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Un cheikh aux yeux ardents
Mariage arrangé Un mariage sous contrat, une union de convenance : ils avaient tout prévu… sauf de tomber amoureux ! Le cheikh Tarek al-Khalij lui ressemble. Olivia, reine douairière d’Alansund, s’en est aperçue dès leur première rencontre : le guerrier du désert, désigné roi contre son gré, connaît les mêmes tourments qu’elle, la même sensation d’occuper une place qui n’est pas la sienne. Même si, à voir cet homme dur et implacable, on pourrait penser que rien ne l’atteint… Quoi qu’il en soit, Olivia est confortée dans son choix, Tarek serait pour elle l’époux idéal. Reste à l’en convaincre… Persuadée que ses manières raffinées et son sens de la diplomatie auront raison de la volonté du fougueux cheikh, Olivia garde néanmoins en réserve une arme secrète : le désir qui crépite entre eux, et qui devrait achever de convaincre Tarek qu’ils sont faits pour régner ensemble.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2015
35 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Maisey Yates
1,175 books3,004 followersNew 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 23, 2017
The hero is a virgin, the heroine is not. Need I say more?
August 20, 2017
This was a cute, quick read. A little too poetic for my taste but the story was nevertheless sweet.
November 8, 2016
Strong silent type sheikh meets ice, cool, widowed ex-queen with kingdom smarts.
If you like strong, silent types that are emotionally and physically overwhelmed by the h and their feelings, then this is for you. No, not talking about a Heathcliff type who shows off "manly" behavior by being a whiny, vindictive jackass, but a man that has no idea how to communicate his feelings and is overwhelmed by the process.
Due to the evil machinations of his older and, yippee, dead brother, the H has now taken over as sheikh. He's been defending, slashing and killing for the sheikdom since he was fifteen when big bro took over for the parents. There is a backstory that explains why he so shut down and noble.
The h comes to the kingdom and offers up her support in exchange for marriage and a purpose in life. She was essentially discarded by her parents in favor of the eternally and terminally ill sister who never seems to die but always took precedence. The h's Rico Suave king/husband died a couple of years ago, and she needs more to do. Apparently seeing the H without his shirt on helped with her decision making as after a look at his chest, THIS IS WHERE SHE NEEDS TO BE.
Our big sweetums is a 30 year old virgin, but in a kinda cute scene takes to reading erotica and other self-help books so he's up to the snuff, so to speak, on his wedding night. From what I read, what he lacked in experience he more than made up in enthusiasm. From the little we get to read, he's one hunka, hunka burning love.
Insert some ridiculousness, and the cool queen leaves. The H chases her down, lightens up, gets tons more experience with sex and lives HEA.
This story really works, and if it had been fleshed out more I would definitely give it four stars. However, it was just too short and novella-ish for anything more than 3.
If you like strong, silent types that are emotionally and physically overwhelmed by the h and their feelings, then this is for you. No, not talking about a Heathcliff type who shows off "manly" behavior by being a whiny, vindictive jackass, but a man that has no idea how to communicate his feelings and is overwhelmed by the process.
Due to the evil machinations of his older and, yippee, dead brother, the H has now taken over as sheikh. He's been defending, slashing and killing for the sheikdom since he was fifteen when big bro took over for the parents. There is a backstory that explains why he so shut down and noble.
The h comes to the kingdom and offers up her support in exchange for marriage and a purpose in life. She was essentially discarded by her parents in favor of the eternally and terminally ill sister who never seems to die but always took precedence. The h's Rico Suave king/husband died a couple of years ago, and she needs more to do. Apparently seeing the H without his shirt on helped with her decision making as after a look at his chest, THIS IS WHERE SHE NEEDS TO BE.
Our big sweetums is a 30 year old virgin, but in a kinda cute scene takes to reading erotica and other self-help books so he's up to the snuff, so to speak, on his wedding night. From what I read, what he lacked in experience he more than made up in enthusiasm. From the little we get to read, he's one hunka, hunka burning love.
Insert some ridiculousness, and the cool queen leaves. The H chases her down, lightens up, gets tons more experience with sex and lives HEA.
This story really works, and if it had been fleshed out more I would definitely give it four stars. However, it was just too short and novella-ish for anything more than 3.
November 27, 2017
virgin hero? ????!!!!!!!!! seriously? ???!!!!
what the ..#*€¥₩/#!!
what the ..#*€¥₩/#!!
April 10, 2020
This reminds me of another book by MY which although not exactly the same definitely had similar themes. I think it was Heir to a Desert Legacy feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
We have our virgin H warrior that was totally broken by his evil brother who it seems had their parents killed and tortured the H. Luckily he is now dead but our semi feral H now has to rule in his stead.
Enter our widowed queen to train him and marry him for the sake of their nations. She has nothing to do now her not so perfect husband is dead she is rather a spare part in her country so she offers her services to the H. He accepts and its marriage on. H has an aversion to attraction though because he saw what it did to his brother. He gets there in the end. h is happy she has a purpose and realises she was pretty shallow in her previous life. She was an heiress but badly treated by her parents so she had finally found her happy place here.
Vintage has the full deets on this one.
We have our virgin H warrior that was totally broken by his evil brother who it seems had their parents killed and tortured the H. Luckily he is now dead but our semi feral H now has to rule in his stead.
Enter our widowed queen to train him and marry him for the sake of their nations. She has nothing to do now her not so perfect husband is dead she is rather a spare part in her country so she offers her services to the H. He accepts and its marriage on. H has an aversion to attraction though because he saw what it did to his brother. He gets there in the end. h is happy she has a purpose and realises she was pretty shallow in her previous life. She was an heiress but badly treated by her parents so she had finally found her happy place here.
Vintage has the full deets on this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2016
I did not care for this book at all. First and foremost the story-line was so out of the realm of possibility that it was more fairy tale...and not the good kind. I need a book to be more believable than this. It was not my cup of tea.
March 19, 2017
Well once again Maisey Yates did it again and wrote another winner. Not that I am surprised, but this reminds me why I love her so much. She has a typical trope and twist it to give it a little kick to it, making it fresh and unique and very readable and interesting. She makes genre feel new.
In this book the twist was that the hero, Tarek was a virgin while our heroine, Olivia was a widower and had more experience than he did. It was flipped from usual Presents, and just brought a whole lot of fun and interest. And he was a hot virgin. Oh my goodness, but what was great was that there was a reason that he was that he was and made it very believable. For one, he was exiled to the desert by his evil brother, who claimed to love him. Two, said brother spent years torturing his brother, beating him, and starving him in order to "toughen" him up and claiming he loved him. After being tortured for some time, Tarek did harden and chose to become stone, shutting off his emotions and desires in order to survive and also he vowed to himself that he would service his country and to his country only. He would ignore his own desire for the good of the country even ignoring temptation of the flesh. With that type of background, it was understandable of why he was a virgin. And in his mind it was a good reason. He saw it as being right. I get it. It made sense. And I truly felt bad for him and what he experienced all those years. He just wanted to survive. The pleasures of the flesh were the last thing on his mind.
