ARRANGED (Masters and Mercenaries #13.5) by Lexi Blake-Review and Excerpt Tour
ARRANGED
Masters and Mercenaries 13.5
1001 Dark Night
by Lexi Blake
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Genre: adult,contemporary, BDSM, erotic,romance
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon. uk /
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 25, 2017
Kash Kamdar is the king of a peaceful but powerful island nation. As Loa Mali’s sovereign, he is always in control, the final authority. Until his mother uses an ancient law to force her son into marriage. His prospective queen is a buttoned-up intellectual, nothing like Kash’s usual party girl. Still, from the moment of their forced engagement, he can’t stop thinking about her.
Dayita Samar comes from one of Loa Mali’s most respected families. The Cambridge-educated scientist has dedicated her life to her country’s future. But under her staid and calm exterior, Day hides a few sexy secrets of her own. She is willing to marry her king, but also agrees that they can circumvent the law. Just because they’re married doesn’t mean they have to change their lives. It certainly doesn’t mean they have to fall in love.
After one wild weekend in Dallas, Kash discovers his bride-to-be is more than she seems. Engulfed in a changing world, Kash finds exciting new possibilities for himself. Could Day help him find respite from the crushing responsibility he’s carried all his life? This fairy tale could have a happy ending, if only they can escape Kash’s past…
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REVIEW: ARRANGED by Lexi Blake is the latest addition to the mult-authored 1001 Dark Nights series, and #13.5 in the author’s contemporary, adult Masters and Mercenaries erotic, BDSM romance series. This is King Kashmir Kamdar of Loa Mali, and scientist Dayita Samar’s second chance story line.
Told from several third person perspectives including Kash and Day, ARRANGED looks at the rekindling relationship and romance between King Kashmir Kamdar and scientist Dayita Samar. Fifteen years earlier Kash and Day were students at a prestigious university in Oxford, England. As the ‘spare to the heir’ Kash always believed that he was never expected to amount to anything special but a fatal accident claimed the life of his father and his elder brother leaving Kashmir Kamdar the next in line to the throne of Loa Mali. Fast forward to present day wherein Kash’s reputation as a ‘manwhore’ forces his ailing mother to ‘arrange’ a bride for her wayward son. Enter Dayita Samar, the woman who stole Kash’s heart fifteen years earlier, but a woman whose life experiences reveal a side to our heroine that threatens her relationship with the man that she loves. What ensues is the second chance at love for two people whose lives went in opposite directions but directions that will come full circle when our couple becomes the target of someone hoping to destroy them both.
Dayita Samar is a Domme; a woman whose secret will come between the man that she loves and the life that she hides from the people in charge. Kashmir has spent the last fifteen years ‘whoring’ his way throughout the world but the time has come to return home, to a throne for which he was never prepared. Day’s BDSM lifestyle will complicate the relationship between our leading couple; Kash struggles with his feelings for a woman he believes wants to control every aspect of his life; his misunderstanding of the D/s relationship adds anxiety and conflict to an already tentative friendship and growing love. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense. The BDSM scenarios are light; Dayita’s attempts to secretly dominate the man that she believes is a submissive will backfire both in and out of the bedroom.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several previous MASTERS AND MERCENARIES story line couples, as well as the royal servants, royal family, and a woman who wants a second chance with Kash Kamdar.
ARRANGED is a fast paced, suspense filled story that will help educate the reader as to the nature of a D/s relationship: no coerced power; no gender specific roles; only the limitations set by an uneducated mind. The premise is entertaining and spicy; the characters are realistic, dynamic and colorful; the romance is provocative but struggles in the face of secrets and mistaken beliefs. ARRANGED is a passionate and imaginative look at second chances and emotional reactions.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
She turned and Kash was standing in the doorway, the tie to his tuxedo undone and the first few buttons of his shirt open, showing off golden skin.
Oh, how the girls must swoon over that man.
Unfortunately for him, she was a woman and not a girl. She curtseyed, recalling her etiquette classes and going down deep, to show her respect for the crown. “I thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Come now, Day. I asked you not to call me that long ago, and now it appears there’s even less reason. We were friends then. We’re going to be husband and wife in a week. Shocking how quickly that woman can move when she wants to.”
He looked so composed, but she couldn’t forget that he’d only found out his mother was dying this afternoon. That was when she’d seen the real man. She’d interrupted them with her silly dress and she’d seen the shock and pain on Kash’s face before he’d smoothed it out and gone back to being the polite royal he’d become.
“Are you all right?” She asked the question for two reasons. First, she wanted to know the answer and second, to see if they really were still friends.
His lips curved up slightly. “I’m faring quite well. We Kamdars are made of sterner stuff than this. Did you enjoy the dinner?”
So, not so friendly he would talk about private things with her. It was good to know where they stood. They needed to have a long conversation about how this was going to work. They might be marrying to protect the Kamdar line and to give his mother some peace, but they needed a plan of action about how best to achieve their goals.
Partners. That was how she’d decided to look at this. They were partners. And if she ended up governing the kingdom while he was out fucking around with supermodels, she wouldn’t get her heart broken.
Just humiliated.
Yes, they needed a talk and perhaps a contract.
“I enjoyed the meal very much. The company left something to be desired, but I suspect I’ll get used to dining with windbag politicians.” She turned back to the balcony, leaning against it. The view from here was spectacular. Beyond that, it was soothing in a way.
“Yes, Mother told me they’re giving you trouble.” He joined her, leaning beside her, their bodies so close but not touching. “I’ll talk to them, ensure you have your funding.”
“Don’t. It can wait a few weeks. I need to go back to them and introduce myself as their new queen.” She wasn’t about to let them think she sent her husband in. If he behaved as he so often did, he wouldn’t be around much and it would be up to her to keep everyone in line.
“Is that why you agreed to this arrangement? Because you wanted power?”
“I agreed because I care about this country. I’ve spent the last ten years of my life working here and trying to ensure that our children get what they need to make it out in the world. I agreed because your mother is excellent at putting one in a corner. I agreed because someone has to and I wasn’t sure who you would bring home if given the chance.” She shuddered at the idea of some brainless model attempting to be a role model for Loa Malian girls.
“Ah, you don’t think I have good taste in women.”
“I think you have an unquenchable appetite for them, Your Majesty, and that is something we should talk about.”
“Ah, the wifely lectures begin,” he said with a sigh. “Please proceed. I’m anxious to get this over with so I can be properly chastened.”
“I only ask that you attempt some discretion, Kashmir. I don’t expect you to be faithful in any way, but I do expect you to not humiliate me.”
He turned, frowning a bit as though she’d surprised him. “You don’t expect me to be faithful?”
It was time for some honesty. “I don’t think you can be. How long have you kept a single woman? A month? Three?”
“Six,” he replied. “I was with Tasha Reynolds for six months before we went our separate ways.”
“And were you faithful to her?” She already knew the answer to that question.
“We had an agreement.” He frowned as though the conversation wasn’t going at all as he’d expected. “She was on set much of the time. She knew I had a highly stressful job, so she was understanding. I gave her the same options.”
“Excellent, then let’s be fair with each other. As long as we’re both discreet, this marriage of ours doesn’t have to mean the end of our lives.”
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
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