Sheikh's Secret Love-Child

Bound to the Desert King #4

by Caitlin Crews

Claiming his queen …

To legitimise his heir!

Playboy Sheikh Malak assumed he’d never inherit the throne but when his brother unexpectedly abdicates, he finds himself King! Now past indiscretions must be put aside…until he uncovers the hidden consequence of one delicious seduction with an innocent waitress. Malak will claim his heir, but fiercely protective Shona won’t let him just take their son. Malak’s only choice is to bind Shona to him — as his Queen!

Bound to the Desert King collection

Book 1 — Sheikh’s Baby of Revenge by Tara Pammi

Book 2 — Sheikh’s Pregnant Cinderella by Maya Blake

Book 3 — Sheikh’s Princess of Convenience by Dani Collins

Book 4 — Sheikh’s Secret Love-Child by Caitlin Crews

“A passionate romance with revenge and family secrets providing plenty of drama.” —Harlequin Junkie on Imprisoned by the Greek’s Ring

“L.O.V.E.D this story! From the beginning, which I have to give a triple A plus for originality, to the unique conclusion, I was hooked!” —Goodreads Reader on A Baby to Bind His Bride

Genres: Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Marriage Of Convenience

224 pages, ebook

Published November 1, 2018

About the author

Caitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.

Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.

She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.

Reviews

[Treece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3 1/2

Although Shona's character was understandable, her resistance after a while became tedious. Perhaps this was realistic. Her steps to adjust and the struggle to fit into the new world she is shoved into. It was scary and overwhelming. She was quite likable in the beginning, the way she held her ground against Malak. Also, her bottomless love for little Miles was amazing which brought her to the place of connection to Malak. Her strength was another area that I liked but the bad attitude was a bit much sometimes.

However, the HEA was perfect for two people who were never loved by parents. The defining message of redemption and salvation in love, to rewrite our lives for the sake of the future and happiness made this a great story. It was a very enjoyable book.

[iamGamz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to applaud Caitlin Crews for making her heroine real.

Shona was abandoned outside of a nightclub as a baby. She grew up in the foster care system from birth, never getting adopted, being moved from one foster home after another. Never having the security that every child needs to grow into a secure adult. Never seeing herself as nothing more than trash that her mother threw away.

Just imagining the horrors and constant fear she lived with explains her personality and attitude in the book. Coming out of foster care does not leave you a happy serene person. Unless you were fortunate and found a foster home where you were care for and loved. And how often does that really happen?

Shona’s insecurities and bitterness was completely understandable, imho. She fought her way through life to achieve everything she had. Even her dinky apartment that she made into a home for her son. She did the best she could with no handouts and no assistance from anyone.

I really appreciated the realism that the author gave this character. Going from her life to a palace would seem absolutely unreal. And being used to having anything good or positive taken away, she was literally trying to protect herself by not allowing herself to become comfortable, to enjoy what was there, to look upon it a home. She didn’t believe that it could actually be hers.

Maybe I’m reading too much into the character, but having friends who have lived this life, who are roughly around the edges because of circumstances , but with the sweetest hearts. I saw them in Shona. I saw the hurt, the reluctance to trust, the walls of steel you have to fight past before you see the real person. The walls of steel that most people take for hostility and never try to breach.

I loved this book for all the Shona’s out there who will never find a prince and are still fighting to do right for their babies and themselves.

[Aou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not as good as I expected. Shona was like a petulant child who could not comprehend what was the best for her and her son. Malak was just an ordinary HPlandia hero; as h described perfectly:
“I’ve never heard of a man alive who imagines that he is capable of love, even if the only thing he is king of is his own living-room couch.” Shona’s gaze was entirely too steady on his, as if she meant to indict him with every arch, deceptively soft syllable she uttered. (...) “My understanding has always been that the world might end if a single man ever imagined himself capable of such a thing. And yet here we all are.”

I didn’t like Malak but I see his point:
“What is it you want, Shona?” Malak demanded then, and though there was fire in that gaze of his, his voice was cold. “You do not want to be queen. You do not want to take on board even the smallest lesson my people try to teach you about how best to fit in here. You do not want to learn a single thing that might help you feel more comfortable in this world. You would prefer to stalk about the palace, scowling at everyone, making certain that even the lowliest maid knows full well you do not belong here and never will. Is that it? Is that truly what you want? Because you are already well on your way to achieving it, if so.”
H is much better than h and much more arrogant:
“this is my country. You are whatever I say you are. And I must inform you that you are among the finest treasures of the kingdom, Shona. Because I say so.”
At the end the angst was good but not as much as the other CC books.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars.