Until Olivia came onto the scene then his desire were awakened even though he didn't want them to. It was really interesting to see him struggle with his passion. I could tell he wanted her, but he pushed in down. He tried to remain stone, but it proved not to work. He didn't want to share that closeness with her, fearing it. And again it was totally understandable.
But it wasn't going away either. There was just so much good sexual tension between them, it was unbelievable. It was entertaining and fun and spine tingling. And it was not just the lovemaking scenes either, it was the entire book. From the moment they met really. What I felt really amusing was that it was Olivia, who really wanted him and wanted to have that connection with him. She wanted closeness from the beginning. Sure, she concluded that it was just, and she was lusting hard. Usually it is the opposite in romance and it's the man lusting hard, but it was all her. And I could feel every moment of how how she wanted him. It was in her bones. It was consuming and it consumed me in the process. Her attraction to him was really well done. One scenes to highlight that was the shaving scene. Oh my good, it was so hot and sexy that I was practically panting just like Olivia was. I felt what what she felt at that moment. It was just a really well written scene that evoked a lot of feels. It was very sensory experience. I felt like I was there. It was a really sexy scene, but emotional one too because it showed how she wanted but they were not on the same page.
The lovemaking scenes were beyond sexy, and just real good. The first time scene it was very entertaining to see it from Tarek's point of view. He wanted to give Olivia pleasure, but didn't know if he could deliver and even feared he couldn't. So before that scene he read books about how pleasure a woman and study in the hopes he could fulfill Olivia. It was really cute, and just showed how much he truly cared for her. He didn't pretend to be something he wasn't or try bluff his way through it. Instead he did something and learned before putting it into practice. It was really endearing and made me love him all the more. He wasn't selfish and gave so much, but it got so much more in return because he got Olivia. And to see through his eyes his first taste of pleasure was rewarding after he experienced so much pain in his life. He finally got some joy. He deserved it. It was truly a happy moment. It was a really well done scene and showed their connection. It was a beautiful moment between them as were the other scenes because it showed their connection and joy with one another. And they were hot as hell that didn't hurt either, but was more about closeness more than anything else. And I love that. A lot of the times the focus in romance novels is the sexiness, the passion and list, which is well and good but there needed to be something deeper than that he in order to be a satisfying experience on every level for the reader. In this book, it was very clear that it was more about closeness and feelings than the lust. I absolutely loved that. Most importantly it felt real and intense and everything that should be in a romance. It was about them getting closer and falling in love. I loved that and those scenes.
Really there wasn't a single scene I didn't love in this book and all the marking in my book were proof of that. It was so good and sucked me in. I love how these two damaged individuals who had similar issues came together and healed each other by falling in love. It was really beautiful. It was emotional intense. It was gut wrenching. It was painful. It had a bit of angst. Lots of good sexual tension. It was deep. I was touched. The felt for the pain of them with all their emotional scars from the past that they could only overcome with their love. It just had everything I would want for a wonderful love story to have. It was everything I could want really. I could go on and on, but I won't. I can't give it enough praise.
I loved this book. I was captivated by the story of two damaged souls coming together and finding loved be with one another. There were many obstacles to face mostly emotional, but they came on top in the end. I loved all the raw emotions that lead book's intensity. I loved how overcame those emotional wounds so they go be together. I loved both Tarek and Olivia. They both went through so much and I felt so bad of what they had to overcome. I rooted for them all the way. They were soulmates, and they needed each other. This book effected me and punched me in the heart a couple times because of all that was going on emotionally. And it great. It was a beautiful ride that I was so happy to be. I didn't rush through it and took my time to savor it. I couldn't put it down for a single second.
I can see this being one on favorites list. I definitely can see myself reading this over and over again.
Highly recommend this book for Presents fans as well as fan of intense emotional reads with a great and believable love story. I sure felt it anyway.
In this book the twist was that the hero, Tarek was a virgin while our heroine, Olivia was a widower and had more experience than he did. It was flipped from usual Presents, and just brought a whole lot of fun and interest. And he was a hot virgin. Oh my goodness, but what was great was that there was a reason that he was that he was and made it very believable. For one, he was exiled to the desert by his evil brother, who claimed to love him. Two, said brother spent years torturing his brother, beating him, and starving him in order to "toughen" him up and claiming he loved him. After being tortured for some time, Tarek did harden and chose to become stone, shutting off his emotions and desires in order to survive and also he vowed to himself that he would service his country and to his country only. He would ignore his own desire for the good of the country even ignoring temptation of the flesh. With that type of background, it was understandable of why he was a virgin. And in his mind it was a good reason. He saw it as being right. I get it. It made sense. And I truly felt bad for him and what he experienced all those years. He just wanted to survive. The pleasures of the flesh were the last thing on his mind.
Until Olivia came onto the scene then his desire were awakened even though he didn't want them to. It was really interesting to see him struggle with his passion. I could tell he wanted her, but he pushed in down. He tried to remain stone, but it proved not to work. He didn't want to share that closeness with her, fearing it. And again it was totally understandable.
But it wasn't going away either. There was just so much good sexual tension between them, it was unbelievable. It was entertaining and fun and spine tingling. And it was not just the lovemaking scenes either, it was the entire book. From the moment they met really. What I felt really amusing was that it was Olivia, who really wanted him and wanted to have that connection with him. She wanted closeness from the beginning. Sure, she concluded that it was just, and she was lusting hard. Usually it is the opposite in romance and it's the man lusting hard, but it was all her. And I could feel every moment of how how she wanted him. It was in her bones. It was consuming and it consumed me in the process. Her attraction to him was really well done. One scenes to highlight that was the shaving scene. Oh my good, it was so hot and sexy that I was practically panting just like Olivia was. I felt what what she felt at that moment. It was just a really well written scene that evoked a lot of feels. It was very sensory experience. I felt like I was there. It was a really sexy scene, but emotional one too because it showed how she wanted but they were not on the same page.
The lovemaking scenes were beyond sexy, and just real good. The first time scene it was very entertaining to see it from Tarek's point of view. He wanted to give Olivia pleasure, but didn't know if he could deliver and even feared he couldn't. So before that scene he read books about how pleasure a woman and study in the hopes he could fulfill Olivia. It was really cute, and just showed how much he truly cared for her. He didn't pretend to be something he wasn't or try bluff his way through it. Instead he did something and learned before putting it into practice. It was really endearing and made me love him all the more. He wasn't selfish and gave so much, but it got so much more in return because he got Olivia. And to see through his eyes his first taste of pleasure was rewarding after he experienced so much pain in his life. He finally got some joy. He deserved it. It was truly a happy moment. It was a really well done scene and showed their connection. It was a beautiful moment between them as were the other scenes because it showed their connection and joy with one another. And they were hot as hell that didn't hurt either, but was more about closeness more than anything else. And I love that. A lot of the times the focus in romance novels is the sexiness, the passion and list, which is well and good but there needed to be something deeper than that he in order to be a satisfying experience on every level for the reader. In this book, it was very clear that it was more about closeness and feelings than the lust. I absolutely loved that. Most importantly it felt real and intense and everything that should be in a romance. It was about them getting closer and falling in love. I loved that and those scenes.
