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Taken by the Sheikh
Prince al Drac'ar al Karim, Sheikh of Dhurahn, must find a bride for his brother--and who better than Englishwoman Sadie Murray, who is stranded and jobless in the desert.
But Drax must make sure that Sadie is as virginal as she seems. While he has her in his power she's his to command, and he'll test her wife-worthiness at every opportunity.
But Drax must make sure that Sadie is as virginal as she seems. While he has her in his power she's his to command, and he'll test her wife-worthiness at every opportunity.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
15 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,124 books666 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 29, 2010
Taken by the Sheikh was the not-so-greatly written story of two immature idiots who supposedly fall in love. The heroine was a naive girl who came off pretty dumb due to letting people take advantage of her. A pushy guy comes up and gropes her boob and she just stands there then acts like a martyr when the hero thinks she wanted it at first - hello, if some jackass grabbed my boob I would have yelled at him then hurt him. The hero was pushy and had some stupid-ass idea of giving the heroine to his twin brother no matter what. Toward the end the heroine thinks the twins wanted to share her and gets all upset - meanwhile I'm thinking a ménage featuring two hot twins would be the only thing to save this book (no it doesn't happen sadly).
The plot was very dumb and the writing was very juvenile. This book was a waste of my time. Oh well maybe someone will learn from my mistake.
The plot was very dumb and the writing was very juvenile. This book was a waste of my time. Oh well maybe someone will learn from my mistake.
March 4, 2021
I found this story to be more romantic than its companion book featuring the hero's twin brother, Vere. Anyway, the premise of this one is a bit far-fetched as heroine Sadie is forced to "apply" for the role of princess and future wife to an Arabian prince, Drax. (Eligible and qualified candidates are apparently in short supply locally.) The story is rather cute if one buys into the premise.
Drax and Sadie had good chemistry. Case in point, their first scene alone together where he tries persuading her to leave with him, a virtual stranger, had me smiling. Sadie had to fight hard to resist being whisked away by the sexy yet pushy Drax.
I had fun reading how Drax fought against and then eventually succumbed to his feelings for Sadie, especially when the turmoil he'd endured was of his own making!
Drax and Sadie had good chemistry. Case in point, their first scene alone together where he tries persuading her to leave with him, a virtual stranger, had me smiling. Sadie had to fight hard to resist being whisked away by the sexy yet pushy Drax.
I had fun reading how Drax fought against and then eventually succumbed to his feelings for Sadie, especially when the turmoil he'd endured was of his own making!
March 3, 2021
Cute story of a hero who thinks he’s procuring a bride of convenience for his brother and he ends up falling for her himself.
Heroine is a typical PJ heroine – blonde, virginal, bewildered by her intense sexual response to the hero, and laughably naïve as an MBA from the mean streets of the London financial scene. There is no way this clawless kitten could have lasted 2 minutes in a brokerage house.
When H meets heroine in his country, she is being kicked out of her employer’s house for not having a sex to induce new clients to set up their financial services with this woman-owned business. Furthermore, she is penniless and doesn’t seem to have a clue how to obtain the salary that is owed to her or how to get home to England or how to tie her shoes, for that matter.
Hero overhears it all, but he is only interested in using the heroine as a decoy bride of convenience for his brother (it’s complicated and stupid, so I won’t go into it). As co-ruler of this made up country, I’m surprised he didn’t shut down this woman’s shady business dealings. I think he was too busy inventing an economic zone for foreign investors to worry about homegrown corruption.
Hero eventually figures out he loves the heroine, but thinks his brother does, too. He’s ready to hand off the heroine to his brother as the ultimate stupid gesture, but heroine has a stupid gesture of her own. She drives off into the desert just as a sandstorm is brewing. Hero rescues her for an HEA. Brother will get his own story.
I just like Penny Jordan and it was nice to read something new (to me) from her.
Heroine is a typical PJ heroine – blonde, virginal, bewildered by her intense sexual response to the hero, and laughably naïve as an MBA from the mean streets of the London financial scene. There is no way this clawless kitten could have lasted 2 minutes in a brokerage house.
