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A Summer for Scandal #2
In Too Deep
A fabulous summer two-in-one--twice the scandal all in one unforgettable volume!
Husband Material by Brenda Jackson
"Beware the jilted husband: " Matthew Birmingham never played fair...especially when it came to his ex-wife. When she moved across the country, he moved back to their estate--back to their bedroom--determined to win back her love...by any means necessary.
The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates
"Meet the shocked groom: " Sheikh Adham saw marriage as a business venture, his wife a mere convenience...until they portrayed the loving couple in public. Would finally seeing his bride in a new light shatter all his rules?
Husband Material by Brenda Jackson
"Beware the jilted husband: " Matthew Birmingham never played fair...especially when it came to his ex-wife. When she moved across the country, he moved back to their estate--back to their bedroom--determined to win back her love...by any means necessary.
The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates
"Meet the shocked groom: " Sheikh Adham saw marriage as a business venture, his wife a mere convenience...until they portrayed the loving couple in public. Would finally seeing his bride in a new light shatter all his rules?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 22, 2010
87 people are currently reading
560 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Jackson
898 books3,598 followersIn 1994, Brenda Jackson’s first novel, Tonight and Forever, was released. Since then she has had more than 100 novels and novellas published (the first African-American author to accomplish such a feat) and has over 3 million books in print.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brenda is the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin Desire and the first African-American romance author to make the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists within the series romance genre.
In 2012, Brenda received the Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the highest literary awards a romance author can receive. In 2013, she was recognized by the mayor and the city of Jacksonville as being a Trailblazer in the literary field.
In 2010, she collaborated with Five Alive Films to turn her Truly Everlasting title into a feature film. Brenda’s 2011 novel A Silken Thread is scheduled to be filmed with Debbie Allen attached as director in 2015.
Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brenda is the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin Desire and the first African-American romance author to make the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists within the series romance genre.
In 2012, Brenda received the Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the highest literary awards a romance author can receive. In 2013, she was recognized by the mayor and the city of Jacksonville as being a Trailblazer in the literary field.
In 2010, she collaborated with Five Alive Films to turn her Truly Everlasting title into a feature film. Brenda’s 2011 novel A Silken Thread is scheduled to be filmed with Debbie Allen attached as director in 2015.
Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 20, 2015
Two great stories by authors Brenda Jackson and Olivia Gates.
"Husband Material by Brenda Jackson"
Matthew Birmingham is an award winning Hollywood director had believed he married the love of his life, the woman who he would spend the rest of his life with but after three years of marriage it ended with him being served divorce papers by his wife Carmen Birmingham. Totally devastated he agrees to the divorce and now lives on the west coast.
Carmen Birmingham is an Oscar winning actress who was on top of the world. She had found the man of her dreams in Matthew Birmingham and married him, life was great until the unthinkable happened. Alone and isolated, she believed her husband's career would always take precedence over their marriage, filed for divorce after three years of marriage.
Matthew and Carmen have been divorced for over a year but a situation will bring these two back together under one roof for the summer. In the Hampton's these two will either find their way back to one another or still continue being separated. Matthew is a man who is completely used to getting his way and with that single minded purpose of his, Carmen will not escape from him again or so he hopes.
"The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates"
Sheikh Adham is the next heir to take the throne of his country of Khumayrah. The playboy had gotten married to an American woman, Sabrina Grant. Now being officially off of the market, he appeared to be a man wildly in love with his wife. But there is something that is off and his mistake that Sabrina is a part of a scheme threatens everything.
Sabrina Grant, the only child of her father was a Wine maker just like him. She comes home to find her father deathly ill. Her best friend comes in with Sheikh Adham and she notices him but her grief over her father is just too much. Sheikh Adham surprises her by coming back to the hospital the following day to be with her and he continues each day. After pursuing her, he asks for her hand in marriage and they marry to her father's delight. But unfortunately her dad slips into a coma and dies. Sabrina is no longer alone, she has her husband now but something is amiss.
