Craving Beauty

Zulheina #2

by Nalini Singh

Marc was dangerous to her in the way that only a strong, sexy male could be to a woman. Even knowing that, she'd agreed to marry him.

Hope blossomed in Hira's heart. Perhaps she'd married a man with whom it might just be worth building a life. Her mother had worried that he was scarred, but the lines on his face did nothing to lessen his raw masculine appeal. If anything, they gave him an even more dangerous male air, enticing the feminine core of her to thoughts that shocked her.

What did a man's face matter anyway? She had no use for handsome men.

But for a man with a heart?

For such a man…she might risk everything.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Harlequin Desire, Adult

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2005

About the author

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.


I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Nalini Singh worked her magic on me. At first, I wasn't sure what to think. Hira was so mercurial, frigid ice princess one moment, vulnerable, exotic girl-child another, saying hurtful things to Marc. I was thinking I would be disappointed with this story. However, I began to see that Hira was protecting her heart from more damage like what had been inflicted over many years by a father who was a real misogynist, who treated her mother terribly, and restricted Hira's life severely, despite maintaining the appearance of being a loving husband and father. She had been treated like she had nothing to offer besides her beautiful looks and gorgeously-curved body. Her father used her as a business pawn, forcing Marc to marry her if he wanted to court her. Of course, she didn’t know that Marc wanted a real relationship with her. She thought he just wanted a sexy trophy wife.



As the book unfolded, I could see why she kept Marc at such a distance, and was so icy to him, although I hurt as Marc did. By the end of the story, I loved Hira, and I admired her for the strong woman that she was.



As for Marc, I loved him pretty much from the beginning. In fact, I wanted to take him and give him a long, fierce hug. He has a lot of the traits I just adore in a hero. He was a fierce, strong man, a real survivor, but with a gentle loving heart that hid behind steely, cold armor. He'd been abused really badly by his lousy alcoholic parents, who sold him to a thief. He lived on the streets, and was wounded grievously more than once, which was why he had scars on his face and body. I adored this man. Like Hira, his scars were badges of honor to me. This man worked his way up from nothing. Truly, he did have a chip on his shoulder against beautiful women. A stupid rich girl played a cruel joke on him, teaching him he wasn’t good enough without his money and power. Since then, he kept his heart protected. He felt inadequate because of his scars and his ignoble Bayou origins. But, like Hira, being a man who pulls himself up by his bootstraps and makes something of himself, being a strong, powerfully magnetic man spoke highly to me. She called him her fierce desert chieftain, and I felt this was a fair assessment from her viewpoint of admirable men (unlike her father). Also he is very possessive. Another plus in a hero. It gives me tingles! Golden boys born with silver spoons in their mouths don’t resonate with me the same way. If you like Lisa Kleypas's self-made heroes, you would probably like Marc. He definitely gave me that vibe, which always have the power to turn me into a melted pile of hormonal goo. Marc really was the perfect package for a hero to this reader.



Initially, this seemed a little melodramatic, (which ain't necessarily a bad thing since I like drama), but I wasn't sure what to make of it. Hira's innocence and unwordliness seemed too over the top. I had to readjust my worldview and consider how truly inexperienced and sheltered Hira was. Once I got my vantage point straight, I was all in. The intense, honest emotions and the heart-wrenching angst of Marc and Hira's pasts, and how they reach out to orphaned children to give them love (I cried on those scenes and the ones about Marc’s tortured past), and the fiery passion between them (which had me fanning myself as I read), well this was an irresistible package that won me over!

I can't say that all people would enjoy this book. Even those who are fans of Nalini Singh’s newer works, the Psy/Changeling and Guild Hunter books, might not necessarily love this book. However, I believe that the elements that make her a favorite, auto-buy author to me are very apparent in this lovely romance morsel. I’m very glad I got the chance to read this one. It’s going on my keeper shelf with my other Nalini Singh books.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love marriage of convenience stories. Hero was the most romantic loving husband ever! Lucky heroine is lucky! Yes I am jealous of a fictional heroine lol

[Aberforth · Rating 2 out of 5]

My summary of the book:

Heroine: "Oh noes, I'm so beautiful that no one will ever love me for me instead of being just a hot piece of ass!"
Hero: "Ohnoes, no one will ever love me because of my oh-so-hideous scar. I'll show everyone by forcing the most beautiful woman I can find into marriage."

