Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Life She Left Behind (The Santina Crown 0.5)
by
Maisey Yates (Goodreads Author)
The Santina Crown… Royalty has never been so scandalous!
Heiress Angelina Carpenter traded in diamonds for denim–and the freedom to make her own choices–when she fled from her arranged marriage to Sheikh Taj Ahmad. Now working as a nanny for the royal family of Santina, Angelina can’t help but risk a glimpse at the glamorous life she left behind during a lavish party…and ru...more
Heiress Angelina Carpenter traded in diamonds for denim–and the freedom to make her own choices–when she fled from her arranged marriage to Sheikh Taj Ahmad. Now working as a nanny for the royal family of Santina, Angelina can’t help but risk a glimpse at the glamorous life she left behind during a lavish party…and ru...more
ebook, USA Edition
Published
February 29th 2012
by Harlequin Presents
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
479)
May 25, 2012
Fiona Marsden
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves to wallow in a classic series romance
Recommended to Fiona by:
Mills & Boone site blurb
Sometimes it can be quite illuminating when you read the reviews for a book you've already finished reading. Especially the ones who give poor reviews. I can't help but wonder what they were expecting. Too short...yes it's a novella. Not enough character development...did I mention it was a novella? Too many tropes. Tropes...I thought that was to do with you know, a play on words, but now I find it is a sort of upmarket cliche. So there were cliche's in the story. Can you say series romance real...more
I'll be honest that while I read a decent amount of romance novels--I'm not incredibly well-versed in Middle East modern culture so I can't really speak to that aspect of other reviews.
As for the story itself, it was a novella--very, very short and meant to just encapsulate moments in a relationship, and I think it did that well--especially for a prequel to a series. The characters obviously came from different cultures and had different expectations for what was entailed in a relationship, but...more
As for the story itself, it was a novella--very, very short and meant to just encapsulate moments in a relationship, and I think it did that well--especially for a prequel to a series. The characters obviously came from different cultures and had different expectations for what was entailed in a relationship, but...more
I am writing this excusing a lot of issues because of the "novella" length. Honestly, it shouldn't have been because there was a ton of things missing from the story that a reader wants to read and needs to know in order for the book to really click. Examples: Character development (the story is pretty shallow without understanding the players), plot development (there was a beginning, a middle and an ending... that's all you need, right?), and a good climax (and not the sexual kind, either!). I...more
http://www.gotfiction.com/2012/03/lif...
I haven't read a Harlequin since I was in high school, and you know what? They haven't changed all that much, which is kind of comforting.
Taj and Angelina had met a few years back, and fallen in love. Her father was a big time oil magnate who wanted Taj to marry Angelina to cement their business arrangement. Taj sees no problem with this.
Once Angelina realizes that she's being bartered in a business deal, she runs.
After creating her own life as nanny to...more
I haven't read a Harlequin since I was in high school, and you know what? They haven't changed all that much, which is kind of comforting.
Taj and Angelina had met a few years back, and fallen in love. Her father was a big time oil magnate who wanted Taj to marry Angelina to cement their business arrangement. Taj sees no problem with this.
Once Angelina realizes that she's being bartered in a business deal, she runs.
After creating her own life as nanny to...more
It was an OK read... just OK. The story felt a little too stock-standard for me and I wasn’t a fan of the hero at all.
The main issue that I had with this book was that a big change in the hero was required in a very short space of time. Being a novella there was far less time to develop the characters and plot. Yates had a challenge in turning Taj the Sheikh from a self-obsessed, possessive character who didn’t understand the meaning of real love to someone who could care more for his wife-to-be...more
The main issue that I had with this book was that a big change in the hero was required in a very short space of time. Being a novella there was far less time to develop the characters and plot. Yates had a challenge in turning Taj the Sheikh from a self-obsessed, possessive character who didn’t understand the meaning of real love to someone who could care more for his wife-to-be...more
As I read through the book, the style of the writing and the story brought back memories of reading my grandmother's Harlequin romances in the 1970s. I was surprised to see the publication date was 2012. This is a fun & simple romance about an extremely powerful couple - he is a sheikh and she's an oil heiress - who fall for each other for all the wrong reasons. She goes into "hiding" (working as a nanny for a countess!) to avoid being a pawn in her father's and boyfriend's worlds. The two s...more
2.5 Stars
german review
Für eine Contemporary Novella à la "Groschenroman" gar nicht so schlecht, aber auch überhaupt nicht außergewöhnlich. Purer Durchschnitt. Die Charaktere sind durchschnittlich, die Probleme sind durchschnittlich und die Handlung ist auch durchschnittlich. Ich meine, man nehme eine reiche Erbin und ein reichen Scheich, große Anziehungskräfte, einmal ungeschützen Sex, eine ungewollte Schwangerschaft und eine vermeindlich unglückliche Liebe und schon hat man das Rezept von "Th...more
german review
Für eine Contemporary Novella à la "Groschenroman" gar nicht so schlecht, aber auch überhaupt nicht außergewöhnlich. Purer Durchschnitt. Die Charaktere sind durchschnittlich, die Probleme sind durchschnittlich und die Handlung ist auch durchschnittlich. Ich meine, man nehme eine reiche Erbin und ein reichen Scheich, große Anziehungskräfte, einmal ungeschützen Sex, eine ungewollte Schwangerschaft und eine vermeindlich unglückliche Liebe und schon hat man das Rezept von "Th...more
view all 7 comments
I haven't read this style Harlequin release since high school and now I remember why. This one was quick and I mean quick. I know it's says novella but don't believe it. Chapter one started on page 4 and the story ended very abruptly on page 52...that makes it what...a mere 48 pages? To me that's a long short story. Then there was an additional 20 pages of excerpts and other things. I have to admit I was annoyed.
