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Royal Brides #10
Heart of a Desert Warrior
The sheikh's last challenge
Stepping off his private jet in his designer suit, Sheikh Asad returns to his kingdom ready to secure his legacy. For beneath the starched white shirt beats the heart of a desert warrior!
Iris Carpenter barely recognizes the man standing before her. He's more magnificent than he was six years ago and even more dangerous. Especially when the searing heat of his eyes burns hotter than the fierce desert sun.
Iris can resist all she likes, but Asad knows it's just a matter of time before the flame-haired temptress is back in his bedwhere she belongs!
If you enjoyed this Harlequin Presents story by Lucy Monroe, don't miss her tempting new title, One Night Heir!
185 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
85 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Monroe
608 books1,569 followersI write spicy romance books that end in an HEA. Contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance…I write it all. The two things my books all have in common is lots of emotion and spice. Last year, I fell in love with a new subgenre: mafia romance. Since I write what I love to read, I started a new standalone series, Syndicate Rules where you’ll meet over the top alpha heroes in the Italian and Greek mafias as well as the Irish mob. There are arranged marriages, forced marriages, enemies to lovers, stalkers, forced proximity and lots of mafia intrigue. Morally gray is my new favorite color.
Follow me on BookBub for alerts on my next release: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-...
I’ve been published a while and most of my 90+ books have hit the Nielson Bookscan bestseller list, a few ended up on the USA Today bestseller list and some even hit national bestseller lists in the UK and Australia. My books have been translated into numerous languages and are for sale in dozens of countries around the world. I’ve won awards and been published with most of the big houses in New York, but my greatest achievement is touching readers’ hearts. When I hear from a reader who got caught up in one of my books, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do.
I love writing emotionally deep stories with snappy dialogue and solid plots. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to express that so many readers have taken my stories into their hearts and put my books on their reread and keeper shelves.
Follow me on BookBub for alerts on my next release: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-...
I’ve been published a while and most of my 90+ books have hit the Nielson Bookscan bestseller list, a few ended up on the USA Today bestseller list and some even hit national bestseller lists in the UK and Australia. My books have been translated into numerous languages and are for sale in dozens of countries around the world. I’ve won awards and been published with most of the big houses in New York, but my greatest achievement is touching readers’ hearts. When I hear from a reader who got caught up in one of my books, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do.
I love writing emotionally deep stories with snappy dialogue and solid plots. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to express that so many readers have taken my stories into their hearts and put my books on their reread and keeper shelves.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 18, 2018
St.Mags Rules for Fools - Forgiveness Edition
(As directed to the heroine of Heart of a Desert Warrior)
Rule #1. No justice makes forgiveness a very hollow thing.
There are differences between forgiveness, healing, and justice but they are all intertwined. The senior boy who took your virginity at 15 because he was participating in a “bag a virgin” contest at boarding school did not merit your forgiveness.
*He dumped his friend who told you about the contest because the friend was jeopardizing their frat boy tradition, not because your feelings were hurt.
*He stayed in touch with you, not because he was your friend, but because you are a reminder of what he got away with.
*He was never punished for what he did wrong – there was no justice for you or any of the other girls who were preyed upon.
*Your virginity did not make him a better person. You forgiving him did not make him a better person. Going on to marry and have two children is not an indication that he is a better person or that he still doesn’t indulge in this user behavior.
*He got away with it and you are dressing it up as growing experience.
Rule #2 Healing does not come from indulging in the same behavior six years later
The hero used you like a sex toy for ten months when you were 19 and he was years older. He thought of you as a sex toy because you were not a virgin and you didn’t tell him of your desperate need for love and belonging.
When the hero dumped you so he could marry the virgin who suited his status as Sheikh of a made-up country, you were so devastated that you never had a relationship with another man. So now, six years later when the hero is a jaded widower and has arranged for you to do a geological survey in his made up country, you are sneaking around and having sex with him again all in the name of healing.
This is not healing. The hero never rejected you sexually. So the healing cannot come through sex.
Rule # 3 The healing must match the specific wound.
The hero betrayed you by not telling you his true status and that he would never commit to you.
The healing must come through a public acknowledgement of your relationship, a ring on your finger and the respect of a committed partner before sex is even on the agenda.
Rule #4 Do not stop the hero from feeling negative feelings. He will never learn otherwise.
Justice is a rare thing. Confession is a rare thing. Atonement even rarer. Do not cut off the hero or take part of the blame when it’s just dawning on him that he has treated a fellow human being like she has no feelings. In fact, let him stew. Let him run after you.
Rule #5 Forgiveness is honest at its core. Forgiveness is a multi-step process.
You barely scratched the surface in this story. Hero should have had to bid his time and run after you.
***
Oh, so what’s this story about? TSL heroine falls right back to bed with hero who dumped her six years before. Hero made the wrong choice. His wife was pregnant by another man on their wedding day and she died in an accident with the OM. Hero loves his daughter and looks up the heroine to be his bedwarmer and stepmother to his child. Heroine thinks this is love. I beg to differ.
(As directed to the heroine of Heart of a Desert Warrior)
Rule #1. No justice makes forgiveness a very hollow thing.
There are differences between forgiveness, healing, and justice but they are all intertwined. The senior boy who took your virginity at 15 because he was participating in a “bag a virgin” contest at boarding school did not merit your forgiveness.
*He dumped his friend who told you about the contest because the friend was jeopardizing their frat boy tradition, not because your feelings were hurt.
*He stayed in touch with you, not because he was your friend, but because you are a reminder of what he got away with.
*He was never punished for what he did wrong – there was no justice for you or any of the other girls who were preyed upon.
*Your virginity did not make him a better person. You forgiving him did not make him a better person. Going on to marry and have two children is not an indication that he is a better person or that he still doesn’t indulge in this user behavior.
*He got away with it and you are dressing it up as growing experience.
Rule #2 Healing does not come from indulging in the same behavior six years later
The hero used you like a sex toy for ten months when you were 19 and he was years older. He thought of you as a sex toy because you were not a virgin and you didn’t tell him of your desperate need for love and belonging.
When the hero dumped you so he could marry the virgin who suited his status as Sheikh of a made-up country, you were so devastated that you never had a relationship with another man. So now, six years later when the hero is a jaded widower and has arranged for you to do a geological survey in his made up country, you are sneaking around and having sex with him again all in the name of healing.
This is not healing. The hero never rejected you sexually. So the healing cannot come through sex.
Rule # 3 The healing must match the specific wound.
The hero betrayed you by not telling you his true status and that he would never commit to you.
The healing must come through a public acknowledgement of your relationship, a ring on your finger and the respect of a committed partner before sex is even on the agenda.
Rule #4 Do not stop the hero from feeling negative feelings. He will never learn otherwise.
Justice is a rare thing. Confession is a rare thing. Atonement even rarer. Do not cut off the hero or take part of the blame when it’s just dawning on him that he has treated a fellow human being like she has no feelings. In fact, let him stew. Let him run after you.
Rule #5 Forgiveness is honest at its core. Forgiveness is a multi-step process.