I seriously rolled my eyes through most of the book. It was only towards the end when they started to get to know each other that any redeeming qualities came through. Mostly though, I just wanted to stab them though.

[*CJ* · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Craving Beauty" is the story of Hira and Marc.
Basically, our heroine Hira is from Zulheina and comes from an uber conservative family where women are treated like sh!t and denied any choice. Her father has always treated her mother like a wastebin, and her own heart is broken when she is rejected by her suitor.
Hope ignites when a foreigner Marc comes to their kingdom, but is soon shattered when she is traded in marriage to him.
Hence becomes a tumultuous start of a courtship in which the heroine has a million preconceptions and throws them all at the hero at the speed of ninja stars.
The hero on the other hand is also an orphan with a traumatic past and a scarred body- hoping to find love in the heroine, who immediately confesses her love for OM and starts acting like a shrew.
50% of the book is the heroine being a giant whiny d!ck, and the hero losing his temper and walking away.
Things change a little when she realizes her error and starts to give in- the lovemaking scenes which take place then as well as the scenes at the orphanage were heart wrenching-ly good.
Then again some drama takes place and we are back to square one.
In the end it was like two scarred, scared cats slowly pawing at each other's defenses..
What I did like apart from the sex and angst was the adorable way the heroine spoke in broken english, her zest for education but the ending was a mess as nothing was resolved and things ended abruptly. Did they ever adopt the nine kids as the twins got taken away? Did they have their own ones? Did she ever study? Did he support her mother?
A lot of disappointed after the great book 1.
Safe
2/5

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: There isn't an official series connecting the books, but Desert Warrior can be considered a prequel to Craving Beauty. The stories aren't connected by plot, only by the fact that Tariq, the hero in the first book, and Hira, the heroine in the second book, know each other.

[fulano]

cw: misogyny/sexism, arranged marriage, violence, poverty, foster care, classism, former child abuse and depictions if drug and alcohol abuse

This one I finally read after having dnf’d it a while ago because of how bothered I was with the hero and his former infatuation with another girl that prompted his sexism. I decided to keep an open mind and ended up actually enjoying it. I, of course, don’t think it served anything but I gave it a chance and believed it was worth reading. It’s dated but still a pretty great beauty and the beast retelling.

[PT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Nalini Singh, so it holds a special place in my heart. It's a take on the classic beauty and the beast theme. It's not a lot of people's cup of tea, but I really enjoy the many variations on this theme. Of course, there is the usual insecurity on the parts of our hero and heroine, but I can relate. She's not sure that any one could love her for anything other than her beauty and worries about finding her place in the world other than as some man's trophy wife. He is plagued with doubts that his wife could love him in spite of his physical deformity.
Overall, a delightful quick read.

[Aly is so frigging bored · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary beauty and the beast story set in the same fictional country as Nalini's earlier Desert Warrior. Although the characters' motivations are somewhat cliched - the beauty who wants to be loved for her mind, the beast who believes no one loves him and overcompensates - Nalini's writing overcomes these stereotypes and the characters become real. The beast, Marc, is a Louisiana bayou poor boy who pulled himself up by the bootstraps and made something of himself as a business mogul. The beauty, Hira, is a trophy daughter who is bartered by her sexist father to further his business dealings. The two agree to marriage to seal a business deal, and then deal with the fall out of their emotions. I found this to be a beautiful story, and would recommend it to fans of the genre.

[Lynsey A · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I am a huge fan of Nalini Singh so of course, grab anything she's written. These Silhouette books were written earlier in her career. This was a good book and written well but so many times I wanted to hit the hero upside the head, hence his addition to my "hero needs a slap upside his head" shelf. He certainly had a tough childhood and had reasons to distrust rich, beautiful women but after the first couple of times he was cruel to Hira and later learned he was wrong, I thought that was enough. But it continued to happen a couple of more times. It got annoying.

