Synopsis:
Pregnant…by the playboy sheikh!
Playboy sheikh Kedah of Zazinia has loved every minute he’s spent earning his outrageous reputation! But about to claim the throne, and with a list of prospective brides being prepared, Kedah knows he must soon accept his royal duty…
A scorching night with his poised assistant, Felicia Hamilton, seems the perfect distraction—and her cool beauty masks a desire Kedah is hungering to ignite! But even Kedah isn’t prepared for the biggest scandal of all, when their one night together leaves Felicia pregnant with his baby!
Love Lessons Learned:
Right at the start of The Sheikh’s Baby Scandal a very young Kedah stumbles on a secret. Growing up he comes to understand that he found his mother, Rina, then a princess, cheating. Now she is Queen. The ramifications would be huge if that secret were to ever get out and Kedah will go to any lengths to prevent it from happening.
While the story is Kedah and Felicia’s there is another story within it—that of his parents, Omar and Rina, the King and Queen.
I never know where my characters are going to take me, I truly don’t. In fact, sometimes I think I am eavesdropping on a private conversation J That is how I felt when I wrote the scene where Kedah and his father were walking along the beach. I wondered how Kedah could possible broach such a delicate subject. It was Omar who did.
I love a man who takes responsibility and that is exactly what his Omar did. Instead of blaming Rina for her transgressions he examined that time with compassion.
Now, I think that shows a very deep love and a true hero.
So, in The Sheikh’s Baby Scandal, there are in fact two heroes for you to look out for and hopefully enjoy.
Happy reading
Carol x
How you came up with characters’ names and/or the title:
Kedah
Kedah is the hero in The Sheikh’s Baby Scandal but he actually first appeared in another story—Di Sione’s Innocent Conquest.
I wanted a rich playboy sheikh to showcase the hero in that book going off the rails. Enter Kedah.
The name just popped into my head.
Really, he was a secondary character and I didn’t give him too much headspace at first.
He was utterly shameless, living life in the fast lane and helping Matteo get into all sorts of scrapes.
And then I started to smile whenever Kedah appeared on the page.
I liked him so much that initially I was going to write a short story about him. Kedah quietly stated that he’d been patient for long enough and would like my full attention now please.
So, Kedah became a Presents hero in his very own right.
I think he deserves that title J
I hope you enjoy reading him.
About the First Sentence:
‘Kedah, where are you? That enough, now!’
That is the first sentence in The Sheikh’s Baby Scandal. A very young Kedah is about to stumble on a terrible secret and his nanny is trying to find him.
Initially the first sentence I wrote in the story was—
‘Kedah, do you even want to be King?’
The question was being asked by his father, Omar.
I shall be honest and admit that the second sentence is the one I prefer, however, it started the story at the wrong point in time. After a lot of angst and tearing my hear out I could see that the reader really needed to know the secret up front and to understand the dread that Kedah carried in his heart.
And, if you change one thing, everything changes and so, as it turned out, his father never needed to ask the question—it was clear that Kedah was fighting to be king.
I still like that opening to a story and I think I might just have to use it, though with a different hero of course J
Happy reading
Carol x
Book links:
About the author:
Carol Marinelli was born in England to Scottish parents, then emigrated to Australia, where there are loads of Scottish and English people who did exactly the same, so she’s very at home there.
She lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne—pretty much in her car, driving her three children to their various commitments.
Carol first tried to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon while doing her nursing training in London. It was merrily rejected and she was devastated. Rejection became a regular friend over the next few years and she amassed quite a collection. Still, as the years moved on the rejections became more detailed and instead of weeping over them and scorning them, she finally read them. Properly.
In 2000 her first romance was accepted for the Medical Romance line and she lived happily ever after. Well, that’s what she thought would happen but actually, no, it was then that the hard work really began!
Once published she discovered the Romance Writers of Australia—it would, she now knows, have been far easier on this journey to have discovered them earlier. Attending her first conference she realized that she wasn’t the only person who lived with a constant cinema happening in her head—in fact they were all THE SAME! Different but the same and many wonderful friendships were made.
Carol now writes for both the Medical Romance and Presents lines and loves them both.
One of her goals is to attend the Romance Writers of America conference with a few Romance Writers of Australia, which is a very nice goal to have.
Find out more on her website
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