Kingdoms — Mary Jane Salk

Bright and beautiful, Clare Barrow escapes her bleak life in a Kentucky coal-mining town to become the protege of a wealthy Washington diplomat. But her well-laid plans for the future explode when she encounters a man who rocks her, body and soul: Tarik, a larger-than-life figure who has been chosen to save his Middle Eastern homeland from the forces that would destroy it.

Yet Clare and Tarik's love is shadowed by treachery and deceit powerful enough to destroy their dreams. Though violence and betrayal drive them apart, they remain indomitable in their spirit, their goals, and their fierce, unbreakable wills-separated but never apart, following their chosen path to a fate greater than their hearts can imagine....

From the glittery opulence of Georgetown to the sultry desert sands and purple valleys of Arabia, one magnificent woman pursues her destiny in this breathtakingly sensual novel of passion, suspense, and the love of a lifetime.