Prince Hafiz's Only Vice

Royal and Ruthless #8

by Susanna Carr

What a royal wants…  

Prince Hafiz devotes his days to his people and his nights to indulging his desires with his stunning American mistress, Lacey Maxwell. But duty requires him to marry a "suitable" bride. 

In her deepest secret fantasies, Lacey naively hopes to one day wear Hafiz's ring, until her dreams are shattered and he chooses someone else. 

Faced with the reality of a passionless union, Hafiz realizes the years spent with Lacey have done nothing to slake his hunger for her. Instead he's determined to turn his only vice into a virtue for the sake of his country…and each other!

Genres: Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Royalty, Forbidden Love, Contemporary

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Readers throughout the world find Susanna Carr's award-winning contemporary romances a delightful escape that has often helped them through difficult times. Reviewers frequently describe her work as "fun", "sexy" and a "must read".

Susanna Carr lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. When she isn’t writing, Susanna enjoys reading romance and connecting with readers online. Visit her website at susannacarr.com.

Reviews

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry...may contain a couple of spoilers....
Oh, the romantic desert prince………………….

……I think I’ve mentioned before that ……I have “gone off” sheikhs and princes, who live in some small unknown desert country, where most of the people are poor and only sheikhs are rich beyond anything we can imagine……and take on Western gorgeous women as lovers and marry the pure local princess!!!!
So, you may be asking me….why are you reading Prince Hafiz's Only Vice, by Susanna Carr? Isn’t it about just the kind of sheikh you mentioned above???
Truthfully??? I have no idea why I picked this one up and actually read it until the END!!! And…….??
Well, it wasn’t amazing but to be totally honest, it wasn’t bad either.

Okay, I’m gonna try keeping my review as simple and short as possible……………

The poor Prince!! He’s had a lot of so not good things happening in his life….he’s suppose to be the heir to the kingdom he loves and wants to do good for it and its people….but he was a very bad boy in his younger days with a French lover and his father, the king disowned him and warned him to toe the line or else!! Did Hafiz learn anything from that experience? Of course not!!! He can’t help himself when it comes to sexy Western women!! And this time, he goes even further and OTT….he whisks the new paramour off from …was it St Louis? Well, some city in old USA and flies he to his little kingdom, where he keeps her hidden from the entire world, in the apartment he sets up for her!!!!
What, you can’t believe that???? Nor could I!!!

Lacey gave up her budding career as a lounge singer and piano player after meeting Hafiz at the hotel she was playing at, leaves her old life behind and flies off into the sunset…oops…no, flies to Hafiz’s little kingdom, where he’s set her up in a luxurious apartment and visits her for sex…no, no walkies in town, no meeting his family or friends….she’s his sex benefit!!!

But after a year shut away from all and everything….well, she has been kind of busy behind Hafiz’s back…learning Arabic, which is going to be such a surprise to him….. making friends with …no not really the locals…it’s more with embassy people….the surprise is going to something she never expected!!! She reads the latest news in the local English newspaper that Hafiz is going to be married…..no, not to her, Lacey, but some suitable virginal local or some next door kingdom princess!!!

Lacey stared at the engagement announcement. Her mind refused to comprehend the words. "Marry?" she whispered. Her wild gaze flew to Hafiz's harsh face. "You're getting married?"
She waited in agony as he rose to his full height. He looked very tall and intimidating. Almost like a stranger.

Lacey didn't realize she was holding her breath until he answered. "Yes."
The single word sent her universe into a spiral. "I don't…I don't…." She stared at the headline again, but the pain was too raw, too intense.

Yes, not to Lacey….why did she know this? Because the twit named Hafiz had never asked her to marry him…….

Her hands shook as the rage and something close to fear swirled inside her. Fear of losing everything. Pure anger at the thought of Hafiz with another woman. The fury threatened to overpower her. She wanted to scream at the injustice and claw at something. Stake her claim. Hafiz belonged to her.

"You have been with another woman." She couldn't believe it. "All this time, you were with someone else."
Hafiz's eyes narrowed at the accusation. "No. You have been the only woman in my life since I met you in St. Louis a year ago."

