The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar by Susanna Carr

The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar by Susanna Carr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back Cover:
Jeweled veil weighing heavily on her head, Zoe Martin waits for her sheikh husband-to-be. The shame of her adoptive family, orphan Zoe has endured six years of being kept as a slave—now she's been sold into marriage…to a man known as The Beast!

Being discarded to the sheikh has one bonus—this could mean freedom! Zoe must play along with the three-day—and three-night—ceremony, but she isn't expecting the blazing attraction from just one stolen glance at playboy sheikh Nadir


My Review:
The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar will put you through an emotional ringer as it leads you on a beautiful journey of perseverance, hope, trust and true love.

American teen Zeo is forced to move to Jazaar to live with her relatives when she is orphaned. At 15 Zoe is suddenly thrust in an oppressive male dominated society where her family considers her tarnished as she is not Jazaari born. Her rights and ambitions are stifled and her only escape from the cruelty she suffers on a daily basis is an arranged marriage to Sheikh Nadir.

Both Nadir and Zoe have ulterior motives for agreeing to the arranged Marriage, but what starts out as a means to an end for both of them blossoms into a wonderful romance much too both their surprise. I love the ending and the epilogue; both are very heartfelt and beautifully written.

Zoe is constantly plotting her escape throughout the book. I totally adored Zoe’s feisty personality; her defiance, her resilience, her courage and her supreme determination to achieve her goals.

What makes this book stand out are the two beautifully written characters in Zoe and Nadir,they are constantly conflicted between using the other to achieve their goals and doing right by the other.

Congrats Susanna on your debut Presents release, you sure have a Winner on your hands with ‘The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar. This book had me captivated from start to finish and I would highly recommend this book.

SPOTLIGHT: Suddenly Sexy by Susanna Carr

Suddenly Sexy summary:

Julie Kent is looking for excitement in her life. She wants to save the world--and earn a cool nickname while she's at it--but her crime-fighting career has been more paperwork than perps. And if Eric Ranger has any say in the matter, she won't get out of her cubicle!

Eric is a battle-scarred agent temporarily helping his friend's security business. He wants to protect Julie from the world he knows. She reminds him of what he's been fighting for; he's attracted to Julie, but he won't touch her. He even goes so far as to let her think she isn't sexy enough to be a decoy on their current case.

But Julie turns the tables on Eric by making the first move. Trying out one sexy alias after another, Julie finds trouble wherever she turns. And though Eric is determined to be at her side to protect her, now he just can't keep his hands off her.
BOOK Giveaway: Suddenly Sexy (enter below)


Excerpt from Suddenly Sexy

“Tell me the real reason why you won’t let me be a decoy. Do you think I’m smart and sexy?” she said in a low tone. She looked him in the eye and then her gaze skittered away.
This was dangerous territory. “I think you’re reckless,” he answered gruffly. He’d seen how she would jump into a project with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Her eyes gleamed with determination. “I can be cautious.”
Eric rolled his eyes.
“And I can do sexy.”
Just the way her voice got rough was sexy as hell. His body tightened with anticipation. “But you can’t seduce a man.” He wasn’t going to let her seduce a stranger. Not on his watch.
“Yes, I can.”
Eric shook his head. “And you’re not the type who could seduce a man you’re not interested in. You’re too honest.”
Julie thrust her chin out and narrowed her eyes. Why was she taking offense over that statement? “I can seduce anyone when I set my mind to it.”
Eric lifted his hands as if he were surrendering. “I’ll take your word for it, but you still don’t get the job.”
She pressed a finger against his chest. “I can seduce you if I wanted to.”

Susanna talks to HarlequinJunkie about Suddenly Sexy & naming her characters:

I put a lot of thought behind the names of my characters. Sometimes there's a special meaning about the name but I don't bring it up in the story because it's not important to the reader. Usually the meaning is just something to help me develop the character.

Susanna Carr

For example, the heroine in Suddenly Sexy is Julie Kent. She wants to go from mild to wild and is trying different sexy aliases. I chose the last name Kent because it reminds me of Superman's alias Clark Kent. Clark Kent is mild-manner and ordinary, which is how Julie feels.

I did the same thing for Eric Ranger, the hero in Suddenly Sexy. Eric is a world-weary special agent. I wanted a name that indicated some of his traits: protective and adventurous with a bit of a dangerous edge. The word "ranger" makes me think of a lawman or an official who protects. It also conjures up the idea of adventure and the frontier to me.

How did I come up with their first names? I wanted a masculine name for the hero that had a harsh, almost clipped sound. For the heroine, not only did I want a pretty and feminine name, but I also wanted something that was popular. It was important that I didn't give her an unusual name that would make her stand out.

Occasionally I change a name while I'm writing the story and learning more about the character, but that wasn't the case with Suddenly Sexy. Julie and Eric were very clear to me from the beginning and I hope you'll enjoy their story!

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