Awakened by Her Desert Captor

by Abby Green

Seduction in the sands…  

Cabaret dancer Sylvie Devereux and Sheikh Arkim Al-Sahid have never seen eye to eye—not from their first antagonistic meeting to their last intoxicating kiss. And certainly not when she publicly stops his convenient society wedding to her beloved sister! 

Now Arkim wants revenge on the sinful seductress who cost him the respectable reputation he needs. 

Luring Sylvie to his luxurious palace in the desert, he'll get her out of his system once and for all. But with her sass and sequins stripped away, Sylvie is surprisingly vulnerable—and there's one last secret Arkim's not prepared for…her innocence!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Contemporary, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2016

About the author

Abby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com

Reviews

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5 star

I am beside myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A first time that I just couldn’t get into a story written by Abby Green, my favorite Mills and Boon author!! How was this possible?

Now, I could say ..because I am not into desert sheik books….but hey, I’ve read some of those by her which I enjoyed, but her latest, Awakened by her Desert Captor was a total and I mean a total miss for me!!!!

A stripper/burlesque dancer and a desert sheik ostracized by his family, who are “into” each other the first time they meet. He’s due to marry her sister for society acceptance and she thinks he’s not right for that position.
She stops the wedding…..that was a pretty good part and that’s the only reason for the 2 star rating here!!!

Hero thinks heroine is a slut for dancing in scant clothes in some Paris club….Heroine thinks he’s a total loss!!!
He kidnaps her and takes her to his desert oasis tent where he plans to punish her….i.e. have loads of sex….and send her off on her way.

She does a couple of sexy dances for him inside the opulent tent, he discovers she’s……………no, no no spoiler here…..see, her boss, the club owner knew the heroine’s mother, who just happen to have been a burlesque dancer in her heyday and because he liked her mother allows the heroine to dance in the show without having to disrobe and show off her body in total!!!! Really!!!! Can I really believe this????

I almost gave up before the ending…maybe I should have because the epilogue was beyond naff!!! The heroine’s sister’s secret revelation!!!! Made no sense to me at all!!!

Look, if you are a lover of desert sheikhs….you will probably like this one. But for me……..sorry my darling Abby Green……….I couldn’t love this one!!!

However, I am looking so forward to your next book!!!

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had such a strange little plot, and it kept me reading. It's not a sheikh story and H/h are only in the desert about a third of the book. The desert is the "green space" in this story - the place where these two wounded people can be themselves and show their real feelings.

Also - the H tries to be alpha (kidnaps the heroine after she breaks up his wedding) but he quickly reveals himself to be a mixed-up beta (with great abs and lots of money in the bank). The h is a virgin burlesque dancer who dresses provocatively and sends lots of mixed signals in order to hide her hurt at her father rejecting her.

The H's hang ups about respectability come from his indifferent father's porn industry lifestyle. H was sexually abused as a teenage boy by a porn star who was trying to make his father jealous. This obviously clashes with the heroine's career choice. (Although she is the only dancer who doesn't show any nudity because her breasts are too big (!))

The plot - they meet three times in the presence of her family before the kidnapping. (Lust at first sight). They get to know each other during the desert interlude. They figure out their future in Paris during the last third of the book. The plot devices are more metaphorical rather than realistic, but they worked for me.

Another element of interest is the heroine's mismatched eyes (one blue, one blue green). There's also a cute puppy with the same trait.

I liked this because it broke from the claustrophobic HP formula of instant sex, sob-story backstory, overwrought sex, soul-searing parting, ecstatic sex to sort out all the problems, and ending with an epilogue with babies. This isn't like any of the other Abby Green stories I've read, but I liked the change of pace.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it was ok finally a virginal heroine and an alpha hero but the epilogue sucked, i really wanted to see them with a cute baby of their own. These new authors should read Lynne Graham aka the queen of swoonworthy epilogues.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Sylvie our heroine is a dancer, cabaret dancer who's family life isn't the best. The only thing that would draw her home to visit was her sister. During her visit she meets Sheikh Arkim, the man her father is planning to marry her sister off too. Arkim and Sylvie have instant hate/lust going on. And I mean instant!! He thinks she a slut, plus a drunk and she can't stand him either. Hours from meeting they are out in the garden kissing and going at it. They part ways with some real ugly words exchanged and hope never to see each other again.

