Spotlight & Giveaway: Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation by Annie West

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Annie West to HJ!

Hi Annie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation!

 
I’m waving a big hello from wintry Australia. I hope wherever you are you’re interested in hearing about a sizzling hot new sheikh romance.
 

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation.
 
S is for Seduction, which is what Ash sets about doing, to persuade Tori into marriage.
R is for Royal. Ash is a Sheikh and he wants his son to grow up as a royal, but Tori has her own issues with people who have lots of power. She’ll take a lot of persuading.
B is for Bandits who kidnap Ash and Tori at the beginning of the book. Fortunately they’re not in the story long, so we can get down to the intense romance.
R is for Romance with a capital R. Ash and Tori are drawn to each other from the start and that connection only gets stronger. I loved their absolute focus on each other and the way the romance weaves and grows throughout the book.

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Ashraf woke to the sound of a door slamming and the taste of blood in his mouth. Blood and dust.
He lay facedown, head and ribs burning with pain, the rest of him merely battered.
(Because he’s been kidnapped. Soon after he hears ‘They’d kill him tomorrow.’ I do love putting my characters in difficult situations! )

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book.

Tori is a geologist who ventures into the desert doing a mining survey. Her adventures there change her life forever, leaving her with a gorgeous little boy and regrets for the loss of her son’s father, whom she believes dead. She’s a struggling single mother, juggling part time work, child rearing and exhaustion when out of the blue Ash comes into her world again and turns her life upside down. Ash is a sheikh who never expected to inherit the throne. He’s busy cementing his authority on a kingdom where many are still reeling at his sudden inheritance. The last thing he needs is the scandal of an illegitimate child, yet he’s determined to do right by his son, and by the fascinating, obstinate woman who refuses to be blinded by the lure of riches and royal power into marriage. But Tori isn’t the only determined one in this relationship and Ash has a plan to make her change her mind.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• When I began this story I believed I was writing a stand alone book. But as I wrote I discovered that Ash’s family situation was unique (I won’t give you details here and spoil the story) but that meant his brother, Karim, had a fascinating story too. So, you guessed it, I wrote his story next. It’s out next month. My editor expected one sheikh story and instead got a Royal Brides for Desert Brothers Duet. But don’t worry – each story can be read as a stand alone.
• I used to know several geology students at university and was fascinated by some of the places they ended up working, and by how tough it was for some of the females in particular in a male-dominated field. I think that’s where my idea for Tori came from.
• I have a particular love of Cinderella and fish out of water stories, so I had a ball putting Tori in a glamorous royal court where she didn’t feel at home. I loved seeing her stand up for herself and shine.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

I think each responded to the other’s strength of character. Both are in a scary, dire situation but each is determined to help the other, to be strong and decent, despite the horrendous circumstances they find themselves in. I believe their tense situation revealed positives in each that are irresistible. Plus Ash does have a seriously sexy voice…

The First Kiss…

His mouth curved slowly into a smile that stole her breath and set her heart fluttering up in her throat.
She’d had an impression of Ash as strong, ultra-masculine and handsome in a severe way. But when he bestowed that smile on her Tori discovered he was far, far more. Attractive didn’t cover it. Sexy was closer. Her befuddled brain grappled for a second to find a word that did him justice. Then she gave up and simply felt.
His hand rose to the back of her head, pulling her closer. She went eagerly, sinking into a kiss that was devastating for all its gentle persuasiveness. Fire sizzled and sparked from her toes to her ears. From her lips to her breasts and womb.
Her mouth softened on his, opening automatically. She didn’t even try to prevent the mew of delight as he delved deeper, inviting her to let go on the wave of wellbeing that swept her up.
The kiss went on and on, deliberate and slow, stoking the blaze between them. Till his hand cupped her breast and Tori seized up. Not in rejection, but because the sensation of that hard hand so gentle on her was exquisite.
She pulled her head back, sucking in a dizzying draft of air, meeting eyes that gleamed like obsidian in the shadowy light.
His hand froze. Clearly he misinterpreted her withdrawal.
Once more Tori felt a surge of respect for this man who even now, let scruples override potent need.
In another place, another time, she’d want to discover everything she could about him. But they had so little time. The thought brought a desperate sob to her throat. She swallowed it and pressed his hand to her breast, revelling in the delicious sensations.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

