ハーレムの無垢な薔薇

Armstrong Sisters #1

by Marguerite Kaye, 泉 智子 (Translator), マーガリート ケイ

無垢なレディが囚われたのは、砂漠のプリンスのハーレム！

シーリアは英国随一の政治家である父親が決めた縁談に従った。“おまえは妹たちほど美人ではないのだから、わたしの見込んだ男と結婚するのが間違いない”と言われて。けれど、初夜から3カ月過ぎても、夫は肌を重ねようとはしない。そんななか、夫の仕事でアラビアの王国に渡ることになったシーリア。恐ろしいことに到着早々、夫は砂漠で賊に襲われ、非業の死を遂げた。そしてシーリアにも危険が迫ったときだった――まるで魔法のように現れ窮地を救ってくれたのは、伝統的な白いローブ姿の男性。気を失った彼女はしかし、目覚めるやいなや驚愕の事実を告げられる。そこは砂漠の王国、アカディズの宮殿。シーリアは、シーク・ラミズのハーレムに囚われてしまったのだ！

■彩り豊かな表現力と、官能的なラブシーンで読者を魅了するマーガリート・ケイ。砂漠の地で花開く、英国の薔薇と傲慢なシークの恋をご堪能ください。本作は「シークの愛の奴隷」に続く関連作です。

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Harlequin, Regency Romance, Harlequin Historical, Historical Fiction

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Marguerite Kaye is a prolific historical romance author hailing from Argyll’s West Coast. She is a voracious consumer of books, Scotland’s world-class larder, and the occasional cocktail.

Find out more on her website at www.margueritekaye.com

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Reviews

[MelissaB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: read as part of Summer Sheikhs collection but will come out as a single title in June 2011

What a wonderful surprise! This was a lovely story with great characters and an exotic setting that comes to life in vivid colorful detail. The writing was wonderful and I pretty much loved the story. Highly recommended!!

Note: I reread this in March of 2016 and I still really enjoyed this one, it's a really good historical sheikh romance.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Η υπόσχεση είναι ένα σύννεφο και η εκπλήρωση, βροχή. "

4 -της ερήμου- αστέρια

Άλλη μια ρομαντική ιστορία έφτασε στο τέλος της. Ραμίζ και Σίλια, Σίλια και Ραμίζ.
Όμορφη και αυτή η ιστορία . Αρκετά ποιητική σε πολλά σημεία. Ένα σύντομο και ανατολίτικο (αρχές 19ου αιώνα) αρλεκίν εποχής, εμπνευσμένο από το "Χίλιες και μια Νύχτες", το οποίο θα σας ταξιδέψει σε ένα μακρινό φανταστικό βασίλειο της ανατολής, τη Μπαλιρμά. Έχει όμορφες περιγραφές χώρων και τόπων αλλά και καλούς και δυνατούς ήρωες.

Όσον αφορά τους χαρακτήρες:
Έχουμε την αγγλίδα Σίλια Άρμστρονγκ,η οποία από μια βολεμένη ζωή που θα ζούσε στην Αγγλία των αρχών του 19ου αιώνα της δόθηκε η ευκαιρία να ταξιδέψει και να δει κάτι διαφορετικό. Δυναμική, όμορφη, έξυπνη και καθόλου λιγόψυχη ή δραματική (όπως πολλές ηρωίδες τέτοιων βιβλίων) που τα έφερε έτσι η μοίρα και βρέθηκε σε αυτό το απομακρυσμένο ανατολικό βασίλειο. Το κακό είναι ότι ήταν αρκετά αφελής σε κάποια θέματα. Αλλά δεν έφταιγε αυτή για αυτό. Αυτή χάρη στη συμπεριφορά, τους τρόπους, την ομορφιά και κυρίως τη δυναμικότητά της θα φέρει τα πάνω κάτω στο παραδοσιακό βασίλειο της Μπαλιρμά .

Έχουμε, επίσης, και τον σεΐχη Ραμίζ, ο οποίος είναι όμορφος, έξυπνος και το καλύτερο είναι ότι έχει μια τάση προς την ποίηση. Δεν το περίμενα αυτό. Το κακό είναι ότι είναι και αρκετά οπισθοδρομικός σε κάποια θέματα και πεισματάρης.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I absolutely loved this story! Hero is a sheikh in a far away land. Heroine is the English wife of a diplomat who is on a mission and takes her with him. They are attacked and heroine's husband is murdered. Heroine is saved by our brave Sheikh and takes her to his palace.

