Of Sand & Silk by Claire Butler

A deadly trial to keep his throne. A dangerous game to win his heart.

King Heroux was a famed warlord who sought to extend his Merovian lands by invading and conquering foreign kingdoms to create a vast and wealthy empire.
Until Henri killed him.
Now Henri has claimed his entire empire. The desert land of Merovia is different from anything he has ever known. The heat is punishing and the customs are strange. But more formidable than that are the people who do not want to embrace him as their new king, and the other Merovian kings who are keen to exact revenge on him for slaying one of their own.
As former regent and brother to the late King Heroux, Malik understands his people’s hatred toward the foreign king. But with a long-forgotten threat rising in the north, and the pending summit which will pitch all Merovian kings in a fight to the death to retain their kingdoms, Malik has little time to concern himself with Henri. Even if he does find him aggravatingly handsome.
When a highly coveted courtesan known as the Silk Rose is gifted to Henri in the hopes of securing an alliance, motives are questioned and loyalties are tested. But the Silk Rose has her own secrets, and she refuses to be sacrificed in this world of gods and kings.