She was the only woman, and yet he was going to marry another? "Then how are you…I don't understand."

OMG…..Hafiz…..you'd better have a good answer here……….

He braced his feet a shoulders' width apart and clasped his hands behind his back, preparing for battle. "I met the bride today and she agreed."

Lacey's mouth gaped open. "You just met her?" She snatched the flicker of hope and held on tight. "So, it's an arranged marriage."

Hafiz let out a bark of humorless laughter. "Of course."
"Then, what's the problem?" She moved slowly as she stood. Her arms and legs felt limp and shaky. "Say that you won't get married."

He looked away. "I can't." Regret tinged his voice.

Poor Hafiz and poor Lacey. These two love each other so much but they can’t be together!!!

Can it get any worse for these two ill-fated lovers?? You bet it can!!!!

Hafiz’s parents know about his little secret…..keeping a mistress is not an option if he wants to be reinstated as his country’s next King….that’s what his father promises him!!!! Of course Hafiz is not going to choose his country over the woman he loves beyond love!!!! Wrong…..he chooses country!!!!! She has to understand the reason why? Really!!!!! Tears, more tears…

Right….let me stop right here!!!! Otherwise, you will know the entire story….so if this book sounds interesting…get your own copy and start reading another Arabian adventure!

Surprisingly and unexpectedly a fun and pleasurable read ……oh, just a mention that I do like this author’s writing style!!!

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out hot and then it was sad, then it went a little down hill for me. I loved the h up until he found her in Dubai and then I was a little disappointed in her. Something just wasn't right with the scenes there. I was always disappointed in the H. I understood the honor thing but please then just let the h go. But he wanted his cake and to eat it too. Okay maybe I should have started at the beginning. Prince meets girl, has her move to his kingdom and then locks her in a tower and only sees her at night. The naive h thinks that she is his true love and that she is a girlfriend when she is GASP just a mistress. He is getting married to another woman and he is dumping her. He helps her get out of the country when her visa is mysteriously denied and he is a jerk for most of the book. She goes to Dubai and he finds her there, she thinks he came for her, but he just happened to run into her. Wild crazy monkey love later, she finds out it is just a coincidence and she gets a little wierd there. I don't know why I felt that way but she had said her parents didn't want her, no one wants her and he finds out that she is the one that walked away. It baffled him and me and then it was dropped. I don' even know why I mentioned it but it bugged me, everything in dubai bugged me. Then he says I can't live without you so be my mistress and yes I will consummate my marriage but we can be together too. GROSS. I hated him at that point. he just didn't get it. She leaves and the next scene is him watching the wedding being set up and I am going to leave it there. I left a lot out because sometimes you just need to be surprised. LOL I really ended up liking the book but I did take one star off for the H's stupid mistress stuff at the beginning. That was just awful. I even cried. I would recommend but be warned he did get himself engaged while he was with the h. There was no love, no kissing, nothing with the OW. She is just a prop and you never see her, only hear about her. But that was angsty to me. I had the feels at the end.

[Rgreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Prince Hafiz's Only Vice plot has been done before and much better. While the writing was engaging aspects of the story were too much of a negative for me to continue.

What didn't work- the naive non-virginal heroine dismayed to find out she was just the mistress after half a year. I can only like this scenerio if the heroine was a virgin. I just can't accept this scenerio with a heroine who isn't that. Also the hero never ever indicated he loved her yet she moved to an arab country for him. I can only buy this if the heroine was a naive virgin and this heroine didn't seem that cloistered from the world to me.
Finally, the hero was a beta hero who bowed to the wishes of his family. Not what I like to read in a HP hero. He was a wuss, a wimp and a lapdog.

I've read this plot before and enjoyed it. This one was a fail.

[Marajean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wishy washy flip flopping book.

The hero moved the heroine to an apartment in his home country where he visits her nightly but doesn't actually spend the night.

He thinks she's been spending the last year or however long they've been together living exclusively inside the apartment. Not joking.