Hira was cute at times, when she didn't understand the English slang, but at times she seemed just a bit too perfect.

However, having written all of that it was still a good book to read and a sweet love story.

[Shxrxn · Rating 3 out of 5]

You were better than the alternative.
- Hira
But for a man with a heart? For such a man.. .she might risk everything.
- Hira
Sometimes those closest to you promised the least safety.
- Hira
She didn't know if she loved him, but she did know she felt things for him she'd never felt for any other man.
- Hira
It is said that the child will show you the man.
- Hira
Love of a kind that's rare in this world. Love that will not stop or dampen when I am old and have wrinkles, when I'm no longer the beautiful woman men covet. Love that will cherish me though I may become ill or hurt. That is what I most desire.
- Hira

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another made up middle eastern kingdom. The difference here is that it is the heroine, Hira, who is from the made up country. She enters an arranged marriage with Marc, a self made Cajun millionaire. This was quite melodramatic in a good way with overwrought feelings, flowery love language etc. NS's writing was smooth as always and the book flew by.

[July · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This is a small book, but packs a punch. This author is one to have on your bookshelf.

[Irene Kiew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was undecided what to rate this. This book is partly set in a country which doesn't exist (Zulheina), which the heroine is from. The whole conflict stems from the fact that Marc didn't court Hina before the marriage so she is disappointed because she thinks he chose her only based on her appearance, while she wants to be known and loved for who she is inside; meanwhile, Marc carries scars both physical and emotional, and thinks rich beautiful women are cold and heartless (so it makes no sense that he chooses her, because he has dreams of what he wants out of marriage). They have a lot of misunderstandings because both jump to conclusions about each other and Hida in particular is not honest about how she feels. Marc was dumb and apparently didn't bother to find out much about her culture or clan prior to the marriage, despite supposedly being a hot-shot international businessman. He keeps misjudging her and causing hurt, and to protect herself she withdraws and replies curtly, which makes him think she is an ice princess and sort of cements the misjudgement.

Granted, when he finally starts figuring out that she is fearful and insecure he starts to be more gentle and careful with her, but I think I got impatient with all the misunderstandings and wrong signals they gave each other. It is a good portrayal of the pitfalls of inter-cultural marriage, but the story fell flat for me. It felt contrived and unnatural.

[❋ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 things you should never do when reading a Nalini Singh book:

1) Never rush it. Take your time and let the words sing in your blood and rest in your bones. She's so incredibly talented, you can only spectate in awe and savour her genius.

2) Never focus solely on one aspect of her writing. Nalini can do so much, so well. She's awesome at setting, at characterisation, at plot etc. but to get caught up in one is to allow a whole lot of creativity to go to waste. She has the wonderful and unique ability of masterfully weaving every minuscule piece of a story together. So delicately in fact, that before you know it, you're caught up in her world and don't want to leave. She makes her imagination, a reality. Crazy respect for her.

3) Never ever underestimate her. Nalini Singh is one of my favourite authors and even when she's got you questioning and confused, even a little mad that things aren't going smoothly, have faith that she'll blindside you and pull off the most wonderful, spectacular novel. This book in particular began with a lot of misunderstandings- the bane of my life. But she handled them with such grace and wisdom of the human psyche, that I was with the characters the whole way. I understood and I empathised. And as a reader, that's all I can ask.

So before I begin this review properly, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Nalini Singh, for sharing your magic with the world.





This was a short story set between Zulheil (a fictional desert) and Louisiana. Such starkly different places like the two characters of this book. On one hand, we have Hira - as beautiful, complex and fiery as the desert she loves. And we have Marc - a man hardened by his childhood, strong and sure, with a heart as big as the world.

This was an interesting take on instalove. A more realistic approach I think. Hira and Marc met when Marc was in Zulheil for business with her wealthy father. It's a classic- eyes meeting, smiles shared and destiny put in motion.

I loved it.


However, affairs of the heart are never so simple. Whilst there was an immediate awareness from Hira and a responsive possession within Marc, the way events progressed left both under false illusions. The future was suddenly so unsure for these soon-to-be lovers who can't release the past enough to grab hold of love. The misunderstandings were rife, especially at the start.