They fall in love, he is shocked she is a virgin widow, she is shocked by the emotions he stirs in her and the beauty of the desert. When an English diplomat arrives and asks her to spy on the Sheikh, Celia is torn between her love for England and her love for Prince Ramiz. Will she dare to betray his trust and how will Ramiz react if he finds out?

I really adored Celia. She is pure, innocent and a sweetheart. She is one classy lady and her intelligence is what astounds Ramiz. She is feisty and challenges him but unlike most heroines she is not a whiny childish drama queen. Her strength and class are unique!

Ramiz is a strong, honorable Sheikh. He is a great ruler, a kind man and a super romantic swoon-worthy hero. His declaration of love to the heroine gave me butterflies in my stomach.

Last but not least the sex scenes were exquisitely sensual! Wonderful writing and a heartwarming, unforgettable love story!

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fine. I just didn’t find it very compelling and my emotions were not engaged. It is really well written and researched, but I was somewhat bored and had to motivate myself to read it. I thought this was my first book by this author, but it turns out I had a novella on my Nook that I read at some point and don’t remember. Considering that I couldn’t recall the reference on why the hero would give such a Wedding gift at the end of the story, I think this book will end up being pretty forgettable too.

[KarenH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many books with the "sheikh" theme and the storyline for Innocent in the Sheikh's Harem is basically the same as most of them...innocent American/English woman and wealthy prince of a fictional middle eastern country fall madly in love but cannot marry due to cultural restrictions. However, this book sets itself apart from other Harlequin "harem" novels because the sexual encounters between Prince Ramiz & Celia are seriously off the charts hot! Every encounter - and there are several - is lush and sensual and described in vivid detail. Just close your eyes and you are there (although that didn't work too well for me since I was listening to the audiobook and almost ran off the road). Nevertheless, if you are a sheikh fangirl and don't mind delving into the naughty, this is the book for you!

4.5 stars

[María Alejandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho la historia, los personajes, el ambiente. Me faltó algo al final, fue todo un poco rápido.

[Aayesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I liked this book plenty. It was sweet and full of angst, with a lovable heroine and a hot hot hot hero. But what I didn't like was the whole Arab-theme. God, no matter how good the book is, the Arab theme always manages to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I usually don't read books with this theme, and I will try to stay away from them in the future (after I give the last book in this series a chance).

About the characters. While I liked the sizzling chemistry between the two, their efforts to try to control their baser efforts were hilarious! They kiss, they stop again, the next day they kiss and decide never to do it again, then a few days later he loses control and takes her virginity and really decided not to touch her. And then the next few days we see them having an illicit passionate affair.




Anyways, about the heroine. She was kind, gentle, practical and I loved her, especially at the end when Ramiz (the hero) blames her for spying on him. But I don't know why, there were some parts in the beginning and middle where I found myself not liking her very much. I can't quite put my finger on the why, but I didn't. But meh, all that dimmed towards the end, where I loved her again.

Ramiz was a likable hero too, but the Arab-theme comes in the middle. Just because she was staying in his harem (which was empty) he thought he had rights over her. And his princely-you-all-have-to-obey-me demeanor wasn't at all attractive. Once again, blame it all on the Arab theme. Not my cup of tea.

But it really was a delightful read, sweet and enjoyable. Once again I'll compliment Kaye on her superb writing. Her attention to details, her historical accuracy and her rich vocabulary make it all the more worth reading.

Reading Marguerite Kaye is one of the small pleasures of life, just like reading Diana Palmer and Betty Neels. <3

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celia's life has changed quite a lot in the last year. She got married and although her marriage isn't going as planned, she is satisfied with it. And she's enchanted by the country her husband's career has taken her to. The breath taking beauty of the desert may not be apparent to everybody, but to her it's incredible. And then tragedy occurred - her husband was killed in a skirmish with bandits. And then she found herself in the desert prince's harem (just a short explanation: harem isn't intended only for concubines of the sheikh, it a place where women of the family together with the children reside).

Prince Ramiz isn't sure what to do with the delightful woman who found herself at his mercy. He did notify the British autorities of the circumstances, but until someone comes for her, she is in his home. And she is irresistible.

I really loved Celia - she is calm and collected, not prone to hysterics and drama. She's also not afraid of saying her mind, not even to the prince.