When H meets heroine in his country, she is being kicked out of her employer’s house for not having a sex to induce new clients to set up their financial services with this woman-owned business. Furthermore, she is penniless and doesn’t seem to have a clue how to obtain the salary that is owed to her or how to get home to England or how to tie her shoes, for that matter.
Hero overhears it all, but he is only interested in using the heroine as a decoy bride of convenience for his brother (it’s complicated and stupid, so I won’t go into it). As co-ruler of this made up country, I’m surprised he didn’t shut down this woman’s shady business dealings. I think he was too busy inventing an economic zone for foreign investors to worry about homegrown corruption.
Hero eventually figures out he loves the heroine, but thinks his brother does, too. He’s ready to hand off the heroine to his brother as the ultimate stupid gesture, but heroine has a stupid gesture of her own. She drives off into the desert just as a sandstorm is brewing. Hero rescues her for an HEA. Brother will get his own story.
I just like Penny Jordan and it was nice to read something new (to me) from her.
June 16, 2019
"Taken by the Sheikh" is the story of Sadie and Drax.
Ok I'm done with this Sheikh trope for a while. This sucked.
The blurb is self explanatory. Why I dislike the book is mainly because of the plot and characters.
-The h is let go in a foreign country by a unscrupulous employer without pay, when she refuses to hoe herself out
-The H takes her in, thinking all kinds of BS about her, confiscating her passport, and instead planning to make her the perfect smokescreen bride for his twin brother
-The h is NEVER made aware of the H's plans, and they have these many almost sex encounters
-The h is almost raped by one of her colleagues, but the H thinks she is consenting (even though she denies it). Even when he comes to know about the truth from the colleague's mouth, he lets the latter go without even punishing him.
-When his brother returns, he proceeds to ignore the h (but as per him he loves her), handing her over like a chattel to his brother
And I guess you can predict what happened next.
I skimmed most of it as it was absolutely TERRIBLE and unworthy of my time. Egh.
Safe
1/5
Ok I'm done with this Sheikh trope for a while. This sucked.
The blurb is self explanatory. Why I dislike the book is mainly because of the plot and characters.
-The h is let go in a foreign country by a unscrupulous employer without pay, when she refuses to hoe herself out
-The H takes her in, thinking all kinds of BS about her, confiscating her passport, and instead planning to make her the perfect smokescreen bride for his twin brother
-The h is NEVER made aware of the H's plans, and they have these many almost sex encounters
-The h is almost raped by one of her colleagues, but the H thinks she is consenting (even though she denies it). Even when he comes to know about the truth from the colleague's mouth, he lets the latter go without even punishing him.
-When his brother returns, he proceeds to ignore the h (but as per him he loves her), handing her over like a chattel to his brother
And I guess you can predict what happened next.
I skimmed most of it as it was absolutely TERRIBLE and unworthy of my time. Egh.
Safe
1/5
May 1, 2019
Penny Jordan has always been one of my favorite authors and this book didn't disappoint. It is the first of a two part series. Drax and Vere co rule their kingdom and have now decided it is time to get married. Drax rescues a young lady and carts her off to his kingdom thinking she would be a good wife for his brother. Sadie questions him every step of the way about the job and what is entailed and he gives out inuendos and is constantly talking about his brother. Drax falls for Sadie, but he continues to try and be good because he promised his brother Vere he could have Sadie. The angst is there and it is a good book. Well worth the read.
hq-to-read
June 14, 2021Prince al Drac'ar al Karim, Sheikh of Dhurahn, must find a bride for his brother--and who better than Englishwoman Sadie Murray, who is stranded and jobless in the desert. But Drax must make sure that Sadie is as virginal as she seems. While he has her in his power she's his to command, and he'll test her wife-worthiness at every opportunity.
July 12, 2017
3.5 Stars.
February 3, 2018
Too much description about the surroundings and the story was bland.
April 9, 2019
2.5 stars
Read
February 27, 2020DNF
April 19, 2020
Head to Jesha is a Bookworm by Clicking the Photo for a Book Review
Seriously??? Hot but sorry not....
December 1, 2014
Good read
Three stars fit best. It passed the time and had some funny comments. I would recommend it to anyone I know.
Three stars fit best. It passed the time and had some funny comments. I would recommend it to anyone I know.
August 11, 2016
Not the best of Penny but an OK time pass.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews