The Life She Left Behind

The Santina Crown #0.5

by Maisey Yates

The Santina Crown… Royalty has never been so scandalous!

Heiress Angelina Carpenter traded in diamonds for denim–and the freedom to make her own choices–when she fled from her arranged marriage to Sheikh Taj Ahmad. Now working as a nanny for the royal family of Santina, Angelina can’t help but risk a glimpse at the glamorous life she left behind during a lavish party…and runs straight into Taj! And this time, the ruthless sheikh has no intention of letting his runaway bride get away…

A prequel novella to The Santina Crown series.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Harlequin Presents, Ebooks

74 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Reviews

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it can be quite illuminating when you read the reviews for a book you've already finished reading. Especially the ones who give poor reviews. I can't help but wonder what they were expecting. Too short...yes it's a novella. Not enough character development...did I mention it was a novella? Too many tropes. Tropes...I thought that was to do with you know, a play on words, but now I find it is a sort of upmarket cliche. So there were cliche's in the story. Can you say series romance really really slowly. (Ok I'm giggling here. This is so much fun.) But seriously guys what were you expecting. This is a prequel for a gaggle of series romance stories. Cliche's will inevitably abound. But I happen to like cliche's when they are attached to a rather cute love story with a hot guy and a quirky heroine with a bit of personality. In fact I read this stuff because I like to know what I'm getting. Sure I'll give points for originality of plot lines or a nice varigation on the theme but a short story or novella doesn't leave a lot of room for playing. I want my men hot and my heroine's lovable and I like to know that whatever twists and turns I'm guaranteed a Happily Ever After. Now that's the biggest cliche of them all. And in case you are wondering, yes I love this story, every darned cliche/trope just made it the ideal comfort read. Almost as good as chocolate, but not quite, which is why it only got four stars.

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm a short and sweet average book with a smitten H who hasn't quite understood his level of smittenness and an in love h who walked away from him and her rich daddy because money ain't all that she wants to be loved.

These 2 are sweet they had a cute romance that just involved a night of kissing and it's ruined him for all other women, he is just clueless as to why.

They meet up 3 years later when she's a nanny for a princess (who has a child out of wedlock) and hop into bed together resulting in pregnancy, because as far more experienced reviewers than myself state in the HP rule book, If virgins have sex outside of the marriage bed then they are gonna end up with a bun in the oven. You think she would have learnt from her employer and used
protection but nope! She'd done a flit on him during the night and left him to do a walk of shame through a palace - which he has no shame about - but it makes a change.

Anyway she has to get in touch with him to tell him her news and he jumps at the opportunity to get her back - all without love avowals. Of course the lack of communication means everything goes Pete Tong and the royal wedding is off until they both admit their love on the wedding day that wasn't.

Still - hope we see them again in the series with babies!

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maisey Yates cannot write a bad book in my opinion. Even with this novella which is a kind of prequel to the Santina Crown series and obviously written within a brief - she makes this an enjoyable read. It is nowhere near as good as other books she's written but it certainly is not bad. I truly do not understand those 1 star reviews! I know we can't all like the same stuff but I've read some absolute tosh in my time which I might give 1 star to on here (since I have never worked out how to do a zero or minus ranking), but Maisey Yates writing is so superior that it would never cross my mind just to give her one star. Still, chacun à son goût!!

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am writing this excusing a lot of issues because of the "novella" length. Honestly, it shouldn't have been because there was a ton of things missing from the story that a reader wants to read and needs to know in order for the book to really click. Examples: Character development (the story is pretty shallow without understanding the players), plot development (there was a beginning, a middle and an ending... that's all you need, right?), and a good climax (and not the sexual kind, either!). I'm going to write all of that off with the understanding that it's a short story that's been extended a bit to stand by itself in a book. It was also free thanks to B&N's Free Fridays. I can't complain too much about things with that in mind.

However, what drove me the most insane was the "I'm changing for you" aspect of the ending. Don't get me wrong, I love a good love story, but if you change the man you fell in love with, then he's not the man you fell in love with, anymore. In this case, Angelina is expecting a man who RUNS A COUNTRY to suddenly act differently because his American sweetheart doesn't agree with the way things are. I was gagging all the way through the end of the book because of Taj's "I can't live without you and I'm willing to change everything about how my country views women to prove it," profession. Whatever happened to a compromise? That point lost the realism for me and turned what could've been a decent story into more of "what women think they want to hear" dream. If that's what you expect from a man, I really hope you're okay with being the crazy cat lady down the street...