I hated it.


But logically, I knew it had to happen. Both were so guarded, each catching glimpses of the true person under their barriers. Not willing to give up on a dream, a dream that was born the moment they locked eyes. That one smile they shared was a memory cradled in their hearts. The reason I knocked off a star was simply because at times, I found them infuriating. I understand broken people. I've read enough, I've met enough, to understand that people who have been hurt don't want to experience the same again. In this case, both characters had been hurt. But no good comes from keeping that pain fresh (I found Hira mostly peeved me off). It's a safety mechanism, push people away so you're protected. So you're not so vulnerable. But it hurts to see two people you're rooting for, two soul mates, hurting each other. Ughhhhhhh.



One of my favourite things about this book was Marc. I adored Marc. He was magnetic and dominant. The very epitome of an alpha male. Not the silly, OTT kind (though there's a time and place for every kind), but the protective, caring and passionate kind. Absolutely the highlight of this book. Very tempted to read it all over again, just for him. He was so domineering, so blatantly male but also gentle and capable of giving so much for those he cares about. The little orphan boys who he supported and cared for, and who he planned to adopt, bore testament to his devotion and loyalty. He was passion and logic. He was fire and ice. The most intriguing and alluring of temptations. In short, he had me all frazzled.



Also, on a side note, how in the hell can Nalini Singh bring so much depth and complexity to a novel and to her characters in a short story?!. Wow.

But moving on from that, I loved watching the slow warming, the understanding, develop. Nalini Singh really gets human nature. She always displays startling perceptions and writes so exquisitely. There were ups and downs, for sure. But there was tenderness, passion and above all, love.



This was an excellent read :)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Princess Stars

Why I have a feeling that I've already read this book in the past? Mark and Hira seem familiar to me, but I don't know, most likely if this book has been translated in Greek, the characters may had different names... Overall, it was a somewhat classic story, enjoyable pass-time book.

[Tiny Shen 沈帝妮 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gemes sama H/H di cerita ini..
So so aja alurnya.. Lebih byk terisi salah paham.. Haishhh..

[ML Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Nalini Singh book. Happy ending yes, but the ride there was bumpy.
'Meh', take it or leave it.

[Ren Puspita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nalini Singh is one of my favorite authors. No matter what genre she write, I always enjoy her books. Ga terkecuali buku ini, walaupun itu Harlequin sekalipun =))

Kisahnya tentang orang Amerika yang menikahi gadis Arab, tapi si cwe Hira, menyangkan Marc menikahi dirinya hanya karena tertarik dengan parasnya, bukan karena pribadinya. Yang pasti Marc kerja keras banget deh bikin Hira mencintainya, apalagi kebudayaan mereka jelas beda.

Jadi teringat kalo Nalini Singh suka bikin cerita multiras, yang aku juga suka,karena ada variasinya.Bosen gitu baca yang bule lawan bule, hmpfh. Tapi namanya juga Harlequin, ga terlalu ngenyangin. Tapi untuk ukuran Harlequin, lumayan steamy juga. Adegan showernya memorable deh (semua adegan shower di mata Ren sebenarnya memorable, apa coba :)) )

Marc emang ga seseksi Raphael (Raphael gitu, siapa yang bisa ngalahin Archangel of New York, dalam segi keseksian ;-)),ga secool Judd Lauren (cowok tercool di seri Psy Changeling dari author yang sama) dan ga segarang Riley Kincaid (juga dari seri Psy Changeling), tapi dia tetep punya daya tariknya sendiri..

Alur lambat memang sebagian ciri khas Nalini Singh, tapi kemampuannya merangkai kata2 selalu sanggup membuatku terpukau (ouch!)

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story annoyed me a little. I was really optimistic about it because it starts in the same location as Desert Warrior, but this story didn’t leave me hopeful like Desert Warrior. I don’t usually feel bad for both characters in romance novels but this is one full of so much miscommunication that I can’t help but feel sorry for them. The both have been hurt so bad that they are trying to protect themselves from more hurt. Both are traumatized from a rough youth and abuse from people who should have loved and provided for them. Their other problem is that they keep making assumptions about the other person’s life based of what they have seen of each other’s worlds. I wanted them to be together because I could see that they were so wrong about each other. Definitely not what I was expecting but I really like seeing how an author experimented with their writing.