Sylvie decides she needs to stops her sisters wedding from Arkim (she knows her sister doesn't really want to marry Arkim). And in the most dramatic fashion too. Well Arkim decides Sylvie will pay the consequences for her actions and kidnaps her. He takes her to his palace in the desert. Arkim decides two weeks at his palace should be enough time to get her out of his system.

This story just was not to my liking with all the name calling and demeaning actions from both parties, it was off putting to say the least. I really didn't see any romance in this story. The heroine acted much younger then her age and the hero's actions made me cringe at times.

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לאחרונה גיליתי שכמעט כל הספרים של הוצאת שלגי פורסמו דרך הרלקין ( Harlequin )
ואני יכולה לרכוש אותם ב- 2.5 דולר לקינדל. זה די עיצבן אותי כי בין 2.5 דולר ל- 39 ש"ח לספר יש פער של 29 ש"ח ואני חושבת שזה לא רק לא הוגן כלפי הלקוחות הישראליות אלא גם די חזירי מצד ההוצאה למכור ללקוחות ספרים דיגיטליים בעלויות מופרכות ובפערים כאלה משמעותיים.

מעבר לעובדה שברוב ההוצאות הספרים נכנסים למבצעים, אבל לא הספרים של שלגי, (שזו סוגיה מטרידה בפני עצמה, מדוע ספרי רומנטיקה ואירוטיקה של ההוצאה לא נכנסים למבצעים בכל זאת לא מדובר בספרים של זוכי פרס נובל או משהו בסיגנון הזה), עומדת העובדה הבסיסית שמדובר בספרי רומנטיקה ולא הכי משובחת שגם התרגום לא מבוצע ע"י שועי הדור. ספרי רומנטיקה שמאפשרים לנקות את המח בלי להתאמץ ובלי לחשוב לעומק.

בכל מקרה אפשר לעקוב אחרי כל הז'אנר בקישור הבא ב- https://www.goodreads.com/genres/harl...
זו גם לא בעיה גדולה למצוא את הספרים שתורגמו פשוט תמצאו את הסופרת שאתם רוצים ואז לפי שנה ניתן למצוא את הספר בקטגוריית הרלקין.

הספר עצמו חביב בז'אנר השונאים שהופכים לאוהבים.
הדמות של סילבי משעשעת, מאוד נשית, מאוד אסרטיבית. הדמות של ארקים אל סהיד(מי בוחר את השמות של הדמויות בספרים האלה פשוט אבוי) פחות משעשעת והאמת די פוצית ושתלטנית.

למי שאוהבת ישנה רשימה שלמה של ספרי רומנטיקה שבהם מככבים שייחים שתלטניים - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

לי זה פחות עושה את זה.

[Vashti · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
review to come.

[Chantal ❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the fact that it took me so long to read this book is why I rated it so low. First off even though they had sex it was very PC and correct as if following the required guidelines set by the publishing house with the condoms from the sky and they whole I love you in the end but do I? Cause I can't say it screamed love to me it was like a robot and not messy like I love my love stories. They have to be out of control and not going back and forth between emotions likes the hero who had a severe case of slit-personality. It was either I want you but your a slut so shut up and take what I give you. Not in the naughty way either. It was just boring after I while I found myself hoping for a hot ex or pregnancy or anything to make it more exciting. That really not hard to write a book like this as the plot was boring with only the heroine sister being a lesbian the interesting part. And I will be giving this one away. Not my cup.

[Rgreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awakened by Her Desert Captor began so interesting but that feeling didn't last long.

What went wrong- too much introspection from the hero. He went from badass to a guy who needs therapy to deal with his bad childhood. His introspection bored me. It caused the story to drag. It took away from me getting to know the heroine. And about the heroine's daddy issues...what the hell happened to it??? She carried her daddy issues around for years and suddenly they disappear. No resolving them. Soo annoying. And one more the romance fizzled out. It burned bright then time spent on the parental issues snuffed it out.

Oh the epilogue....lame lame lame.

