Reader's Edyn: Blitz: The Marriage Game by Sara Desai + GIVEAWAY

**The Marriage Game by Sara Desai**

Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today! Today I have another new-to-me author to share with you! She is here to tell us more about her latest book! Please allow me to feature on the blog Sara Desai and her latest release, THE MARRIAGE GAME ….

**SARA DESAI**

**BIO**

Sara Desai has been a lawyer, radio DJ, marathon runner, historian, bouncer and librarian. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband, kids and an assortment of forest creatures who think they are pets. Sara writes sexy romantic comedy and contemporary romance with a multicultural twist. When not laughing at her own jokes, Sara can be found eating nachos.

To find out more about Ms. Desai, please visit:

**THE MARRIAGE GAME**

Publication date: June 9^th, 2020
Genres: Romance, Adult, Comedy, Contemporary

**BLURB**

One of Oprah Magazine’s Most Anticipated Romances of 2020

A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

**EXCERPT**

“You’re sitting at my desk.” She put the pot on the reception desk and folded her arms.

Sam shuffled his papers, spreading them across the polished wood surface for no reason other than to keep his gaze off her distractingly perfect breasts. “I didn’t see your name on it.”

“Just look at your lease. You’ll see it written across the top, or can’t you read big words like Patel?”

“I don’t recall seeing any identification,” he countered. “For all I know, you could have just walked in off the street. You’re certainly not dressed like you’re running a business.”

Eyes blazing, she glared. “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

“An apron and a pink tracksuit with Juicy written across the ass are hardly serious business attire and they certainly don’t scream swipe right on desi Tinder.”

Sam didn’t know if there was such a thing as Tinder for people of South Asian descent living abroad, but if it did exist, he and Layla would definitely not have been a match.

Layla gave a growl of frustration. “You may be surprised to hear that I don’t live my life seeking male approval. I’m just getting over a breakup so I’m a little bit fragile. Last night, I went out with Daisy and drank too much, smoked something I thought was a cigarette, danced on a speaker, and fell onto some loser named Jimbo, whose girlfriend just happened to be an MMA fighter and didn’t like to see me sprawled on top of her man. We had a minor physical altercation and I was kicked out of the bar. Then I got dumped on the street by my Uber driver because I threw up in his cab. So today, I just couldn’t manage office wear. It’s called self-care, and we all need it sometimes. Danny certainly didn’t mind.” Danny certainly didn't mind."

"Who's Danny?" The question came out before he could stop it.

"Someone who appreciates all I've got going here…" She ran a hand in and out of her generous curves. "… and isn't hung up on trivial things like clothes." She tugged off the apron and folded it on the crock-pot.

"I'm not hung up on clothes either," Sam teased. "When I'm with a woman I prefer her to have no clothes at all."

"You're disgusting." Layla grabbed her crock-pot and donuts and marched into the small kitchen at the back of the office.

Sam heard cupboards bang. Cutlery clatter. Angry mutters and a huff. A few minutes later Layla marched back out with a bowl of dal in one hand and two donuts circling her finger like rings.

Only when she sat down and proceeded to eat one of the donuts off her finger did he realize he hadn't done any work since she walked in.

"Donuts and dal are not two foods that naturally go together," he pointed out.

Layla took a giant bite and licked her lips. "Do you not have work to do? Or are you just going to sit there and look pretty?"

"What are you going to do with Hassan?" Sam asked quietly.

"Send him away, of course. I'm not looking for a husband." Layla handed him the mug and he added milk and sugar.

"I feel bad, though," she continued. "My dad was just trying to help, and he clearly got Hassan's hopes up. I thought it would be polite to spend a few minutes getting to know him so he doesn't feel that I dismissed him out of hand."

"But you intend to dismiss him out of hand in any event, so why prolong the agony?"

"Because . . ." She poured herself a cup of chai. "I can't help but wonder. What if he's the one? Sometimes I think my dad knows me better than I know myself. What if he found the perfect guy for me and I kicked him out the door?"

Sam snorted a laugh. "You think Hassan Khan is your perfect guy?"

As if on cue, Hassan slurped his tea so loudly the sound echoed through the room.

Layla grimaced. "I think it's unlikely, but I need to make sure."

Hassan handed Sam a copy of his marriage resume when they returned to the table. With a loud huff of annoyance, Layla snatched the document from Sam's hand.

"Tell me a little about yourself, Hassan," she said.

"I’m thirty-five and came to America from Andhra Pradesh to further my education. I am an engineer and will be studying for my MBA. Full disclosure: I am GUC."

Sam frowned. "GUC?"

"Good used condition." Layla dipped her head to hide her smile. "You obviously don't spend much time on Craigslist."

"How is that you are 'used'?" Sam asked.

"I’ve been in several relationships that didn't work out.” Hassan shook his head. “They only wanted me for my body."

Sam frowned. With his large belly, rounded shoulders, excessive hair and unfortunate choice of clothing, Hassan wasn't the kind of man women usually found attractive, but there was no accounting for taste.

"I hear you," Sam said, nodding in sympathy. "I have the same problem."

Layla snorted. Droplets of chai sprayed out of her nose and across the table, hitting Hassan in the eye. Like a champ, he wiped his face with his sleeve and smiled like nothing had happened.

"Anything else we should know?" Sam asked, intrigued by the story, and Layla's unladylike response.

"My hobbies include extreme pogo."

"Watch your language," Sam barked. "There is a sort-of lady present."

"Sort-of lady?" Layla narrowed her gaze. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It's a sport," Hassan said. "It involves riding and performing tricks on a special extreme pogo stick that can jump over ten feet in height."

Sam felt a curious sensation bubble up in his chest. "You bounce around on a giant pogo stick that goes ten feet in the air."

"Yes." Hassan pulled out his phone and navigated to a video. "Here I am."

Something inside Sam threatened to burst as he watched ungainly Hassan bouncing through the air in the middle of a field. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he fought to master the unfamiliar emotion. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Don't laugh." Layla hissed under her breath.

Laughter. He remembered it now. It had been a long time.

Layla dropped her hand under the table and dug her nails into his thigh. Almost instantly, the uncontrollable sensation was replaced by another —this one familiar and likely to become problematic if he didn't get her hand off his lap.

"That's…" Layla cleared her throat. "Amazing, Hassan. Is there anything else we should know about you?"

"I am veg."

Sam waited for Hassan to elaborate, but he sat in stony silence.

"I'm actually not a vegetarian." Layla's words tumbled over each other like she'd forgotten how to use her tongue. "I like meat. Love it, in fact. I have meat every day. I pretty much grew up in my parents' restaurant and they serve meat. Which I like eating. Lamb, chicken, beef…"

"I think she's trying to say she's carnivorous," Sam said, biting back his laughter. "Don't make any sudden moves or she might think you're prey."

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