[Pauline Destinugrainy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Udah baca 2 bukunya NS, keduanya Harlequin. Steamy sih... tapi entah kenapa saya merasa nggak bisa klik sama kedua novel ini.

Marc dan Hira menikah karena perjodohan bisnis. Hira merasa Marc hanya menikahinya karena wajahnya saja. Dia bahkan tidak ngobrol dengan Marc sampai pada malam pertama mereka. Hira merasa direndahkan dengan cara begitu, dan menolak untuk menyerahkan tubuhnya pada Marc. Si Marc yang wajah dan tubuhnya penuh luka parut merasa ditolak.

Yang bikin ilfil, kedua orang ini suka bikin asumsi sendiri, dan tentu saja selalu negatif. Anehnya kalau sudah urusan uhuk-uhuk keduanya bisa sehati. Sampai kemudian keduanya menyadari kalau sudah saling mencintai. Pola yang sama juga saya temukan di novel harlequin NS yg saya baca sebelumnya. Jadi...its okay lah ya

[Nadeschda · Rating 1 out of 5]

It almost became an "ok" read.. I think I never read something as cheasy as this book. I had to cringe everytime I read the words "husband" or "wife" to just name two of many other. But since I adore Nalini's newer books I wanted to read the older ones as well. It's impressive how much her style changed over the years!

[Richard Warlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story

[Lady Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is probably the best silhouette romance from Nalini Singh that I've read so far. The hero was yummy, and the heroine made me smile throughout. I enjoyed seeing how vulnerable they both were with each other because of hurts from their past. goo book.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

menurut gw biasa aja untuk segi cerita. Tidak ada keunikan. Cuman adegan hot nya seru banget di bawah shower ama pake selai mentega.. ternyata tuh selai berbahaya juga..hmpfh...

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 2 out of 5]

oh this is ridiculous

[Leyns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent depth and story for a mills n boon length read.

[Morganaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Harlow Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't connect with the characters at all, they felt very two dimensional to me. I know this author has a lot of fans but I can't seem to find the enjoyment in her writing style as so many others do. I've tried a couple of her Guild Hunter and Psy-Changeling books but still can't connect with her style of writing.
Now, I have a hard time not finishing a book once I start, I'm more of a hurry up and flip through to the end to see if I can find anything salvageable. I gave this book two stars instead of one, simply because the h did not suffer from treacherous body syndrome. Overall though, I did not feel any chemistry between the characters, which always renders the love scenes boring and awkward feeling to me then, hence the flipping quickly through the story. I am going to post a couple of spoilers below, so don't scroll down unless you've read it.







Ok, so what was the deal with the H casually dropping into the conversation "So btw, I'm remodeling the house in a few months and at least 10 boys from the orphanage will be living with us.". The h: "Ok, sounds good. Hey, I'm going to go start college full time, I shouldn't have any problem making everything work, though I'm new in this country." Speaking of being new in the country, she's given a red sports car within days of arrival. Seems safe! I know you have to have a suspension of belief for a lot of fictional stories, especially romances, but damn. I guess that's how we all find our favorite authors, who can help us find the most enjoyable ways to do that.

[Z N · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mills & Boon-O-Meter : ★★✰✰✰

- I was excited for this one, because it was the first M&B written by a POC woman that I had read so far
- This is a M&B for the angst loving romance reader tbh. I am not a lover of angst.
- "Woe me, I am so hot and that's all people see in me." [Although to be honest, it was still better than other books, where the heroine dOeSn'T kNoW sHe'S sTuNnInG ]
- "Woe me, I have a scar, even though I am built like a brick house and conventionally attractive in every other way"
- The back stories for both characters were far to over the top. Both come from highly abusive families causing them to be so angsty, but it never really seems authentic and convincing to me
- Honestly, I became more invested in the fate of those orphan kids than the main characters
- Was cheesy to read at times
- Even though the heroine was rescued by marrying her nice American husband and escaping her repressive tribe, her American husband was awfully jealous about her past 🙃