His until midnight…

Bound by her nine-month surprise!

Izzy Campbell has no time for love – she’s too busy cleaning houses to support her family. Accidentally interrupting her most exclusive client, sheikh Rafiq, coming out of the shower is mortifying…yet their instantaneous attraction leads to the most amazing night of innocent Izzy’s life! But then she does a pregnancy test…

Crown Prince Rafiq’s world changes the instant Izzy arrives in his desert kingdom and reveals her royal secret. He always thought he could never have children, so he’s determined to make this pregnant Cinderella his queen!

Title: Cinderella's Royal Secret
Author: Lynne Graham
Series: Once Upon a Temptation (Book 1)
Pages: 192
Genre(s): Mills & Boon, Sheikh, Royalty
Hot Buttons: difficult first marriage <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)

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Likeable with a few issues

3 Stars

Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a Mills & Boon - and more specifically a Mills & Boon about a handsome sheikh (okay fine, so he’s a crown prince) and the virginal British girl that he steals away to live in his desert kingdom. Sigh. And for the most part, that’s what you get with this book.

Our couple have their “meet cute” in the form of our heroine, Izzy, coming into the bathroom to clean it just as our hero, Rafiq, steps out of the shower! In a bind, Rafiq asks if Izzy can cook, as well as clean for him - hence the Cinderella aspect of the story.

Rafiq is less sheikhy (totally a word) than I expected. Still with an air of authority and alpha entitlement, but not so dictatorial and old-fashioned as I would have assumed. And I loved the fact that he was a little bit emotionally damaged, the poor baby. I just wanted to give him a big hug - very little of which was because of the fact he’s ridiculously good looking! He was a bit of a sweetheart and I did like him.

My feelings for Izzy were a little bit more fuzzy. Not the character’s fault but when Rafiq sets eyes on her he notes she barely looks like a woman - more like a young girl. That’s just…icky! He changes his mind quite quickly but can we please stop using this to show our heroine is young, petite, small etc? It doesn’t sit well with me.

I can imagine it’s difficult to write a character with a bit of back bone, grit and determination without having her come across as, well, too much. Izzy wasn’t too much - but I did feel confused by her. Was she this shy, virginal girl - or the mouthy, irreverent seductress? Despite this confusion, I was starting to like Izzy more and more - and cheered her spirit in standing up to Rafiq - and going after him when she found herself pregnant. Then the issue of where their offspring would live came up and any liking I had for Izzy went right out the window. What an immature brat she was. It’s one thing to have a character say something, it’s another for their inner monologue to show that they believe it to be true. Really disappointing and from there I felt Rafiq could have/should have chosen someone closer to his age (28) than this immature 21 year old.

There was a nice lick of heat with the story - more than I’ve come to expect from this line. It wasn’t erotica by any stretch, but I was pleasantly surprised. It also helped that Izzy and Rafiq had good chemistry and you could feel their growing desire and love for each other in their actions.

The story was simple and focussed on the love story of Rafiq and Izzy - how they met, got pregnant and then fell in love - overcoming their issues on the way. There were a couple of flowery moments where it felt like words - or sometimes whole sentences - were fed into a thesaurus and changed to appear more fancy. It wasn’t necessary and at times it made sentence structure a bit clumsy and somewhat convoluted. As I said, a shame because the story was eminently readable and I rattled through it for the most part.

There was also some head hopping going on - sometimes changing after 2-3 paragraphs with no notice of a change of perspective. It was dizzying and again led to re-reading some passages once it became apparent we were in someone else’s head than I had initially realised.

I feel like I’ve been a bit moany with this review - but I did very much enjoy this book. It delivers what it sets out to deliver and you will speed through it in no time. There’s also a nice tease about Izzy’s twin sister, Maya, and her own story, which I’m assuming will be Book 2 in the Once Upon a Temptation series of which this is the first. If you enjoy Mills & Boon Modern stories, Lynne Graham’s writing or just want whisked away with a sheikh fantasy (yeah, yeah crown prince) then you will likely enjoy this story. 3 stars from me.

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When Khalid Abbasi grew up in the Las Vegas foster system, he had no idea he was a member of a family—and a royal one at that. Once he learns the truth, he is immediately summoned to rule a small exclave on the Persian Gulf. That very day, he leaves his fiancée Marissa with a kiss and a promise that he'll come back soon.

But Khalid breaks his promise to return for Marissa—and Marissa’s heart breaks in turn. She never tells him how close they came to starting a family together.

In the spot where Khalid used to hold love for Marissa, only ice remains, until the day he sees her in the Cairo Four Seasons hotel. Their passion comes rushing back, and it’s a passion they can’t resist. Now that Khalid has Marissa in his life again, he's unable to let her slip through his fingers again, no matter what his duty requires. Will they learn to trust each other again? Or will the secrets of their pasts overwhelm their second chance at love?

Title: A Tycoon's Secret
Author: Avery Laval
Series: Sin City Tycoons
Pages: 222
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: Miscarriage

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I am a huge fan of Avery Laval. Her writing is so effortless. It sets a scene and really draws you into the story. And that’s exactly what happens with this story. It’s the third in the Sin City Tycoon’s series but it stands completely alone so you don’t have to worry about reading other books to understand and enjoy this one.

