From Me to You ... Video, Photography and Book Reviews: Blog Tour - Made the Grade: Prince Hafiz's Only Vice by Susanna Carr

Today I'm turning my blog over to Susanna Carr, who I interviewed about her latest novel "Prince Hafiz's Only Vice!!"

ALSO -- Be sure to check out Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post to be able to sign up for this blog stop's GIVEAWAY(s)!! [Blog Tour will run from September 29 - October 24, 2014]

My Q&A with Susanna Carr :

Jess : Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Susanna : I read my first Harlequin when I was ten years old and that started a lifelong passion for all things romantic. My favorite romantic movie is FRENCH KISS, my all-time favorite TV show is REMINGTON STEELE, and my favorite romance authors are Lori Foster, Lynne Graham and Jayne Ann Krentz.

Jess : Please describe Lacey, from "Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice," in one to two sentences.

Susanna : Lacey loves unconditionally but she is never the top priority of those she loves.

Jess : Which of your characters would you most & least like to invite to dinner, from which book and why?

Susanna : I would invite Hafiz because he had done and accomplished a lot in his life. I would also invite Lacey but I think they would only have eyes for each other and I would feel like the third wheel.

I would not invite the Sultan from "PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE." He would decline anyway because he would disapprove of me.

Jess : Is there any differences and/or similarities between Hafiz from your "Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice" novel and Travis from your "Wild Weekend" novel?

Susanna : Hafiz has to consider his countrymen who rely on him when he makes a decision. Travis, on the other hand, makes choices so he is not bound to anyone any place.

Jess : What sparked the idea for "Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice?"

Susanna : I wanted to write a story about forbidden romance. Once I decided to set it in a desert kingdom, I started to think about the characters and why they were the best, the worst, and the only ones for each other.

Jess : What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write in a novel and why?

Susanna : The epilogue is my favorite part of "PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE." While I was writing the book, I stopped to write the epilogue to see their happy ending and then went back to writing the book.

Jess : What is the most dramatic thing one of your characters, from "Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice," said or did?

Susanna : I won't give away too much, but I would say Hafiz's sacrifice was probably the most dramatic thing he did in the story.

Jess : Out of all of the secondary characters within "Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice," do you have one or two favorites so far? If so, who are they and can you tell us why?

Susanna : My favorite secondary character is Hafiz's brother, Ashraf. While he is considered the perfect prince, son, and even perfect brother, I think he has some dark secrets--and dark passions--that are just ready to break free.

Jess : How many books have you written? Which is your favorite and why?

Susanna : I have written over thirty romances and each one has a special meaning to me. For example, "THE WRONG BRIDE" is an important book to me because it was my first print book. "SECRETS OF A BOLLYWOOD MARRIAGE" is one of my favorites because I've been thinking about the idea for years. "PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE" is one of my favorites even after several rewrites and I kept at it. I'm glad to see it out in the world.

Jess : Do you have any other projects in the works? If so, can you share a little of your current work with us?

Susanna : My next book "LET THEM TALK" is a Harlequin Blaze and will be in stores February 2015. It's about three women who take part of a risqué book club and try out what they've read with unexpected results. I also have another Harlequin Presents coming out in July 2015. "TYCOON'S DELICIOUS DEBT" is a revenge story that offers readers glamour and scandal in exotic locations.

Jess : Do you have a favorite aspect of fall or tradition in your family during fall/Halloween season that you’d like to share with us?

Susanna : Once the trick-or-treating is over, we have a tradition of watching WAIT UNTIL DARK starring Audrey Hepburn. We turn off all the lights to watch and--it never fails--I jump at the one famous scary scene.

Jess : If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Susanna : "STILL AT IT"

Jess : What cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?

Susanna : One of my friends gave me the nickname of Eeyore. I can see the downside to anything.

Jess : List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?

Susanna : I've been on a novella kick these days and I really enjoyed:
"BACK IN THE ITALIAN'S BED" by Annie West
"THE GREEK'S STOLEN BRIDE" by Kate Hewitt
"THE LADY ALWAYS WINS" by Courtney Milan

About the Author :

Susanna Carr is an award-winning author known for her contemporary romances. Readers throughout the world find Susanna's stories a delightful escape that has often helped them through difficult times. Reviewers frequently describe her work as "fun", "sexy" and "a must read." When she isn't writing or spending time with her family in the Pacific Northwest, Susanna enjoys reading romance and connecting with readers online.

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 192; Kindle Edition - File Size: 294 KB | Expected Release Date: October 1, 2014 | Publisher: Harlequin Presents | Obtained: Goddess Fish Promotions

"Prince Hafiz's Only Vice" [Royal and Ruthless Series, Book 8] by Susanna Carr

Author's Book Description : What a royal wants...

