January 4th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, D-F, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Historical Romance, India, Queen or Princess
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Her Every Pleasure is the third book in the Spice trilogy about three siblings, British citizens, who have grown up in India. It is a story of duty, honor and destiny which would seem predictable for a romance novel; but add an ambitious Sheik and ruthless Janissaries bent on conquering Europe and converting it to Islam, and it becomes much more interesting.
Gabriel Knight has retired from the Regulars and withdrawn from life while recuperating from an arrow in the abdomen as well as the horrors of war. Having had an after death experience, he believes that he has a destiny to fulfill. At six feet, four inches tall and heavily muscled, he is the epitome of tall dark and handsome. A warrior and leader of men he must learn to follow before fulfilling his destiny.
Princess Sophia has been attacked on the road to London and has fled to hide in a barn on what she supposes is an abandoned farm. She intends to masquerade as a servant while waiting to be rescued by her security team. Over the years, one by one, her entire family has been assassinated until she is the last in line to rule the Greek island kingdom of Kavros. She has been taught to defend herself by her head of security and will kill when necessary. When Gabriel finds her asleep, he assumes that she is a gypsy with loose morals that his brother sent to ‘take care of his needs'. They are strongly attracted to each other but each resist because of duty, honor and destiny, not understanding that those are the very reasons that they should be together.
Her Every Pleasure is told with vivid visual descriptions and a tightly constructed plot. The characters are fully developed and sympathetic. Although the characters and events are entirely fictional, the story is told with historical realism. Galen Foley is always a good read.
3.5 Stars
Buy: Her Every Pleasure
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Originally posted 2008-12-03 15:12:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 4th, 2009 — 3 Stars, Arabia/Middle East, Book Review, Category, Contemporary, Gambling, Interracial, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, M-O, Racing, Rogues and Rakehells, Sheik/Desert
My only complaint is that this novel isn’t longer! I feel like this was a good start and now the author should flush it out with more details, more scenes, more, more, more. The ending was much too rushed to wrap everything up to my satisfaction. I felt like I read half a book only to get about four paragraphs of the ending. I feel very deprived. Pout.
This story is very chaste, no sex and only a few passionate kisses. The build up was there and could have developed further. I did enjoy the line about her response to him making a mockery of her modesty.
Pollyanna (Polly) has devoted her energies into Shelton, the historic seat and castle of the ducal Missenden family. Polly’s mother, had been the family’s housekeeper for years and married into the Missendens, but Richard’s offspring do not approve. Anthony the heir puts up the most fight and subsequently Polly has never felt she belonged. She does not have any rights on the castle that has always been her home and Anthony would just as soon be rid of her and the castle. (He gambles and the money would help him pay his debts.)
It’s time for a change. Joining her friend Minty’s documentary production crew Polly is off to Amrah, the Arbian kingdom her great-grandmother fell in love with (at a price.) Polly is also instantly drawn to Amrah’s playboy sheik, Rashid.
For his part, Rashid wants to keep a close eye on Polly. He’s determined to find out if she knew and was behind her stepbrother’s plot to swindle him on a thoroughbred horse. Of course his intentions and attentions get muddled as his motivation changes from revenge to lust.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2009-01-20 05:21:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 3rd, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, Arabia/Middle East, Australia/New Zealand, Book Review, Category, Contemporary, Foster/Orphan, Interracial, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Mistaken Identity, Pregnant, Sheik/Desert, V-Z, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
This book was made out of 3 parts awesome.
Maggie’s mother ran off with her younger sister when Maggie was eight leaving Maggie in the care of her father. He was pretty awful and basically treated Maggie like the son he wished he had forcing Maggie to put all of her time and savings into his farm which basically was throwing it away. Now her father’s dead, but her upbringing has left her with some emotional scars. It doesn’t help to find out the man she thought she loved was screwing with the curvier and more feminine wife of another man.
She meets the hero in the midst of a rainstorm where he rescues her from her sad and sorry state. Concerned, Khalid watches as shock and possibly hypothermia takes over her system. He’s also furious thinking that her tragic state is due to a man hurting her sexually/physically. She denies that she was hurt – which is true at least in the ways that Khalid was mentally coming to a boil over. Her scars are far more mental. Now more than ever before Maggie is feeling inadequate. She’s not nearly feminine enough or enticing enough to attract a man, let alone capable of stirring love in the breast of anyone.