Needless to say there isn't much time for character development and just when Taj a...more
Needless to say there isn't much time for character development and just when Taj a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a novella, so it's rather short but it's still pretty good. I really like the heroine, Angelina. She's very strong and she left behind a rather luxurious life because she could not stand to be an object to be bartered between her father and the man she loved.
I just love how practical and strong Angelina was. She's very responsible and did not runaway when things got complicated between her and the hero, Taj. This was rather refreshing since most HP heroines tend to run and hide when thi...more
I just love how practical and strong Angelina was. She's very responsible and did not runaway when things got complicated between her and the hero, Taj. This was rather refreshing since most HP heroines tend to run and hide when thi...more
I'm embarrassed I read this. I mean, just look at the cover. But it was a free kobo book and I've never read a Harlequin romance before, so, yeah. I used to see people borrow them by the stacks when I worked at the library so clearly many people like these - how bad could it be, right? Uh, bad. So, so bad. Now I don`t know what to do with the rest of the free Harlequins I downloaded from Kobo. Part of me says, read them, they were free. But, then I would have to come on here and complain about t...more
This is a contemporary romance that mostly occurs in Europe and a middle-eastern country (perhaps make-believe kingdom?). This is the love story of Angelina Carpenter and Sheikh Taj Ahmad. This is not a Cinderella scenario. Angelina is a rich and educated from a famous Texan Oil family so isn't a powerless submissive lover to the Shiekh.
This was light romantic fare that I quickly read on a short flight between Germany and France. I got this free for kindle.
2 stars
This was light romantic fare that I quickly read on a short flight between Germany and France. I got this free for kindle.
2 stars
Reading a novella forces one to accept a back story, you have no knowledge of. As a reader, I have a problem doing that sometimes, even with a full length tome(The Road comes to mind). However, for whatever reason, these two characters clicked with me, maybe it was the lack of subterfuge between them but, it was an enjoyable, albeit short read.
Mar 06, 2012
Julie (Manga Maniac Cafe)
added it
Wow, I don't know how to rate this. Maybe 1.5 stars? It was too short to have any depth, and the characters have zero development. It features one of my favorite romance tropes, too, but there just wasn't enough here to satisfy my craving for a convincing reunion story. Maybe I will enjoy the longer books in the series better?
Ugh. Hate it when the male lead is so completely undesirable that it makes any sexual encounter in the novella seem gross. Perhaps, if the story had been a bit longer, they could have made me like him a little better, but for now, I'm stuck thinking "so what if you're knocked up....find someone else".
This was a nice introduction to Ms. Yates writing. It's very short (only a novella), so some excuses must be made but I felt there was still good character development and an interesting storyline. I'll definitely be checking out more of her books.
A novella to introduce a series of category romances. The story was cute enough, although it didn't tick all my boxes, but there were enough intrigues in the background for me to look out for the other books.
This is another instance when I wish Goodreads offered half stars because 1 1/2 stars would be more accurate.
A formulaic, predictable Harlequin romance.
A formulaic, predictable Harlequin romance.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
ok read...but I couldn't the story and character development was sort of weak. This one kind of missed the mark.
one of my favorite authors, Lynn Raye Harris wrote a book for this series. It's a good series so far
Short, sweet, …and a tearjerker. But it whetted my appetite for the series like it was supposed to. :)
A story that has been told a billion times - the same way, just different characters this time.
A sweet story; your typical Harlequin presents romance.
Average and rather underdeveloped, expected something better considering that the whole books is a huge trope, full of tropes, with little trope-babies.
Well It was free. Seemed kind of incomplete.
I love Maisey Yates! Loved the book.
It's a Harlequin...enough said.
prequel to a new HP series--just so-so
too forgettably formulaic
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