[Heidi Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracking Abby Green story full of dangerous sexual intensity, breath-taking romantic sequences (just wait for Sylvie's dance of the seven veils for Arkim, and Arkim's arrival on a black stallion to rescue her in the desert!) and two characters who should not work together but do! Sylvie is an exotic dancer (but that's not a euphemism here for a stripper), she works in a revue not unlike the Folies Bergeres and Arkim is an American of Arab descent vastly wealthy and also vastly judgmental about Sylvie's chosen profession because his own father was a notorious porn baron. Arkim completely loses it though when Sylvie storms down the aisle of his arranged marriage to her sister and declares... Well, I won't say it because it will ruin the opening sequence, but there's one great shock after another from there as the insatiable Arkim and the determined Sylvie spar their way through a trip to his desert oasis... Like all Abby's books this is another glorious romantic fantasy that takes you on a lush, sensual journey to an intense and seductive happy ever after.... LOVED IT!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moment I read the blurb of this Harlequin Presents novel I knew I was in for a treat and surely author Abby Green didn’t disappoint me in her latest story. High-octane drama, sizzling chemistry, head strong characters and a fabulous setting, Awakened by her Desert Captor is bound to rivet you until the last page. Sylvie Devereux is determined to prevent her sister from marrying Sheikh Arkim Al-Sahid in an arranged marriage. What Sophie isn’t prepared for is to be bowled over by the daring desert prince! As Arkim and Sophie come to grips with the attraction they share for each other while provoking a reaction from the people in their lives adds to the drama. Overall, this is hot and captivating book. You won’t be disappointed after reading it.

Highly Recommended
4 Stars

[Sandra R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see a lot of readers didn't like this book (most comments are for the UK edition). Some people thought it didn't seem real ?? This is a romance - not rocket science. It's meant to transport the reader into another world temporarily - one that we would never realistically enter - though it would be nice to think it might happen. I couldn't put it down yesterday afternoon. I thought it was beautifully written with extremely steamy scenes. 4.5 stars.

[Aisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I should rate this book with fewer stars, I'll give it 2 because the author took care of the details. That said, the "virginal cabaret dancer" isn't convincing at all.

And a sheikh without a throne which is rejected by his family and whose father is a porn mogul??... Forget it, 2 stars is too much!!

[Sheryl C. Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Harlequin*

[Hasmidah · Rating 2 out of 5]

the beginning is interesting after that hmmm boring

[endang cippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suka cover nya.
Jalan cerita yang biasa. Adem ayem tanpa gejolak berarti.
Tidak seperti karya Abby Green yang mengharu biru.
Karya ini tuh ala kadarnya. Cukup tapi gak bikin puas banget.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I really enjoyed about this book was all the descriptive detail that went into it. The writing was beautiful when setting up the scene that I felt that I was there especially with the desert and oasis scene. I was absorbed by all the details that were written on the pages. It was a sensory overload.

I did like how the story was setup and it made for interesting conflict between Arkim and Sylvie. Sylvie interrupted the wedding between Arkin and her sister was how the story began. That gave the story a really interesting hook. It was a bang. Then the story went back in time and showed how Arkim and Sylvie met. And it was explosive. The chemistry was just off the charts as passions were released. That first kiss was wow. It was so hot. As was their second kiss and third and so on. So the story really began strong.

I loved the character spunky Sylvie. She made me laugh. She made me cry. I really felt for her. She was so selfless and was beyond loyal to her sister. She would do anything for her in order to keep her safe. Plus she wanted to heal Arkim even though he was a judgmental jerk for a majority of the book towards him. She still wanted to help him. Really she just wanted him. She deserved happiness in her life after all the pain she faced in her life and all the hurt she had to endure over her lifetime. I just loved her. Also I loved that she was a burlesque dancer. Never read about that kind of heroine. She was really sweet and vulnerable that hid behind a shell to protect herself but she wanted and did let her guard down with him.

Their chemistry and the love scenes were really hot. Their lust for one another was obvious, however I kind felt like that took over the story. Every time they were in the same room they would just go at it like rabbits. It felt like there wasn't much behind their relationship beyond the lust. Wasn't feeling the love between them. I wish there was a more tender love scene between them instead of all of them being based on their loins rather than their hearts. There just needed to be a balance between the sexy scenes and the tender ones. I thought there might be more romance in the oasis, but it was really then just going at it. If there was just a moment in the pool where they were swimming and talking then making love I would have felt that they were falling in love. But their relationship was all based on the physical in my opinion instead of emotional. I wanted the balance between them. So their love story was kind eh for me.