That night she seeks comfort in Khalid’s arms. He hesitates, mentally castrating himself over his undeniable need for this fragile female, because he doesn’t want to take advantage of the situation. Maggie notices the hesitation and it confirms her current muddled thoughts about all the ways in which she is lacking. She presses on and Khalid gives in making love to her.
He wakes to find her gone and his half-brother dead, making him Sheik. Unable to track down the elusive Maggie he heads back home to his country. When he finagles things so that Maggie comes to his country, an incident with a terrified horse almost immediately occurs. This of course leads to some medical tests and surprise, surprise, despite preventative measures Maggie is pregnant. Khalid reveals his identity and proposes marriage.
Will Maggie accept and if she does can she handle being a royal wife with a man who wants her body but not her heart? Will Khalid’s frozen heart melt in the heat of their shared passion? Can a marriage last when it was made purely for the convenience of raising a child?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy on eHarlequin: The Desert King's Pregnant Bride
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Originally posted 2009-01-25 05:47:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 28th, 2009 — 1 Star, Arabia/Middle East, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Category, Comedy of Manners, Contemporary, Great Britain, Interracial, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Mistaken Identity, Sheik/Desert, V-Z
How can I put this lightly? The novel was crap. How terrible? Really terrible. I could break down the awful for you (warning this is the whole plot and is full of spoilers):
Heroine to self: My brother is in prison and only the Sheik can help.
Hero to self: Next time my baby half-brother is getting his own wife.
Heroine and Hero lock eyes – every sane thought drops from head.
Heroine to self: I’m so hot and bothered.
Heroine aloud: You can’t do this to Andy!
Hero to self: I’m so hot and bothered. That apron is hot. She must be maid and lover to Andrew – so jealous.
Hero aloud: I can do what I want!
Insert massive make-out scene that gets interrupted by father.
Hero aloud: Meet me at my hotel at eight.
Later at hotel Hero and Heroine getting it on and right before anything good happens…
Heroine aloud: More!
Hero aloud: We have all night!
Heroine aloud: And for the rest of our married lives.
Hero freezes. All action stops.
Hero aloud: WTF?
Heroine aloud: But- but you told my father you wanted to marry me – that by marrying you, my brother would go free.
Heroine to self: Marrying you would be no hardship… meow.
Hero aloud: No I didn’t. My stupid moronic half-brother who’s going to be dumb enough to fly his helicopter into the sea in three chapters is going to marry you. I am the Sheik of the neighboring country and you’re a gold digging witch.
Which boils down to the Hero kidnapping Heroine upon arrival into his brother’s country for her ‘protection’ that then leads to the half-brother is dead news and of course this leads to the Hero saying, ‘Same deal. Marry me instead.’ Poor Heroine is confused but the sex clears her head and they decide to get married until she can’t go through with it unless he loves her (I totally thought it was going to be the whole I can’t have babies, because another neighboring sheik/wife couple showed up and the wife was pregnant). Hero tells Heroine he loves her. Heroine is happy, repeats the same sentiments. The end.
Honestly? Why are stories with Harlequin such a crap-shoot? Most times they’re just meh… average. Sometimes you get lucky and they’re great. However you’ll stumble upon one of these and are like WTF? Why am I still reading this BS? How did this get published?
Rating: 1 Star
Originally posted 2009-01-26 05:12:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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August 11th, 2009 — About, Poll
Who is the ultimate hero in your books?
- Bad Boy Hero:
The Bad Boy hero is in a league of his own. More heroines and readers/viewers have fallen for the Bad Boy than any other hero. He is the ultimate rebel: mysterious, seemingly indifferent, and hard to get. He starts off behaving badly and unrepentant. His inner good is revealed however by the end of the novel due to actions of the heroine or circumstances that force the Bad Boy to become the knight in shining armor.
- Alpha Hero:
Oh the Alpha Hero… how we love to hate and adore him. The innate leader in any situation, all look up to him and want to be him. He’s cool, confident, steady, strong, and sure. His ultimate role, I’ve noticed, is to take care of the heroine.
- Brooding Hero:
Our poor tortured lonely Brooding Hero, how we love to torment him! Aloof, angry, wounded, and ultimately one of the most vulnerable heroes out there, the Brooding Hero has captured the most hearts in very recent history with Angel and Edward Cullen. (The Brooding Hero is a perfect foil for the Paranormal Hero.)
- Rogue Hero:
The Rogue, who by any other time period outside of Regency, is a promiscuous cad in need of a physical. Utterly charming, completely dashing, and carelessly carefree about life and love, the Rogue is ready to live life to the fullest. Commitment is not a word in his vocabulary until the heroine sweeps into his sphere of influence.
