In the Sheikh's Service

by Susan Stephens

Uncaging the lion of the desert…

Sheikh Shazim Al Q'Aqabi is horrified to discover that the woman who will execute his late brother's conservation dream is the exotic dancer he encountered in London!

But Isla Sinclair's feisty nature is like a cool glass of water in the desert to the unchallenged ruler. For his entire life, Shazim's only mistress has been duty. Now he's considering a far more pleasurable way to spend his nights under the desert stars.

Yet acting on his desire for such an unsuitable woman would be tantamount to treason! Shazim will have to make the hardest decision of his life…

Celebrating Susan Stephens's 50th book with Harlequin Presents!

Genres: Harlequin Presents, Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

USA TODAY best-selling author Susan Stephens' books have captivated readers worldwide with over 11 million copies sold. Her work crosses cultures and continents, having been translated into 26 languages and reaching readers in 109 countries. This year marks a milestone as Susan's 100th book is slated for publication.

NEW SERIES!

ACOSTAS RAW Ranchers, rodeo and passion

1. BEAU
2. COLT
3. BLAKE
4. CHRISTMAS WITH ANGEL


BLOOD AND THUNDER

1. ALEXEI
2. DANTE
3. DIEGO
4. CESAR
5. CONNOR .

- BOX SET books. 1-4

6. ELIJAH Coming soon

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars for me.
It was very predictable and would have been better as a short story with half being cut out.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've said before, Sheikh romances aren't really my thing. In general, I find the exoticization of foreign men in Mills & Boon Sexy romances (Greeks, Italians, Spaniards, Sheikhs) to be quite racist and redundant. However, the Sheikh romances seem, additionally, to gloss over much more serious issues, such as religion, war and the subjugation of women, and the fantasy has never seemed to move beyond Arabian Nights and Rudolph Valentino movies. Not to mention the fact that these books completely misappropriate the meaning of "Sheikh" in the first place! There's fantasy, and then there's wilful ignorance-is-bliss, and the latter is the problematic area for me in Sheikh-themed romances.

But I'm getting all political! Putting all that aside, there wasn't much for me to get invested in! The story has Isla Sinclair traveling to Shazim al Q’Aqabi's kingdom as a veterinarian student (I think), after winning a prize/scholarship to work on the wildlife reserve Shazim has created to honour the memory of the older brother who died saving him. It was hard to fully get into their relationship, because the dialogue was quite terrible! On top of that, I just didn't get a feel for the conflict! Isla doesn't think she can be queen, because she's too ugly and plain, and Shazim (which I kept reading as Shazam) should marry into other royalty. Shazim's duty is to his kingdom, and he couldn't possibly marry for love, much less a woman not of royal creed. That actually makes the conflict sound much more dramatic than it really is. All of that is kind of in the background, and not addressed nearly well enough! And I had trouble getting a handle on Isla's character. She's supposedly scared of men after an attempted sexual assault, yet when Shazim first meets her, she's filling in for a friend as an exotic dancer! Nope! Never rang true for a moment!

There were some okay bits here and there, but generally this was too flat and unexciting for me to suspend disbelief and lose myself in the romance!

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I usually enjoy this author’s work, but this one never came to life for me. Shazam started off with the potential to be an interesting hero, but Isla just never captured my attention. Several glaring plot contradictions. Nearly raped, but happy to be a pole dancer for the entertainment of men? So many times she nearly had sex with Shazim and then changed her mind without (imho) really explaining why. She knows there’s no future with him but then berates him for seducing her despite the fact that he respected her wishes every time she said no. Mostly, this one simply bored me.

[Selly - Leggere Romanticamente · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.leggereromanticamente.com/...

Lo sceicco Shazim è il principale finanziatore del nuovo dipartimento di veterinaria di Londra dove studia e lavora Isla, ma il loro primo incontro avviene in circostanze totalmente diverse.
Isla è una veterinaria, ma per completare i suoi studi svolge una serie di lavoretti extra per mantenersi.
L'attrazione tra i due arriverà al culmine quando Isla, vincitrice di un premio che le darà l'opportunità di lavorare per un certo periodo nel Q'Aqabi, partirà alla volta del deserto insieme a Shazim.
La protagonista di questa storia mi è piaciuta molto, è una ragazza spumeggiante, intelligente e coraggiosa, tiene davvero tanto al suo lavoro e non esita a rendersi utile anche nei momenti peggiori. In fatto di uomini però è decisamente alle prime armi...
Shazim è un uomo con un sacco di responsabilità sulle proprie spalle e il suo principale obiettivo è portare a termine le volontà del fratello scomparso.
Nel corso della trama scopriamo quali sono i suoi sensi di colpa e le sue paure, ma anche il suo lato passionale e protettivo.
Una lettura romantica molto carina e scorrevole, consigliata a chi non riesce a resistere alle atmosfere esotiche.

[Kenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó más que el anterior de Harlequin que leí. Me gustan los dos personajes, son fieles a su personalidad y el crecimiento/desarollo de personaje para mí estuvo bien hecho.
Mi única crítica es la forma de escribir de la autora. Muchas veces hubo secuencias que se describían solamente en dos renglones y, no solo eso, sino que cambiaba la perspectiva de él a ella y viceversa varias veces, resultando confuso seguirle el hilo al párrafo.

[Terri Hebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. The characters were strong and fierce but loved each other, even when they didn't know it yet.

[sarah oakley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dull, took a lot of words to say very little. I’ve read better from this author

[Tonya Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isla Sinclair is struggling towards finishing her degree working several jobs and even filling in for a friend as a pole dancer. Her main goal is to work with animals as a veterinary surgeon. Winning a prize to go to Q'Aqabi and work with their team in setting up a nature preserve is a dream come true. Finding out that her mystery man is the King is not.

Sheikh Shazim Al Q'Aqabi was not the first in line to be king. His older brother was. His brother that died saving him. Bringing his dreams to life is the least he can do. Finding love is not what he expects, but Isla brings him more than that. A chance to come to terms with himself.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story worth the read for Susan Stephens 50th book. This is a sheikh story finding Isla the main female character being chosen to go to Sheik Shazim's country to work on his conservation program. We get to see both of them face issues from their past and help each other deal with the past to move on to the future.

[Geraldine Sadiku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb, emotional read.

[Oz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think the author knows what a Sheikh is.

[RomLibrary]

Uncaging the lion of the desert…

Sheikh Shazim Al Q'Aqabi is horrified to discover that the woman who will execute his late brother's conservation dream is the exotic dancer he encountered in London!

But Isla Sinclair's feisty nature is like a cool glass of water in the desert to the unchallenged ruler. For his entire life, Shazim's only mistress has been duty. Now he's considering a far more pleasurable way to spend his nights under the desert stars.

Yet acting on his desire for such an unsuitable woman would be tantamount to treason! Shazim will have to make the hardest decision of his life…