Perhaps this scene where Ash and Tori are on edge, still at odds over the question of marriage, yet at the same time driven by an attraction they can’t deny. In this scene Tori has misinterpreted some events and accused Ash of being ashamed of her and their son. Ash, who has been doing everything he can to make their time in his country pleasant, finally reaches the end of his patience.I think being able to show a range of competing emotions would be a must for the actors.

Eyes the colour of a soft spring sky met his. ‘I’m sorry, Ashraf. I got it completely wrong.’
‘You did.’ Indignation still ran, a living current, under his skin, heating his blood.
This woman drove him crazy. She fought him over things that were, in his opinion, patently obvious, yet at other times was so reasonable it surprised him.
It wasn’t just her contrary reasoning that exasperated him. Her ability to ignore the rampant attraction between them was provoking. While he, damn it, was distracted by the sight of those lush breasts rising and falling beneath the skimpy triangles of fabric. And the gleaming abundance of slick, pale skin.
‘I should be thanking you, not accusing you.’ She lifted her hand to his sleeve. Ashraf stilled. Her touch was light, barely there, yet he felt it acutely. ‘It’s no excuse, but I feel dislocated, cut off from work and home. I overreacted. Can you forgive me?’
A huff of laughter escaped Ashraf. ‘I don’t suppose you feel chastened enough to marry me?’
Her eyes widened as if he’d suggested something shockingly debauched. Instead of honouring her with a proposal that would make her a queen and the envy of half the women in Za’daq.
The anger that her apology had quenched spiked anew. Impatience surged.
‘Is that a no?’ He turned his hand, capturing hers. Fingers encircled her wrist, he detected the wild pulse hammering there.
Was she really so timid?
Or was that arousal?
Ashraf was tired of tiptoeing around Tori’s doubts. Tired of waiting. Tired of holding back.
‘In that case, this will have to do.’ He tugged her close and she fell flush against him, her breasts to his torso, her other palm on his chest.
To steady herself or push him away?
Ashraf didn’t find out. In the same instant he roped his other arm around her slick body, lowered his head and kissed her full on the lips.

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what – would it be and why?

I think it would have to be a reassurance that if they’re true to themselves everything will work out well in the end. They have so many obstacles between them and so many emotional barriers, but they’re both people I respect and care for. I really felt they deserved the happy ending they finally found.

What are you currently working on? What are your up-coming releases?*

The next book released is the second in this Desert Brothers duet called, ‘Demanding His Desert Queen’. It’s a reunion and marriage of convenience story rolled into one and it’s one of the most intensely emotional books I’ve ever written. Look out for that in late September/early October (but you can order it now at all the usual stores).
In Feb/March ’20 comes ‘Revelations of a Secret Princess’ which I’m thrilled about. It’s a bit different to my previous books and I’ll share news about it later via my reader newsletter (you can subscribe at www.annie-west.com).
Right now I’m working on a fake fiancée story which leads to all sorts of complications. My characters are currently in sunny Greece and I’m so enjoying myself. I can almost believe I’m there…!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Two signed paperback copies of ‘Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation’ (no geographic restrictions)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you found yourself stuck in a desert encampment for a few days, what would you take with you, assuming you already had everything you needed for survival?