You barely scratched the surface in this story. Hero should have had to bid his time and run after you.
***
Oh, so what’s this story about? TSL heroine falls right back to bed with hero who dumped her six years before. Hero made the wrong choice. His wife was pregnant by another man on their wedding day and she died in an accident with the OM. Hero loves his daughter and looks up the heroine to be his bedwarmer and stepmother to his child. Heroine thinks this is love. I beg to differ.
August 19, 2012
I love Lucy Monroe, but her last few books have lacked that special something to make them good.
So in this book, 5 years ago the hero and heroine were in college together and were also lovers. The heroine didn't realize he was a sheikh since he never told her, but she had planned on marrying him because she loved him so much. She actually learned a lot about his culture so she could fit in when he married her.
But of course the hero breaks her heart and shoves her away and the heroine went into mourning and then lost herself in her work.
She's a geologist and she's brought to his country to test the ground for whatever they were looking for. He's leading her around and he wants to strike up their "friendship" again. He claims they were friends, but by friends he actually means that he wants sex with her again.
Of course, long ago the hero wanted to marry this perfect virgin princess from a neighboring kingdom and she turned him down rather harshly. So he set his sights on her and worked his tail off to get her. All the while he was using the heroine for sex and supposed friendship.
This book is so wishy-washy and boring and hateful.
Not a lot happens, the heroine is so great and wonderful with her love she just wants the hero to be happy.
The hero of course, gets out of everything he did to the heroine because his wife was such a horrible person and she was pregnant with not his child when she married him, and therefore not a virgin either. She didn't like him, his way of life, and she cheated all the time. Oh, poor baby.
If the princess had been the heroine of this story, there would be NO reader happy with the hero going after her and trying to get her to marry him while he's living it up with another woman for over a year at the same time.
So that being said, he's nothing to shake a stick at in the marriage terms. Yes, she did him wrong, but he did the heroine wrong, so he has nothing to complain about. And that doesn't excuse his actions with the heroine. He got what he deserved from his singleminded campaign of this is what I want so I'll have it.
And then the heroine just loves him so much and can't understand how his wife could possibly cheat on him and that's followed by the worst thing that could ever happen in a romance novel. The heroine decides to fight for her man.
If you need to battle it out to get him to be with you, then what's the point?
Ultimately, this book was just too boring to really hate it though. If it'd had more drama, my feelings probably would have been stronger, be that a good or a bad thing.
ETA. I also want to say a point about him naming his daughter after the heroine. He flat out tells his wife he's naming her after the heroine because she was a good and wonderful person and that's what he wanted his daughter to be like. If he wanted to secretly think that, I might think that was a great thing. But the fact that he verbally spoke that way to the other woman, means that he was using the heroine as a dagger to get back at the other woman. That means he wasn't really thinking about the heroine, he was using her even then against the other woman because she didn't turn out to be everything he dreamed of. That's not a point in his favor, that's a major point against him.
So in this book, 5 years ago the hero and heroine were in college together and were also lovers. The heroine didn't realize he was a sheikh since he never told her, but she had planned on marrying him because she loved him so much. She actually learned a lot about his culture so she could fit in when he married her.
But of course the hero breaks her heart and shoves her away and the heroine went into mourning and then lost herself in her work.
She's a geologist and she's brought to his country to test the ground for whatever they were looking for. He's leading her around and he wants to strike up their "friendship" again. He claims they were friends, but by friends he actually means that he wants sex with her again.
Of course, long ago the hero wanted to marry this perfect virgin princess from a neighboring kingdom and she turned him down rather harshly. So he set his sights on her and worked his tail off to get her. All the while he was using the heroine for sex and supposed friendship.
This book is so wishy-washy and boring and hateful.
Not a lot happens, the heroine is so great and wonderful with her love she just wants the hero to be happy.
The hero of course, gets out of everything he did to the heroine because his wife was such a horrible person and she was pregnant with not his child when she married him, and therefore not a virgin either. She didn't like him, his way of life, and she cheated all the time. Oh, poor baby.
If the princess had been the heroine of this story, there would be NO reader happy with the hero going after her and trying to get her to marry him while he's living it up with another woman for over a year at the same time.
So that being said, he's nothing to shake a stick at in the marriage terms. Yes, she did him wrong, but he did the heroine wrong, so he has nothing to complain about. And that doesn't excuse his actions with the heroine. He got what he deserved from his singleminded campaign of this is what I want so I'll have it.
And then the heroine just loves him so much and can't understand how his wife could possibly cheat on him and that's followed by the worst thing that could ever happen in a romance novel. The heroine decides to fight for her man.
If you need to battle it out to get him to be with you, then what's the point?
Ultimately, this book was just too boring to really hate it though. If it'd had more drama, my feelings probably would have been stronger, be that a good or a bad thing.
ETA. I also want to say a point about him naming his daughter after the heroine. He flat out tells his wife he's naming her after the heroine because she was a good and wonderful person and that's what he wanted his daughter to be like. If he wanted to secretly think that, I might think that was a great thing. But the fact that he verbally spoke that way to the other woman, means that he was using the heroine as a dagger to get back at the other woman. That means he wasn't really thinking about the heroine, he was using her even then against the other woman because she didn't turn out to be everything he dreamed of. That's not a point in his favor, that's a major point against him.
July 5, 2016
I've had a dry streak with HPs lately. I've started tons I haven't finished, so I almost feel like I should round up just for the sake of this being something I finished. But I'm having a hard time doing that.
It was readable, I'll give Monroe kudos for that, but I did not like the content.
The setup was great. One of my favorite tropes. Selfish, arrogant, "gotta marry a suitable virgin" hero tears heroine's world apart when he announces he's ditching her to marry "Miss Perfect".
Of course, Miss Perfect wasn't so perfect and the hero is now trying to get the heroine back... into his bed at least. Like a Lynne Graham heroine, dude is very out of touch with his actual feelings. However, somehow LG usually pulls that off. I just wanted to punch this guy. He wasn't a horrible person overall, but he was horrible to the heroine and there's no real grovel. Yeah, he does work to get her back but he's so vague about what he wants. He keeps telling her he wants her friendship. But he also wants one with benefits. But he mostly wants to be friends. *snort*
Heroine is a masochist for even touching him with a ten foot pole, as he'd apparently long-ago made it clear that she was good for only one thing (she wasn't a virgin when she first slept with the H, she'd had one awkward teen experience). Obviously she wasn't material for a Sheik's wife. But, nope, she has that bright idea of it being therapeutic to sleep with him.
I'm still holding out some hope though. Hoping she'll leave and he'll have to chase her down or beg her not to leave, but NOPE. As Marajean said in her review it devolves into "the worst thing that could ever happen in a romance novel. The heroine decides to fight for her man."
I HATE THAT. When he begins to apologize at the end, she even takes part of the blame because she didn't fight when he basically told her:
"It's been fun. Now I'm going to marry a suitable princess. Sorry you were hurt, I didn't mean to I just didn't think you easy Western women had feelings. *shrug*"
Not sure what he really said, because it's not included. However, I get the impression he was pretty crappy and cold/dismissive about it. How do you fight against that? WTH?