- Nerd Hero:
Another name for the Nerd Hero is the Beta Hero. He’s kind, sweet, and decent. He’s the best friend or the slightly awkward gentleman. The Nerd Hero almost always meets his full potential because of the heroine. He rises to the occasion… in more ways than one!
- Tycoon Hero:
This hero type literally litters Harlequin presents. He can be a millionaire, billionaire, prince, sheik, or wealthy boss. Ninety percent of the time the Tycoon starts out isolated and jaded in the novel only to wind up happy and easygoing by the end.
- Protector Hero:
The Protector Hero comes in many disguises and professions, most are obvious, but some not so much. You can find him playing the role of a cop, firefighter, spy, detective, bodyguard, part of the military, etc. The plot behind many Protector Hero stories involves a mystery where he almost loses the heroine while trying to save her.
- Daredevil Hero:
Pirates and superheroes compose the majority of the Daredevil Heroes. They love action, they love fights, and they love thrills. Give them a damsel in distress and they’re all over that like white on rice.
- Warrior Hero:
The Warrior Hero, funnily enough is a very reluctant hero. He thinks himself above it all. His mission in life is to fight and protect his home, his country, and his men. Then a woman gets thrown into the mix all kinds of chaos and havoc ensure and he fights it every step of the way only to get conquered by the heroine.
- Paranormal Hero:
Oh yes, the Paranormal Hero, when a normal man just won’t cut it the Paranormal Hero steps in prepared to win hearts and steal our very souls. He oozes sex with his otherworldly good looks and quickens our imagination with images of the extraordinary. Call him a vampire, a wizard, a lycanthrope, or any other kind of superhuman being it’s all the same to him.
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April 22nd, 2009 — Arabia/Middle East, Defining the Genre, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Sheik/Desert
There are many fictional desert kingdoms in Sheik romance. In these desert romances the handsome and enigmatic sheik or prince finds love with the white woman for her sass and zeal of life. She is usually American or English. Powerful and very masculine he domineers her despite her Western background.
Did you know the term bodice-ripper comes from Sheik romance?
The very first Sheik romance/s contained a rape scene. In an article published in 2006 by the Chicago Tribune, staff writer Patrick T. Reardon, writes, “this pattern of kidnap-rape-love, rooted in a pre-1980s cultural belief that unmarried women shouldn't go looking for sex, involved ‘forcing pleasure on women.’ For their own good, apparently.” Of course in these rape fantasies the heroine never truly suffers or afterwards is traumatized. The experience is a passionate one on both ends and eventually ends in love.
Interesting Fact: The Biblical Dinah was raped – or not – and when Shechem asked for her hand in marriage, he was told only if he and all his compatriots were circumcised. While they were recovering, Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed them all. To take a woman, then ask for her hand, was one way to ensure you could marry her, especially if the two of you were interested in each other, and the match might not otherwise be received. (Gen: 30-34).
The Sheik:
In desert romances, the male lead is darkly exotic with dark eyes, handsome features, and tawny sun-kissed bronze skin. He’s been educated at Harvard or Oxford and has learned to tolerate or prefer Western culture, ingenuity, and technology. Almost always, he is forward thinking and Westernized to some degree.
Possible Plots:
Some themes in Sheik romance include marriages of convenience, kidnapping, and rescues, similar to Highlander romance.
The Lure Behind the Desert/Harem Fantasy:
Sheik romance like Paranormal romance has risen in the last few years. In an age where chivalrous princes are nearly nonexistent, Sheik romance offers a modern prince to romance readers. He's a little bit wild, more than a little dangerous, but very much in love with his heroine. Combine this irresistible masculine force with the exotic and (most times fantastical and fictional) lands of Africa, the Middle East, and the East and it's magic in the making.
Difference between a Sheik and a Sultan:
Abstractly, the word sultan means strength and authority. A sultan is like a king. Some basic research shows that lands under or previously held under sultan rule could be found anywhere in the East or Middle East.
Lands held by a sheikdom are usually solely Arabic. A sheik in Arabic means "elder" and refers to the elder in a tribe or lord of a tribe. Also it can be in reference to Islamic study and is a title earned upon completion of studies. But in desert romances the title is used as the official title of the Bedouin tribe leader and for nobility.
*You can also spell Sheik with an ‘h’ as in Sheikh romance or sheikhdom.
Originally posted 2008-07-30 05:26:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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