Annie West, Defying Her Desert Duty and Giveaway!

We have Australian author Annie West and she came with a question and a giveaway! So over to Annie now....

Judging a Book by its Cover (or Title)!

We all know the adage about not judging a book by its cover, don't we? Well, I feel I should widen that to include titles.

It's not that my current title 'Defying Her Desert Duty' doesn't fit the book. It does. My heroine is desperate not to return home where she'll have to marry the man she's been promised to for years. Not because he's evil or ugly but because she's experienced a taste of freedom after her cloistered early years and has begun to dream of making her own future, following the career she loves. Doing her duty takes her into the desert, so that's right too.

Plus, as you'd expect with a title like that, there's a sheikh hero. An enigmatic man with a propensity to take charge if she'd let him, and with an untamed toughness that reminds Soraya of desert warriors. But this hero is at home, not only in the desert, but undertaking diplomatic negotiations in a custom-made suit and, (possibly my favourite) in motorcycle leathers.

The book is about Soraya defying her duty, even as she attempts to go along with it. Her problem? Well, it starts with the instantaneous sizzle of connection when Soraya and Zahir meet. One look is all it takes to charge the atmosphere between them. Matters grow worse when Soraya discovers he's the man sent to take her home to her arranged marriage. For Zahir, nothing could be worse than the news he has to take time out of his schedule to act as minder to the one woman who can tempt him to forget about honour. This is a story about forbidden love and the clash between duty and passion.

And the title? It fits the book admirably, except for one thing. Readers may expect it to be a desert romance, and it certainly ends that way. But much of the book takes place in France where Soraya has been studying. In fact Soraya and Zahir meet in cosmopolitan Paris, one of my favourite cities. From there they wend their way through rural France and the north of the Mediterranean before flying home.

So if you fancy a sheikh romance,with a touch of French panache thrown in, 'Defying Her Desert Duty' may be just the book for you. Here's the back cover copy:

Chained by silk and jewels

Across the bustling nightclub bodyguard Zahir El Hashem watches his latest charge swaying temptingly on the dance floor, his pulse quickening. Returning the Princess to her bridegroom might not be such a simple operation after all...

Soarya Karim has always known one day she must resume her royal obligations - just not so soon! Clinging to the shreds of her freedom, Soraya insists they take the long way back to Bakhara - and their attraction reaches a dangerous fever pitch...

Once they reach the gates of the palace such a liaison will be utterly forbidden. From then duty must reign...

Have you ever picked up a book (or bought anything else) and been surprised by the contents?

Annie is offering a signed copy of 'Defying Her Desert Duty' to someone who leaves a comment here.