Overall it was a good, but I just wanted more of balance between the physical and the emotional. I felt all they had going for them was the physical and that doesn't make it a satisfying love story. Therefore it made their love unbelievable. I wanted to see them fall in love and I don't think I quite got that. Now their chemistry and love scenes were good just more based on lust than anything. I wanted to see something deeper between them. I loved all the descriptions of the settings that was very visual. I loved the character of Sylvie, and she was very endearing to me. I loved her feistiness. I wanted to see her get her happily ever after. There could have a little bit more angst and more intensity for my taste that would have given the story an extra edge to it that I would have enjoyed seeing.

But for the most part it good. Won't be a favorite of mine but It wasn't the worst book I have read either. I was glad I read it. I just needed more emotionally.

[TashNz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magical thing about Abby Green is that you could be having the worst day but the second you pick up her book you're immediately transported away.

We start with the day Sylvie rushes into a church, motorbike leathers on, bringing the wedding of her sister and Sheikh Akrim to a grinding halt by declaring he spent the night in her bed. After the wedding is cancelled and Sylvie's sister refuses to try again Akrim is livid. The business arrangement he'd so carefully crafted has gone up in flames and under false pretenses lures Sylvie out to his desert.

It's so hard to capture in my limited descriptive words I know to describe how much I love Abby's writing except to reiterate that you are honestly swept away. The daily worries dissappear for a luxurious three or four hours or any such time you're lucky to pick the book up. The descriptive nature of the desert has Abby in my top 5 authors for very good reason. She has Sheikh's down pat and by crikey Akrim's a good one!!!

I also love how it's linked to "The Sultan's Choice".

A fantastic story!

[Dottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sylvie Devereux has to stop her sister Sophie from marrying Sheikh Arkim Al- Sahid, in an arranged marriage being carried out by her father and stepmother. Sylvia has met Arkim before and actually kissed him but that is not the reason she breaks up the wedding at the altar. Ms. Green has written a lovely complex story that truly has to be read to be enjoyed. If I give away any more it will ruin the true enjoyment the reader will have. What I will say is Arkim and Sylvie both have ghosts from their past that will be the biggest block on their road to HEA. Loved the story and everyone will also. Read as two wounded people find that there is happiness there for everyone if they just open their hearts. excellent book.

[RomLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seduction in the sands…

Cabaret dancer Sylvie Devereux and Sheikh Arkim Al-Sahid have never seen eye to eye—not from their first antagonistic meeting to their last intoxicating kiss. And certainly not when she publicly stops his convenient society wedding to her beloved sister!

Now Arkim wants revenge on the sinful seductress who cost him the respectable reputation he needs.

Luring Sylvie to his luxurious palace in the desert, he'll get her out of his system once and for all. But with her sass and sequins stripped away, Sylvie is surprisingly vulnerable—and there's one last secret Arkim's not prepared for…her innocence

[Penney · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the book, Cabaret dancer Sylvie Devereux and Sheikh Arkim Al-Sahid have never seen eye to eye—not from their first antagonistic meeting to their last intoxicating kiss. And certainly not when she publicly stops his convenient society wedding to her beloved sister!

Now Arkim wants revenge on the sinful seductress who cost him the respectable reputation he needs.

Luring Sylvie to his luxurious palace in the desert, he'll get her out of his system once and for all. But with her sass and sequins stripped away, Sylvie is surprisingly vulnerable—and there's one last secret Arkim's not prepared for…her innocence!
Another great story,

[Lori Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book. The story was incredible and kept you so hooked. It even had great twists and turns that kept you guessing until the very end. Strong love story that you did not see coming. So good!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this today. It was a nice mix of frustration and lust.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really bad. Don't even bother.