Sheikh Adham believes something about his wife Sabrina and it is tearing them apart. Unbeknownst to his wife she has absolutely no idea as to what is going on with him and when the truth comes out, everyone is thrown for a loop and what started out as real marriage for Sabrina will end before it can fully begin. And Sheikh Adham may have made the biggest mistake of his life. Is this the end? Or can Sheikh Adham make it right?
I loved this two book story arc from both authors. I look forward to reading more from Olivia Gates because I really enjoyed her story. Brenda Jackson is a favorite author of mine so I will continue buying her books.
Well Until My Next Review Ciao Bellas!
"Husband Material by Brenda Jackson"
Matthew Birmingham is an award winning Hollywood director had believed he married the love of his life, the woman who he would spend the rest of his life with but after three years of marriage it ended with him being served divorce papers by his wife Carmen Birmingham. Totally devastated he agrees to the divorce and now lives on the west coast.
Carmen Birmingham is an Oscar winning actress who was on top of the world. She had found the man of her dreams in Matthew Birmingham and married him, life was great until the unthinkable happened. Alone and isolated, she believed her husband's career would always take precedence over their marriage, filed for divorce after three years of marriage.
Matthew and Carmen have been divorced for over a year but a situation will bring these two back together under one roof for the summer. In the Hampton's these two will either find their way back to one another or still continue being separated. Matthew is a man who is completely used to getting his way and with that single minded purpose of his, Carmen will not escape from him again or so he hopes.
"The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates"
Sheikh Adham is the next heir to take the throne of his country of Khumayrah. The playboy had gotten married to an American woman, Sabrina Grant. Now being officially off of the market, he appeared to be a man wildly in love with his wife. But there is something that is off and his mistake that Sabrina is a part of a scheme threatens everything.
Sabrina Grant, the only child of her father was a Wine maker just like him. She comes home to find her father deathly ill. Her best friend comes in with Sheikh Adham and she notices him but her grief over her father is just too much. Sheikh Adham surprises her by coming back to the hospital the following day to be with her and he continues each day. After pursuing her, he asks for her hand in marriage and they marry to her father's delight. But unfortunately her dad slips into a coma and dies. Sabrina is no longer alone, she has her husband now but something is amiss.
Sheikh Adham believes something about his wife Sabrina and it is tearing them apart. Unbeknownst to his wife she has absolutely no idea as to what is going on with him and when the truth comes out, everyone is thrown for a loop and what started out as real marriage for Sabrina will end before it can fully begin. And Sheikh Adham may have made the biggest mistake of his life. Is this the end? Or can Sheikh Adham make it right?
I loved this two book story arc from both authors. I look forward to reading more from Olivia Gates because I really enjoyed her story. Brenda Jackson is a favorite author of mine so I will continue buying her books.
Well Until My Next Review Ciao Bellas!
June 25, 2011
Brenda Jackson
Live the story it's about a man and a wife who is divorce finding their way back to each other. They first got divorce because Carmen thought Matthew spent too much time wrapped up I. Work and not enough time with her. Not a bad read it's a quick short story, they were going at it like hot wild teenagers so that's not a bad thing.
Olivia Gates
Adham and sabrina's story was a bit ok, when it starts the couple seem normal then Adham was treating Sabrina cold and it was a bit frustrating because you don't know why until the middle of the story when you realize what's going on then it started picking up. I am a fan of Olivia Gates love her sheik books but this was an ok read.
Both stories are connect as it is taking place in the same area.
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Feel free to join my book group on Facebook (Romance Novel Junkies) and fan page ( Romance Novel Junkies Book Reviews). We have over 500 members, which includes well known and indie authors and avid readers as members who are apart of this group. We would love to hear about new books and thoughts. Also check out our kindle and ebook lending library. Twitter @romanceJUNKIES.
Live the story it's about a man and a wife who is divorce finding their way back to each other. They first got divorce because Carmen thought Matthew spent too much time wrapped up I. Work and not enough time with her. Not a bad read it's a quick short story, they were going at it like hot wild teenagers so that's not a bad thing.