 
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Excerpt from Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation:

She stepped in to find the room empty. There was no meeting. The long, polished table was bare.
Tori blinked and hesitated. She was about to go out again and ask what was going on when a shadow at the far end of the room detached itself from the wall.
A man. A tall man, spine straight and shoulders wide. He was silhouetted against a wall of glass. For an instant all she had was an impression of strength and then the loose-limbed saunter of an athlete as he approached. She didn’t recognise the walk but there was something familiar about him.
Tori’s skin tightened as premonition swept through her. A split second certainty that she knew him.
She opened her mouth to say hello but then he drew close enough that she made out his features instead of just the shape of his head.
Tori heard a hissed breath. Her hands slackened. Something hard grazed her shin as it dropped with a thud onto the carpeted floor.
But Tori’s gaze was glued to the man who stopped just an arm’s length away.
Bronzed skin pulled tight over a bone structure that would have made Michelangelo weep. A sensual mouth set above a determined jaw. Eyes that even from here looked black rather than dark brown. Black eyebrows. A forceful nose that transformed his face from an ideal of masculine beauty to one of power. Black hair that Tori knew was soft to the touch.
Her nerveless hands twitched as a sense memory flooded through her. Of her channelling her fingers through hair so soft and thick it felt like a pelt. Of being careful to avoid the clotted blood of his head injury.
The twitch in her hands became a tremor. A shudder thundered through her body as her heart crashed into her ribs.
Heat suffused her as she met gleaming eyes. Then a wash of icy cold as other memories battered her brain. Kidnappers. Gunfire.
Her eyes prickled and she blinked rapidly. Tears came easily now, another thing her counsellor said was normal. Yet instinctively Tori tried to dam them.
She swayed. The floor seemed to ripple and the walls closed around the man watching her so intently. Tori grabbed the back of a leather conference chair for support, fingers clawing.
There was no scarring on his face. Nothing to indicate he’d ever been brutalised or shot at. He wore a dark grey suit tailored by an expert. It rivalled anything in her father’s expensive wardrobe and on this man’s rangy, powerful frame, looked spectacular. A white shirt complemented his burnished skin and a perfectly knotted silk tie completed the image of urbane sophistication.
It couldn’t be. It was impossible. And yet…
‘I thought you were dead.’ It didn’t sound like her voice, so husky and uneven. Yet he understood. His eyes widened and a ripple of something passed across his face.
‘Ah, that explains a lot.’
That voice! That deep, rich voice. She’d only heard him whisper before. They’d both kept their voices low so as not to attract the guards’ attention. His soft whispers had threaded through her dreams for over a year. How often had she woken from nightmare, or the occasional erotic dream, with the sound of his voice in her head?
‘It is you?’ Tori wanted to touch him, check for herself he was no mirage. But her limbs felt like blocks of basalt. All she could do was stand and stare.
‘It’s me, Tori.’
*
Ashraf stared down into her oval face and felt a wave of emotion tumble through him.
He’d searched for her so long, against impossible odds, when even the best investigators had advised him to give up. He recalled the moment he’d received the news she was alive. Alive and safe. Relief had been so intense, so powerful, for a moment he’d found it difficult to breathe.
He’d been fully prepared for this meeting, and still reality was nothing like his expectation.
Seeing Tori in the flesh unsettled him profoundly.
Maybe it was her eyes. He’d wondered about their colour. Now he knew. Soft blue. The colour of the dainty yet hardy forget-me-nots that grew in Za’daq’s mountain valleys. Her gaze held his and he felt the bite of need, of hunger, of regret and a hundred emotions he wasn’t in the habit of feeling. Those lovely eyes shone overbright and her lip quivered.
Deep inside something responded with an intensity that rocked him back on his heels. As if his feelings were engaged in a way that was totally unfamiliar.
He’d admired her in Za’daq. She’d been courageous and strong, hiding her fears. He’d found comfort and welcome oblivion in her lithe body.
But he hadn’t expected such a visceral reaction after all this time. He’d told himself danger had heightened their responses.
Ashraf registered the thunder of his pulse and the tingling in his blood that betrayed a surge of adrenaline. He wanted to touch her. More than touch her. He wanted—