So imagine his surprise when he goes to see her and she's not that. She's not there because she went out to buy a paper. She had to go out to buy a paper because her housekeeper and chauffer husband and wife team removed them.

They removed them because in the paper was the announcement of the hero's engagement to another woman.

Alright, so he has to get married to another woman, and when he does he'll be reinstated as crown prince.

Heroine is upset because no one ever puts her first, and she's not worthy.

Hero then goes around thinking the heroine is trying her best to make trouble for him. He accuses her of all sorts of things, not to mention he throws out that she's his mistress among other things.

The heroine starts out upset but quickly jumps to the hero is a great man who does good things and she just loves him sooo much.

The book was long and boring. Honestly I wanted them to not end up together.

The only bright sides of this book were no secret baby, and no everything falling into place for the hero.

But there was never any question that if the hero chose the heroine, she'd be there waiting for him, and that was pretty bad considering how poorly he treated her.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of non-virginal heroines and beta heroes!

[Kace | The Booknerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, well, well. This book was hiding way too long on my reader and never-ending-tbr. Why did it take me so long to read this? It was such a wonderful story that weaves perfectly and is very powerful. I don’t have any words for how beautifully heart-wrenching, emotional roller-coaster it was. I had no idea that this story would capture my attention and my heart. But it did! This book had a little touch of everything and is going to be my favorite Harlequins for sure.

Hafiz and Lacey made this book for me. Not just Hafiz or just Lacey. It was the both of them. I was overcome with the emotion that I felt for their characters. It was rare for me actually to love both of the characters. Usually love the hero more than the heroine or vice versa. But in this book, I equally loved and adored them both.

Hafiz. He’s wonderful, frustrating but wonderful. Sweet, protective, but he also has his jerk moments. But those in no way, shape, or form outweighed his wonderful moments, though. Sure, he’s not perfect, but he’s worth my time and emotions. He is one of the best heroes I’ve read this year and probably the best hero in Harlequin Romancelandia.

As for Lacey, I adored her. At first, I thought she would be one of those whiny, doormat, TSTL heroines which most HP heroines are, but she wasn’t. She had her moments like any other heroines out there, but I ended genuinely liking her. She knows what she wants and is not afraid to say exactly what’s on her mind. And I loved the fact that when Hafiz offered her to be his mistress, she walked away even though she loved him so much and wanted nothing more but to be with him. I respected her for that. I also loved the way she gave Hafiz an ultimatum. She wasn’t afraid to put herself out there, even knowing she could be rejected and hurt.

The chemistry between them was palpable. And I generally enjoyed every second of Hafiz and Lacey. I loved how they both surely worked through the obstacles and came out stronger. The love Hafiz has for her is so profound. She is the most important person in the world for him. He makes some mistakes, but he does fight very hard to become the man he thinks she deserves. Lacey was exactly what Hafiz needed. She was there for him, loving him, supporting him quietly when he needed it, but she could put him in his place when he needed it. They were absolutely perfect for each other and just what the other needed. Just like kismet!

This was my first taste of the author’s writing, but it most certainly won’t last. I can’t wait to read more from her. Overall, Prince Hafiz Only Vice was such a wonderful read. I was genuinely happy for both of them and glad they got their much-deserved HEA. And the epilogue was wonderful and made all the angst worthwhile. That being said, I absolutely loved the roller coaster that this book took me on!

[shms · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually prefer the older harlequins, the more recent publications not quite doing it for me. So with this I thought, 'What's not to like?';
- a hot sheikh, tick
- wants a mistress but doesn't consider h wife material (not quite like but near enough) - tick
- a alpha hero - no! uhm...ok. How about a beta hero,nope....just a little saddo hero. That was the fail, a really big fail. My hero's GOT to be a Hero.

The whole family conflict etc was fine, and some of the cultural aspects were pretty accurate, but sometimes so negatively presented it annoyed me. But really I don't look for accuracy in my series romances. I look for the stuff of fantasy...this wasn't it.