Phew! I hv to applaud myself for finishing the book. What a heroine! Dripping with bitterness and negativity for nearly 65% of the book. In the previous three books, Malak was shown to be a carefree, playboy prince, which had me thinking he may be difficult to like, but have to say he was much better.

He's the spare heir to the throne of Khalia, but now finds he is to be crowned King after two quick abdications, first his father King Tariq then his brother Zufar (hero of book2 Sheikh's Pregnant Cinderella). Malak has seen how love destroyed his family. It was love that turned his father from a decent ruler into a man obsessed with his careless, selfish wife above the good of his own children & people. It was the love of a man not her husband that had given Malak’s mother, late Queen Namani, a child she’d had to give away, making it impossible for her to love the children she bore for her husband. It was the love of a woman that had led his brother to abdicate the throne, too, throwing the kingdom into more chaos it didn’t deserve which is what makes Malak determined he'll never let love get anywhere near him. He wanted to rule with a cool head and not do anything that'll send his country into chaos again. His advisers then hit him with the news that he has a four year old son, Miles, borne out of a ONS when he was in New Orleans with the only woman whom he had distinct memories of.

Shona had gone into a bar to treat herself with her first drink since it was her 21st birthday when she meets this gorgoeous stranger who not only bought her her first drink but also took her virginity & left the following morning without telling her his name or anything abt himself. She only found out who he was when she was scanning a gossip mag at her obstretician's office and saw the man who'd impregnated her having a great time with a blonde. Fear of him taking their son away from her, she decides never to let him know about Miles. Five years later, she finds herself facing him at the bar she works ready to claim their son.

Then it's the usual that happens in HPland. She tells him to get lost, he tells her he wants their son shd take his rightful place as Crown Prince of Khalia, further threatens to go to her friend's place, who's babysitting their son & take him to Khalia, with or without her.

CC stays to her trademark writing of loads of reflections & monologues & very few dialogues & action and interaction scenes between the characters.

After Malak's threat it's cut to next morning where they're in the flight to Khalia & Shona is replaying in her head what transpired after Malak's ultimatum.
It was same for the first meeting between father & son. Miles had slept throughout their flight to Khalia & wakes up when they land. Malak had exited the royal jet & was waiting on the tarmac when he sees his son run down the stairs of the jet then it's cut to two weeks later where Shona again replays in her head father & son's first meeting, even then it was nothing much except her son asking if Malak is really his father & his joy thereafter. Even ahead in the story there was not even one scene to show father-son happily bonding, but we do get to know through monologues that their son adores his father and he's very happy with his life in the palace surrounded by nannies and other staff who adored him.

It is Shona who is going stir crazy at the palace amid attendants and advisers who are there to give her lessons on how to fit in & be Queen. She has no interest in becoming Queen. Moreover, she discovers that Malek got Khalian passports issued for her & Miles and when she threatens to leave he tells her she's free to go, but their son would remain in Khalia. So she rebels and deliberately makes things difficult for the attendants and advisers, doing exactly opposite of what they suggested. She behaved like a shrew, even fighting with Malek in front of the servants and didn't care how humiliating it was for him as King or if the servants was seeing how badly the mother of their crown prince was behaving. It was all about her and her being taken away from her old life even though it was not a great life working shifts in a bar & leaving her son with a woman she wasn't exactly friendly with but was her only option.

I can understand she being put out of her comfort zone. I can understand the hurt of being abandoned by her mother when she was six days old outside a bar, raised in foster care, toughening it out in life, being wary of everyone and relying only on herself, but the kind of bitterness & negativity she found in everyone & everything left a bad taste, at least for me. I cannot handle that kind of negativity. So many times I wanted to give up the torture.

It felt so good when Malak shows her the mirror, echoing every bit of the anger, annoyance & frustration I felt within.
“What is it you want, Shona?” Malak demanded then, and though there was fire in that gaze of his, his voice was cold. “You do not want to be queen. You do not want to take on board even the smallest lesson my people try to teach you about how best to fit in here. You do not want to learn a single thing that might help you feel more comfortable in this world. You would prefer to stalk about the palace, scowling at everyone, making certain that even the lowliest maid knows full well you do not belong here and never will. Is that it? Is that truly what you want? Because you are already well on your way to achieving it, if so.”