He slammed a door on such thoughts. His reason for being here was too important for distractions. Despite other, unexpected urges. To comfort and assure her. To protect her as he hadn’t been able to fifteen months ago. Guilt sliced at the memory. But it was blunted by other emotions. Desire. Possessiveness, rampant and untrammelled.
Ashraf tunnelled his fists into his pockets and forced himself to stand his ground rather than close the space between them.
‘You need to sit. You’ve had a shock.’
She blinked up, eyes round and lips open as if she couldn’t get enough oxygen.
He knew the feeling. His lungs laboured as if he were the one surprised. He hadn’t expected to feel—
Ashraf leaned past her, pulling out a high-backed chair from the table, then gestured for her to sit. She did and he saw that, even in extremity, there was a familiar grace about her movements. He’d thought he’d imagined that, embellishing his recollections of this woman with qualities she hadn’t actually possessed. He’d told himself guilt and regret had turned her in his mind to someone more remarkable than she really was.
Striving for emotional distance, he catalogued what he saw. She was the same as in the photos his investigators had sent. Yet she was more.
Regular features in a face that was long rather than round. Fine lips. Even finer eyes. Eyes that watched his every move with an intensity he felt as a sizzle in his veins. Even the faint shadows of tiredness didn’t mar her attractiveness. The hair he’d remembered as pale was platinum blonde, pulled back and up in a chignon that left her face clear. But why hide those cheekbones? She wasn’t classically beautiful yet he defied any man not to take a second look.
Even in a plain white blouse and black trousers Tori Nilsson drew the eye.
That explained his racing pulse. That and the intimate secret they shared.
For a second his attention lingered on those breasts quickly rising and falling against her blouse. They seemed plumper than he remembered—
‘Can you sit instead of towering over me?’
Ashraf huffed back laughter. There was the woman he remembered. Indomitable and practical. How lucky he’d been not to be stuck with a hysterical companion that night.
He pulled out a chair and sat, knee to knee with her.
‘You’re really real.’ Slim fingers skimmed shakily over his cheek, down his freshly shaved jaw and two things struck him.
First that no-one these days ever touched him. He’d been busy in the last two years and it had been a long time since he’d had a lover. Plus his position meant that casual touching was out of the question.
Second, that her hand shook. Perhaps he’d been unfair, confronting her like this with no warning. But he hadn’t known she’d believed him dead. If he’d realised…
No, if he’d known, he’d still have wanted to see her in person.
‘Yes. I’m real.’ He captured her hand, feeling the quick pulse throb at her wrist.
At the same time he registered a hint of scent. Something sweet and enticing, slightly citrusy. It transported him to that night they were captives together. He couldn’t recall noticing it then but at some subliminal level he must have. It both enticed and disturbed, reminding him how close they’d come to death, and how he’d allowed himself to weaken in this woman’s arms.
He released her hand and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. Satiny skin trembled at his touch and made his blood fizz.
He’d assumed his physical response to Tori had been fuelled by danger, the knowledge he might die. Was this a hangover from that night? That had to be it.
But he wasn’t here for sex.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Desert captives for one night…
Bound forever by their unexpected baby!
When desert prince Ashraf was kidnapped alongside geologist Tori, their desperation to escape their life-threatening situation led to a moment of passionate oblivion. Rescued the next day, Ash was never able to discover Tori’s fate. Now he’s finally found her…but in their time apart, Tori has had his son! To claim them, Ashraf is prepared to make Tori his queen…but can he offer more than his royal name?
Book Links: Amazon | B& N | iTunes | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Annie West loves writing passionate, intense love stories. She has devoted her life to an in depth study of tall, dark, charismatic heroes who cause the best kind of trouble in the lives of their heroines. Creating heroines who are a perfect match for those strong, stubborn men is one of her all time favorite things. As a sideline she’s also researched dreamy locations for romance, from vibrant cities to desert encampments and fairytale castles. She lives on the east coast of Australia and her favorite things are books, good company, good food and travel. She’s currently working on what she hopes will be her 40th book for Harlequin!
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