This was difficult reading and because I break out in hives if I dnf, I had to skim read it and even that took too long.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some sympathy for the hero for the type of familial pressure he was under. He truly loved the heroine and was caught in expectations and duty. Personally I prefer a stronger man but at least this one could truly love. He should have been more forthcoming with heroine. I don't think she was naive or that she had to know she was just a mistress. I think they were in a loving relationship, he confided in her and sought her advice, and gazed at her adoringly, and that's why she didn't see herself as a mistress. She felt loved and thought they had a future...that made perfect sense to me. But she was sensitive to cultural differences and thought he was worth waiting for. She was also insecure because of her parents' rejection.
I loved that there was some realism in terms of the cultural depictions.

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

too dumb to live; heroin is a doormat; boring

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

La Eleccion Del Jeque es la novela de Harlequin mas diferente que he leido y llevo años leyendo este tipo de historias por lo que me sorprendi bastante con esta lectura.
No crean que no hay cliches ( porque los hay ) pero la trama no avanzo de una forma tan tipica como suele pasar en esta clase de novelas.
Me es dificil describirla sin dar spoilers, por lo que solo dire que si te gusta leer Harlequin puede que disfrutes esta historia pero si no te gusta este estilo no te lo recomiendo, ya que aunque tiene algunos aspectos diferentes, no deja de ser una lectura corta y sencilla a la que le falta profundidad y un desarrollo mas elavorado.

2 Estrellas!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prince Hafiz's Only Vice by Susanna Carr is a 2014 Harlequin Presents publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lacey becomes involved with Price Hafiz after meeting one another in the states. Now he has brought her to his country so they may continue their affair. However, life for Lacey in too restrictive and she wants to learn the language and culture of Hafiz's home land. However, she is stunned to learn Hafiz plans on getting married... just not to her.
Prince Hafiz embarrassed his family in a big way and as a result was stripped of his birthright. In order to get back his inheritance and his place in line to rule, he will have to give up his playboy days and marry the woman his parents have chosen for him. Desperate to avoid dishonoring his family more than he already has, Hafiz plans to go through with the marriage.

I don't typically chose the Arab or Sheik romances all that often, but on occasion I like to read one for a change of pace. The type of person I am often makes me curious how a writer will manage to pull off this sort of romance since we all know that things in Middle East countries are very different for women. With this one naturally, there were a few glitches. For starters, Hafiz's treatment of Lacey was not all that wonderful to begin with. He abandoned her all day and came home thinking all she had done while he was away was pine for him. Then of course, he intends to marry and thinks nothing of this or how it will affect Lacey. She will be just thrilled pink to maintain her mistress status... right?
Wrong.

From the moment Lacey realizes her prince intends to marry another women, even if it was arranged and he didn't have feelings for his bride, she is in tight spot. For one thing she needs to leave, but there is a problem with getting out of the country. The back and forth banter between Lacey and Hafiz is spirited, funny at times since she one ups him frequently, and his puzzlement of course is priceless. The story also raises the hackles if you are even moderately feminist. Part of the fun though was watching the prince come around to Lacey's way of thinking.

This is a short contemporary read with interesting cultural details and became a very absorbing novel. The characters were well written, and I became emotionally involved in the plot. I was on the fence about it in some ways but really liked it other ways. Remember, even if you are in a relationship just for fun and you think you can keep it on the causal side, like Lacey did, be prepared for the possibility you may really fall in love.. like Lacey. While the book got off to a tiny bit of a slow start, it quickly sped up and I couldn't keep from turning pages to see how everything was going to turn out. The Prince's attitude was hard to take at times and it was hard for me to relate to him, so I spent the majority of the book invested in Lacey's angst and her heartbreak. However, the ending of book makes the emotional rollercoaster worth the ride. This one is a 3.5

[Jared Pechacek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm actually really annoyed, because "disgraced prince will become heir to the throne if he enters a loveless marriage and gives up the woman he truly adores" is a solid premise, like, really solid. The more so because the story starts when they already know each other, so we're watching the potential dissolution of a relationship, which is a far more interesting way to tell a story than yet another meet cute.