Olivia Gates
Adham and sabrina's story was a bit ok, when it starts the couple seem normal then Adham was treating Sabrina cold and it was a bit frustrating because you don't know why until the middle of the story when you realize what's going on then it started picking up. I am a fan of Olivia Gates love her sheik books but this was an ok read.
Both stories are connect as it is taking place in the same area.
*************************
Feel free to join my book group on Facebook (Romance Novel Junkies) and fan page ( Romance Novel Junkies Book Reviews). We have over 500 members, which includes well known and indie authors and avid readers as members who are apart of this group. We would love to hear about new books and thoughts. Also check out our kindle and ebook lending library. Twitter @romanceJUNKIES.
January 26, 2013
I've only read The Sheikh's Bartered Bride by Olivia Gates which is the second story in this book.
All I can say is wow! Can this woman write an extremely intense novel or what?! Every page had me hanging on edge to find out how this will all pan out. I was turning the pages with fervour and looooved every minute of this story.
A fabulous read! Love Oluvia Gates.
All I can say is wow! Can this woman write an extremely intense novel or what?! Every page had me hanging on edge to find out how this will all pan out. I was turning the pages with fervour and looooved every minute of this story.
A fabulous read! Love Oluvia Gates.
October 30, 2011
http://www.romancenoveljunkies.com for book lovers and readers
Brenda Jackson
Live the story it's about a man and a wife who is divorce finding their way back to each other. They first got divorce because Carmen thought Matthew spent too much time wrapped up I. Work and not enough time with her. Not a bad read it's a quick short story, they were going at it like hot wild teenagers so that's not a bad thing.
Olivia Gates
Adham and sabrina's story was a bit ok, when it starts the couple seem normal then Adham was treating Sabrina cold and it was a bit frustrating because you don't know why until the middle of the story when you realize what's going on then it started picking up. I am a fan of Olivia Gates love her sheik books but this was an ok read.
Both stories are connect as it is taking place in the same area.
http://www.romancenoveljunkies.com for book lovers and readers
Brenda Jackson
Live the story it's about a man and a wife who is divorce finding their way back to each other. They first got divorce because Carmen thought Matthew spent too much time wrapped up I. Work and not enough time with her. Not a bad read it's a quick short story, they were going at it like hot wild teenagers so that's not a bad thing.
Olivia Gates
Adham and sabrina's story was a bit ok, when it starts the couple seem normal then Adham was treating Sabrina cold and it was a bit frustrating because you don't know why until the middle of the story when you realize what's going on then it started picking up. I am a fan of Olivia Gates love her sheik books but this was an ok read.
Both stories are connect as it is taking place in the same area.
http://www.romancenoveljunkies.com for book lovers and readers
January 27, 2012
The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates
When Sheihk Adham ben Khaleel ben Haamed Aal Ferjana noticed Sabrina Grant, she thought her dreams had come true. After 6 weeks of courting, he asked her to marry him. But after the wedding he didn’t touch her. Since her father died on their wedding night, maybe he was just giving her time to grieve. But on a trip to the Hamptons he was the loving husband. When she found out the romance was because of a bargain struck between her father and Adham it explained her husband’s behaviour. Now she has to convince Adham she didn’t know anything about the bargain.
The characters display an intense passion. Ms. Gates keeps me hanging on sentence after sentence. I always look forward to all works by this author.
When Sheihk Adham ben Khaleel ben Haamed Aal Ferjana noticed Sabrina Grant, she thought her dreams had come true. After 6 weeks of courting, he asked her to marry him. But after the wedding he didn’t touch her. Since her father died on their wedding night, maybe he was just giving her time to grieve. But on a trip to the Hamptons he was the loving husband. When she found out the romance was because of a bargain struck between her father and Adham it explained her husband’s behaviour. Now she has to convince Adham she didn’t know anything about the bargain.
The characters display an intense passion. Ms. Gates keeps me hanging on sentence after sentence. I always look forward to all works by this author.