Really there wasn't a single scene I didn't love in this book and all the marking in my book were proof of that. It was so good and sucked me in. I love how these two damaged individuals who had similar issues came together and healed each other by falling in love. It was really beautiful. It was emotional intense. It was gut wrenching. It was painful. It had a bit of angst. Lots of good sexual tension. It was deep. I was touched. The felt for the pain of them with all their emotional scars from the past that they could only overcome with their love. It just had everything I would want for a wonderful love story to have. It was everything I could want really. I could go on and on, but I won't. I can't give it enough praise.
I loved this book. I was captivated by the story of two damaged souls coming together and finding loved be with one another. There were many obstacles to face mostly emotional, but they came on top in the end. I loved all the raw emotions that lead book's intensity. I loved how overcame those emotional wounds so they go be together. I loved both Tarek and Olivia. They both went through so much and I felt so bad of what they had to overcome. I rooted for them all the way. They were soulmates, and they needed each other. This book effected me and punched me in the heart a couple times because of all that was going on emotionally. And it great. It was a beautiful ride that I was so happy to be. I didn't rush through it and took my time to savor it. I couldn't put it down for a single second.
I can see this being one on favorites list. I definitely can see myself reading this over and over again.
Highly recommend this book for Presents fans as well as fan of intense emotional reads with a great and believable love story. I sure felt it anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2018
Okay... I've read half of it... and flipped to the end... not because it wasn't good, but because I don't really have time to read it... talk about guilty pleasures :P
The writing is good... the characters are great.. lots of thinking about past and inner self... and when I have lots of time and not thinking about something else while flipping pages.... I'm definitely going to come back and read it :)
The writing is good... the characters are great.. lots of thinking about past and inner self... and when I have lots of time and not thinking about something else while flipping pages.... I'm definitely going to come back and read it :)
Read
April 10, 2024Bored out of my mind. DNF'd at 30%
August 19, 2015
* Arc provided by Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review *
First Impression: Well-written, with two characters who command the page and a setting that draws you in and carries you forward.
This is a book rich in setting and filled with dynamic characters that spark to life and command your attention on every page. Maisey Yates paints so many beautiful pictures with her words and they never fail to culminate in a fantastic and mesmerizing story, and such is the case with this latest Harlequin Presents release.
Bound to the Warrior King is about a American woman who became Queen of a European country, only to lose her husband and become a burden to the country under her brother-in-law’s unexpected rule. At the new King’s request, Olivia travels to Tahar in hopes of making an ally of Tahar by securing a marriage to the new Sheikh, Tarek al-Khalij, a man who has lived his life in the desert as a warrior and knows nothing of ruling a country. But Olivia has thirty days to teach him, and to convince him she would make him a good wife and a good Queen for Tahar.
Tarek is tormented by the things he knows and the devastation his brother has brought to his beloved Tahar. The secrets he keeps to protect his country from further ruin weigh on him. He became a warrior, a man forged into a weapon, for his people, and he protected his brother, the late King, from his enemies out of love for his country, but his exile to the desert came at a high price and it is struggle for him to sit on the throne when he knows nothing of how to rule.
Olivia will do everything she can to help Tarek learn to be King, and to secure herself as the woman to rule beside him. Because she cannot go back to her country in failure, not when she knows her time there, under her brother-in-law’s rule, could be limited.
I loved this book. I highlighted so many beautiful lines and character insights while reading this story that I cannot even begin to address them all. So many amazing threads went into this book, and they’re woven so expertly that they are inexplicably bound to one another, and each more intricate than the last. It pleased my psychology loving heart something fierce. I loved Tarek, and I loved his journey from outcast to ruler, from rock to man. He is such a fascinating character, and so, so well-written I could picture him thoroughly throughout the story. And I loved the heroine, Olivia, just as much, because she challenged him and challenged herself by being with him, which is to me, the best kind of love story to read.
If you love your romance rich in setting, high in emotion, and built with truly amazing character depth, you need to read Bound to the Warrior King by Maisey Yates. It’s a beautiful, poignant, five-star must read that will pull you in and not let you go. Highly, highly recommend!
First Impression: Well-written, with two characters who command the page and a setting that draws you in and carries you forward.
This is a book rich in setting and filled with dynamic characters that spark to life and command your attention on every page. Maisey Yates paints so many beautiful pictures with her words and they never fail to culminate in a fantastic and mesmerizing story, and such is the case with this latest Harlequin Presents release.
Bound to the Warrior King is about a American woman who became Queen of a European country, only to lose her husband and become a burden to the country under her brother-in-law’s unexpected rule. At the new King’s request, Olivia travels to Tahar in hopes of making an ally of Tahar by securing a marriage to the new Sheikh, Tarek al-Khalij, a man who has lived his life in the desert as a warrior and knows nothing of ruling a country. But Olivia has thirty days to teach him, and to convince him she would make him a good wife and a good Queen for Tahar.
Tarek is tormented by the things he knows and the devastation his brother has brought to his beloved Tahar. The secrets he keeps to protect his country from further ruin weigh on him. He became a warrior, a man forged into a weapon, for his people, and he protected his brother, the late King, from his enemies out of love for his country, but his exile to the desert came at a high price and it is struggle for him to sit on the throne when he knows nothing of how to rule.
Olivia will do everything she can to help Tarek learn to be King, and to secure herself as the woman to rule beside him. Because she cannot go back to her country in failure, not when she knows her time there, under her brother-in-law’s rule, could be limited.
I loved this book. I highlighted so many beautiful lines and character insights while reading this story that I cannot even begin to address them all. So many amazing threads went into this book, and they’re woven so expertly that they are inexplicably bound to one another, and each more intricate than the last. It pleased my psychology loving heart something fierce. I loved Tarek, and I loved his journey from outcast to ruler, from rock to man. He is such a fascinating character, and so, so well-written I could picture him thoroughly throughout the story. And I loved the heroine, Olivia, just as much, because she challenged him and challenged herself by being with him, which is to me, the best kind of love story to read.
If you love your romance rich in setting, high in emotion, and built with truly amazing character depth, you need to read Bound to the Warrior King by Maisey Yates. It’s a beautiful, poignant, five-star must read that will pull you in and not let you go. Highly, highly recommend!
July 27, 2015
Wow, what a great book! I received an early copy of Bound to the Warrior King through NetGalley. It has to be one of the better HP books that I have read. It is the story of a displaced Queen who lost her husband but had not had an heir to tie her to the throne. Her brother-in-law arranges for her to marry Tarek the Sheik of a Middle Eastern Country called Tahar. Tarek was a warrior who had not lived outside of the open desert for over 15 years until he becomes Sheikh due to his brother's death. Bound to the Warrior King, at least for me, was this gradual escalation to discovering not just love between two people, but discovering what love is for each person involved in the relationship. That was one of the most profound things with this story was how Olivia was a strong, experienced character who slowly realizes that she didn't know as much as she thought. The author described this tumultuous epiphany in so much detail as the story went on that it sometimes a bit hard to read as the reader is dragged into Olivia's emotions. In addition, she had a terrible childhood, no family where family was present. I have to say I just did not understand why the parents could never split time alternately as they rose to the occasion for other family trials.