It was readable, I'll give Monroe kudos for that, but I did not like the content.
The setup was great. One of my favorite tropes. Selfish, arrogant, "gotta marry a suitable virgin" hero tears heroine's world apart when he announces he's ditching her to marry "Miss Perfect".
Of course, Miss Perfect wasn't so perfect and the hero is now trying to get the heroine back... into his bed at least. Like a Lynne Graham heroine, dude is very out of touch with his actual feelings. However, somehow LG usually pulls that off. I just wanted to punch this guy. He wasn't a horrible person overall, but he was horrible to the heroine and there's no real grovel. Yeah, he does work to get her back but he's so vague about what he wants. He keeps telling her he wants her friendship. But he also wants one with benefits. But he mostly wants to be friends. *snort*
Heroine is a masochist for even touching him with a ten foot pole, as he'd apparently long-ago made it clear that she was good for only one thing (she wasn't a virgin when she first slept with the H, she'd had one awkward teen experience). Obviously she wasn't material for a Sheik's wife. But, nope, she has that bright idea of it being therapeutic to sleep with him.
I'm still holding out some hope though. Hoping she'll leave and he'll have to chase her down or beg her not to leave, but NOPE. As Marajean said in her review it devolves into "the worst thing that could ever happen in a romance novel. The heroine decides to fight for her man."
I HATE THAT. When he begins to apologize at the end, she even takes part of the blame because she didn't fight when he basically told her:
"It's been fun. Now I'm going to marry a suitable princess. Sorry you were hurt, I didn't mean to I just didn't think you easy Western women had feelings. *shrug*"
Not sure what he really said, because it's not included. However, I get the impression he was pretty crappy and cold/dismissive about it. How do you fight against that? WTH?
January 18, 2018
After reading Marajean's excellent review ,
I find myself in complete agreement.
Srsly, if you have to fight your man to be your man, you need to find your self another man - after some serious therapy to figure out why you are on a repetitive roll with cophrophagic parasite pustules.
It wasn't them, girl, it is YOU and you need to get that fixed and get some self respect with that.
I find myself in complete agreement.
Srsly, if you have to fight your man to be your man, you need to find your self another man - after some serious therapy to figure out why you are on a repetitive roll with cophrophagic parasite pustules.
It wasn't them, girl, it is YOU and you need to get that fixed and get some self respect with that.
January 30, 2018
Still reeling from the fact that her pathetic parents didn't go to her wedding to a fricking Sheikh because they had "plans". Really? Even bad parents would go to a fancy schmancy wedding of a Sheikh to their neglected unloved daughter.
That little plot point on top of all the other bejeezus BS is too much. Plus the only worthwhile characters, the H's grandparents that seemed to know he was in love before he was as well as his adorable daughter, got shuffled off way too soon.
That's pretty much it for me as other reviewers have done bigger, better jobs describing the bleh of it all.
No bueno. Lucy M, shame on you. Check out One Night Heir.
P.S.
The sex was oddly anatomically descriptive.
That little plot point on top of all the other bejeezus BS is too much. Plus the only worthwhile characters, the H's grandparents that seemed to know he was in love before he was as well as his adorable daughter, got shuffled off way too soon.
That's pretty much it for me as other reviewers have done bigger, better jobs describing the bleh of it all.
No bueno. Lucy M, shame on you. Check out One Night Heir.
P.S.
The sex was oddly anatomically descriptive.
April 20, 2021
2.5 Low-Suds Stars
The reviews were not great, but I liked this more than I thought I would. I didn’t have big expectations, and have read several losers in a row…so that could’ve helped also. Heart of a Desert Warrior follows the second-chance love story of Sheikh Asad and Iris Carpenter. The two had a 10-month affair in college before he left to marry a suitable wife. Unfortunately, Iris didn’t get the memo that she was a place holder, and is left devastated. (It’s explained as a big miscommunication, evidentially everyone at school knew he was the future sheikh except bookish Iris, and he assumed she was a tart because she wasn’t a virgin (& had sex on their first date) and they were on the same page.)
I’m still sick, and don’t feel like spending a ton of time on this review, so I’ll keep this brief. This isn’t a very exciting read, nor are all the parts (forgiveness/amends) completely fleshed out. All the angsty stuff with Iris being dumped/learning of the wedding happens before the book starts. There’s no OW drama, or any real drama at all. But, I found the main characters likeable enough and was entertained enough to finish, which is more than I can say for the majority of this month’s reads. 😊
The reviews were not great, but I liked this more than I thought I would. I didn’t have big expectations, and have read several losers in a row…so that could’ve helped also. Heart of a Desert Warrior follows the second-chance love story of Sheikh Asad and Iris Carpenter. The two had a 10-month affair in college before he left to marry a suitable wife. Unfortunately, Iris didn’t get the memo that she was a place holder, and is left devastated. (It’s explained as a big miscommunication, evidentially everyone at school knew he was the future sheikh except bookish Iris, and he assumed she was a tart because she wasn’t a virgin (& had sex on their first date) and they were on the same page.)
I’m still sick, and don’t feel like spending a ton of time on this review, so I’ll keep this brief. This isn’t a very exciting read, nor are all the parts (forgiveness/amends) completely fleshed out. All the angsty stuff with Iris being dumped/learning of the wedding happens before the book starts. There’s no OW drama, or any real drama at all. But, I found the main characters likeable enough and was entertained enough to finish, which is more than I can say for the majority of this month’s reads. 😊
April 28, 2020
2 ⭐⭐ - Meh!
===========
==>Reread 2019, August 24 (- 1 ⭐)
==>Re-read 2016, March 18
==> Read 2012, September 19
Our hero was obsessed with a perfect virgin princess, but he was cheated by the snobby princess who was already pregnant with another man's child. He discarded our heroine as yesterday's trash and never considered her to be a wife, only mistress, because he already had the perfect princess in mind.
And our heroine has no self-respect in getting involved with a sleazy guy like him again.
I didn't pity him at any time. He kicked our heroine for the curb and he exchanged her for a woman who was not a virgin, had a lover, was already pregnant with another man's child, despised him and his people, and so on. He took what he deserved.
Our heroine deserved better.
===========
==>Reread 2019, August 24 (- 1 ⭐)
==>Re-read 2016, March 18
==> Read 2012, September 19
Our hero was obsessed with a perfect virgin princess, but he was cheated by the snobby princess who was already pregnant with another man's child. He discarded our heroine as yesterday's trash and never considered her to be a wife, only mistress, because he already had the perfect princess in mind.
And our heroine has no self-respect in getting involved with a sleazy guy like him again.
I didn't pity him at any time. He kicked our heroine for the curb and he exchanged her for a woman who was not a virgin, had a lover, was already pregnant with another man's child, despised him and his people, and so on. He took what he deserved.
Our heroine deserved better.
She’d never heard from him again after he left, though a mutual friend had told Iris when Asad had married a year after returning to his home. She’d spent the weekend crying off and on, for once Iris’s studies unable to assuage the ache of loneliness and grief.
