Gavril of Aquina

When the king becomes the pauper, a spirited shop-keeper is his only hope at reclaiming his throne. But the longer he spends with her, the more he wishes that kings could marry for love and that commoners could fall for royalty.

Gavril Khalon used to have it all. He was a king with subjects that loved him, spent his nights on lavish parties, and had any woman he wanted. But a brutal betrayal stripped him of everything, including his freedom and magic, and left him to suffer. He may have escaped captivity, but his magic and his heart are locked away forever. Now he wanders the streets of Aquina, fighting for scraps and sweeping the streets, a shell of what he used to be. Even if he could regain his throne, he knows he doesn't deserve it.

If the palace guards ever discover that Shyla de Aven escaped the new king's harem, she would be imprisoned - or worse. Determined to keep her head down and survive, she's made a new life for herself as a shopkeeper, blending into a marketplace overflowing with other vendors. When a wounded stranger falls into her arms, she never expects to find the former king under all that dirt and blood. Even more shocking is the desire he evokes in her, feelings she thought long dead.

Shyla knows she must help Gavril regain his magic and his throne, even if the stubborn man fights her the whole way. He's the only one who can rightfully take the throne and save his people from Aquina's tyrannical new king who is grinding the people under his heel.. Somehow, she has to make Gavril see that the pauper beneath the dirt is more worthy to rule than all the kings that came before, that he's the best thing to ever happen to Aquina - and to her. But when the time comes, Shyla knows she will let him go. Kings don't marry for love and they certainly don't marry commoners like her.

A sweet and steamy tale with a wounded king, a strong, determined woman, and the magic of true love. Contains a very happy ending with no cliff hangers.