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed I read this. I mean, just look at the cover. But it was a free kobo book and I've never read a Harlequin romance before, so, yeah. I used to see people borrow them by the stacks when I worked at the library so clearly many people like these - how bad could it be, right? Uh, bad. So, so bad. Now I don`t know what to do with the rest of the free Harlequins I downloaded from Kobo. Part of me says, read them, they were free. But, then I would have to come on here and complain about them all.

[Kathryn Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a freebie it goes up in value for me when there is no cliffhanger and it hasn't got one so yay.
It is well written short novella, which means a quick read. You are not going to get earth shattering depths to the story but it did keep me entertained. More of a story than a sex scene so another bonus for me. Predictable yes but sometimes that's all you have time for so another bonus for me today. It's a good enough love story for me. Worth the read if you want that comfort reading material.

[L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was abrupt. You've got your patented Harlequin heroine who falls in love with a rich and broody man. You've got your sheik who knows how to do the heroine every which way til Sunday but doesn't know how to love. *Blink* Ooh, the story is done.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet!

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novella length. Angelina Carpenter was set to marry Sheikh Taj Ahmad when she realized that she was a bargaining piece in a business merger and that Taj didn't really love her, even though she loved him. So she escaped, abandoned all connections and discovered her independence as a nanny for the Santina family. But she encounters Taj at a party and the attraction takes hold and they wind up in bed. And she ends up pregnant. She does the right thing and tells him, knowing that for the sake of his honor and reputation, she'll have to marry him and give up her independence forever. But in doing so, she'll tie herself to a man she never stopped loving and who claims he'll never be able to love her.

So this was short and moved pretty quickly. It's fairly standard fare for the genre, with the one night stand pregnancy and having to do the marriage of convenience and the hero who believes he's incapable of love or whatever. But what really stood out here was how, all those reactions I always think "should" happen, actually do happen in this story. For example, when the hero sees the heroine for the first time, he asks, "You traded your life, your future, as my queen to be a nanny?" She shoots back with, "No. I traded being your queen for some self-respect." Nice. I also liked how she was able to turn the tables on him, calling their one night together "capitalizing on an opportunity" when all she was to him earlier was an "opportunity." It seems to even out the balance, as I do get so tired of those heroes who always seem to be able to claim superiority over the heroine or who at least get the best of them in verbal arguments (usually because the heroine is so lust-addled that her brain has turned to goo.) Instead, when the hero attempts the seduction routine and the heroine says no, he does the "your body would suggest otherwise" and she comes back with "My body isn't running the show. My mind is." Correct answer Angelina, nice job! No lust-addled goo for brains here. This story was by no means perfect and was still fairly cliche in a lot of ways, but just by virtue of some of these responses from a strong, self-respecting heroine, this earns its stars. Also - major kudos for a hero who managed to stay celibate during a 3 year separation from the heroine! Wow! And he didn't even realize he loved her yet.

[Ronnae Stately · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angelina ran away from home to hide from the man she fell in love with. But somehow he came upon her at another wedding in another country hiding out on a balcony. He chased her down and asked her what happened and she told him she didn’t appreciate being treated like a belonging so she left her life. He asked to spend the night with her she agreed and left without saying goodbye. Months later she gets in touch with him to tell him that she is expecting his baby. He brings her to him and his country and basically tells her what is expected of her but the one thing she’s looking for is his love. Find out if that is achieved or do things not go so well for the Sheikh and Angelina.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eine Geschichte für zwischendurch.
Ich konnte die Protagonistin nicht immer in ihren Entscheidungen verstehen bzw warum sie diese so schnell getroffen hat. Insgesamt hätte das Buch vielleiht etwas mehr Seiten gebraucht.

[Katrina Holder · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more a YA type of thing. Held a promise that wasn't really delivered for an older audience to really enjoy

[Pauline Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written prequel to a series you don't want to miss. You cannot help who your heart falls in love with but the love has to be from both to make a happy life together.

[Vikki Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wooden. Needs an overarching theme.