“You are so focused on what you think has been taken from you that you cannot seem to see what’s been given to you.” He shook his head. “You call this palace a prison, but what you fail to see is that it gives you access.”
“Access to what? You?” She scoffed. “I had more than enough access to you in a hotel bar in New Orleans.”
“To the world, Shona. To anything you like.” He rubbed a hand over his face, and that startled her. It seemed such a perfect expression of frustration and she was amazed that she had the power to get to him when he seemed like such an impassable wall to her. She wasn’t sure she liked it. “My child is by definition an extraordinarily wealthy individual. As am I. And there is no possibility that I will permit that child’s mother to live in squalor. Your old life was hard, I grant you. And I admire the fact that you made it work at all. But all that hardship is a thing of the past now. Your days of working around the clock, worrying over child care and trading shifts with friends are over. You are the only one who does not seem to realize that.”
“If you want to live out your days in this narrow, dark cage you seem to think is your only option, you are welcome to do so,” he said. His tone lanced through her like some kind of terrible lightning. “But I would hope that you have better dreams for your child. He deserves better than that same small cage, do you not agree?”

That brought on a full three sixty degree change to Shona's character. But, the author had left it too late for me to accept it. My mood was so badly ruined by then that even though Shona kept boldly telling Malak she loved him, I wasn't ready to believe or forgive her. But, the stand she took in the end when love-phobic Malak deliberate tells her he used her to get Miles, calling out his bluff & tells him he's lying, made me feel slightly better & forgive her a little.

Having read all four books in the series, I have to say this was one of the badly written series I've ever read. l love reading series because of the appearances of MCs from prev books, showing how their life has progressed. However, in the previous two books there were a few scene co-ordination problems. In this there was no appearance of any character of the other books in the series even though they were Malak's brother, half-brother & sister & their spouses. We only get to know in the epilogue that they attended the wedding - no fun interaction scene. The surprise wedding gift Malak gets from Shona in the epilogue was a good way to end.

If it wasn't the three-sixty change in Shona and the nice end & epilogue, I would have rated this book one star.

[Avidreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did....but I was disappointed. The hero was arrogant even for an Alpha Male and they never really explained why the two were in love with each other other than the physical attraction. There was way too much of her wanting to conform to "deserve" him. Although they clearly identify that she has a fear of being accepted, they also address it only by saying she will be accepted because he SAYS so, and there is not indication that anyone notices her race, which is not realistic.

I was disappointed because they really had no character development for the main characters, but mostly because in the new interracial romances in the Present series where Harlequin has put a black or mixed race (black) female on the cover, the story is always the same. In the Harlequin line I have read a story where a black woman was passing as white and was an orphan of a drug addicted mother, where a mixed race black woman was abandoned and left in the trash by the white mother, another where the woman was not accepted by her white grandparents and now a Presents where the heroine is someone who grew up in foster care because her mother did not want her...all but one is "sassy." The only other one I read did not address her race at all, which was also not unrealistic.
I am a little concerned with this narrative that Black women cannot and do not come from loving families and/or families that accept them as they are. I am not sure if this is intentional because they do not know how to write the white hero interacting with the family, but then I think about it they don't always interact with the family in other books that do not involve a minority character. I could delve further into the stereotypical character descriptions, but I digress.

This was a miss for me.

[Zubee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The time and tested formulas; secret baby, second chance, sheikh H and waitress h.
These are all familiar and popular tropes in hplandia; what was new was the main characters assurance that for both of them, their first meeting was a one-night stand and nothing more.
h had had a difficult life and as a result was rather emotionally disconnected with everyone apart from her son.
H was the requisite arrogant guy but his past was not as bad as h's.
h maintained her stubborn stance for the major part of the book which to me was understandable; she was completely out of her depth in his palace and life and she resisted; perhaps it was not the most mature reaction for a grown woman to have but it was honest; she grew up tough and ready to fight because fighting was what she did best.
So she resisted and rejected everything she could. I think the H was the one who needed a kick on his butt as he brought her in his life and dumped her in it while he carried on. To his credit he tries to ask her what she wanted but she was rather stubborn.
Her problem was that she had a low opinion of herself and didn't feel as if she belonged in his palace by his side. Once he understands, he assures her, that yes, she does as she is beautiful and worthy.
Overall, this is a nice book; not too brillliant and not as emotional and gut-wrenching that CC's books sometimes can be but worth reading.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off with promise, a young african american woman who had been through the foster system raising a child on her own. That's not something you read about in a Harlequin novel. I liked that the main character, Shona, had learned to be tough, to have a hard shell that only softened for her son, Miles. I find it hard to believe though that someone that tough, skittish would fall for a guy she never met and have a one night stand. The book even hints that she was a virgin until the affair at the age of 21. Doesn't work for me.