There are two main problems, though. The lesser, and easier to address, is that the book is just too short to handle that plot. Huge emotional events are skipped over or condensed into a page. Characters are introduced for momentary tension, but dropped as soon as a scene ends. Swathes of time are ignored, such that I can't tell you how long anything actually lasts. Are there months between chapters? Days? Years? I have no idea. The bones of a good story are here, but they're only bones, and half of them are missing.

The other problem is that this is kiiiind of a racist book. Hafiz is frequently described as primitive—usually in reference to sexual urges, but you can't just apply that adjective to a person of color. The vaguely Middle Eastern setting never rises above stereotype: Carr grants individual characters humanity, like Hafiz's brother who, despite being very "traditional", loves and supports Hafiz; but the country itself is a desert and a mass of faceless foreigners, with no sense of culture or place.
After a certain point, it feels like she, having nothing nice to say, said nothing at all. Or maybe just didn't do any research. I guess I should be grateful it's not worse.

I'm not exactly angry that I read it. It's a surprisingly ambitious premise, but it's squandered. I'd love to see a longer take on it written by someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

[Bubblegum · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was dying to read this book, it was on my to be read pile for a while now, and it was so worth the wait. i give this book five stars. although it was a slightly cliched harlequin novel i enjoyed the plot, angst, and complex characters.

i liked that even though the heroine was the heros mistress, and that 'forever' wasnt promised they both loved each other and it wasnt hidden behind their arrangement, like other mistress romance storylines.

i enjoyed reading about their inner troubles as wel as the relationship problems they faced, and how they over came it together.

it was refreshing to read a harlequin book where the author researched upon Muslims within Arab culture. their norms, gender segregation in ceremonies, and their everyday attire. a somewhat realistic view about the Muslim hero who doesnt swear often, or drink alcohol (minus taking up a mistress).

what i loved about this book was that the author, Susanna Carr, conveyed how the couple shared a true relationship together where they had communication, partnership and respect for one another. although you can say the way the hero treated the heroine at times was not very respectful but i guess that just added to the angst of the romance, and made their HEA more special. as a reader, i felt that reading about that made me connect with the couple and their story more.

this romance was packed with angst, painful pasts, and ultimatums, therefore i rate this lovely book five stars. i will definitely read this again in the future so i the Encore shelf it goes!

Thanks for the great read, Susanna Carr =)

[Katrina Knittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.

This was a great quick read. It was one of those books that once I got into it I couldn't put it down. I really like the characters in the book. Lacey was a great character. This was a good romance if your looking for something easy and quick to read.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacey and Prince Hafiz have been having an affair for the past 6 months. In all this time, Lacey hasn't realized that she's a mistress, a kept woman, and that she and Hafiz don't have a future together. She's been improving herself and doing what she can to make herself into a credible and respectable wife for him, anticipating that someday they would be married. It isn't until she sees the announcement that Prince Hafiz is to marry that Lacey begins to understand what is going on. Hafiz is in a Catch-22 - he loves Lacey desperately and brought her to his country because he couldn't imagine life without her, but he has a chance to be a crown prince and make a difference in the lives of his people. But Lacey gives him the ultimatum, making it clear that he cannot have both. And she wonders whether Hafiz loves her enough to sacrifice it all, something no one has ever done for her before.

Sometimes you read a book and it's just exactly what you needed. That's what this was for me. This was by no means perfect. I mean, I can still now think of how I wanted Lacey to be angrier at the fact that Hafiz had basically deceived her, forcing her to be a mistress without her knowledge and how frustrated I was with Lacey that she didn't see what was happening while it was going on. But this story put me through the emotional wringer and I loved the experience. Despite Hafiz's pretty shitty treatment of Lacey, it is absolutely clear that he loves her and wants to be with her. He WANTS to do the right thing. But he also that he resents how weak he is when it comes to her...so much so that he doesn't have the strength to just walk away and leave her to get on with her life. As a result, his love feels kind of selfish in the beginning, but it does change and he does find the strength to do what is right. And Hafiz is in a pretty tough situation, with the family pressure forcing him to sacrifice the thing he loves most.