[Maca_DVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusto mucho el pensamiento de Taj en cuanto al embarazo de Angelina, aunque, ese egoismo de parte de los dos en cuanto a sus sentimientos si me tenia encabritada

[Wendy Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest that while I read a decent amount of romance novels--I'm not incredibly well-versed in Middle East modern culture so I can't really speak to that aspect of other reviews.

As for the story itself, it was a novella--very, very short and meant to just encapsulate moments in a relationship, and I think it did that well--especially for a prequel to a series. The characters obviously came from different cultures and had different expectations for what was entailed in a relationship, but as Raj spent more time with Angelina, he realized what he felt for her was stronger and more real than just the need to dominate and rule.

Is it an accurate portrayal of a Sheikh and an oil-baron's daughter? I have no idea. On the other hand, I didn't look at the cover and expect a documentary based on a harsh reality where perhaps women aren't valued as they should be. If you did, well... you might need to reevaluate your book-choosing paradigm... I'm just sayin. I was looking to escape for a short space of time in a world I don't live in with a romance that might be more of a fantasy. I got it. This was a quick romance with genuine heart and just enough words to make me believe.

My favorite line in it was: "There are simple kisses, Angelina, and then there are the kinds of kisses we shared that night. And they are not the same thing."

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.gotfiction.com/2012/03/lif...

I haven't read a Harlequin since I was in high school, and you know what? They haven't changed all that much, which is kind of comforting.

Taj and Angelina had met a few years back, and fallen in love. Her father was a big time oil magnate who wanted Taj to marry Angelina to cement their business arrangement. Taj sees no problem with this.
Once Angelina realizes that she's being bartered in a business deal, she runs.

After creating her own life as nanny to a young prince, she sees Taj at a party, and she darts out of that room as fast as she can. Taj catches up with her and demands she tell him how becoming a servant was any better than becoming his queen. Angelina says that she can respect herself as a nanny. That was an awesome line.

But circumstances being what they are, they are, of course, thrown back together. Taj convinces Angelina to marry him, and they have to learn how to love each other, and they learn that the path tolove is not always smooth.

This was my first sheik read, and it was nice. I think this novella starts off strong, but I think that a few things happened too quickly for my taste. But it was a pleasant way to pass the evening.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Taj and Angelina father conspired to work out a MOC b/w Taj and Angelina. She knew nothing about it, but she did not want to marry him under those terms even though she was in lust, love, w/ him. Angelina runs in to Taj where she is working as a nanny. He can’t believe she gave up all to be a nanny. Angelina decided self- respect was priceless and she wanted it. Angelina thought Taj had loved her but apparently he loved a merger more. He is honest about what he truly wanted. Angelina thinks perhaps she can play a game w/ their lust and finally achieve what she didn’t get three years ago. Taj seems all for it too. After all he had suffered when she walked. So while she appears harder than she was before he can’t, but does w/ Angelina. She uses him then leaves. Forced to marry and learn that he would have replaced her as his wife pretty easily before, yet he hadn’t. She doesn’t always give in to him easily, but he soon realizes that he does care for her. He soon works out his problems, decides to set her free, but confesses love along the way. It was nice that Taj hadn’t been w/ any other women those three years. He did feel something for her he just didn’t know what it was at the time. It was a nice, short story.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novella, so it's rather short but it's still pretty good. I really like the heroine, Angelina. She's very strong and she left behind a rather luxurious life because she could not stand to be an object to be bartered between her father and the man she loved.

I just love how practical and strong Angelina was. She's very responsible and did not runaway when things got complicated between her and the hero, Taj. This was rather refreshing since most HP heroines tend to run and hide when things get bad - or fall helplessly into the arms of the hero.

Taj is great. He's a romantic, even though he would never admit it in a thousand years. He's not one of those overbearing, somewhat abusive type of heroes. Yes, he's a bit pushy but when he realizes that his actions are possibly hurting Angelina, he backs off. I really like Taj.

It really is too bad this was only a novella. Both the heroine and the hero are really good people who are really in love with one another. I would have loved to get more about their story.

[Lucina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

german review

Für eine Contemporary Novella à la "Groschenroman" gar nicht so schlecht, aber auch überhaupt nicht außergewöhnlich. Purer Durchschnitt. Die Charaktere sind durchschnittlich, die Probleme sind durchschnittlich und die Handlung ist auch durchschnittlich. Ich meine, man nehme eine reiche Erbin und ein reichen Scheich, große Anziehungskräfte, einmal ungeschützen Sex, eine ungewollte Schwangerschaft und eine vermeindlich unglückliche Liebe und schon hat man das Rezept von "The Life She Left Behind". Die Handlung ist vorhersehbar und das Ende ebenso, aber für eine derartige Novella war es gar nicht so übel.

