What
do a kid from the roughest part of the city and a prince have in common? In the
second story in the Imperial Princes series, Harem Mistress, they’re both
members of an elite commando group, Sector Seven. Sethan Kai Renza, the
Imperial Prince and Jareth Nikolai have been friends since the first day of
training, they’ve survived bloody battles, political intrigue and assassination
attempts, as well as Seth’s five year search for the woman who stole his heart
(Prince’s Courtesan). Now adults and well past their training, Sethan is the
Imperial Prince and Jareth is Colonel of his armies. Known as the Stone-Cold
Colonel, his reputation precedes him.
Cold,
calculating and hard as nails, as a character he was a delight to write. I love
to write a tough, elite soldier type and then give him a weakness. In this
case, Jareth’s weakness is his longing for a woman he can’t have. Keliana is a
slave who belongs to Sethan, a courtesan in his harem. The law says he can’t
have her, but he just can’t keep away, carefully wooing her and leaving roses
in the harem gardens, even though he knows that the law would demand their
lives if they’re caught. But that doesn’t stop him…and Keliana is more than
enough woman to keep him on his toes!
Illicit love, burning hot sex...
Keliana is an imperial harem mistress, but that doesn't stop Jareth Nikolai from wanting her. A colonel in the imperial fleet and the prince's right hand man, Jareth has earned his reputation as a loyal, stone-cold soldier, but thoughts of Keliana heat his blood to boiling--even though she's the property of his prince.
Keliana knows it's forbidden, but she can't get the handsome colonel of out of her mind, nor can she ignore her dreams of one day loving him openly as a free woman. When she's called before her prince and given to Nikolai as a gift, she thinks her dreams have finally come true. Until Nikolai is raised to prince and cannot marry his harem mistress.
And deep within the shadows, enemy machinations work to keep them apart forever...
Keliana is an imperial harem mistress, but that doesn't stop Jareth Nikolai from wanting her. A colonel in the imperial fleet and the prince's right hand man, Jareth has earned his reputation as a loyal, stone-cold soldier, but thoughts of Keliana heat his blood to boiling--even though she's the property of his prince.
Keliana knows it's forbidden, but she can't get the handsome colonel of out of her mind, nor can she ignore her dreams of one day loving him openly as a free woman. When she's called before her prince and given to Nikolai as a gift, she thinks her dreams have finally come true. Until Nikolai is raised to prince and cannot marry his harem mistress.
And deep within the shadows, enemy machinations work to keep them apart forever...
Available
now from: Amazon | Amazon.co.uk | ARe | Barnes and Noble | OmniLit | Kobo
Excerpt: © 2012 Mina Carter
“Such
a serious expression on such a beautiful face.”
The deep voice from behind made her jump. With a gasp, she turned on the bench in a rustle of silk. There, in the shadows of an archway, was a familiar, tall figure dressed in a black combat uniform, his dark hair caught at the nape of his neck. Just the sight of him was enough to weaken her knees.
Colonel Jareth Nikolai. Prince Sethan’s right-hand man and commander of his armies. The man who had been leaving her forbidden roses the color of the midnight sky and who occupied her lonely dreams.
Heat and excitement skittered through her like rabbits during spring as she rose from the bench. Instead of leaving her a rose, he’d come himself. Her initial pleasure at seeing him dissipated as she darted a look around the garden in case one of the women still here wandered out and saw him. Then it would be alarms and hell to pay. No man other than Sethan was allowed within the harem walls.
For a man like Jareth though, a member of the elite Sector Seven, breaking in and getting out without being caught would be child’s play. Leaving something was one thing…sticking around for a chat was suicide.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered urgently. “You have to get out of here before they catch you.”
She reached the archway and shivered as she stepped from the warmth of the midafternoon sun into the coolness of the shadows. For a moment she was blinded, blinking rapidly as she waited for her eyes to adjust.
His deep chuckle reached her ears a moment before his warm hands closed over her upper arms. Heat sparked between them and the merest brush of his hand sent a wave of longing through her so complete she had to bite her lip to stop the moan spilling forth. Hot on its tail was a gasp for his daring.
Not only had he broken into the harem, he’d touched her. Touched one of the prince’s women. Never mind that Sethan didn’t actually want her. Rules were rules. Rules bound everyone, even Jareth, commander of the Prince’s armies.
She wriggled. “Go, you have to get out. They’ll kill you if they catch you.”
“So fiery. You know you look like a kitten spitting when you’re mad?”
Her eyes adjusted and she could make out his face. See that damned little half smile and the heat in his eyes as he pulled her closer to his hard body. His hold was firm, his hands large enough and fingers long enough to wrap around her arms, shackling them above the elbow.