Lacey also grows throughout this book. She begins to realize that she has fallen into the pattern of molding herself into the "ideal" woman again, rather than insisting that the other person love her for who she is. Once she realizes this and that she's not willing to play second fiddle, she really gets her confidence on. She makes it absolutely clear that Hafiz either wants her or to be prince, but that she will be his wife or nothing at all to him. And I gotta admit, doing this to royalty, is pretty ballsy. I think what worked for me so well here is that the couple is established at the beginning and are already in love - it comes down to what each of them will do to hold on to that love and what they will sacrifice. These two have some downright angsty moments as they realize their affair is over and they'll never see each other again (until they do a month later) and it was exactly what I was looking for at the time. I did have a moment where I thought the heroine would find herself pregnant and THAT is what would bring the hero back in to her life, but I am SO glad he had to make the decision for HER (I hate it when authors have heroes coming back because of a pregnancy...makes you wonder if the hero would ever come back otherwise). So in the end, this was a lovely emotional rollercoaster.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright but it was just the same two characters having the same conversation 4 or 5 different times. I liked the heroine who really went out of her way to learn about the hero's culture and country. The hero accused her of crazy things when there was no suspicion before. I'd say it was too repetitive overall.

[The Dragon Den Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got introduced to the romance world reading the graphic novel of this book and went into the actual book itself eventually. I was originally just into young adult and popular fictional reads, but this was an opening to a door that has now led me to the romance reader I am.

[UberApril · Rating 2 out of 5]

ohman...these two are too much for me!! I..I.. ugh. Due to my own rating system I'm forced to give this 2 stars even though I wanted to rate it at one since I finished the damn book.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

not too found. Do not care for the whole hiding the mistress thing too demeaning .

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is amazing that the h left her life and moved across the globe for a man she really did not know. Everything that followed was predictable except that the H did finally chose the h and their HEA.

[Islenia Jáquez]

No merece ningún punto. Fue una completa pérdida de tiempo!!!

[Karen Geurts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story. Lacey is a good character and Hafiz is caught between loving her and obligations of being a Prince. Interesting storyline and a good finish.

[Nubeluz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it a bit boring

[KyBunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at Bunny's Review


The best part about fiction is when an author creates a new country, culture or language. With Prince Hafiz’s Only Vice a new country was created, a country that was once lacking in most modern amenities, a country on the rise in wealth and power.

Everyone has a vice, whether it is soda, cigarettes, or coffee, whatever, we all have something that we need to keep us going. For Hafiz that vice is a woman who is forbidden to him by his culture and pass mistakes. For most people meeting someone that want, need and cannot live without would be soul mates connecting. For Hafiz meeting his soul mate was a crushing blow. A woman that knew nothing about his culture, rules, even the language, a woman that was forbidden to him by everything he holds dear. What is a man suppose to do except have her as his mistress. Oh he did not come right out and state those exact words, he beat around the bush with what he wanted and lead Lacey to believe she was getting everything she wanted.

Throughout the story I kept thinking that Hafiz was a low-down, no-good user of females. He refused to give or tell Lacey what she wanted or needed. I honestly did not think Hafiz would redeem himself. Will he realize that there is something more important than abiding his father?

If this story was written 10 years ago I would quickly share it with my great-grandmother. She loved Harlequin books. Now I read them in honor of her memory. I know she would of loved this story. This one is for you Grandma Mabel. Love and Miss You!

This was a nice fun, fast read. The bunnies and I give this book carrots.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own and do not reflect those of the author, my clients or tour companies I work with. This is not a paid review. To form your own opinion please support the author and acquire your own legal copy of the book.

[Jess O. (From Jess to You) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"3 out of 5 stars, a man struggles to deal with his two worlds. Feeling like he has no hope in bringing those worlds together he is forced to give up one of them, either the only woman he’s ever loved or the life he’s built for himself and the country he hopes to help prosper.