Tarek had a horrendous childhood and I have to say I am completely stupefied why he never killed his brother. I'm guessing things would have gone differently if he had an awakening earlier in his life. He accepted some things that were so unacceptable that I just don't understand how he did it, how anyone could do it, but, I guess it is the essence of child abuse which in his case seemed like could have been avoided since he was already away from the house. But, he had this deep, visceral need to protect and honor his country. Watching his growth is oddly not as painful but definitely a great read. He draws the reader to his character and depth of honor to his country and also to Olivia.
Tarek had a horrendous childhood and I have to say I am completely stupefied why he never killed his brother. I'm guessing things would have gone differently if he had an awakening earlier in his life. He accepted some things that were so unacceptable that I just don't understand how he did it, how anyone could do it, but, I guess it is the essence of child abuse which in his case seemed like could have been avoided since he was already away from the house. But, he had this deep, visceral need to protect and honor his country. Watching his growth is oddly not as painful but definitely a great read. He draws the reader to his character and depth of honor to his country and also to Olivia.
May 10, 2024
2 stars
This was so weird and so completely divorced from reality, I just lost any interest and DNFed.
It wasn't exactly bad, it just wasn't for me.
Plus, I didn't really like the heroine.
This was so weird and so completely divorced from reality, I just lost any interest and DNFed.
It wasn't exactly bad, it just wasn't for me.
Plus, I didn't really like the heroine.
August 5, 2015
*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Harlequin*
After fixing my Kindle problems that made me delay the reading of this book more time than I really wanted, finally I read it and I have to say that I'm pleased with this book... But not completely.
I follow Ms. Yates en Facebook, and I remember one of her status in which she was accepting a challenge about a very unusual hero. As more I get deep into the story, I found out that Tarek was that hero!
When his brother died, Tarek had become the king of Tahar. And with that, comes the challenges of doing his best for the country he loves and he protects above all. Because he spent half of his life in the desert, he doesn't know about politics and public relationships. That's when Olivia, the widow queen of Alansund, became a necessary asset for the country and Tarek --he needs an heir for the throne-- and marriage took an important issue for both Tarek and Olivia.
Olivia, after her husband's death, is left behind in the country of her late husband and there's no place for her there. That's why she needs that alliance with Tarek.
The chemistry between hero and heroine is intense, and their interactions are full of passion. Ok, Olivia's not a virgin, but at least she's strong, fierce and determined to have what she wants. A non-virgin heroine was perfect for Tarek, if we think in his circumstances...
There's no real secondary characters in this story --they weren't needed. But it has Malik and Marcus (Olivia's husband), which they made their work very well.
The story is well written and the romance between H/h is well developed. The rhyme is slow, which affected the scene transitions. The ending was idyllic, specially the epilogue. Even though I like the story, the biggest mistake of the book was that Olivia spends the whole story comparing Tarek with her late husband... and only at the end she didn't like to compare them?? That wasn't credible at all.
After fixing my Kindle problems that made me delay the reading of this book more time than I really wanted, finally I read it and I have to say that I'm pleased with this book... But not completely.
I follow Ms. Yates en Facebook, and I remember one of her status in which she was accepting a challenge about a very unusual hero. As more I get deep into the story, I found out that Tarek was that hero!
When his brother died, Tarek had become the king of Tahar. And with that, comes the challenges of doing his best for the country he loves and he protects above all. Because he spent half of his life in the desert, he doesn't know about politics and public relationships. That's when Olivia, the widow queen of Alansund, became a necessary asset for the country and Tarek --he needs an heir for the throne-- and marriage took an important issue for both Tarek and Olivia.
Olivia, after her husband's death, is left behind in the country of her late husband and there's no place for her there. That's why she needs that alliance with Tarek.
The chemistry between hero and heroine is intense, and their interactions are full of passion. Ok, Olivia's not a virgin, but at least she's strong, fierce and determined to have what she wants. A non-virgin heroine was perfect for Tarek, if we think in his circumstances...
There's no real secondary characters in this story --they weren't needed. But it has Malik and Marcus (Olivia's husband), which they made their work very well.
The story is well written and the romance between H/h is well developed. The rhyme is slow, which affected the scene transitions. The ending was idyllic, specially the epilogue. Even though I like the story, the biggest mistake of the book was that Olivia spends the whole story comparing Tarek with her late husband... and only at the end she didn't like to compare them?? That wasn't credible at all.
April 26, 2022
A more than usually absurd, Harlequin Presents, sheikh romance
In the imaginary, alternate-universe, Middle Eastern kingdom of Tahar, 30-year-old Prince Tarek suddenly finds himself elevated to King when his venal, narcissistic, evilly cruel elder brother, who had no son and heir, suddenly dies of a drug overdose. Tarek discovers, to his horror, on reading his brother’s journals, that his brother murdered their parents when Tarek was 15, in order to ascend to the throne. He also tortured young Tarek, then banished him to the desert, where he has lived in a cave like an isolated monk for the last 15 years. Tarek’s brother assigned him some kind of military role that seems to have involved battles with weapons so primitive, they were something out of the early sixteenth century. Tarek is described as fighting only with a sword and facing “steel-tipped arrows” on the battlefield. He also functioned as some sort of assassin on behalf of his brother, but no details are given as to how he might have pulled that off successfully using only a huge scimitar in a world of guns. In spite of having no education past the age of 15, having no access to modern technology such as cell phones or the internet, not reading newspapers, books, seeing movies or TV, Tarek speaks perfect, fluent English. It is never explained what he did in his cave for toileting, bathing, laundry, and meals—other than somehow maintaining a coffee habit. He has never had sex and has staunchly refused to give in to sexual urgings whatsoever, so apparently he has never even engaged in self-stimulation. His entire personal identity involves martyring himself as a “weapon” for his country. Tarek is not described for most of the book as wearing the thobe (robe) or the Taqiyah (head covering), and there is no mention (as there never is in HP sheikh romances) of his following Muslim religious practices, in particular, prostrating himself to pray five times per day. In fact, the only Muslim practice that typically (but not always) appears in HP sheikh romances, including this one, is avoiding alcohol.
Olivia comes from a wealthy American family. She suffered from “poor little rich girl” syndrome in that her parents were so obsessed with caring for her chronically, dangerously ill younger sister, they basically ignored her throughout her childhood. At university, she met the prince of a fictional European country, married him, and became his queen for five years until his untimely death. Though she is not the typical HP, virgin heroine, we are assured her husband was 26-year-old Olivia’s only lover. Because she and her deceased husband produced no heir, his younger brother became king, and Olivia’s presence in that country became surplus to requirements. Because she views herself as highly skilled in the political maneuvering required of monarchs, and the only career she is interested in pursuing is to continue being a queen, her brother-in-law offers her the chance to help her adopted homeland gain important political advantages by entering into a nineteenth-century-type arranged marriage with Tahar’s new, unmarried king.