[Raffaella · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, what do we have here? A heroine who is the last of a dying breed, that is a 28 year old cabaret dancer in a burlesque show that never stripped naked. Really??? Really! She’s beautiful and has a lush body but she’s untouched. Unbelievable? Yes. We go too far here. I’m not saying that cabaret dancers are easy women but a 28 year old beautiful woman in Paris who has never ever experienced lust for a man is a little over the top. Whatever. On the contrary the hero is a bigot prejudiced man who hates women especially with a lush body and those who stirs sexual desire in him. For this reason he chooses the heroine’s sister who - he doesn’t know- is gay and so not at all attracted to him and him to her... so very sad. He has two meetings with the heroine where he kisses her senseless and afterwards he insults her and reviles her treating her like the w***e of Babylon. This stupid man is marrying her sister when the heroine stops the marriage saying she slept with the groom the night before. Of course she’s saving her little sister who was forced by her parents to marry the rich and powerful hero. A fortnight later she’s kidnapped and taken in the desert by the hero. He’s a chauvinist pig and a duplicitous bastard because he wants to take revenge on the heroine bedding her until she’s out of his system. Sorry but this litany of getting out of one’s system a person by over exposure doesn’t exactly work. It’s the opposite, like for every addiction: the more you take a substance you are addicted to the more addicted you become. You have to stop completely and to avoid this substance ( or behavior or person) completely. So, the hero, that is obsessed by her since their first meeting, seduces her and finds out she’s the unicorn virgin, the last of her breed. And everything he thought is a lie. He explains that his father lived among porn stars and he saw his first orgy at 8 (!!!) and was seduced by his father’s porn star lover at 17. So he became a hater of wantons. And he misjudged the heroine because she was a dancer and he thought she was a tart. So much prejudice and so much chauvinism here. He wanted a wife that was the opposite of what he always saw in his father’s house: a demure and respectable woman. Too much, hero mine. I wonder if he never had sex after his first experience with the porn star. I think he did. And so we add double standard to the list of his sins. Anyway they have an affair, then one day he has his period and is upset so he decides to send her back to Paris because she’s a tart and he can’t have an affair with her any longer. Then her sister goes to his office and reveals the true reason of the marriage break up, and the hero goes back to the heroine asking her to live with him. Of course he doesn’t want a permanent solution because the woman he’ll marry will not be a cabaret dancer. The heroine accepts. But why???? I don’t expect him to propose immediately but he could say well let’s see where this relationship goes. When he asks for a definite and limited affair he’s demeaning her. (Especially since he almost married her gay sister, my god) after some bickering they have their hea. This hero was truly a dupe. I hated how he treats the heroine. He had no right to judge her and her choice of lifestyle, even if she was a stripper and had many man who was he to know her reasons? And even if he didn’t approve of her he could anyway be kinder. She was not a serial killer, she was a person and for this reason she deserved to be treated with respect. Until the end he treated her as someone who was less deserving than other women like her sister, and he was angry with her because he could not resist her. Not so good. But I liked the story and I liked that the heroine was not a doormat ( not always...)

[Carol Storm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sort of skimmed through this on Hoopla, but I have to say that it's not up to the usual very high Abby Green standard. I mean, the whole conflict was like, "You're a slut! You take your clothes off for men!" "No I'm not! I'm a dancer and artist, and I only take off some of my clothes, some of the time!"

Kind of wishing Sylvie could have got booked at Omar's Tent, in Seattle's Pioneer Square, and had a late night visit from Dr. Malcolm Richard, aka Dr. Richard Malcom, late of the Union Army!

[Rin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a lot of romance-mature books and this story is nah... I don't like it.

Chemistry antara kedua tokoh utamanya kurang dapat, rasanya lebih seperti nafsu belaka--dari awal sudah menggebu-gebu begitu. Jadi, ketika akhirnya mereka bilang cinta, it feels weird. Aku kurang simpatik juga dengan kisah hidup/latar belakang mereka.

Aku menamatkan ini dengan sedikit ngebut, nanggung karena sudah dipinjam di Ipusnas hwhw.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awakeed by Her Desert Captor

This started with her stopping a wedding. Her father wanted a business arrangement with this man. He just wants a marriage of convenience to strengthen their bond. But she stopped the wedding with a lie. Now he wants revenge. They share something that will change them forever. But is it strong enough in the end?

[Ginny Rodenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the moment I read the prologue. Very good!

[Mattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like it, I did not like the burlesque aspect of the plot. Np.

[Nami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y