Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Virtual Book Tour and Review: Prince Hafiz's Only Vice

Please welcome author Susanna Carr, here to tell us about her new release, Prince Hafiz's Only Vice.  Susanna will be awarding a $50 Amazon.com email gift card to one randomly drawn commenter via rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find where the other stops on her tour are, go here. Look for the rafflecopter at the end of this post.

The Questions
1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that
person and what item do you have?
I was having difficulty deciding which family member I would choose. I then decided I wanted a Navy SEAL with me. He would know how to survive and get us off the island!

   2)    Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?  Right now the musical ON THE TOWN exemplifies my life. It's all about finding as much fun and adventure as you can in a short amount of time. The character I most identify in that musical is Brunhilde Esterhazy played by Betty Garrett. She knows what she wants and goes after it.

   3)    Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  night, union,  minute. She stood by the bed as he cupped her jaw with his big hands. She wondered if he could sense the eagerness pulsating under her skin. Her heart raced a mile a minute and her breath hitched in her throat as his lips brushed hers. The celebration for this union had begun. She knew this will be a wedding night to remember.

4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to make love to anyone you want. Who do you choose and why?  Rhett Butler from GONE WITH THE WIND. He's devilish,
doesn't worry what people think of him, and knows a lot about women.

5)      What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
Traveling. It can be driving through the mountains on a lazy Saturday or taking a trip across country. We have different travel styles and can never agree on the playlist, but it's always an adventure.

6)      When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
I started with the plot for PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE. I wanted to write a story about forbidden love. Then it was deciding what was considered forbidden in these times. Once I decided to set the story in a desert kingdom, I created the characters.

7)      If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you? It's between

Ashley Judd and Rachel Weisz. Both women would make me look smarter, prettier, stronger and generally more interesting than I am.
















8)      Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?
Hannibal Lecter. I liked the Anthony Hopkins and the Mads Mikkelsen interpretations of this villain.
I think Hannibal is an intriguing villain because he's charismatic, highly intelligent and refined. Those qualities make him an extremely dangerous predator.

9)      Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
I earned a minor in History at college and I deeply admired a lot of historical figures. Clara Barton, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman … the list goes on.

10)   Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?
There are times when I want to try a plot twist, character trait or a setting and I'm not sure if my readership is ready. When that happens, I make sure the idea is not the main idea of the story. I also try to give something familiar when I'm introducing something new.



Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice
by Susanna Carr

~~~~~~~~~~~~~




BLURB:

What a royal wants…

Prince Hafiz devotes his days to his people and his nights to indulging his desires with his stunning American mistress, Lacey Maxwell. But duty requires him to marry a "suitable" bride.

In her deepest secret fantasies, Lacey naively hopes to one day wear Hafiz's ring, until her dreams are shattered and he chooses someone else.

Faced with the reality of a passionless union, Hafiz realizes the years spent with Lacey have done nothing to slake his hunger for her. Instead he's determined to turn his only vice into a virtue for the sake of his country…and each other!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:


Lacey stared at the engagement announcement. Her mind refused to comprehend the words. "Marry?" she whispered. Her wild gaze flew to Hafiz's harsh face. "You're getting married?"

She waited in agony as he rose to his full height. He looked very tall and intimidating. Almost like a stranger.

Lacey didn't realize she was holding her breath until he answered. "Yes."

The single word sent her universe into a spiral. "I don't…I don't…." She stared at the headline again, but the pain was too raw, too intense.

Her hands shook as the rage and something close to fear swirled inside her. Fear of losing everything. Pure anger at the thought of Hafiz with another woman. The fury threatened to overpower her. She wanted to scream at the injustice and claw at something. Stake her claim. Hafiz belonged to her.

"You have been with another woman." She couldn't believe it. "All this time, you were with someone else."

Hafiz's eyes narrowed at the accusation. "No. You have been the only woman in my life since I met you in St. Louis a year ago."

She was the only woman, and yet he was going to marry another? "Then how are you…I don't understand."

He braced his feet a shoulders' width apart and clasped his hands behind his back, preparing for battle. "I met the bride today and she agreed."

Lacey's mouth gaped open. "You just met her?" She snatched the flicker of hope and held on tight. "So, it's an arranged marriage."

Hafiz let out a bark of humorless laughter. "Of course."

"Then, what's the problem?" She moved slowly as she stood. Her arms and legs felt limp and shaky. "Say that you won't get married."

He looked away. "I can't." Regret tinged his voice.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Susanna Carr is an award-winning author known for her contemporary romances. Readers throughout the world find Susanna's stories a delightful escape that has often helped them through difficult times. Reviewers frequently describe her work as "fun", "sexy" and "a must read." When she isn't writing or spending time with her family in the Pacific Northwest, Susanna enjoys reading romance and connecting with readers online.

Website: susannacarr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Susanna-Carr/242944799620

Twitter: twitter.com/susannacarr

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/22371.Susanna_Carr

Buy links:

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Hafizs-Only-Royal-Ruthless-ebook/dp/B00JZFS08U/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prince-hafizs-only-vice-susanna-carr/1119221410?ean=9780373132850

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Susanna_Carr_Prince_Hafiz_s_Only_Vice?id=jGB0AwAAQBAJ

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/prince-hafiz-s-only-vice










Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice
Author: Susanna Carr
Publisher: Harlequin
American release date: October 1, 2014
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/romance/192 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Lacey Maxwell is living a life many a woman would envy. She’s living in the Sultanate of Rudaynah, and her lover is the very handsome prince, Hafiz. Except on closer examination, something is lacking—Lacey is his mistress, his dirty little secret. Not quite what she’d bargained for when Hafiz talked her into moving to his country.

She lives in a luxury high rise apartment near to where Hafiz works, one he can see from his window. He has people who see to her needs, thinking she should be content to stay in the apartment and wait for him to visit. But sometimes she likes to get out on her own, even If she has to bundle herself up in the same shapeless clothing the other women wear.

Hafiz has taken a chance by even bringing her here, but she lights a fire in him unlike any woman he’s ever known. She frustrates  him too, because she is so very independent, and doesn’t simply accept what he tells her to.

Lacey is stunned to learn of Hafiz’s impending marriage to another woman, despite his protestations that it is an arranged marriage nothing more. Does he really expect her to continue as before, once he is a married man? Somehow she has always visualized herself in that position, as his wife. But she learns that Hafiz’s father, the sultan, is ready to forgive the errors of Hafiz’s youth and make him the heir to the throne once more—but only if Hafiz does as he says. What now?

I have to say I devoured this novel in no time. There is no real mystery as to the outcome—it’s a Harlequin novel, therefore it has a happy ending. But it’s the journey to get there that counts.
I really liked these characters, and enjoyed getting to know them. The author brings them to life, presenting their dilemma in such a way that anyone can relate, while set against an exotic backdrop. It’s hot and sweet and romantic. I could see myself reading it again. It had twists I didn’t expect, even though I knew the outcome.


I’d like to read more of this author, and recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance.


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8 comments:

  1. The interview was great and I loved her answer to question #1. Yep a navy seal would be great to have if you were marooned.

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  2. Thank you for hosting me today. And thank you for reading and reviewing PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE!

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  3. Love the interview!

    Trix, vitajex(At)Aol(Dot)com

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  4. I liked the interview and the review.

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  5. So much fun to read through - all of it.

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  6. I haven't read a Harlequin book in years. Definitely something I would give a read.

    H.B.

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