I also liked the setting. Although the period is 19th century, we an unusual place - a small desert country on the Red sea. The atmosphere is seductive and it seems that the regular world doesn't exist. There was a quote that I liked about that, but I can't seem to find it now.

I loved the way the romance between Ramiz and Celia developed. No unnecessary drama and angst. They were two rational people slowly falling in love. They were aware that it could lead nowhere, but they couldn't stop themselves.

Of course, there was one misunderstanding that led to harsh words and accusations, but it didn't bother me much.

I'm not sure why I didn't give the book a higher rating, I liked it, but it simply didn't strike me as a book that deserves 5 stars.

Rating:

4 stars

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written with interesting local color. Good hero and heroine. The only thing that held it back was that I felt it lacked conflict or any really big emotional moments. It was more gentle and inevitable feeling I guess. I liked it but can't quite put my finger on why it didn't score higher with me. I am going to look up the others in the series and read them though.

[Lynsey A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book and a sweet love story. I loved the relationship between Celia and Ramiz. I enjoyed reading how their feelings grew for each other. The love scenes were much hotter than I thought they would be for a Harlequin Historical.

Looking forward to Carrie's book.

[*CJ* · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Innocent in the Sheikh's Harem" is the story of Celia and Ramiz.
Lady Celia Cleveden is on an official trip to Egypt with her new husband George, when an ambush gets him killed; she is however rescued by desert prince Ramiz of A'Qadiz. He soon whisks her away to his land and gives her shelter in his harem. Initially fearing she might be his next concubine, Celia is surprised when she is the only woman present there, and comes to realize her misconceptions about a different culture.
As she relaxes and is waiting to be retrieved by the English government, days blend into night until the subtle attraction between Ramiz and herself begins to boil over and she realizes she might never want to leave..
This book began REALLY well- a strong heroine, an overbearing but respectful hero, many MANY almost moments, but dwindled midway- we encounter spy attempts, bride searches, random insertion of the whole sibling plot (which Im guessing is to establish the upcoming books), and the abrupt realization in the end.
That being said, the lovemaking scenes were beautifully written, the angst was minimal and the author did good research of the Egyptian history while taking some liberties.
Safe
2.75/5

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.


Expected Release Date: June 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Harlequin Historical
Author’s Website: http://www.margueritekaye.com/
My Source for This Book: eHarlequin.com
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 2, Princes of the Desert Series
Series Best Read In Order: Worked well as a standalone
Steam Level: Steamy

I have a confession to make: I adore Sheikh stories. They’re a total guilty pleasure of mine. I also happen to love historicals, so when I saw that this was not only a Sheikh story but an historical Sheikh story, I knew I had to snag it.

Luckily for me, it quite lived up to my expectations. Having several of my favorite (and guilty pleasure) tropes, there was plenty of drama and angst, but also wonderful sensuality and of course the lovely exotic backdrop of a Middle Eastern country that is a main reason to read Sheikh stories.

Celia was a strong heroine, without being blatantly “modern” — she was uncomfortable at first in the native garb of pants and a tunic and the idea of no corset, and she was appalled at the idea of being installed into a harem, or even bathing in front of other women. Ramiz, as well, was “progressive” without completely ignoring the traditional male roles of the period. He was astonished at the idea of sharing political conversations with a female, and while he was strongly attracted to Celia, I think it was a while before he truly saw her as more than just a “woman”.

While I do wish it had been a bit longer, and perhaps had been a tiny bit more realistic ending, overall I greatly enjoyed this story. A very solid 4/5 Stars

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Celia has entered into a loveless marriage at the request of her father, a prominent British diplomat. But she is optimistic. After all she likes George and is very excited to be going with him on his assignment in Egypt. No sooner do they arrive then they are sent on a mission to the remote kingdom of A'Qadiz. On the way their caravan is attacked and George is killed. Celia is rescued by the handsome prince Ramiz, ruler of A'Qadiz. Ramiz offers Celia a place to stay (his harem) until someone can come from Cairo to take her home. At first shocked, Celia is soon tempted by the pleasures of the East and by Ramiz, himself.

Well, this was my first Harlequin Historical. I have to admit that stories of harems and desert sheikhs are pretty tempting to me. I was pleasantly surprised. I found it all together charming and erotic at the same time. The writing was much better than I expected and I enjoyed Celia's adventures very much. The author put in a nice historical note at the end to explain how she changed the amount of time travel would take for the sake of the story and the general location of the imaginary kingdom. This was very helpful. But to tell the truth I was so taken with Ramiz and Celia that I really did not care too much about things like that. It was lots of fun. I will be reading the next in this mini-series for sure.