“What are you damn well smiling at? This is dangerous, you idiot!”
She squirmed some more, but he was stronger than her, his grip like iron. There was no way she was breaking loose, not without some form of physical violence she just wasn’t capable of.
Amusement ran through her for a second as she stilled and let him hold her. Over six feet and with the hard build of a professional soldier, there was no way she could stop him. Shivers of illicit excitement whispered over her skin as she looked up at him. He could do whatever he liked to her and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
His face was partly in shadow, revealing one blue-black eye playing peek-a-boo from under the long fall of his hair. It was a less than regulation cut, but she’d heard rumors his mother had been Hestarian, the warrior-nomad race whose very name sparked fear into many hearts. It would explain the nearly black color of his eyes, the iris expanded with just a small ring of arctic blue around the outside.
“You’re hurt…”
Available now from: Amazon | Amazon.co.uk | ARe | Barnes and Noble | OmniLit | Kobo
The deep voice from behind made her jump. With a gasp, she turned on the bench in a rustle of silk. There, in the shadows of an archway, was a familiar, tall figure dressed in a black combat uniform, his dark hair caught at the nape of his neck. Just the sight of him was enough to weaken her knees.
Colonel Jareth Nikolai. Prince Sethan’s right-hand man and commander of his armies. The man who had been leaving her forbidden roses the color of the midnight sky and who occupied her lonely dreams.
Heat and excitement skittered through her like rabbits during spring as she rose from the bench. Instead of leaving her a rose, he’d come himself. Her initial pleasure at seeing him dissipated as she darted a look around the garden in case one of the women still here wandered out and saw him. Then it would be alarms and hell to pay. No man other than Sethan was allowed within the harem walls.
For a man like Jareth though, a member of the elite Sector Seven, breaking in and getting out without being caught would be child’s play. Leaving something was one thing…sticking around for a chat was suicide.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered urgently. “You have to get out of here before they catch you.”
She reached the archway and shivered as she stepped from the warmth of the midafternoon sun into the coolness of the shadows. For a moment she was blinded, blinking rapidly as she waited for her eyes to adjust.
His deep chuckle reached her ears a moment before his warm hands closed over her upper arms. Heat sparked between them and the merest brush of his hand sent a wave of longing through her so complete she had to bite her lip to stop the moan spilling forth. Hot on its tail was a gasp for his daring.
Not only had he broken into the harem, he’d touched her. Touched one of the prince’s women. Never mind that Sethan didn’t actually want her. Rules were rules. Rules bound everyone, even Jareth, commander of the Prince’s armies.
She wriggled. “Go, you have to get out. They’ll kill you if they catch you.”
“So fiery. You know you look like a kitten spitting when you’re mad?”
Her eyes adjusted and she could make out his face. See that damned little half smile and the heat in his eyes as he pulled her closer to his hard body. His hold was firm, his hands large enough and fingers long enough to wrap around her arms, shackling them above the elbow.
“What are you damn well smiling at? This is dangerous, you idiot!”
She squirmed some more, but he was stronger than her, his grip like iron. There was no way she was breaking loose, not without some form of physical violence she just wasn’t capable of.
Amusement ran through her for a second as she stilled and let him hold her. Over six feet and with the hard build of a professional soldier, there was no way she could stop him. Shivers of illicit excitement whispered over her skin as she looked up at him. He could do whatever he liked to her and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
His face was partly in shadow, revealing one blue-black eye playing peek-a-boo from under the long fall of his hair. It was a less than regulation cut, but she’d heard rumors his mother had been Hestarian, the warrior-nomad race whose very name sparked fear into many hearts. It would explain the nearly black color of his eyes, the iris expanded with just a small ring of arctic blue around the outside.
“You’re hurt…”
Available now from: Amazon | Amazon.co.uk | ARe | Barnes and Noble | OmniLit | Kobo
I’d like to thank Cerise for
having me today and Tina at Topaz Promotions for organising the Blog Tour.
Mina Carter was born and raised in
Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England). After a slew of
careers ranging from logistics to land-surveying she can now be found in the
wilds of Leicestershire with her husband and young daughter…the true boss of the
family.
Suffering the curse of eternal curiosity Mina never tires of learning
new skills which has led to Aromatherapy, Corsetry, Chain-maille making,
Welding, Canoeing, Shooting, and pole-dancing to name but a few.
A full time author and cover artist, Mina can usually be found hunched
over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and
words in her head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She's
addicted to coffee and Nutella on toast.
Where to find Mina... Twitter Facebook
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