He’d seduced her anyway, treating Iris like his girlfriend when she was nothing but his mistress.
The level of animosity in Iris’s expression and voice when she wasn’t doing her best to suppress it, surprised him. It had been six years since he’d returned home. Surely she was not still angry at the admittedly abrupt end to their association.
Iris hadn’t been a virgin, but she’d been honest, loyal and surprisingly innocent. He’d believed Badra untouched, but that had been a lie of monumental proportions, as was so much about her.
“You didn’t want to abandon it. You didn’t leave me out of duty—you left because you never wanted me for a lifetime. I was just stupid enough to believe you did. That’s all.”
“Didn’t it occur to you that not coming to the Middle East had been my decision?”
“Marrying the virginal princess did not turn out to be all it was cracked up to be, I guess.”
“Your love for me was true,” he said as if just realizing that. “And you really didn’t love me. Life is peppered with little inconsistencies like that,” she said with a wry twist to her lips.
“Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned.” “The woman who allowed me entrance to her body on our first date? One who had others before me? I think not.”
Asad had found the city-bred and sophisticated young woman fascinating. Besides, she was a princess, and as a future sheikh, he should marry a woman of such standing.
Badra had not been impressed with his pedigree, thereby cementing his interest in her. Then and there, he had determined to win her hand. He would attend university and build his tribe into a people others would envy. And that the Princess Badra would want to belong to.
Far from the innocent virgin he’d expected to bed, Badra was well versed in the art of sexual encounters. She was also pregnant.
He’d been adamant he would marry this woman and no other. She would not reject him, the lion of his people.
“I planned to marry Badra from the time I was eighteen.” And he was the type of man that when he had a plan, he stuck to it. Could it really have been that simple? When she didn’t reply, he added, “There was no lack in you. Nothing missing from us.” She just hadn’t been the Middle Eastern princess he’d wanted.
“When you dumped me, I sure felt lacking.” “No.” He kissed the join between her neck and shoulder, suckling up a love bite, and sent pleasure zinging through her. “You were the perfect lover.” But not the perfect candidate for wife, even if Badra hadn’t been in the wings waiting. That much Iris understood.
Unwilling to dwell on a reality that she had no hope of changing, Iris offered, “You’re a pretty amazing lover, yourself, Asad.” He moved over her body, reminding her of the stalking lion he’d been named for. “I would have you beyond amazed.” “What, you want me passed out from pleasure?” she teased. “It has happened before.” Yes, it had. “Be my guest.” She waved languidly with her hand, as if it didn’t matter one way or another to her. But they both knew it did.
She’d never been indifferent to him. She never would be, but maybe, just maybe she would learn to move on from him.
“Did you think I’d had a string of lovers before you?”
Asad had only known his own hand for sexual release since well before Badra’s death.
This was where he belonged. For now, anyway.
Like the fact that Iris could never be in the running for Asad’s future wife because she’d had a sexual partner before him.
July 26, 2012
* 2.5 stars *
This book was kind of boring, there was no angst where there should have been and I didn't feel any passion from the hero. The dialogue was also stilted at times.
January 19, 2018
It was a nice sheikh short but it needed more angst. Some parts were boring. For those who care heroine was not a virgin and hero was not celibate during separation. I loved them both cause LM writes sweet adorable heroines and alpha strong heroes! I can’t resist them!
January 15, 2019
I know I always give M&B a tough time even though I went into it on my own accords. But this one I genuinely like. I don't find the main leads as annoying and stupid as most M&B novels that I have read. I like the chemistry between Asad and Iris. The Middle East culture portrayed in this story is not as ridiculous as some I have read, which if I were to recall those today, still made me cringe with how ridiculous and stereotypical the portrayals were.
October 12, 2019
Sorry, I just found this utterly boring and uninteresting. I ended up skim reading it. I could not get into the hero or heroine and found the plot to be poorly developed with unappealing, stereotypical characters. The dialogue was awful. I have read some brilliantly written Sheikh stories (Carol Marinelli, Jackie Ashenden, Caitlin Crews etc) and loved their energy, imagination and wit. this is nothing like them. Sorry, just not to my taste I’m afraid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
April 29, 2013I got to page 50/192 and realized I was bored and didn't care about ANY of the characters. Also, the dialogue was ridiculous. The whole thing felt very soap opera / lame TV movie-ish and I'd rather not waste anymore time on it when are so many other amazing reads out there. Anyway, I usually love LM, but this was a miss for me.
July 15, 2012
If I could give this book 4.5 stars I would....just love a strong alpha male who can admit when he is wrong/screwed up.
May 30, 2015
Has anyone else read this one? Strange book - review to come.
September 27, 2018
Ugh doormat h.
H and h have a relationship for 10 months when H dumps h and tells her he is going back home to marry an Arabian princess. He never considered her as a marriage prospect because she wasn’t a virgin and she had sex with him on their first date.
Fast forward to 6 years later when the princess he married is dead (and it turns out she wasn’t a virgin either and in fact was pregnant with another mans baby prior to their wedding night). He pulls some strings to get h’s geology company to do some work in the desert where he is Sheikh.
Despite the fact that he was a complete ass to h all those years ago, he expects her to fall into bed with him easily because come on, she couldn’t have possible expected him to marry her when he was to be a Sheikh. Sadly, she does fall into bed with him easily.
What makes it all so much worse is that he married the princess not because he had family obligations or it was previously arranged or whatever. No. He was obsessed with marrying the princess since she turned him down a few times. So even after spending months with h, he still happily leaves her to marry the princess (who agreed to marry him bc she was preggers)
I think the reader is supposed to feel H’s regret in making a big mistake but the author does such a terrible job of actually showing him having regrets or even really being sorry that when h falls for him again, I wanted to shake her. Have some pride, woman!
Also, as other reviews have noted - do not have the heroine ‘fight’ for the hero when the hero is the one who screwed up. Just no. One of the cringiest lines was when she decided to fight for him and what she would do when her job was over if he didn’t ask her to stay, she basically said that she might reduce herself to beg him to keep her around because there is no room for pride when it comes to love. There’s pride and then there’s pride. If you don’t love yourself, don’t expect anyone else to
H and h have a relationship for 10 months when H dumps h and tells her he is going back home to marry an Arabian princess. He never considered her as a marriage prospect because she wasn’t a virgin and she had sex with him on their first date.
Fast forward to 6 years later when the princess he married is dead (and it turns out she wasn’t a virgin either and in fact was pregnant with another mans baby prior to their wedding night). He pulls some strings to get h’s geology company to do some work in the desert where he is Sheikh.
Despite the fact that he was a complete ass to h all those years ago, he expects her to fall into bed with him easily because come on, she couldn’t have possible expected him to marry her when he was to be a Sheikh. Sadly, she does fall into bed with him easily.