In truth, this novel was a struggle to get through, mostly, because both Hafiz and Lacey make their situation sound so bleak even though I understood where each of them were coming from. It would be easy to have stopped reading this novel as soon as things went down hill between them and not have liked Hafiz because of his attitude about keeping Lacey only as his mistress. Yet if you don’t stick with it you’ll never get to read the sweet redemption scenes that each of them have or find out that even though Hafiz didn’t like his own decisions he thought they were the only options he had at the time. I liked how this novel was able to redeem it’s characters enough that I was able to root for their relationship, hope for something more/better for them, and not completely hate them for being dumb while everything was going on."

Read more of this review, an interview, a teaser, and an excerpt here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-tour-made-grade-prince-hafizs-only.html

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm thrilled to say I have finally had a Harlequin book heroine redeem herself. I had become so frustrated with the weak way the women had been written and the just plan harsh mean men I hardly bought them anymore. I started calling the books "Doormats Are Us". I am back in the fold again. I had read reviews calling our hero Hafiz's a liar and others names. Saying he was that way through the book but I didn't see it that way. At the beginning I saw him as heartless and with no understanding for anyone but himself but saw him grow throughout the book.

We have a man who is a Prince and has of an old world country. He has made many mistakes in his life. His parents are hard and unforgiving. After years of trying to redeem himself he meets and falls in love with Lacey. She's a lounge singer in America. A woman his family would not approve. He brings Lacey to his country without telling her there isn't a chance for them ever to marry that she can only be a mistress. He cannot lose his birthright again and his parents arrange a marriage for him. It's a heartbreaking story at times. Lacey is a strong young woman with insecurities from lack of family caring and is doing everything she can to fit in for Hafiz but is starting to wonder why she is being kept in hiding. Then she stumbles onto the heartbreaking secret he has kept from her. Then our story begins. I really liked it.

[Sarah Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susanna Carr has done it again. This book was as captivating as her others and I enjoyed every moment of it. While I did not like that the main character had such a negative pattern of relationships, possibly the most devastating being the disasterous relationship with Hafiz, it made for an interesting plot. The main character Lacey falls in love with a Middle Eastern prince and leaves her entire life behind to follow him back to his sultanate to live as his mistress. Her dream is to move onto a more serious relationship with Hafiz, but soon finds that he is to enter into an arranged marriage with another woman. They fight to figure out what this means for their relationship as Lacey is left facing the similarities between this situation and the one with her parents years before. The book is intriguing and you are never quite sure what will happen next for the two of them. I would recommend this to anyone interested in romance novels that are out of the ordinary.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I started this book I couldn't help but think I had read it before. It was a concept I had read before but the idea that the female lead didn't have a clue for an entire year was hard to swallow.

For a year she lead a separate life from the Prince only spending time with him at night and even then he didn't stay. She didn't once think this arrangement wasn't leading to marriage? I find that unbelievable.

I think the rest of the story was poorly developed, there is a lot of telling that the prince had an undesirable past and that he was trying to overcome it but very little character involvement in that narrative.

I was given this book as part of a first-reads giveaway. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a fan of Harlequin stories. They are always so well written and transport you to exotic locales, give you some hot and steamy romance, and make you fall in love. This was a pretty good story. I liked the depth of Lacey and felt I could really connect with her. My heart was broken each time the Prince left her. I felt that what she was going through was quite true to being heartbroken by someone that you think you love, along with her willingness to go back to him, despite how he broke her heart. I was crying when he indicated he was leaving for good. I love getting to look at other cultures and learning about their customs, and seeing Lacey try to adapt to their ways was interesting. Overall a pretty good story.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why it seems romantic to be called a liar and be kept a secret out of protection. And to be mean because you love someone? Or because you refuse to admit it? Yeah, I'm not sure I see the appeal. Oh, but the sex is addictive, so that must be how love grows, right?

Nor do I enjoy reading stories with weak, weepy women. A few lines of support, strength, and love does not a well-rounded woman make. All the tears and standing up for your worth only to cave and break down repeatedly does no good. It's like watching someone in an abusive relationship go back to the abuser over and over because they love them.

So I didn't hate this book, but I have no like for it at all. Read or don't read, but I'm not recommending this book