Then there is the hero. Nothing to recommend him.

And they're constantly in conflict yet they have sex on a balcony. Then it got a little crude and I realized that the book was dragging, it had become a chore to read and why bother, so I gave up.

There are better romances to read than this but the book is part of what I hope is a growing trend. The female on the cover was black instead of the typical attractive white woman. I recently saw a romance novel with a plus size woman on the cover. I cheered when I saw it. I hope this trend continues. What is attractive and even beautiful includes a wide variety of women.

[Se Mcgregor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has been by far one of the most terrible books I have ever read! The main characters are both broken-spirited and they need therapy. I don't know why books like this do this but they think that because there's sexual tension and there's a spark between them physically that it just erases all of the emotional damage and a connection forms that's not really based in anything other than sex and extended time together! I think this was the most ridiculous plot.

Both of the main leads were not written well - they felt very 2D. At least they had emotional backgrounds to make it somewhat believable but the main guy Malak literally just kept forcing Shona to do things! He didn't even consider what was nice for her - he didn't even think 'wow maybe because she is a foster kid she has like extensive issues that I should care or even just know about and that I should be careful with her' but oh no he just forces her to do things he wants her to do BECAUSE HE'S KING NOW. Then he uses her body sexually against her which was like a very blurred line of consent and was actually quite disgusting to read because he essentially used her body to gain her willingness. It was so rape-y...it was awful, and the next couple of chapters he "had to" kiss her when she was admitting that she felt like trash and she felt useless. He didn't even say anything to comment on that. I mean he kind of disagreed with her slightly but the main part of it was that he kissed her and continued to sleep with her anyways - just COMPLETELY IGNORING HER EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY. I'm sorry but there can be physical intimacy that can help you feel a little more whole but it doesn't just like erase the trauma and erase the terrible way he treated her absolute crap. I hated every minute of this book. I wasn't going to read it but then I thought maybe it would get better and it just never did. I completely wasted an hour on it.

I also hated the way that Malak's treatment was almost Stockholm syndrome-esque. I mean Shona had a tie with him before a physical intimacy but there was just nothing to recommend them being in a relationship besides their shared child. I understand the parents can come together for the greater good of their child and be civil and be decent. However, this man was forcing her to wear things, to interact with him, to live with him, to do things because of their son was just so manipulative and not patient. I felt sorry for her but she was also so caught up in her own pain; I honestly just expected her to run off or to do something more desperate with herself but I'm glad that she didn't. I was kind of disgusted with the way it ended...he said all these terrible nasty things to her and instead of her like confronting him in a way that would make sense, she confronted him after she looked at herself and she looked at her son and kind of made herself believe that she was better than all that. He then kind of broke down but it's like he said all those nasty terrible things and he had never really said anything to apologize really. I mean it was just - it was so bad. Never will I ever read this story again.

[TheMadHatter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was easily the weakest of the four books in the series with both of the lead characters being really unlikable and that is really disappointing because we finally get a female lead in a M&B book who is African American and strong willed.....

So let me set the scene....they have a fling five years ago and he disappears the next morning and even though they used a condom, they used a "romance book" condom which means there is a 95% failure rate (oops!). So 6 months later she finds out that baby's daddy is actually a playboy prince so of course she keeps it quiet. However, he (unexpectedly) becomes king and they do a background check to make sure they can hush up any bad things from his past and after going through thousands and thousands and thousands of women he has bedded over the year, they finally find her and her son (oops again) and quickly smuggle both to his country where they make her (orphan waitress) a queen.