What makes it all so much worse is that he married the princess not because he had family obligations or it was previously arranged or whatever. No. He was obsessed with marrying the princess since she turned him down a few times. So even after spending months with h, he still happily leaves her to marry the princess (who agreed to marry him bc she was preggers)
I think the reader is supposed to feel H’s regret in making a big mistake but the author does such a terrible job of actually showing him having regrets or even really being sorry that when h falls for him again, I wanted to shake her. Have some pride, woman!
Also, as other reviews have noted - do not have the heroine ‘fight’ for the hero when the hero is the one who screwed up. Just no. One of the cringiest lines was when she decided to fight for him and what she would do when her job was over if he didn’t ask her to stay, she basically said that she might reduce herself to beg him to keep her around because there is no room for pride when it comes to love. There’s pride and then there’s pride. If you don’t love yourself, don’t expect anyone else to
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2020
Hmm... he had a plan... go to university, get his masters and come back and marry the virgin princess of a neighboring country. He wasn’t letting the college girlfriend get in the way of this... dumps her goes home and marries the princess... ah, but karma’s a bitch and so was the princess.
Six years later, the wife has been dead for a year, and he wants the college girlfriend back.
Personally, I think she should have been much tougher on him, she caved way too quickly.
Not a bad story.
For safe readers... both characters were celibate for years (his marriage was consummated but not much more—more info would be a spoiler).
Six years later, the wife has been dead for a year, and he wants the college girlfriend back.
Personally, I think she should have been much tougher on him, she caved way too quickly.
Not a bad story.
For safe readers... both characters were celibate for years (his marriage was consummated but not much more—more info would be a spoiler).
August 24, 2021
No… just NO.
Not safe for me.
Not safe for me.
January 17, 2021
I normally don’t mind this author but this book was bad. So very bad. Note to self: don’t read it again.
May 12, 2019
Back when she was in college, Iris was in love with Asad, living with him, sleeping with him and never knowing that he was actually a sheikh. She also didn't know that he was just passing the time with her while he worked on plans to get a lovely virgin princess as his bride. Poor Iris thought they were in love and working towards marriage. So she was pretty devastated when Asad walked out of her life. Then, years later, after discovering that his virgin princess wasn't so great after all, Asad invites Iris, now a geologist, to his bedouin city for some geology stuff. He's determined to reclaim their "friendship" (obviously with benefits), while she's terrified she's going to end up in love and heartbroken again. It doesn't take long for her to end up in love, but she makes a promise that she'll fight for Asad's love so she won't end up heartbroken.
So all of my go-to reviewers pretty much hated this story. And yet there it was, the last in a 10 book series that I had read all but one of. My mind told me not to, but my over-developed sense of completion forced me to. So I did. And I wholeheartedly agree with every last one of those reviews. The heroine was stupid to let him back in to her life without very clearly defined parameters and to keep on fighting for him when he’d already shown what a poor bet he was. The hero was just stupid and totally driven by his hormones. What decent, honorable guy woos the woman of his dreams and sexes it up with another? None. Which says a lot about the hero, yes? Even worse, he's such a dunce that he invites the woman who's heart he broke back into his life so he can sex her up again, but still with absolutely no intention of making it permanent. And he's absolutely baffled why she initially seems hostile and beyond stunned when he realizes that she had REALLY loved him. Yet still he continues to play with this woman's heart for the duration of the story. I'm not still not quite sure if he was heartless or brainless. And the heroine...goodness but I wished she'd been able to hold onto a whole lot more of the well-deserved anger.
So all of my go-to reviewers pretty much hated this story. And yet there it was, the last in a 10 book series that I had read all but one of. My mind told me not to, but my over-developed sense of completion forced me to. So I did. And I wholeheartedly agree with every last one of those reviews. The heroine was stupid to let him back in to her life without very clearly defined parameters and to keep on fighting for him when he’d already shown what a poor bet he was. The hero was just stupid and totally driven by his hormones. What decent, honorable guy woos the woman of his dreams and sexes it up with another? None. Which says a lot about the hero, yes? Even worse, he's such a dunce that he invites the woman who's heart he broke back into his life so he can sex her up again, but still with absolutely no intention of making it permanent. And he's absolutely baffled why she initially seems hostile and beyond stunned when he realizes that she had REALLY loved him. Yet still he continues to play with this woman's heart for the duration of the story. I'm not still not quite sure if he was heartless or brainless. And the heroine...goodness but I wished she'd been able to hold onto a whole lot more of the well-deserved anger.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2012
Six years ago, Iris Carpenter met and fell in love with Asad Hanif, not knowing that he was a Bedouin sheikh. After a lifetime of being neglected by her parents, she thought she had found a man with whom she could build a family and a home. Asad had already made plans of his own to marry a princess from a neighboring country, so when things started feeling too cozy with Iris, he broke up with her abruptly and harshly. In all the time since Asad never forgot about Iris, especially when his chosen bride turned out to be selfish and deceitful. Now that he is a widower, Asad has found a way to bring Iris back into his life, and he doesn't plan to let her go.
I waffled back and forth over how well I liked these characters and the story as a whole. There are some neat details and charming side characters. There's plenty of drama to mine with Asad and Iris's respective background, and they do manage to talk through some of it, refreshingly enough. However, the ending just didn't work for me. The whole non-conflict over whether he's trying to influence her results came completely out of left field. Also, it doesn't seem to take much to convince Iris that Asad loves her. At least we have some internal monologue-ing from her earlier in the story where she seems to realize he loves her before he's willing to admit it.
I waffled back and forth over how well I liked these characters and the story as a whole. There are some neat details and charming side characters. There's plenty of drama to mine with Asad and Iris's respective background, and they do manage to talk through some of it, refreshingly enough. However, the ending just didn't work for me. The whole non-conflict over whether he's trying to influence her results came completely out of left field. Also, it doesn't seem to take much to convince Iris that Asad loves her. At least we have some internal monologue-ing from her earlier in the story where she seems to realize he loves her before he's willing to admit it.
August 2, 2012
It took me a while to get into this book and I felt it was very 'on the surface', so to speak.
I had a lot of trouble liking the hero, Asad, until the last couple of chapters of the book. Iris, the heroine, who for the most part is strong, continues to make excuses for Asad's bad behaviour in the past. I really enjoyed the irony in the story though ! There were also a few unexpected twists and turns which were very interesting.
I had a lot of trouble liking the hero, Asad, until the last couple of chapters of the book. Iris, the heroine, who for the most part is strong, continues to make excuses for Asad's bad behaviour in the past. I really enjoyed the irony in the story though ! There were also a few unexpected twists and turns which were very interesting.
July 9, 2012
3.5 Stars
I love a good sheikh book and this did not disappoint....The story has been told many times before but it was well written making it an easy read.
I love a good sheikh book and this did not disappoint....The story has been told many times before but it was well written making it an easy read.
October 20, 2013
I'm a little torn with this book to be honest because I did like it and enjoyed it yet at the same time I wasn't jumping up and down about it either, partly having to do with the love story. Now don't get me wrong I enjoyed the love story and seeing the journey that Asad and Iris took together and it was sweet at times, but it wasn't as intense and angst filled like I usually enjoy in these types of novels. To me there was no back and forth or tension or even any real conflict between them or I should say that conflict was kind of dealt with early on in the book and without too much complication either and they tended to have a smooth ride throughout, which was great for them but less drama for the reader, who wants to see the back and forth between the characters.
