Stephanie Darvill, Army officer's daughter and horse
veterinarian, arrives in deep desert Arabia. She is
traveling unaccompanied and hopes to secure a job in the
stables of Bahrym. Her father is too busy treating horses
during the lengthy Napoleonic Wars to attend himself, and
Stephanie hopes nobody will mind if she arrives in his
stead. THE HARLOT AND THE SHEIKH is the latest in a series
called Hot Arabian Nights by Marguerite Kaye, who
explains that her intrepid traveling ladies are based on
real women of the day; but she has chosen to leave out many
controversial issues and focus on the people.
Prince Rafiq would not entertain a woman in his stables
except that he is literally in despair. His prized Arabian
horses are being struck by a mysterious illness at a time
when he needs to win an endurance race. Following the death
of his wife two years previously, the women's quarters in
his palace are used only by servants, so at least he has
rooms where Stephanie can stay respectably. But the stable
master and grooms are not going to accept a woman telling
them what to do, while Rafiq is puzzled that she can travel
without a husband. Stephanie, who is partly Egyptian, had a
murky past relationship which she hopes to escape, so she's
had to put up with the name harlot before now. Not
that
she's admitting as much to the handsome sheikh.
From the sumptuous palace to the beautifully appointed,
airy stables, and from a cool lush oasis to the sensuous
clothing, Marguerite Kaye has done her trademark work of
describing the setting so well as to make me feel I was
there - and to make me want to go. I'm a horse lover so the
Arabian horses caught my attention, but I quickly became
captivated by the adventure and romance. Two people haunted
by past deeds and failings, meet in the desert where they
have to finally face themselves. Only then can they be free
to start new lives.
I enjoy the historical romance genre and in particular this
series focuses on women of science, who could not get
papers published under their own names at the time. Culture
contrast and exotic adventure await in THE HARLOT AND THE
SHEIKH, a book to warm readers no matter how cold the
weather.
After inheriting a broken kingdom, Prince Rafiq made a
vow—to restore its pride by winning a prestigious horse
race. To ensure success, he hires an English expert. But
even notoriously controlled Rafiq is shocked when his new
employee is introduced…as Miss Stephanie Darvill!
Stephanie is determined to leave her shameful past and
broken dreams behind—she will prove to Rafiq she deserves
his trust! But this hard-hearted desert sheikh calls to
Stephanie in the most primal of ways… Dare she give in to
her wildest desires?
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