An arranged marriage leads to unexpected desire, in the first book of
Alyssa Cole's
Runaway Royals series...
When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen
finally comes true. But it's nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her
husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects
see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the
perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.
A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was
born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren't. He
agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn't expect to
actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems
to have the answers to his country's problems--except no one will listen
to her.
By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he
bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil
erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and
Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people
and to catch his queen.