I just thought that Iris gave in way too quickly to Asad especially beforehand she was telling us the audience how much he hurt her and how much of an emotional blow it truly was too her. And she almost made it too easy for him with him barely having to charm her to get her back into his bed. I would have liked to see more fight in her then the one that was being portrayed in the book, I think it would have made the book and their love story stronger. Also it wouldn't hurt to see him fight for her a little bit more and draw it out, making the anticipation grow as well as showing the audience how much of an intense emotional journey this was for both of them, showing the growth in both of them as well as the development of their relationship along the way.
But like I said she just made it too easy for him and just gave into him too quickly despite that fact that he hurt her so much when he dumped her and her believing he was engaged to another women the entire time they were sleeping together with him having no intention of having a future with her, which hurt her badly. And though at first Iris was angry at him, and having to see him again and vowing she wanted nothing to do with him ever again because he broke her heart, that soon went out the window and she fell pretty easily back into his arms. Okay, I got that she was still very much in love with him and missed him terribly, and she had a pretty lonely, sad, solitary life without him with work being her only priority for five years since he dumped her and she just wanted to feel close to someone or more accurately him and didn't want to miss this opportunity with him so she decided to be with him but be smarter about it this time than she was the first time, vowing not to get her emotions involved with him and never trusting him again. Of coarse, it didn't take long for that to go out the window as well with her emotions coming back in full force when they made love again. But again this seemed to happen too quickly for me, either that or the book was flying by for me so it seemed to me that she gave in too quickly, but that was still my feeling when I was reading it.
I like angst what can I say, but that's just my personal taste, like I said it wasn't a bad love story that was filled with emotions and love and passion along the way with it basically going pretty smoothly without too many external complications like I am used to reading about. Instead it was more of Iris's willingness to trust him again after he betrayed her by breaking up with her, but it was pretty easy to see that Iris was going to forgive him no matter what even if that meant her heartbreaking in the process so that was no shock.
While Asad had to deal with his own feelings for her, which were pretty clear even if he didn't want to admit it out loud or to himself until end. It was pretty obvious. And Asad did feel deeply for her even when they were together all those years ago and just made a mistake in taking a princess "virgin" for his wife because that was what he was supposed to do since it was in his life plan and he wasn't going to waver in that even for Iris, who he really cared about. And that was dumb on his part, and he even admitted it in the end that it was a dumb choice to have made, picking a wife because it was planned over a woman he really genuinely connected with and feelings for. But I was glad that he acknowledge the mistake that he made and genuinely felt bad for hurting Iris five years ago by leaving her (which was a big issue for her because every person that she loved seemed to leave her with her parents never being involved parents and basically ignoring her so she had no family. She felt she belonged with him and felt a sense of family with him as well so when he left her too it just gutted her). And I could tell he didn't want to leave and just made an error in judgment.
I have to say when they do meet again, Asad was kind and gentle towards her, even though he was pushing a little bit for a more intimate relationship like they had in the past, as well as his family including his daughter, who he was so loving and caring towards and thought the world of even though she wasn't his blood daughter. He took custody anyway despite the wife's infidelity and considered his daughter his ever since she was born and never treated her harshly ever nor did he ever treat Iris harshly or was a jerk to her at any point. He might have been hurt by her opinions of him and what he done to her in the past, but he was never unkind to her, and I really liked that. He even went out of his way to prove to her how much he cared and wanted her in his life. Hey, he set up the whole "job" situation in the first place, which brought her into his country in the first place where he made it so she had to spend time with him in order for him trying to reconnect with her again. And he did as soon as the mourning period for his wife, among his culture, had passed then he immediately put his plan into motion for her, never wasting a single second because he wanted her back not only as his lover, but as his friend too. He missed her just like Iris missed him and he wanted to be with her and he wasn't subtle about it making his intentions pretty clear. He gave her her space yet told her that he wanted her at the same time, and he didn't have to wait long before she gave in, creating this passionate love affair.
So, there wasn't any cruelness or any games with him. He just came up with a plan and executed so he could get what he wanted, which was Iris. And he was really great guy especially like I said with his daughter, who he was totally devoted too which so sweet. I loved the scenes between him and his daughter, really showing how caring and full of love he was for her and could be with Iris if he admitted it to himself and allowed himself to love her because he was more than capable of it. Like I said I loved those scenes with the little girl, definitely created an awe moment for me.
Also I liked the scenes with his family as well, who readily accepted Iris into their world, and were even encouraging her or nudging her along to be with Asad. They were basically matching making and definitely approved the match especially after his late wife, who was just mean and selfish and never accepted the Bedouin ways like Iris was. Iris basically belonged from day one, which was really sweet to see especially for Iris because she never had a family and was abandoned by her own parents, but his family welcomed her with open arms and pretty much right away considered her family and wanted her to be part of the family, I believe because they could sense Asad's feelings for Iris all along especially with the ruse he created just to get her. So, those scenes were great as well as seeing Iris have the family that she never had before.
They definitely had chemistry, and probably did the day the met actually I know they did since they slept together on the first date, with that chemistry never having gone away the entire time they were apart and even seemed to grow along the way. Plus it helped that they were apart all the time without having any contact between them, which would have added their need for one another since they couldn't have each other and were denied that for so long. So it was some built up tension for sure. The first scene was definitely passionate, but was kind of jarring because suddenly they started talking about her first lover and why she gave into and wasn't a virgin for Asad, which he believed was required for him of a wife since he was a sheikh. So, that was a little weird and stopping mid-stream, and personally I didn't think it was his business in the first place, but she wanted to tell him and opened up to him, showing her vulnerability therein by making them closer, which was a good thing. And personally I got the reason why she gave up her virginity to Darren, she just wanted to be close to some and he was her friend that she trusted then she found out there was a bet in the school to bed the most virgins with Darren winning because of her, but being very ashamed of the fact that he even participated in this bet then changed his life and they still wound up friends even though she said earlier that she didn't have any friends, but I would have liked it more if she gave up her virginity to this guy because she thought she was in love with him and then her hurt her when she found out about the bet, but the fact that she practically admitted she didn't even love Darren when she decided to give it up, turned me off a bit especially for a romantic fiction book. I even would have been happier if that storyline wasn't even told in the first place, I would have felt better if it was just stated that Asad wasn't her first and that was that. It was just too much, and I felt like that experience though made her wary of men, I don't know if it exactly hurt her at the same time when maybe it should have. But anyway all that was revealed in that love scene and after the revelations they just get it on again right where they left off like the bombshell hadn't even happened. I thought maybe once he herd her story then maybe he would make it up to her by creating a first time that she should have and deserved than she really got the first time, but it didn't happen like that, which was fine but then I thought that subplot I didn't really needed to hear unless it changed their relationship somehow.