After Olivia arrives in Tahar, she realizes from her very first meeting with the devastatingly attractive and mysteriously aloof Tarek that a political alliance with him won’t just involve doing her honorable duty. It could prove to be a real pleasure. It would be quite entertaining smoothing down half-wild Tarek’s rough edges, and she eagerly anticipates the joys of sharing the marriage bed with the gorgeous brute.
Tarek is fully aware that he will need to marry and produce an heir, but at first he believes a foreign woman will simply make it all the more difficult to move from self-enforced celibacy to cohabitation. However, Olivia does such a convincing job persuading Tarek that, with her skills as an experienced queen, she could quickly and efficiently help him transition from unpolished warrior to a sophisticated king, he reluctantly agrees to give her a few days to concretely prove her grandiose claims.
Olivia is quite surprised when Tarek escorts her to a bedchamber himself because, unlike in a typical HP sheikh romance, the Tahar monarch’s palace is not crawling with hordes of willing servants. She is even more amazed when her assigned space is right next door to Tarek’s own suite. This unconventional setup permits the occurrence of a classic romance trope, the accidental, lust-inducing, nude sighting. That night while lying in bed, Olivia hears grunts and shouts coming from Tarek’s room. She gets up, peeks out of her bedroom door, and is awed and turned on at the magnificent sight of a sleepwalking, naked Tarek, who is stomping up and down the corridor, swinging both a sword high above and his exposed genitals below. As expected for a romance hero, he is described as having muscular thighs and a bodybuilder’s physique, even though all he’s ever done is brandish a sword and shoot arrows. He’s never routinely hoisted heavy objects.
I had the following issues with this novel that made it a less than appealing read for me:
1. It is typical of HP sheikh romances that their mythical Arab nations bear no resemblance to any Arab nation in the real world. But this book takes that inaccuracy to an absolute extreme. Tarek’s sixteenth-century-style, sword-and-arrows battles would only make sense if this were a time-travel novel—which it is not.
2. Why on earth would Tarek’s brother keep journals lying around in which he exposes his every crime, most especially patricide and matricide? Not only that, keeping a journal is a rather nerdy thing to do, not something one would expect from a chaotically corrupt, self-indulgent addict.
3. As is typical of HP sheikh heroes, Tarek does not act like a Muslim. He does not regularly pray, almost never dresses like an Arab male, and he is clean shaven rather than having a beard. In this case, Tarek initially has a wild, scraggly beard, but he allows Olivia to shave it off entirely, rather than simply neatly trimming it.
4. At her wedding to Tarek, we learn that Olivia doesn’t speak or even understand Arabic. It is obvious she also does not speak or understand the most common language in the Muslim world, Urdu. This means that the only way Tarek and Olivia could realistically communicate is with an interpreter. The author chooses to conveniently ignore that issue entirely, presenting Tarek as speaking fluent English, even though his having that skill is not at all well motivated. (Stating once in the story that, during his 15 years in his cave, he would march up and down talking to himself in several languages he learned from his father, so he wouldn’t forget them, just doesn’t cut it.) Not only that, later in the book Tarek reads and fully comprehends English-language sex manuals in order to be able to perform like a virtuoso in bed, as all romance heroes are expected to do.
5. Speaking of sex manuals: The author’s entire goal in this story is to flip the typical, HP trope of a virgin heroine matched with a sexually experienced hero, but the setup of Tarek’s being a monkish virgin living in a cave for 15 years is utterly improbable. Also, his, also unrealistically, studying sex manuals rather than allowing Olivia, as an experienced widow, to instruct him in what she enjoys in bed, is a missed opportunity to milk this trope reversal to the full.
6. Olivia’s decision that the only career she wants in life is to be a queen is, in the twenty-first century, decidedly odd, if not slightly unhinged.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, which I obtained through Hoopla. For the most part, the narrator does an adequate job but, irritatingly, she consistently mispronounces sheikh as “sheek” rather than “shayk.”
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 2 stars
Hero: 2 stars
Setting: 2 stars
Romance Plot: 2 stars
Writing: 2 stars
Audiobook Narration: 3 stars
Overall: 2 stars
In the imaginary, alternate-universe, Middle Eastern kingdom of Tahar, 30-year-old Prince Tarek suddenly finds himself elevated to King when his venal, narcissistic, evilly cruel elder brother, who had no son and heir, suddenly dies of a drug overdose. Tarek discovers, to his horror, on reading his brother’s journals, that his brother murdered their parents when Tarek was 15, in order to ascend to the throne. He also tortured young Tarek, then banished him to the desert, where he has lived in a cave like an isolated monk for the last 15 years. Tarek’s brother assigned him some kind of military role that seems to have involved battles with weapons so primitive, they were something out of the early sixteenth century. Tarek is described as fighting only with a sword and facing “steel-tipped arrows” on the battlefield. He also functioned as some sort of assassin on behalf of his brother, but no details are given as to how he might have pulled that off successfully using only a huge scimitar in a world of guns. In spite of having no education past the age of 15, having no access to modern technology such as cell phones or the internet, not reading newspapers, books, seeing movies or TV, Tarek speaks perfect, fluent English. It is never explained what he did in his cave for toileting, bathing, laundry, and meals—other than somehow maintaining a coffee habit. He has never had sex and has staunchly refused to give in to sexual urgings whatsoever, so apparently he has never even engaged in self-stimulation. His entire personal identity involves martyring himself as a “weapon” for his country. Tarek is not described for most of the book as wearing the thobe (robe) or the Taqiyah (head covering), and there is no mention (as there never is in HP sheikh romances) of his following Muslim religious practices, in particular, prostrating himself to pray five times per day. In fact, the only Muslim practice that typically (but not always) appears in HP sheikh romances, including this one, is avoiding alcohol.
Olivia comes from a wealthy American family. She suffered from “poor little rich girl” syndrome in that her parents were so obsessed with caring for her chronically, dangerously ill younger sister, they basically ignored her throughout her childhood. At university, she met the prince of a fictional European country, married him, and became his queen for five years until his untimely death. Though she is not the typical HP, virgin heroine, we are assured her husband was 26-year-old Olivia’s only lover. Because she and her deceased husband produced no heir, his younger brother became king, and Olivia’s presence in that country became surplus to requirements. Because she views herself as highly skilled in the political maneuvering required of monarchs, and the only career she is interested in pursuing is to continue being a queen, her brother-in-law offers her the chance to help her adopted homeland gain important political advantages by entering into a nineteenth-century-type arranged marriage with Tahar’s new, unmarried king.