February 6, 2012
Both shorts were great although they would have made even better longer stories. I missed the first book in this series but I was not aware it was part of one.
April 23, 2012
Ms Jackson's book was OK I guess, just very predictable. Ms. Gates's book was amazing and twisty as usual!
July 20, 2012
If you're up for a light, feel-good read, this is one of your best bets. Very easy to flip through, no stress. :)
May 10, 2014
Husband Material by Brenda Jackson: **4 Stars**
The Shiekh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates: **2 Stars**
The Shiekh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates: **2 Stars**
July 1, 2011
Not only were these two great romance stories. I learned about horses and the sport of polo.
Read
April 30, 2020I reviewed this double feature for my YouTube channel, Op Shop Romance!
https://youtu.be/NAYEOkXzkto
https://youtu.be/NAYEOkXzkto
December 25, 2016
Please see individual stories for review.
May 11, 2017
Two stories.
Light, frothy, fast!
A divorced but not-done-by-a-long-shot Hollywood couple and a moc gone wrong between an Arab Prince and his rebellious American heiress wife.
The heat quotient was high especially in the Olivia Gates story but I liked the premise of the first one better.
Light, frothy, fast!
A divorced but not-done-by-a-long-shot Hollywood couple and a moc gone wrong between an Arab Prince and his rebellious American heiress wife.
The heat quotient was high especially in the Olivia Gates story but I liked the premise of the first one better.
June 27, 2017
DNFed this one after reading about half. It was more tell than show, and there are too many books out there for me to waste time reading one like this. Too bad, because Brenda Jackson used to be a favorite. Maybe my tastes have changed as I learn more about writing.
July 14, 2010
The Sheikh’s Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates
Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani of Khumayrah & Sabrina Grant
This is the fourth novella story out of six in the Summer for Scandal Series set in the Hamptons in New York.
Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani is the typical alpha supreme male. He is not as alpha as he will soon find out. Adham has struck a bargain with Sabrina Grant’s father who is heavily in debt. He will pay his debts and in return Adham will marry the virginal Sabrina. Unbeknownst to Sabrina naively has fallen in love with Adham. He wants to make sure she is a virgin so he beds her before the wedding. Adham and Sabrina are very compatible in bed. Adham has one year to produce an heir and even though he doesn’t love Sabrina he will make sure she lives up to the agreement that he had with her father. Unfortunately Sabrina’s father dies shortly after the wedding takes place.
Sabrina is confused because she truly loves Adham and wants him to make love to her and let her be a part of his world. Adham has only carnal feelings for Sabrina. Sex is good with her and he needs an heir to appease his father and his duty to his country. He classifies her in his mind as nothing but a gold digger. His main focus is to win the polo match and bring good press to the polo matches. He plans to win. His sudden marriage is bringing too much negative publicity. But he plans to change that. His plans to make Sabrina suffer may be his undoing.
Sabrina finally figures out that to Adham she is nothing but a prize in her father and husband’s agreement. She is devastated and leaves Adham. She finally realizes that she has just been a pawn in their game.
Adham almost realizes too late that his feelings for Sabrina are very real. He needs her as much as the air he breathes. It seems that he has finally realized a little too late that Sabrina is the real deal. But is it too late to convince her that he loves her?
In the Hamtons it is a Summer of Scandal for all.
This was the most explosive story so far in this series.
Once again Olivia Gates has not disappointed. All I can say is nobody does it better. My only complaint is that this novella would have been great as a complete novel.
This is a Five Star MUST read.
Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani of Khumayrah & Sabrina Grant
This is the fourth novella story out of six in the Summer for Scandal Series set in the Hamptons in New York.
Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani is the typical alpha supreme male. He is not as alpha as he will soon find out. Adham has struck a bargain with Sabrina Grant’s father who is heavily in debt. He will pay his debts and in return Adham will marry the virginal Sabrina. Unbeknownst to Sabrina naively has fallen in love with Adham. He wants to make sure she is a virgin so he beds her before the wedding. Adham and Sabrina are very compatible in bed. Adham has one year to produce an heir and even though he doesn’t love Sabrina he will make sure she lives up to the agreement that he had with her father. Unfortunately Sabrina’s father dies shortly after the wedding takes place.