The love scene that I liked was in the private bathing pool. That was pretty hot and there were definitely lots of emotions going on during the act with the feelings being expressed physically instead of emotionally. It was just a really nice private scene between the pair that was romantic and passionate.
Like I said there were really no major conflicts between them though at one point Iris thought he was going to get married again and planned to do so in order for him to have a wife and a mother for his child, making her think that history was repeating itself again with him still sleeping with her while finding another to be his "worthy" wife and never considered her. That conflict was a bit weak for my test, probably because I knew he was talking about making her his wife and wasn't really looking for another woman to fill that role even though she thought that. But it was kind of just thrown in there at the end to add a conflict and I didn't think he needed to be because it was repetitive, at least from her point of view, and was just there with no big consequences really. Now if she left when she found this out and he had to track her down and propose okay, but it was quickly brushed over once he proposed to her, so that conflict really didn't add to the story or to the angst, it was just there like I said and I found it unnecessary.
Also although I like the fact that they reiterated throughout the entire novel that there relationship was more than about sex and they had a definite friendship, and she considered him her best and closest friend ever, which was really sweet and I love where relationships have that friendship element to them (especially the friends to lover trope which wasn't in this book, but is one of my favorite tropes in romance) and showing a trust there and between them, and I like that. What I didn't like was how much it was repeated over and over again either with her saying "he's my best friend" or she would say that there were just friends having sex. It was just repeated so many times and that could have been dialed back. I get that it was done for effect and to show that their relationship was so much more than the physical, but after awhile it got to be too much for me. Because I got it the first time it was told to me.
But it was a nice quick love story to read. It was enjoyable. It wasn't my favorite Lucy Monroe book that I read, but it was still decent, and I definitely got into it, and read it pretty quickly. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either, but I would recommend the book to any romance reader out there because I think they would find it enjoyable too.
I just thought that Iris gave in way too quickly to Asad especially beforehand she was telling us the audience how much he hurt her and how much of an emotional blow it truly was too her. And she almost made it too easy for him with him barely having to charm her to get her back into his bed. I would have liked to see more fight in her then the one that was being portrayed in the book, I think it would have made the book and their love story stronger. Also it wouldn't hurt to see him fight for her a little bit more and draw it out, making the anticipation grow as well as showing the audience how much of an intense emotional journey this was for both of them, showing the growth in both of them as well as the development of their relationship along the way.
But like I said she just made it too easy for him and just gave into him too quickly despite that fact that he hurt her so much when he dumped her and her believing he was engaged to another women the entire time they were sleeping together with him having no intention of having a future with her, which hurt her badly. And though at first Iris was angry at him, and having to see him again and vowing she wanted nothing to do with him ever again because he broke her heart, that soon went out the window and she fell pretty easily back into his arms. Okay, I got that she was still very much in love with him and missed him terribly, and she had a pretty lonely, sad, solitary life without him with work being her only priority for five years since he dumped her and she just wanted to feel close to someone or more accurately him and didn't want to miss this opportunity with him so she decided to be with him but be smarter about it this time than she was the first time, vowing not to get her emotions involved with him and never trusting him again. Of coarse, it didn't take long for that to go out the window as well with her emotions coming back in full force when they made love again. But again this seemed to happen too quickly for me, either that or the book was flying by for me so it seemed to me that she gave in too quickly, but that was still my feeling when I was reading it.
I like angst what can I say, but that's just my personal taste, like I said it wasn't a bad love story that was filled with emotions and love and passion along the way with it basically going pretty smoothly without too many external complications like I am used to reading about. Instead it was more of Iris's willingness to trust him again after he betrayed her by breaking up with her, but it was pretty easy to see that Iris was going to forgive him no matter what even if that meant her heartbreaking in the process so that was no shock.
While Asad had to deal with his own feelings for her, which were pretty clear even if he didn't want to admit it out loud or to himself until end. It was pretty obvious. And Asad did feel deeply for her even when they were together all those years ago and just made a mistake in taking a princess "virgin" for his wife because that was what he was supposed to do since it was in his life plan and he wasn't going to waver in that even for Iris, who he really cared about. And that was dumb on his part, and he even admitted it in the end that it was a dumb choice to have made, picking a wife because it was planned over a woman he really genuinely connected with and feelings for. But I was glad that he acknowledge the mistake that he made and genuinely felt bad for hurting Iris five years ago by leaving her (which was a big issue for her because every person that she loved seemed to leave her with her parents never being involved parents and basically ignoring her so she had no family. She felt she belonged with him and felt a sense of family with him as well so when he left her too it just gutted her). And I could tell he didn't want to leave and just made an error in judgment.
I have to say when they do meet again, Asad was kind and gentle towards her, even though he was pushing a little bit for a more intimate relationship like they had in the past, as well as his family including his daughter, who he was so loving and caring towards and thought the world of even though she wasn't his blood daughter. He took custody anyway despite the wife's infidelity and considered his daughter his ever since she was born and never treated her harshly ever nor did he ever treat Iris harshly or was a jerk to her at any point. He might have been hurt by her opinions of him and what he done to her in the past, but he was never unkind to her, and I really liked that. He even went out of his way to prove to her how much he cared and wanted her in his life. Hey, he set up the whole "job" situation in the first place, which brought her into his country in the first place where he made it so she had to spend time with him in order for him trying to reconnect with her again. And he did as soon as the mourning period for his wife, among his culture, had passed then he immediately put his plan into motion for her, never wasting a single second because he wanted her back not only as his lover, but as his friend too. He missed her just like Iris missed him and he wanted to be with her and he wasn't subtle about it making his intentions pretty clear. He gave her her space yet told her that he wanted her at the same time, and he didn't have to wait long before she gave in, creating this passionate love affair.
So, there wasn't any cruelness or any games with him. He just came up with a plan and executed so he could get what he wanted, which was Iris. And he was really great guy especially like I said with his daughter, who he was totally devoted too which so sweet. I loved the scenes between him and his daughter, really showing how caring and full of love he was for her and could be with Iris if he admitted it to himself and allowed himself to love her because he was more than capable of it. Like I said I loved those scenes with the little girl, definitely created an awe moment for me.
Also I liked the scenes with his family as well, who readily accepted Iris into their world, and were even encouraging her or nudging her along to be with Asad. They were basically matching making and definitely approved the match especially after his late wife, who was just mean and selfish and never accepted the Bedouin ways like Iris was. Iris basically belonged from day one, which was really sweet to see especially for Iris because she never had a family and was abandoned by her own parents, but his family welcomed her with open arms and pretty much right away considered her family and wanted her to be part of the family, I believe because they could sense Asad's feelings for Iris all along especially with the ruse he created just to get her. So, those scenes were great as well as seeing Iris have the family that she never had before.