After Olivia arrives in Tahar, she realizes from her very first meeting with the devastatingly attractive and mysteriously aloof Tarek that a political alliance with him won’t just involve doing her honorable duty. It could prove to be a real pleasure. It would be quite entertaining smoothing down half-wild Tarek’s rough edges, and she eagerly anticipates the joys of sharing the marriage bed with the gorgeous brute.
Tarek is fully aware that he will need to marry and produce an heir, but at first he believes a foreign woman will simply make it all the more difficult to move from self-enforced celibacy to cohabitation. However, Olivia does such a convincing job persuading Tarek that, with her skills as an experienced queen, she could quickly and efficiently help him transition from unpolished warrior to a sophisticated king, he reluctantly agrees to give her a few days to concretely prove her grandiose claims.
Olivia is quite surprised when Tarek escorts her to a bedchamber himself because, unlike in a typical HP sheikh romance, the Tahar monarch’s palace is not crawling with hordes of willing servants. She is even more amazed when her assigned space is right next door to Tarek’s own suite. This unconventional setup permits the occurrence of a classic romance trope, the accidental, lust-inducing, nude sighting. That night while lying in bed, Olivia hears grunts and shouts coming from Tarek’s room. She gets up, peeks out of her bedroom door, and is awed and turned on at the magnificent sight of a sleepwalking, naked Tarek, who is stomping up and down the corridor, swinging both a sword high above and his exposed genitals below. As expected for a romance hero, he is described as having muscular thighs and a bodybuilder’s physique, even though all he’s ever done is brandish a sword and shoot arrows. He’s never routinely hoisted heavy objects.
I had the following issues with this novel that made it a less than appealing read for me:
1. It is typical of HP sheikh romances that their mythical Arab nations bear no resemblance to any Arab nation in the real world. But this book takes that inaccuracy to an absolute extreme. Tarek’s sixteenth-century-style, sword-and-arrows battles would only make sense if this were a time-travel novel—which it is not.
2. Why on earth would Tarek’s brother keep journals lying around in which he exposes his every crime, most especially patricide and matricide? Not only that, keeping a journal is a rather nerdy thing to do, not something one would expect from a chaotically corrupt, self-indulgent addict.
3. As is typical of HP sheikh heroes, Tarek does not act like a Muslim. He does not regularly pray, almost never dresses like an Arab male, and he is clean shaven rather than having a beard. In this case, Tarek initially has a wild, scraggly beard, but he allows Olivia to shave it off entirely, rather than simply neatly trimming it.
4. At her wedding to Tarek, we learn that Olivia doesn’t speak or even understand Arabic. It is obvious she also does not speak or understand the most common language in the Muslim world, Urdu. This means that the only way Tarek and Olivia could realistically communicate is with an interpreter. The author chooses to conveniently ignore that issue entirely, presenting Tarek as speaking fluent English, even though his having that skill is not at all well motivated. (Stating once in the story that, during his 15 years in his cave, he would march up and down talking to himself in several languages he learned from his father, so he wouldn’t forget them, just doesn’t cut it.) Not only that, later in the book Tarek reads and fully comprehends English-language sex manuals in order to be able to perform like a virtuoso in bed, as all romance heroes are expected to do.
5. Speaking of sex manuals: The author’s entire goal in this story is to flip the typical, HP trope of a virgin heroine matched with a sexually experienced hero, but the setup of Tarek’s being a monkish virgin living in a cave for 15 years is utterly improbable. Also, his, also unrealistically, studying sex manuals rather than allowing Olivia, as an experienced widow, to instruct him in what she enjoys in bed, is a missed opportunity to milk this trope reversal to the full.
6. Olivia’s decision that the only career she wants in life is to be a queen is, in the twenty-first century, decidedly odd, if not slightly unhinged.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, which I obtained through Hoopla. For the most part, the narrator does an adequate job but, irritatingly, she consistently mispronounces sheikh as “sheek” rather than “shayk.”
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 2 stars
Hero: 2 stars
Setting: 2 stars
Romance Plot: 2 stars
Writing: 2 stars
Audiobook Narration: 3 stars
Overall: 2 stars
September 11, 2021
How can a book be so short and yet still drag? That doesn’t bode well.
My chief issue is that the characters were annoying and very shallow. Tarek is a damaged feral man who’s a weapon. He says it at least once every five pages. Olivia’s life is super sad because nobody came to her birthday party once. Poor little heiress. That’s totally on the same level of trauma as being physically tortured, hon.
I was interested in the idea of exploring a widow’s romance but frankly this sucked. All she does the whole time is blather on about how acshually her first husband wasn’t that great. It’s like humans are incapable of loving one partner and then finding another one day. I also didn’t like Tarek’s whole… thing. A virgin hero sounds fun in theory but a lot of it was just him having PTSD while Olivia pushed him and then of course he was an expert at sex immediately.
Ugh.
My chief issue is that the characters were annoying and very shallow. Tarek is a damaged feral man who’s a weapon. He says it at least once every five pages. Olivia’s life is super sad because nobody came to her birthday party once. Poor little heiress. That’s totally on the same level of trauma as being physically tortured, hon.
I was interested in the idea of exploring a widow’s romance but frankly this sucked. All she does the whole time is blather on about how acshually her first husband wasn’t that great. It’s like humans are incapable of loving one partner and then finding another one day. I also didn’t like Tarek’s whole… thing. A virgin hero sounds fun in theory but a lot of it was just him having PTSD while Olivia pushed him and then of course he was an expert at sex immediately.
Ugh.
December 22, 2019
Oh my goodness. Maisey Yates is just so brilliant. I love her writing - imaginative, emotional, exciting. She takes a situation and creates a wonderful new twist on it. Her characters take on a life of their own and you are drawn in to their story and all disbelief is suspended as she weaves the magic around you. Tarek and Olivia are a fabulous couple and I really loved their story. The way in which they open up to each other and discover their love is so touching. Someone commented, (I think negatively,) that this was like a fairy story and for me, that element of adult fantasy is a real bonus. The love scenes are just exquisitely done, and beautifully erotic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2015
I received an ARC from the publisher as a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest and fair review.
It started a little woodenly, complete with a typo in the first chapter, but once it got rolling I enjoyed the story.
It started a little woodenly, complete with a typo in the first chapter, but once it got rolling I enjoyed the story.
August 10, 2017
It was OK. I didnt love it.
Just something missing from the story. Olivia is great I like her, but don't love Tarek. I know he is damaged but just nah. I did like how he wasn't experienced. That was great.
Just something missing from the story. Olivia is great I like her, but don't love Tarek. I know he is damaged but just nah. I did like how he wasn't experienced. That was great.
April 29, 2020
Will be reviewed and shelved later when i have find time and energy after this tiring times.
March 26, 2021
Vintages synopsis was a good overview.
My first impression of hero physically and emotionally was-Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones...heroine was similar to mother of Dragons.
Heroine 26 -She is a rich American and was largely ignored by her parents because of her sick sister who could die any minute, but is currently still alive! She met husband 1 and her only lover at university. At the opening of the story she has been widowed for 2 years. Her husband was a ruler of a small Arab country(how many are there lol) She needs a purpose. So she flies to another Arab country where she proposes a marriage to the new Sheikh.