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting find. Sweet, sexy, romantic. Never read this author before but I like her style. This was an unexpected pleasure. Well written plot, interesting and sympathetic characters and fabulously erotic and romantic sex scenes. The historical setting is credible and most of the time, I forgot it was supposed to be early 19th century! but the description of a different culture is well done. I love the hero and heroine and was delighted in their happy ever after. Must read some more of Ms Kaye’s Work!

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was boring. It didn’t feel like I was reading an historical novel. I might as well have been reading a modern HP book. This is why I almost never read historical books from Harlequin. I’ll keep to the old bodice rippers I think. The thing that bothered me the most was that the h went from never even being kissed to full on porn queen!

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good story, but it was definitely misogynistic. Fair, considering when it was written, but it is actually possible for a woman to be smart she doesn't need "the brain of a man." (& this man in particular was kind of a jerk at times 🙄)

[Rachel Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be entertaining because it was going to be so bad. Very surprised that it was actually a really good read!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I NOT say about this book? It had everything you could wish for in a romantic book. It contained emotion, sex appeal, a good plot, nice characters, a dreamed man and woman, and much more. The landscapes were amazingly alluring, the place's customs were interesting and foreign, the romantic content was fulfilling and exciting. I am not so much into writing a review by making practically a summary of the story; I prefer to write about the general impression the book made on me.
So, the biggest impression this book made on me was about the sex. Oh yes, and not because I am usually excited about reading sex scenes, but because the author managed to write a sex scene that wasn't vulgar, yet it was very strong. I really praise her ability to describe the whole scene without making the reader feel nastily sick (fifty shades of grey would be a very good example of that type of book). I also loved the romantic way Ramiz told his beloved how much he loved her and wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. I hadn't seen such a nice love declaration since pride and prejudice.
The next great impression was about the foreign concepts this book entails. The far-away country, full of different customs and traditions, was something I never dreamed of, and I found it very appealing. I actually wished for an exotic fairy tale such as this to become true for me (I know that sounded somewhat childish, but a girl is allowed to dream).
And last, but not least, I totally adored both main characters. Their personalities, hers a pure and innocent one, his a strong and intoxicating one, were the things that kept me interested through the whole book, for I couldn't guess what they would do next, or how they'd react. The author made a great job on both of them.
So, to sum up my review, I really liked this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I recommend it to anyone who is into the romantic genre, and loves a good story.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shone in its romantic aspect. Along with the heat of passion (and boy is there a load of that!), the tenderness of romantic love makes itself abundantly felt. I loved the moments where we got to see the domestic side of Ramiz's and Celia's relationship: talking about one's day, planning for the future, teaching children, and just enjoying each other's silent company under the stars. The two main characters seemed to really balance each other out. They were sweet, intelligent, and passionate together.

The world building is really a key point to this book. The author transports her readers to the Islamic Middle East very well. From clothes and food to glimpses into a more well rounded view of this world (like the real meaning of the word harem), I felt like I was living and breathing the setting with the characters. Not all romance novels take the time to build up a setting for the main focus, the romance, but this author and book did. It pays off in a fantastic sensual experience to go along with the emotional one.

While the overall plot of the book had some romance novel clichés and there was enough denial going on between our main characters to create a whole other river besides the one in Egypt, this book was extremely enjoyable. I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys tender romance in exotic locations and who can stomach a load of sexual situations and a few eye roll moments.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. This is the first harem romance I've read, and totally loved it. He is a prince, she is an english wife of a diplomat who is murdered on his way to speak to the prince. She is the only survivor and is saved by the prince, who just happens to be there at the right time. Her husband is a coward who failed to even try to protect her, and is killed trying to run away. Also she is still a virgin (?!?!) because her dead husband wanted to have 'time' to 'get to know each other'. WTF?
Anyways, the good parts: The sheikh rescues her and takes her to his harem, and they form a friendship. This blossoms into love, which of course they never express to each other. He tells her they can never be married. She tells him that she will never be his concubine, which is kinda what she is when they start getting it on. They have a few miscommunications, like how she forgot to tell him she is a virgin, but it all works out. I wanted to high-five someone at the end, that's how much i liked it.