Meiner Meinung kann man "The Life She Left Behind" lesen, man muss es aber nicht.

Es handelt sich übrigens um eine Vorgeschichte zur "Santina Crown"-Reihe, in der verschiedene Autorinnen mitgeschrieben haben.

[Shawna Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read through the book, the style of the writing and the story brought back memories of reading my grandmother's Harlequin romances in the 1970s. I was surprised to see the publication date was 2012. This is a fun & simple romance about an extremely powerful couple - he is a sheikh and she's an oil heiress - who fall for each other for all the wrong reasons. She goes into "hiding" (working as a nanny for a countess!) to avoid being a pawn in her father's and boyfriend's worlds. The two see each other again, the battle ensues, and this time she doesn't run away, but she walks away. Fortunately, for our star-crossed lovers, she has a reason to call him and the two prepare for their final battle of wills. Fun, short read with some wonderful scenes, especially from his point of view.

[Alixendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this was also a pretty typical romance story of two loves seperated and fate throws them together again...it was pretty good!
Angelina and Taj (a Sheikh) were once engaged (by Angelina's father) for the two to merge their money together, since Angelina's family is all Oil money. Angelina had fallen in love with Taj those 3 years ago until she had found out the truth of why he was there. then these 3 years later, they run into each other, have a great night (neither one has been able to forget the other), and in the end up being forced into the marriage that Angelina had run from in the first place...

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read this style Harlequin release since high school and now I remember why. This one was quick and I mean quick. I know it's says novella but don't believe it. Chapter one started on page 4 and the story ended very abruptly on page 52...that makes it what...a mere 48 pages? To me that's a long short story. Then there was an additional 20 pages of excerpts and other things. I have to admit I was annoyed.

Needless to say there isn't much time for character development and just when Taj and Angel are finally communicating and it's wham. One page and suddenly it's over. It's love, roses and they can't live without each other. Grr...

[RomLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Santina Crown… Royalty has never been so scandalous!
Heiress Angelina Carpenter traded in diamonds for denim–and the freedom to make her own choices–when she fled from her arranged marriage to Sheikh Taj Ahmad. Now working as a nanny for the royal family of Santina, Angelina can’t help but risk a glimpse at the glamorous life she left behind during a lavish party…and runs straight into Taj! And this time, the ruthless sheikh has no intention of letting his runaway bride get away…
A prequel novella to The Santina Crown series.

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a contemporary romance that mostly occurs in Europe and a middle-eastern country (perhaps make-believe kingdom?). This is the love story of Angelina Carpenter and Sheikh Taj Ahmad. This is not a Cinderella scenario. Angelina is a rich and educated from a famous Texan Oil family so isn't a powerless submissive lover to the Shiekh.
This was light romantic fare that I quickly read on a short flight between Germany and France. I got this free for kindle.
2 stars

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books)]

Wow, I don't know how to rate this. Maybe 1.5 stars? It was too short to have any depth, and the characters have zero development. It features one of my favorite romance tropes, too, but there just wasn't enough here to satisfy my craving for a convincing reunion story. Maybe I will enjoy the longer books in the series better?

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a novella forces one to accept a back story, you have no knowledge of. As a reader, I have a problem doing that sometimes, even with a full length tome(The Road comes to mind). However, for whatever reason, these two characters clicked with me, maybe it was the lack of subterfuge between them but, it was an enjoyable, albeit short read.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Hate it when the male lead is so completely undesirable that it makes any sexual encounter in the novella seem gross. Perhaps, if the story had been a bit longer, they could have made me like him a little better, but for now, I'm stuck thinking "so what if you're knocked up....find someone else".

[Elizabeth]

It’s rare that I’ll DNF a novella, but I just couldn’t make it past page 25. Why do I bother even trying to read a romance involving a Sheik. They drive me cray-cray on so many levels.
He’s a Muslim, yet he describes her as a petulant child on Christmas. And his insistence that they get married seemed premature. BUT, I’ll stop now There’s a target for these books, but it’s not me.