However, he can barely remember her as there have just been so many women over the years and he never even thought twice about her in all that time and then 50 pages later they live happily ever after. Believability in these books is always questionable - but seriously this is suppose to be the great romance of the century? Yeah....no thanks.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Star Review posted at HarlequinJunkie.com

When Malak is asked to take over as Sheikh for his brother, he never imagined how much his life would change. Yet, discovering he has a son is the biggest change of all, especially since the child’s mother is determined to fight him every step of the way. Really, she doesn’t want anything to do with him, even though he can give her everything. Will Malak be able to convince Shona to take a chance on him or will he break her heart? Read More

[Geraldine Sadiku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense passionate romantic read with Shona being dragged into a world which she knows nothing of and appears very angry on the outside but in my opinion is more like a mother bear trying to protect herself and her son from things she knows nothing about, wonderful read, loved it and heart of romance .

[Ishara · Rating 2 out of 5]

One word... Disappointing. The h was too bitter and stubborn for me and then has an instant change of heart. Not believable. Also, way too much internal dialogues! It become very tedious. As I said previously, disappointing.

[romancejunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and it's storytelling, I liked the heroine and how she overcame her insecurities and her difficulty in trusting people too.

[Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one more than I did

[Mattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated it. Once again a hero and a heroine sleep together, he leaves her pregnant, proceeds to sleep with hundreds (possibly thousands) of other women, all while heroine stays celibate for 5 years. Then he comes back upon learning of child and gets mad at her.

They did not have a strong connection at all, they were both fine with it being a one night stand and never seeing the other again. They thousand percent would not have ended up together if they didn't have a child.

I understand heroine not wanting to marry him and it's not right that she was being forced to marry against her will (or she would lose custody of her son), but her stubbornness and defiance for majority of book got annoying after awhile. P.

[Kay Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perchance to Dream

Such a gorgeous story! My heart😭This. This is why the romance genre can be so visceral. ❤️‍🔥Ms. Crews plumbs the vicissitudes of the heart while weaving a swoony, angsty plot amidst well written settings and dialogue. This novel is deliciously character driven, and I deeply appreciate the African American heroine as I relate to her so deeply. Sigh. I wish…but am grateful for the vicarious pleasure of Shona and Malak’s journey.

[Juliewheatcox.Net · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Gary Reger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shona works as a waitress at a rather down-and-out restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She has a four-year old son named Miles, product of a one-night stand when she was 21 and a virgin. Since then she's been struggling to raise Miles and make a life for herself. One day, quite by accident, while waiting for a haircut and flipping through a People-style magazine, she chances upon a photo of the man who fathered Miles--the second son of the king of the desert kingdom of Khalia.

Malak--the prince, whose name, surely not coincidentally, bears the tri-literal Semitic root for "king"--suffers a calamity: both his father and his older brother abdicate, leaving him, entirely unexpectedly, as the new king of Khalia. His advisors, tracking down all his sex partners (who proliferate, it seems), discover Shona and Miles. They insist Malak must recover his son, now crown prince, and marry Shona.

For those whose ability to suspend disbelief is in need of exercise, Sheikh's Secret Love-Child offers an abundance of opportunity. Accompanied by his personal goon squad, Malak appears at Shona's restaurant and badgers her with threats. Even though there are costumers, no one, neither staffer or manager, comes to her defense. (I imagined a big ole Cajun cook stomping out of the kitchen waving a cleaver and shouting, "Leave Shona alone and get the hell out of here or you'll be leaving less an appendage or two.") When, outside, Malak tells Shona he's going to go see Miles, who's at his babysitter's, she agrees to go with him--instead of telling him to go and then calling first the sitter to tell her to lock the doors and let no one in and then the cops to report a kidnapping in progress.

But never mind--Malak flies her to Khalia in his private plane. There follows page after page of the same thing: Malak tries to break Shona down and she resists and refuses, all the while both burn inside with irrepressible sexual desire for the other. It doesn't help that Crews tends to use the same language to describe their emotions and mostly she can't find ways to show how they feel by action or expression. In the end, of course, Shona gives up, overwhelmed by sexual passion she cannot control.

Malak is not a very nice man. He is, in fact, a domineering bully, whose sexual encounters with the quasi-unwilling Shona edge toward rape. Supposedly both he and Shona have been emotionally stunted because of poor familial role models: she was raised in loveless foster homes, he watched both his father and his brother disintegrate because of love for a woman. The redemption they obtain in the end is love for each other. But is it really love? Neither displays the slightest interest in the other except for sexual desire; Malak has no interest whatsoever in Shona as a human being, and it's only when she surrenders her body to him that she comes to "love" him. It's a regressive, anti-feminist trajectory, hardly redeemed by the progressive (for romances) fact that Shona is Black.