[Enrique Borrella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. What I liked the most was the setting, this Arab inspired country and its people were captivating, you can tell that the author did a lot of research before writing this and I appreciate that. The characters and plot were good as well although not very groundbreaking. Overall nice historical romance read, I would recommend if you enjoy the genre.

[Harlequin Historical]

Miniseries: Princes of the Desert

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A SOLID 3.5 STARS!

THIS WAS QUITE PREDICTABLE, THOUGH ENJOYABLE. DESPITE NOT HAVING ANGST, IT HELD AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF PASSION, INTELLECT AND ALSO A HINT OF JEALOUSY.

RAMIZ is a 35 year old Sheikh who has shouldered the burden of his country after the death of his older brother. Cleaning up all the mess done by Asad, he reached out to the British Government to discuss some form of treaty. Archaic as is their ways sometimes, there are those who aren't happy about bringing foreigners into their land and that's what happened to Celia's husband who got killed, leaving her a virgin widow. Ramiz was easily taken in by Celia's uncanny attractiveness. She wasn't a great beauty, but her wit, intellect and innocent charm made her beautiful in his eyes. Bound by the laws of being royalty, Ramiz finds his heart in the wrong place but his mind in the right. A Prince can only marry a Princess and his English Rose was a complete foreigner. As he tries hard to convince himself their relationship cannot last, we all know how it will end.

CELIA is recently married to a man chosen by her father, but being the intellectual and not beautiful one, she accepts her lot in life, glad to be married at least. When she tags along with her husband to Egypt for government work, she never expected her husband to be killed and her to live in the protection of the Sheikh's harem. Initially, everything moved a bit slow paced but luckily it picked up right after the passion and comes the romance.

OVERALL it was a stereotypical harlequin romance except this wasn't as angsty or dramatic, with relevantly level headed characters that won't drive you insane.

[Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celia & Ramiz

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. I was looking for a romance with a more exotic locale and this fit the bill.

I don't personally enjoy the desert, having lived in one for a decade, but the descriptions rang true of the intense sun and dusty days.

The one thing that kind of got me was well in to the book 2/3s? 3/4s? the heroine kept professing to "know" the Sheikh and then equally quickly professing not to know him, it made it hard for me to believe that there would be a HEA for these two.

That and I found it outlandish that when all came to light that highly respectable Dad was going to have to make reparations to the Sheikh for what his daughter did. I think not, more like Dad would have called the prince out for a duel at dawn.

But overall it was a fun and naughty adventure. And an enjoyable way to spend a rainy weekend!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow... what a lovely read to achieve this challenge with! The author seems very articulate with her description of sexual scenes in the 18th century with the trappings of naïve young English ladies who are transported into the realm of 'Arabian Nights' … Celia captures the lustful interest of Ramiz who eventually falls in love with this 'widowed virgin' who has a 'man's head on a woman's body' .. harem tradition has fallen away in favour of a single loved one for life … a modern princess for a traditional prince who wants to introduce his kingdom into a modern world …. such a descriptive author whose prose I couldn't put down until I got to the last page and beautifully sated …..

[Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light read...innocent wife (in name only) of a diplomat saved by sexy, sheikh, a prince. He saves her life and then becomes her protector. They seem to slowly fall in love. It’s so sweet and unrealistic but definitely a harlequin like romance. Good though. I liked that melodrama was downplayed to some degree and that the prince is willing to say he’s sorry and tell her he loves her and she is willing to forgive and always willing to take responsibility for her own actions and tell him she loves him back.

[Brianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way Ms. Kaye took some of the misunderstandings and assumptions people have about aspects of Arabian culture and worked them and the truth about the culture throughout the book without seeming as if she was talking down to the reader.

I loved Celia and how strong she was, given the time period when she was born and raised. While Ramiz was a bit progressive at the beginning of the book, he too grew and changed over the course of the story.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was better than I thought it'd be. I wasn't sucked into this world, but I liked the characters well enough and I was mildly curious how things would play out. I hadn't known of this author before, but my library has the second book on audio as well, and I'll probably listen to it too.

[Jenna Scribbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape Into the Desert!

A Lovely Escape. If you need a fanciful, dreamy story, give this book a try. I enjoy Kaye’s writing. So rich and detailed. This one has a grand full of steamy love scenes. I plan to read the next book in the series soon!!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido y romántico, me hubiera gustado que tuviera un epílogo.