Hero 30- pretty much banished to the desert by his now dead, evil (hell is too good for you) brother. While in the desert he defended his country’s borders from any threats. He is a modern day warrior with a mean, mean stride. He loves his country, his people and has fought valiantly. He is now thrusted into the spotlight as the new Sheikh. This is not a comfortable role for him as he is not a diplomat. His looks are wild and he lacks social graces. This is where our h comes in to play.
Our h is pretty sure she can be the She-ra to his He-man. He’s not convinced and gives her 30 days. I think it took him a week to decide that she would be an asset to him. Now our heroine is very eager to find out if they will be sexually compatible(she has already seen the goods, as the hero walks naked in his sleep brandishing a sword or I guess maybe two swords😳.
Unfortunately our hero doesn’t want to be distracted from his duties and rejects the heroine not once but twice. He then tells her they will be married in 2 weeks time so she should cool her jets.
Our hero decides to do some research. He finds every book he can on sex (I wonder if he had a copy of Sex for Dummies?) You see, even though our hero still has the goods, he has been living like a Eunuch. He has been in the desert since the tender age of 15 and has denied himself pleasures of any sort. He is a virgin with a body built for pleasure.
Wedding night arrives and he puts his book learning into action to the delight of the heroine. She compliments him on his “huge” technique and he ends up telling her that she is his first. He says she doesn’t need to give him false praise and she’s like oh believe me I’m not. He then kicks her out of his room because he doesn’t want to hurt her with his sleep walking sword and she is to not become a distraction. I guess the books left out cuddling etc...
Heroine gives 4 day silent treatment...they have to go to some shindig and he ends up taking her to his old desert digs. They proceed to have sex in a sandy coated bed. She tells him she loves him. ( oops, in hp land you must deny, deny and hide that love away) Of course hero is scared off by declaration. He is not worthy of love, doesn’t want to love, and she just needs to fulfill her duties. That’s not good enough for our heroine. Now that she has experienced the Romeo and Juliet kind of love for the first time ever, she will not settle for being second. He tells her to go then. He can get an heir elsewhere.
Our heroine doesn’t have to wait long for her HEA. Hero is by her side within 2 days declaring everlasting love . The epilogue sees her pregnant and there has not been separate bed chambers since they were reunited. The sleepwalking has stopped and the only sword he has is happily sheathed by the h.
I hesitated on this book because of her previous marriage. However her love for her first husband was born more out of being needed. Her first husband was not faithful(she accepted this) and they had separate bedrooms. I feel like their relationship was more friend’s with benefits. He was polished and congenial and she was poised, elegant, and intelligent.
She would never accept an open marriage with our hero. He is her one true love! Our hero only has eyes for her!
My first impression of hero physically and emotionally was-Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones...heroine was similar to mother of Dragons.
Heroine 26 -She is a rich American and was largely ignored by her parents because of her sick sister who could die any minute, but is currently still alive! She met husband 1 and her only lover at university. At the opening of the story she has been widowed for 2 years. Her husband was a ruler of a small Arab country(how many are there lol) She needs a purpose. So she flies to another Arab country where she proposes a marriage to the new Sheikh.
Hero 30- pretty much banished to the desert by his now dead, evil (hell is too good for you) brother. While in the desert he defended his country’s borders from any threats. He is a modern day warrior with a mean, mean stride. He loves his country, his people and has fought valiantly. He is now thrusted into the spotlight as the new Sheikh. This is not a comfortable role for him as he is not a diplomat. His looks are wild and he lacks social graces. This is where our h comes in to play.
Our h is pretty sure she can be the She-ra to his He-man. He’s not convinced and gives her 30 days. I think it took him a week to decide that she would be an asset to him. Now our heroine is very eager to find out if they will be sexually compatible(she has already seen the goods, as the hero walks naked in his sleep brandishing a sword or I guess maybe two swords😳.
Unfortunately our hero doesn’t want to be distracted from his duties and rejects the heroine not once but twice. He then tells her they will be married in 2 weeks time so she should cool her jets.
Our hero decides to do some research. He finds every book he can on sex (I wonder if he had a copy of Sex for Dummies?) You see, even though our hero still has the goods, he has been living like a Eunuch. He has been in the desert since the tender age of 15 and has denied himself pleasures of any sort. He is a virgin with a body built for pleasure.
Wedding night arrives and he puts his book learning into action to the delight of the heroine. She compliments him on his “huge” technique and he ends up telling her that she is his first. He says she doesn’t need to give him false praise and she’s like oh believe me I’m not. He then kicks her out of his room because he doesn’t want to hurt her with his sleep walking sword and she is to not become a distraction. I guess the books left out cuddling etc...
Heroine gives 4 day silent treatment...they have to go to some shindig and he ends up taking her to his old desert digs. They proceed to have sex in a sandy coated bed. She tells him she loves him. ( oops, in hp land you must deny, deny and hide that love away) Of course hero is scared off by declaration. He is not worthy of love, doesn’t want to love, and she just needs to fulfill her duties. That’s not good enough for our heroine. Now that she has experienced the Romeo and Juliet kind of love for the first time ever, she will not settle for being second. He tells her to go then. He can get an heir elsewhere.
Our heroine doesn’t have to wait long for her HEA. Hero is by her side within 2 days declaring everlasting love . The epilogue sees her pregnant and there has not been separate bed chambers since they were reunited. The sleepwalking has stopped and the only sword he has is happily sheathed by the h.
I hesitated on this book because of her previous marriage. However her love for her first husband was born more out of being needed. Her first husband was not faithful(she accepted this) and they had separate bedrooms. I feel like their relationship was more friend’s with benefits. He was polished and congenial and she was poised, elegant, and intelligent.
She would never accept an open marriage with our hero. He is her one true love! Our hero only has eyes for her!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2023
The chemistry between the two leads is strong. The emotional depth of the characters felt real and still felt fresh despite being the familiar trope of emotionally closed off protagonists who have to learn to open up to love. I liked that the hero was a virgin and nervous about sex - it made the sex scenes more intimate and interesting. Tarek's lack of social skills and rigid thinking sometimes reached the point where he almost seemed coded autistic to me - without any of the other elements of autism of course.
The reason I did not rate this higher is because Tarek's turnaround felt rushed and unrealistic. I feel that he was such a broken character that the book would have to be a lot longer to give him the proper space for growth. Unfortunately, there was just not enough time to go into the messy process of recovering from trauma.
Additionally, I wish there had been at least a scene with Olivia's sister. As it was, the discussion of the neglect the healthy sibling receives when the other is sick felt onesided. We get Olivia's perspective, but what does Emily think? Was Emily aware of their parents' neglect of Olivia? How did Emily feel knowing that her illness negatively impacted Olivia? I know that is not the point of the story, but it still left unanswered questions in my mind. Yates could have written a sequel with Emily as the heroine and fleshed out the sisters' relationship. Sadly, she did not.
cw: abuse, torture, PTSD, C-PTSD, murder, chronic illness, parental neglect, cheating (not between the leads)
The reason I did not rate this higher is because Tarek's turnaround felt rushed and unrealistic. I feel that he was such a broken character that the book would have to be a lot longer to give him the proper space for growth. Unfortunately, there was just not enough time to go into the messy process of recovering from trauma.