Prince Hafiz devotes his days to his people and his nights to indulging his desires with his stunning American mistress, Lacey Maxwell. But duty requires him to marry a "suitable" bride.

In her deepest secret fantasies, Lacey naively hopes to one day wear Hafiz's ring, until her dreams are shattered and he chooses someone else.

Faced with the reality of a passionless union, Hafiz realizes the years spent with Lacey have done nothing to slake his hunger for her. Instead he's determined to turn his only vice into a virtue for the sake of his country...and each other!

My Book Review : 3 out of 5 stars, a man struggles to deal with his two worlds. Feeling like he has no hope in bringing those worlds together he is forced to give up one of them, either the only woman he’s ever loved or the life he’s built for himself and the country he hopes to help prosper.

In truth, this novel was a struggle to get through, mostly, because both Hafiz and Lacey make their situation sound so bleak even though I understood where each of them were coming from. It would be easy to have stopped reading this novel as soon as things went down hill between them and not have liked Hafiz because of his attitude about keeping Lacey only as his mistress. Yet if you don’t stick with it you’ll never get to read the sweet redemption scenes that each of them have or find out that even though Hafiz didn’t like his own decisions he thought they were the only options he had at the time. I liked how this novel was able to redeem it’s characters enough that I was able to root for their relationship, hope for something more/better for them, and not completely hate them for being dumb while everything was going on. =0)

Basically, if you really think it over, Hafiz isn’t the bad guy; he’s just a product of the life he was born into and struggling to make the best of the situation while making up for his past mistakes. Hafiz’s parents are the true bullies in this novel. So much so that I wish there was more interaction with them so the readers could hate them more. *hahaa*

Together I feel that Hafiz & Lacey help each other flourish into something better. Both of them admit to it in the novel more then once and it was hard not to it notice too. I liked their romance, it was intense and hard, but not every novel can be a fairytale even when its own character tries to compare herself to a certain longhaired princess.

I do recommend this novel to those who are looking for an intense contemporary romance!

Purchase This Book and/or The Other Books From It's Series Here :

Author's Novel Extras : PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE is available for pre-order (with a TEASER) | Readers in Canada can also pre-order (with a TEASER) | You can pre-order the larger print edition of PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE (with a TEASER) | Get the print or eBook edition of PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE now (with a TEASER) | The print edition of PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE (with a TEASER) | PRINCE HAFIZ'S ONLY VICE is now in stores (with a EXCERPT)

Book Teaser(s) :

Lacey leaned against the wall and sighed. Hafiz flattened his hands next to her head, her sunglasses dangling from his loose grasp. He stared at her mouth, his lips stinging with the need to kiss her.
But this was as close as he would allow himself. If he leaned into her softness, he wouldn’t leave.
The tip of her tongue swept along her bottom lip. “Hafiz, we’re outside,” she reminded him, her voice hitching with scandalized excitement. “You shouldn’t be this close.”
He knew it, but it didn’t stop him. She was his one and only vice, and he was willingly addicted. He had already risked everything to be with her. Each day he made the choice to risk everything for her. But now the choice was taken away from him, and it was all coming to an end. ~ within Chapter 1

For more information on this book and/or any other books by Susanna, then please check out her website.

Book Excerpt :

"I will miss you, Hafiz," she said brokenly as her throat closed up. The tears she thought couldn’t happen beaded on her eyelashes.

Hafiz let out a shuddering breath. He swept his fingertip against the corner of her eye, taking her tears with him. The moisture clung to his knuckle, and he rubbed it into his skin with his thumb, silently sharing her agony.

The image took a chink out of her hard-earned resolve. Lacey wrapped her arms around her stomach before she crumbled altogether. "I had so many questions to ask you, and now I can't remember what they were." All except for one that danced on her tongue. "Did you ever love me?"

Silence throbbed in the air.

Lacey blinked at the question that had tumbled from her mouth. Of all the things to ask, her mind screamed.

Hafiz went unnaturally still.

"I don't know why I asked." She shrugged as her pain intensified. "Please, don't answer that."

The words were ripped from deep within her. She desperately wanted to know the answer. She never questioned it before, but she had been living in a fantasy.

Lacey had always felt Hafiz loved her. It was in his touch, in his eyes, and in his smile. But he never said the words, even when she chanted her declaration of love in the height of ecstasy.

It was too late to find out. If he didn't love her, she would never recover. If he did love her, then she would never let go. Even if he was married, even if he kept her hidden. And she couldn't let that happen.

Giveaway!! :

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Find Susanna Carr :