact. With a shake of her head, she breathed and tried to focus her attention away from the man.
It was only then she took note of the people around him. Most of them were reporters with cameras and recording devices. Inside, she cringed and took a deep breath, deciding she needed to avoid that group as much as possible. The pain from Jamie’s death didn’t hurt as much as before, but she still blamed the paparazzi for hounding her after his death.
Gnawing her lip, she walked on, scanning for a way around the group. But as she moved closer, she couldn’t resist looking at the man once more.
He was watching her. Her stomach fluttered along with her pulse as their gazes connected. To her astonishment, he pushed through the crowd and strode straight to her. Her heart pounded. Who was this hot-looking guy? And why was he so interested in her?
“Darling.” His husky voice sent shivers up and down her spine. He closed his very masculine hands over her shoulders, stopping her forward progress.
“Excuse me?” Flashes went off, and she barely prevented herself from flinching.
“I’m sorry I’m so late.” He tugged her into his embrace. “Please,” he whispered, “play along. I’m begging you.”
His breath brushed her ear and every nerve in her body went on alert. Jamie had begged her too, and she’d paid dearly for giving in. Her heart pounded. “Who are you?” she whispered. Her mind whirled with the sudden turn of events. Was she going to give into this man? This stranger?
“Later. Trust me, please.” He pulled back and framed her face with his palms.
Heat singed her skin, from her cheeks all the way to her toes. Catherine forgot about everyone else except this man. Her feminine side roared to life. Here was a dominant male asking for her help. His straight raven hair begged for her touch, his equally dark eyes gleamed with mischief and desire. And darn if he didn’t smell of fresh air and desert.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
Her jaw almost dropped open at his blatant sensual tone, then she remembered this was all an act. What did he want? More camera flashes went off, and she fought the urge to run away. No, she wasn’t a coward anymore, at least she wanted to believe that. He didn’t seem to know who she was. Was that a good thing? Yes, she decided it was. The less she was recognized, the better she would feel playing this game.
Her stomach fluttered as she made the decision to help him. The man tapped an index finger against her cheek, and she realized he was waiting for her to play her part in this little vignette.
“I’ve missed you, too.” Releasing her suitcase handle, she slipped her arms around his neck. It was a game she was familiar with; how many times had she and Jamie played it with the paparazzi? Not that Jamie was anything like this man.
An air of danger hung around him, and her body thrummed in response to that danger. “It’s been way too long,” she murmured, dropping her voice to a whisper.
Hunger flashed in his eyes, and Catherine wondered what the heck she was doing. But then heat from his body—shimmering, smoldering—hit her full force, threatening to blaze her into oblivion. Oh, God, she barely stopped herself from sinking her body against his.
“Way too long,” he whispered before he lowered his lips to hers.
The second his mouth touched hers, Catherine realized it was a mistake. His lips were firm, strong, and too tasty. Mint and coffee teased her taste buds. His tongue ran over her lips. She didn’t even think, her lips parted instantly for him. He smiled against her mouth before his tongue delved in.
She stiffened, then relaxed as she reminded herself this was all for show. But her body had missed the memo. Her core tingled and heat filled her veins. She hadn’t been this romantically close to a man in more than two years. Catherine melted against him and kissed him back.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-desert-prince-marie-tuhart/1128910826?ean=2940155571100
Book Trailer:
What’s the first binge-worthy book you read and why was it a must-read?
It was a while back, I was in the book store and saw this book by Christine Feehan and it was about vampires. I read the back copy and went sounds like my kind of book. I got home and realized it was book 4 in the series. The next day I went back and bought books 1, 2 and 3. My family and I were leaving on a vacation in a few days. I stared book 1 the day before we left, I took it and book 2 with me on the trip. Every spare second I had, I’d open the book and start reading it.
It really has to do with the characters. She drew me into the hero’s world of being a vampire and the heroine’s need to save him.
What makes this a binge-worthy book?
For me, who doesn’t want to read about a desert prince? LOL. Honestly, I love sheikh/prince books. And he has 3 brothers to boot. Yet, he thoughts are always for the heroine. He wants to make her happy, to make her life complete, and to keep her. He’ll do anything for her.
Giveaway:
Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $25 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Enter to win a $10 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Open internationally
Runs August 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on September 1.
Author Biography:
Marie Tuhart lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her muse, Penny, a four pound toy poodle. Marie loves to read and write, when she’s not writing, she spends time with family, traveling and enjoying life.
Marie is a multi-published author with The Wild Rose Press, Trifecta Publishing and does some self-publishing. To be alerted on new releases on Amazon or BookBub. Also you can join Marie’s newsletter where she gives her group advance information on her books, runs contests and does giveaways just for newsletter readers. Marie can also be found on Goodreads, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.marietuhart.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/MarieTuhartAuthor/
Twitter @marietuhart
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/marietuhart
Amazon Author page: http://amazon.com/author/marietuhart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marietuhart/
Sign up for Marie’s Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/p3y7p6