They definitely had chemistry, and probably did the day the met actually I know they did since they slept together on the first date, with that chemistry never having gone away the entire time they were apart and even seemed to grow along the way. Plus it helped that they were apart all the time without having any contact between them, which would have added their need for one another since they couldn't have each other and were denied that for so long. So it was some built up tension for sure. The first scene was definitely passionate, but was kind of jarring because suddenly they started talking about her first lover and why she gave into and wasn't a virgin for Asad, which he believed was required for him of a wife since he was a sheikh. So, that was a little weird and stopping mid-stream, and personally I didn't think it was his business in the first place, but she wanted to tell him and opened up to him, showing her vulnerability therein by making them closer, which was a good thing. And personally I got the reason why she gave up her virginity to Darren, she just wanted to be close to some and he was her friend that she trusted then she found out there was a bet in the school to bed the most virgins with Darren winning because of her, but being very ashamed of the fact that he even participated in this bet then changed his life and they still wound up friends even though she said earlier that she didn't have any friends, but I would have liked it more if she gave up her virginity to this guy because she thought she was in love with him and then her hurt her when she found out about the bet, but the fact that she practically admitted she didn't even love Darren when she decided to give it up, turned me off a bit especially for a romantic fiction book. I even would have been happier if that storyline wasn't even told in the first place, I would have felt better if it was just stated that Asad wasn't her first and that was that. It was just too much, and I felt like that experience though made her wary of men, I don't know if it exactly hurt her at the same time when maybe it should have. But anyway all that was revealed in that love scene and after the revelations they just get it on again right where they left off like the bombshell hadn't even happened. I thought maybe once he herd her story then maybe he would make it up to her by creating a first time that she should have and deserved than she really got the first time, but it didn't happen like that, which was fine but then I thought that subplot I didn't really needed to hear unless it changed their relationship somehow.
The love scene that I liked was in the private bathing pool. That was pretty hot and there were definitely lots of emotions going on during the act with the feelings being expressed physically instead of emotionally. It was just a really nice private scene between the pair that was romantic and passionate.
Like I said there were really no major conflicts between them though at one point Iris thought he was going to get married again and planned to do so in order for him to have a wife and a mother for his child, making her think that history was repeating itself again with him still sleeping with her while finding another to be his "worthy" wife and never considered her. That conflict was a bit weak for my test, probably because I knew he was talking about making her his wife and wasn't really looking for another woman to fill that role even though she thought that. But it was kind of just thrown in there at the end to add a conflict and I didn't think he needed to be because it was repetitive, at least from her point of view, and was just there with no big consequences really. Now if she left when she found this out and he had to track her down and propose okay, but it was quickly brushed over once he proposed to her, so that conflict really didn't add to the story or to the angst, it was just there like I said and I found it unnecessary.
Also although I like the fact that they reiterated throughout the entire novel that there relationship was more than about sex and they had a definite friendship, and she considered him her best and closest friend ever, which was really sweet and I love where relationships have that friendship element to them (especially the friends to lover trope which wasn't in this book, but is one of my favorite tropes in romance) and showing a trust there and between them, and I like that. What I didn't like was how much it was repeated over and over again either with her saying "he's my best friend" or she would say that there were just friends having sex. It was just repeated so many times and that could have been dialed back. I get that it was done for effect and to show that their relationship was so much more than the physical, but after awhile it got to be too much for me. Because I got it the first time it was told to me.
But it was a nice quick love story to read. It was enjoyable. It wasn't my favorite Lucy Monroe book that I read, but it was still decent, and I definitely got into it, and read it pretty quickly. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either, but I would recommend the book to any romance reader out there because I think they would find it enjoyable too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2025
Disappointing
I wanted light, escapist fare; I got it. I wanted the HEA romance that left me smiling and satisfied in the end; I most definitely did NOT get it!!
Iris has the legacy of unhealed childhood trauma that convinces her that she is unlovable. (So heart-wrenching, I overlooked her foolish choices and gave an extra star to the rating.) She's intelligent, driven, and sweetly innocent. Asad, by contrast, is a misogynist of the first order (lovingly labeled arrogant as though it's cute!) who callously breaks her heart six years ago and includes slut-shaming in his dismissal of her. Fast forward to now; he recognizes what he lost, he's committed to offering her more and trying to win her back... and he STILL feels a need to disparage her again with, "The woman who allowed me entrance to her body on our first date? One who had others before me?" And she allowed it! I was more outraged than she was!! This was a sad disappointment for my escape into romance.
I wanted light, escapist fare; I got it. I wanted the HEA romance that left me smiling and satisfied in the end; I most definitely did NOT get it!!
Iris has the legacy of unhealed childhood trauma that convinces her that she is unlovable. (So heart-wrenching, I overlooked her foolish choices and gave an extra star to the rating.) She's intelligent, driven, and sweetly innocent. Asad, by contrast, is a misogynist of the first order (lovingly labeled arrogant as though it's cute!) who callously breaks her heart six years ago and includes slut-shaming in his dismissal of her. Fast forward to now; he recognizes what he lost, he's committed to offering her more and trying to win her back... and he STILL feels a need to disparage her again with, "The woman who allowed me entrance to her body on our first date? One who had others before me?" And she allowed it! I was more outraged than she was!! This was a sad disappointment for my escape into romance.
May 21, 2024
"Heart of a Desert Warrior" is the story of Iris and Asad.
Sweet second chance romance.
Six years ago, the hero and heroine met in college where they had a long relationship. He then breaks her heart and moves away, marrying OW.
They meet again when the heroine gets an expedition in his country, but soon realizes the hero is more involved her her life than she ever imagined.
Very obviously smitten/ stalkery hero, a strong heroine, sweet daughter, a family of matchmakers, hot sex, honesty and HEA.
Enjoyed it
Unsafe
4/5
Sweet second chance romance.
Six years ago, the hero and heroine met in college where they had a long relationship. He then breaks her heart and moves away, marrying OW.
They meet again when the heroine gets an expedition in his country, but soon realizes the hero is more involved her her life than she ever imagined.
Very obviously smitten/ stalkery hero, a strong heroine, sweet daughter, a family of matchmakers, hot sex, honesty and HEA.
Enjoyed it
Unsafe
4/5
August 1, 2024
This is the one with the couple that dated in college, were IN LOVE, then he dumps her because he didn’t know he was in love and had his mind set on marrying someone else. He’s a prince, the heroine didn’t know until he dumped her. Years later, he’s a widower and his wife was awful, and he’s sneakily got her to take a job in his country. She’s pissed, but still heart broken/in love.
Like all of these short Harlequin’s the heroine forgives way too fast but this hero did suffer at his own stupidity for 6 years.
Like all of these short Harlequin’s the heroine forgives way too fast but this hero did suffer at his own stupidity for 6 years.
September 4, 2020
I liked that the hero was tricked by the "virgin" pregnant princess after he dumped the heroine that was a great twist. I didn't like hero at all. Heroine should have got back on the plane and made him chase her to the other side of the world. Overall, the book was a bit boring.
February 19, 2019
While this one wasn't quite as bad as I expected from some reviews, I didn't enjoy it, either. (I really dislike saying that, since it's LM)
April 10, 2022
He wasn’t a warrior at all
June 13, 2023
La protagonista definitivamente fue la segunda opción, si la esposa de Asad no hubiera preferido a su amante, probablemente Asad ni siquiera querría volver a saber de Iris...
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