This plot line goes back to Isabel Hull's The Sheik, in which a frigid bright young thing is awakened to her womanly sexuality thanks to rape by a desert chieftain. Rape's not permissible any more-- thank goodness--but Crews slips right up to the boundary, rescuing Shona from assault, I suppose, because she "wants it"--even if she doesn't say so. Apparently silence presumes consent. Hull's book also drew inspiration from racist stereotypes about the Middle East, stereotypes long ago analyzed by Edward Said in Orientalism. They recur barely altered in Sheikh's Secret Love-Child: the silent, powerful, dominant, authoritarian, patriarchal, and sexually overweening Arab. It's depressing that popular literature continues to draw from this well.

Obviously I am not in the target audience for this book or its many compadres. Clearly the general idea is popular, as Harlequin churns them out by the dozens. Better writing, better plotting, and better characters would have helped immensely. If I want, I could sample the other offerings in the series, "Bound to the Desert King," which includes Sheikh's Baby of Revenge, Sheikh's Pregnant Cinderella, and Sheikh's Princess of Convenience. Perhaps some of these are better. But the titles suggest that the same plot and same general ideas predominate.

[Debby · Rating 2 out of 5]

It isn’t the best, but it also isn’t the worst.

The H and h have a child together from a one-night stand 5 years before when she was 21. He finds out that he has a son with her that he didn’t know about, so he comes looking for her and his son.

The H thinks to himself that he would never have looked for her if she didn’t have his son. So the only reason he is there is because of his son? It isn’t because of her? What a great turn-off that is.

Apparently he didn’t fall for her, the sex was not that great, he never went looking for her all those years? Huh? So she meant nothing to him? That’s so unromantic. This is a HP I want a H to be smitten from the moment he sees her and he isn’t.

And I don’t get why she is so angry all the time. They had a one-night stand. He picked her up in a bar and she almost immediately left the bar with him. He didn’t force her to have sex with him, a complete stranger.

It’s her own fault that she didn’t know who he is. That’s what you get with a one night stand: you don’t know the guy, whoever it is.

What I also didn’t like, was that she was the first to say ‘I love you’. She said it again and again without him saying it too.

[Rgreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheikh's Secret Love Child was a problematic read and it was a struggle to finish. What was problematic? The heroine. As baby she was abandonded and never adopted. This info troubled me a lot because infants with no parents are easier to adopt so I didn't get how she found herself in a series of foster homes as an infant; The heroine stubbornly refused to use the system to get ahead. Foster children have access to govt services. She didn't have to struggle so much; When the heroine is living in the palace, she remains stubborn for far too long. I almost stopped reading due to being so annoyed with her antics.

More problematic problems: The heroine and hero don't spend enough time getting to know each other. Theirs was a hookup based "relationship". They didn't even date. Once the heroine was in the palace, she spent more time in tantrum than developing a relationship with the hero. When she finally stops the tantrum, then its the hero who has a tantrum and pushes her away; So finally they have a happy ever after after no relationship being built. This was a hot mess.

[Page Passion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexy read from Caitlin Crews!

I haven't read a sheikh story in a while and this one delivered. Malak and Shona both come from broken/loveless beginnings and decided they would do everything they could to make sure their little boy wouldn't suffer the same fate as his parents.

Though I wanted to shake the heroine, I liked her character overall. I found her distrust of everyone very realistic for a person who was abandoned. That never leaves a child and people sometimes act as if it goes away with time and it never truly does. The people who are supposed to love you no matter what give you up? Life altering. The hero on the other hand grew up with his parents, but there was no love there either.

The sex scenes are fire as always with CC books, but what I really loved was the sparring between the characters. They each gave as good as they got!

[Tams. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t even finish this book because the leads were completely and utterly irritating.

And for the love of god.....not all black people are in foster care. Yes my parents were divorced but my father was very much so a part of my life.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Bound to the Desert King

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book it was a nice story

[Calysta · Rating 1 out of 5]

This didn't work for me. I did not believe the woman's feelings for the man and he certainly wasn't believably in love with her.

[Everly Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated Shona. Couldn’t finish