Additionally, I wish there had been at least a scene with Olivia's sister. As it was, the discussion of the neglect the healthy sibling receives when the other is sick felt onesided. We get Olivia's perspective, but what does Emily think? Was Emily aware of their parents' neglect of Olivia? How did Emily feel knowing that her illness negatively impacted Olivia? I know that is not the point of the story, but it still left unanswered questions in my mind. Yates could have written a sequel with Emily as the heroine and fleshed out the sisters' relationship. Sadly, she did not.
cw: abuse, torture, PTSD, C-PTSD, murder, chronic illness, parental neglect, cheating (not between the leads)
September 23, 2019
Mom wants to give a little pre-history moment here. One of mom’s first romance was a Present and it was such a good Cinderella romance that mom fell in love hard with the book and sense then has been looking for a replication of that from Harlequin Present and just has not found one.
We would also love to say this is a lovely book.
First off the way the hero and heroine came together emotionally was very interesting. The hero is such a big beast character type, (beast as in Beauty and the Beast) the heroine in the other hand also came with some emotional baggage, but not the kind mom and I are use to seeing (at least it does not stem from the source we are use to seeing; nor does it present it’s self in the exact way we are use to.)
Mom also saw a lot of Beauty and the Beast element. The biggest one being is that the hero need to change his public appearances and along the way the heroine falls in love with him for the man he is and the man he is becoming, and understand that she can’t force him to love her in return. The hero himself has to come to the realization he loves the heroine and it does not feel forced.
Over all a good book.
We would also love to say this is a lovely book.
First off the way the hero and heroine came together emotionally was very interesting. The hero is such a big beast character type, (beast as in Beauty and the Beast) the heroine in the other hand also came with some emotional baggage, but not the kind mom and I are use to seeing (at least it does not stem from the source we are use to seeing; nor does it present it’s self in the exact way we are use to.)
Mom also saw a lot of Beauty and the Beast element. The biggest one being is that the hero need to change his public appearances and along the way the heroine falls in love with him for the man he is and the man he is becoming, and understand that she can’t force him to love her in return. The hero himself has to come to the realization he loves the heroine and it does not feel forced.
Over all a good book.
June 27, 2022
Due to his evil older brother, Tarek was exposed with killing and defending his kingdom since he was fifteen.
Olivia is a 30 year old virgin and offer her hand in marriage in return of support. She did so to help her family. She has 30 days to teach Tarek and to convince she is all he need in a wife and a good Queen to his kingdom
It is a well written story with 2 strong characters. Tarek come across as a strong, silent type of hero but bearing emotional and physical burden. They hide their true feeling pretty well too. Olivia come across as a strong character who willing to sacrifice herself but as the story progresses, realizes that she didn’t know as much as she thought. Overall, it is a good read for me
Olivia is a 30 year old virgin and offer her hand in marriage in return of support. She did so to help her family. She has 30 days to teach Tarek and to convince she is all he need in a wife and a good Queen to his kingdom
It is a well written story with 2 strong characters. Tarek come across as a strong, silent type of hero but bearing emotional and physical burden. They hide their true feeling pretty well too. Olivia come across as a strong character who willing to sacrifice herself but as the story progresses, realizes that she didn’t know as much as she thought. Overall, it is a good read for me
October 24, 2020
Truly need something different. The theme purely just romance, the world is just for these two people. A prince who still a virgin, and a widow princess met. And the story came fastly until they married.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2019
Nombres: Tarek & Olivia.
Profesion: Sultan & Reina.
Pais: Inventado.
Profesion: Sultan & Reina.
Pais: Inventado.
June 3, 2019
3.5 stars
A good read.
A good read.
September 13, 2020
I really liked that the hero was a virgin (didn't love that heroine wasn't and that she was the pursuer). The dialogue between the two was a bit stilted and didn't flow naturally. P.
August 12, 2015
The book itself was a short-lived story and yet the romance was sultry enough for me to continue to enjoy everything I love most about romance.
Until now I have never been properly introduced to Yates as an author. This is mostly due to the fact that I am not the biggest fan of western-themed romances that I normally find the author penning.
However this book was an exception with its dark, devouring plot that once I got started in my reading I couldn't put the book down and that fact alone is something that I look for with any author and in any novel.
As for both the attraction and the romance between the characters, the chemistry was present from the start. It fueled the sensual drive between Tarek and Olivia and created a memorable and yet unique romance. So overall as a devoted romance reader I am happy by what I discovered from such passionful and yet charitable nature.
Lastly I liked the overall bases of Yates's writing flow. The author's writing was not only entertaining but the foundation of the written word was strong. Should Yates continue such novels as this one than without a doubt she will have a committed reader within myself.
Until now I have never been properly introduced to Yates as an author. This is mostly due to the fact that I am not the biggest fan of western-themed romances that I normally find the author penning.
However this book was an exception with its dark, devouring plot that once I got started in my reading I couldn't put the book down and that fact alone is something that I look for with any author and in any novel.
As for both the attraction and the romance between the characters, the chemistry was present from the start. It fueled the sensual drive between Tarek and Olivia and created a memorable and yet unique romance. So overall as a devoted romance reader I am happy by what I discovered from such passionful and yet charitable nature.
Lastly I liked the overall bases of Yates's writing flow. The author's writing was not only entertaining but the foundation of the written word was strong. Should Yates continue such novels as this one than without a doubt she will have a committed reader within myself.
July 21, 2015
Widow Queen Olivia decides she wants to help Tarek al-Khalij rule his country, his brother is dead he has left the country in turmoil, but has no idea how to do that. Olivia decides to take him in hand and since he has been in the desert for years, asks him to marry her. What she doesn't know is he has been treated cruelly by his late brother and has been punished for years. it is her job to make him look more like a king but he considers himself a weapon, but she feels she can help him put everything back to where it should be even though his brother almost destroyed it. Again Maisey Yates pens a lovely story of a tortured man who needs the gentle hand of a women, Olivia has to deal with a lot of hurt and her love for him is not returned which leads to despair, but the two of them find that there is always room in a tortured heart for love. Its a wonderful story of two people finding themselves and a deep love. another book not to miss.
October 24, 2015
I'm not sure why I listened to this book--I normally don't read the Harlequin Presents line and I've never been a fan of the sheik stories. But I really loved the premise--a tortured (literally) internally wounded alpha hero who becomes the reluctant ruler of his country. What dropped it to a three was the heroine (her motivation for being so "hurt" in the past was pretty thin and selfish, IMO) and a lot of internal navel gazing by both characters. The word count required for this book was too short to tackle the premise accurately, so the ending was rushed. Yates is a good writer, though. I'll probably try another of her books in the future.
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