The story focusses on the complicated relationship between Khalid and Marissa. Three years ago, things were going particularly well for the pair in their first throes of new love - until, out of the blue, Khalid learns that he is actually a sheikh from a foreign land and has to leave Marissa just as she’s getting ready to tell him some life-changing news. After losing contact, the pair reunite three years later in Cairo.

And that’s when my daydream of being captured by an enigmatic, taciturn sheikh comes right into play. Oh boy!

I liked Marissa a lot - enjoying especially that she wasn’t afraid to face up to her emotions and admit, at the very least to herself, what she wanted and what her feelings were. Of course I also liked Khalid - who wouldn’t? But I really would have loved to get some evidence of him acting a little more tender and friendly - before he learned of his true parentage and during the ‘ideal’ weeks that he and Marissa spent together. I like an alpha male - I just want the kisses and cuddles, too.

There’s definitely a level of distrust between the pair although you can completely understand the root causes. I wasn’t best pleased with Khalid later in the story when yet another trust issues rears its ugly head. I’m not saying it wasn’t realistic, I just felt inclined to shout at him to stop being such a stupid bugger.

The story races along and even with the false ending (where I found myself chastising Marissa for forgiving Khalid too quickly only to realise she hadn’t because it wasn’t the end at all!) I finished this book in super quick time.

I’m hoping that Ms Laval brings out books for all of Marissa’s brothers. Or just any books. Just write more books, please. This one is a light and fun sheikh fantasy that’s perfect for a lazy weekend or to read on holiday when you can imagine being captured by your own mysterious sheikh. 4 stars.

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* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

The Sin City Tycoons Series:

   

         

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Drumroll, please….

I have a cover reveal for you today....


I am excited and thrilled to be able to give everyone this exclusive today. It’s the first time I’ve hosted a cover reveal on my blog and I’m just a teensy bit giddy over the fact. You’ll see exactly why in just a minute!

If you remember, last month I reviewed the excellent A Tycoon's Rush (which I loved!). It’s the second book in the Sin City Tycoons trilogy after A Tycoon's Jewel.

Well, I can now reveal to you the cover of the third and final book in the series, A Tycoon’s Secret by the wonderful Avery Laval.

Isn’t that a beauty? Look at that face. Wowza! No wonder I’m giddy!

When Khalid Abbasi grew up in the Las Vegas foster system, he had no idea he was a member of a family—and a royal one at that. Once he learns the truth, he is immediately summoned to rule a small exclave on the Persian Gulf. That very day, he leaves his fiancée Marissa with a kiss and a promise that he'll come back soon.

But Khalid breaks his promise to return for Marissa—and Marissa’s heart breaks in turn. She never tells him how close they came to starting a family together.

In the spot where Khalid used to hold love for Marissa, only ice remains, until the day he sees her in the Cairo Four Seasons hotel. Their passion comes rushing back, and it’s a passion they can’t resist. Now that Khalid has Marissa in his life again, he's unable to let her slip through his fingers again, no matter what his duty requires. Will they learn to trust each other again? Or will the secrets of their pasts overwhelm their second chance at love?

I cannot wait for this. It sounds a bit like a modern sheikh love story which I'm so down for! Lovely!

The book comes out in June and is from Blue Crow Books.

Add it to your GOODREADS TBR pile HERE - and I’ll let you know when it’s available for pre-order so it’s downloaded straight to your Kindle on release day.

Title: Sheikh with Benefits
Author: Teresa Morgan
Series: / 
Pages: 67
Genre(s): Contemporary
Hot Buttons: /

What's a little seduction between friends?

Arya Mokri, the ultimate wallflower, has to stop dreaming of His Royal Highness, Sheikh Javad Shirin, or she's going to lose her mind. She's been crushing on him for months and it's time to move on. If he won't have her, she'll find someone who will...

A consummate diplomat, Sheikh Javad would never dream of sleeping with the woman whose friendship he values so much. But when she arrives at an event in a dress showing too much skin and even more poor judgment, he finds himself wondering what it would look like on his bedroom floor. Worse, his suddenly sexy friend plans an affair with his own brother.

Tonight, he vows, her plans will change. Whether she wants them to or not.

I’ve been enjoying the modern romantic stories of sheikhs recently and this is a quickie tale (67 pages) of Arya and Sheikh Javad - friends who realise what they desire has been in front of them all this time.

Arya grew up in the west and has always felt overshadowed by her more glamorous sisters. Now back in her homeland, she befriends Sheikh Javad and falls in love with him. When he doesn’t seem to notice her as more than a friend, she decides it’s time to put her dreams of him aside and move on with her life.

What she doesn't know is that Javad is getting very confused about his own feelings for Arya and it takes just one dress, one request and one night for him to realise what he's wanted all along.

I loved this story. Arya just resonated with me and I loved her need to move on but her confusion over what to do with both Javad and her life. Javad was your typical alpha male who couldn’t quite understand why his plans weren’t working out quite as he had thought.

I had quite a few butterflies in the stomach moments while reading this book as well as a couple of laugh out loud moments (Javad talking to the old woman at the ball - snort!). There were a few missing words smattered throughout the book. Not enough for me to deduct a star but it was a little annoying.

Other than that this was a fun, romantic and short book that you can read in an hour or so. Perfect if you’re looking for a quickie with a sheikh to warm up your day. Or night. 5 stars.

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