Sabrina is confused because she truly loves Adham and wants him to make love to her and let her be a part of his world. Adham has only carnal feelings for Sabrina. Sex is good with her and he needs an heir to appease his father and his duty to his country. He classifies her in his mind as nothing but a gold digger. His main focus is to win the polo match and bring good press to the polo matches. He plans to win. His sudden marriage is bringing too much negative publicity. But he plans to change that. His plans to make Sabrina suffer may be his undoing.
Sabrina finally figures out that to Adham she is nothing but a prize in her father and husband’s agreement. She is devastated and leaves Adham. She finally realizes that she has just been a pawn in their game.
Adham almost realizes too late that his feelings for Sabrina are very real. He needs her as much as the air he breathes. It seems that he has finally realized a little too late that Sabrina is the real deal. But is it too late to convince her that he loves her?
In the Hamtons it is a Summer of Scandal for all.
This was the most explosive story so far in this series.
Once again Olivia Gates has not disappointed. All I can say is nobody does it better. My only complaint is that this novella would have been great as a complete novel.
This is a Five Star MUST read.
March 4, 2017
Husband Material - Brenda Jackson - 3.5/5 - My favorite story that I've read by this author thus far. You've got two Hollywood characters - Matthew and Carmen - and they're divorced. Carmen knew that Matthew was addicted to his work and sort of knew that he worked so he'd always be able to take care of Carmen, whom he loved more than life. But Carmen needed Matthew, not the security his work brought him, and all the arguments in the world couldn't convince Matthew to spend more time with her. When she found herself miscarrying their baby, alone, after Matthew stood her up to work, Carmen had had enough and filed for divorce. But Matthew didn't understand why and saw it as a betrayal of their love and marriage. So both of them come into this as flawed characters, neither is completely innocent and they'll have to work together if they want to be together again. And this worked pretty well. The two clearly still love each other a great deal and they know they have to work it out.
The Sheikh's Bargained Bride - Olivia Gates - 3/5 - It was during this story that I realized these were all part of a series, since I recognized some of the characters involved in the Polo business. This follows Sheikh Ahmad, the owner of the Polo ponies, who recently married Sabrina. Things started out well, Sabrina fell in love with Ahmad and they married, but then things fell apart and Sabrina can't figure out why her husband won't come anywhere near her anymore...and why he continuously looks at her like she's scheming her or something. Turns out, Ahmad married her after being coerced into a bargain with her father, and he thinks Sabrina was in on it. She thinks he married her only because of that. Really, he married her because he loved her, but became angry when he found out about the scheme and blames Sabrina. By the time he learns that she's innocent, it may be too late to win her back. And here this was an average story, but I wanted more grovel. I wanted Ahmad to feel a bit more panic that he'd lose Sabrina.
The Sheikh's Bargained Bride - Olivia Gates - 3/5 - It was during this story that I realized these were all part of a series, since I recognized some of the characters involved in the Polo business. This follows Sheikh Ahmad, the owner of the Polo ponies, who recently married Sabrina. Things started out well, Sabrina fell in love with Ahmad and they married, but then things fell apart and Sabrina can't figure out why her husband won't come anywhere near her anymore...and why he continuously looks at her like she's scheming her or something. Turns out, Ahmad married her after being coerced into a bargain with her father, and he thinks Sabrina was in on it. She thinks he married her only because of that. Really, he married her because he loved her, but became angry when he found out about the scheme and blames Sabrina. By the time he learns that she's innocent, it may be too late to win her back. And here this was an average story, but I wanted more grovel. I wanted Ahmad to feel a bit more panic that he'd lose Sabrina.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2012
Wow, this one was a page turner from beginning to end, I am still trying
to decide which book I liked the most. As a Brenda Jackson fan, this
was a refreshing new story from her. While I enjoy all her series, it
is good to read a fresh new book with a twist that you do not see in any
of her other books. And I always enjoy a story of renewed love. As for
Ms. Gates, this is my first time reading any of her work and it was a
good book to start with. They are both treasures for fans of the genre,
this is a must read anthology.
to decide which book I liked the most. As a Brenda Jackson fan, this
was a refreshing new story from her. While I enjoy all her series, it
is good to read a fresh new book with a twist that you do not see in any
of her other books. And I always enjoy a story of renewed love. As for
Ms. Gates, this is my first time reading any of her work and it was a
good book to start with. They are both treasures for fans of the genre,
this is a must read anthology.
May 12, 2014
~!~ 2 quick romantic reads for the price of one ~!~
2 for 1...who can ask for more? Oh yeah, you can ask for them to BOTH be good - and boy are these good! There is no reason to review each book separately, because what it all boils down to is: both books have the same strengths, just in different ways.
Both of these stories share these awesome qualities:
*Well written and edited
*H and h that you care about
*Great storyline that keeps you from putting the book down
*Hot sex scenes
*Quick read to give you your romance fix
*Great HEA endings
ENJOY!
2 for 1...who can ask for more? Oh yeah, you can ask for them to BOTH be good - and boy are these good! There is no reason to review each book separately, because what it all boils down to is: both books have the same strengths, just in different ways.
Both of these stories share these awesome qualities:
*Well written and edited
*H and h that you care about
*Great storyline that keeps you from putting the book down
*Hot sex scenes
*Quick read to give you your romance fix
*Great HEA endings
ENJOY!
June 12, 2014
I enjoyed Matthew and Carmen's story it was just too short. Them being stuck together was great though, it forced them to interact and admit that they still wanted each other. Once they started it was hot and steamy. Great read.
Adham had me fooled, I thought he was really in love with Sabrina. Then when it all came to light I just knew she was in on it in some kind of way. I enjoyed her standing up to him but he didn't have to blow up their situation to the world. I'd love to hear what happened with them afterwards.
Adham had me fooled, I thought he was really in love with Sabrina. Then when it all came to light I just knew she was in on it in some kind of way. I enjoyed her standing up to him but he didn't have to blow up their situation to the world. I'd love to hear what happened with them afterwards.
June 20, 2013
Two good reads in one book! I enjoyed both stories and this was a quick read. As usual, I always enjoy reading Brenda Jackson's love stories and Husband Material didn't disappoint. This was my first time reading anything by Olivia Gates and I was pleased with The Sheikh's Bargained Bride and I definitely plan on reading more from her.
January 9, 2015
I enjoyed both stories! Both Brenda and Olivia did a great job with the stories. I love romance novels so I enjoyed reading the issues of the characters in Brenda and Olivia's stories. Olivia's story was a little different than any one that I've previously read. I couldn't put the book down. I'm a romantic at heart so I enjoyed falling in love with someone else's love story. :-)
November 15, 2017
Brenda Jackson is absolutely one of my favorite writers. I love the way she brings out a love story and is able to bring you in to the story in such a way that you feel like you're actually living the story. I could definitely understand the main characters feelings about being alone when her husband wasn't around in her time of need I could definitely empathize with her.
May 20, 2014
In this set of books the story lines are really good. I really liked the hot & steamy scenes. In the first book I felt sorry for the main characters. I really liked how both books ended. I really liked how this set introduced me to author Olivia Gates I would love to read more books by her.
March 8, 2012
LOVED The Sheikh's Bargained Bride, by Olivia Gates. Husband Material by Brenda Jackson though, not so much.
March 9, 2012
Husband Material was an average read. The Sheikh's Bargained Bride, even though I prefer Olivia Gates' full length sheikh book, was still great.
July 23, 2012
I give this short story a 3.5.
April 13, 2013
really enjoyed both books wanted more the books were to short.
October 5, 2014
If you are looking for a steamy romance book and it is a quick read, this is the book for you.
February 2, 2015
I only read the story by Olivia Gates (one of my fav authors) this was my first book by her, I loved it. 5 stars!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews