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Whirlpool of Passion
Could she ever escape his hold on her?
The first time she felt the powerful magnetism of the Arab, Ashley Cunningham ran from him, terrified of the bond of attraction between them. It was something she'd never before encountered.
But Sheikh Azir Talil Khaybar was a man who took what he wanted. Abducted from her Cairo hotel, Ashley found herself a pampered prisoner in Azir's opulent home.
Ashley was desperate to escape and return to her job and family in Australia. Yet somehow the prospect of life without Azir seemed bleak and empty.
The first time she felt the powerful magnetism of the Arab, Ashley Cunningham ran from him, terrified of the bond of attraction between them. It was something she'd never before encountered.
But Sheikh Azir Talil Khaybar was a man who took what he wanted. Abducted from her Cairo hotel, Ashley found herself a pampered prisoner in Azir's opulent home.
Ashley was desperate to escape and return to her job and family in Australia. Yet somehow the prospect of life without Azir seemed bleak and empty.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1988
About the author
Emma Darcy
645 books332 followersEmma Darcy is the pseudonym created by the married writing team of Wendy (1940-2020) and Frank Brennan (1936-1995). Their life journey has taken as many twists and turns as the characters in their stories, whose international popularity has resulted in over sixty-million book sales. With more than a hundred titles, Emma Darcy appeared regularly on the Waldenbooks bestseller lists in the U.S.A. and in the Nielson BookScan Top 100 chart in the U.K.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 1, 2021
"Whirlpool of Passion" is the story of Ashley and Azir.
Oh my god.. HOT!
And this is why I LOVE Emma Darcy. Romances like this, with so much passion, angst- possessive, crazy obsessed heroes who goes as far as to kidnap the heroine- spends the whole book trying to pursue her in vain while her obstinate self rebuffs his advances, even after giving in! There was chemistry and lust so strong it jumped off the page, a lot of drama and heartbreak- but Azir totally made the book a worthwhile read for me, even if Ashley wanted me to shake her. The heroine was.. very indecisive and kinda annoying- but the hero made up for it!
Such books are my catnip and guilty pleasure.
Safe
4/5
Oh my god.. HOT!
And this is why I LOVE Emma Darcy. Romances like this, with so much passion, angst- possessive, crazy obsessed heroes who goes as far as to kidnap the heroine- spends the whole book trying to pursue her in vain while her obstinate self rebuffs his advances, even after giving in! There was chemistry and lust so strong it jumped off the page, a lot of drama and heartbreak- but Azir totally made the book a worthwhile read for me, even if Ashley wanted me to shake her. The heroine was.. very indecisive and kinda annoying- but the hero made up for it!
Such books are my catnip and guilty pleasure.
Safe
4/5
November 18, 2017
The heroine said that she couldn't think about sex without thinking of her husband so that was a turn off.
February 19, 2011
I enjoyed this older Harlequin. Thanks to seton for the rec since I had never heard of this one.
January 11, 2011
Sheikh abducts Australian widow, a day after meeting her in a casino and chasing her through her hotel.
This is a rather straightforward The Sheik homage. Recommended if sheikh captor romances are your cuppa. They dont appeal that much to me personally, but I still found it a dramatic read, Old Skool style.
Despite this being from the HQN Romance line rather than a Presents, it even has a sex scene (borderline forced seduction).
Setting: Egypt
Grade: B+
This is a rather straightforward The Sheik homage. Recommended if sheikh captor romances are your cuppa. They dont appeal that much to me personally, but I still found it a dramatic read, Old Skool style.
Despite this being from the HQN Romance line rather than a Presents, it even has a sex scene (borderline forced seduction).
Setting: Egypt
Grade: B+
January 22, 2011
I could hear that "silent-movie music" playing in the background as I read.
April 10, 2018
The heroin is a 28 year old widow. She's in Egypt to organize a jewel collection. There she meets the sheik hero.
There's insta love from his side but she's weary. She hasn't felt anything for a man since her husband killed himself three years ago (apparently her husband had a wasting disease and couldn't live with not being close to his wife.) The H kidnaps her. He tries to convince her to give a relationship between them a chance. But before he has time to succeed, the h is rescued by a man she met at the hotel were she is staying. Rescued and safe, she then decides that maybe she is missing out on something and goes back to the sheik. She says that she's willing to be his lover for as long as she's in Egypt. The H takes offense (because she wants to take control of the relationship? I don't know) and goes apeshit. Angry sex ensues. They calm down and talk a bit. The H wants her to move in with him but she doesn't think that’s a good idè. The sheik agrees and they decide to see each other the next night. After a lot of thinking the h makes up her mind to live with him and damn the consequence, she loves him. It turns out that he wants to marry her after all! (that’s probably why he was so offended at the whole being lovers thing) Why he just didn't tell her this from the beginning I don’t know. HEA
The thing that stopped this book from being good for me, was that the h was a widow. That's a turnoff for me in a Harlequin. It didn't help that, at the beginning of the book, the h stated that she couldn't think about sex without thinking of her husband. Every time he was mentioned it just brought the mood down. But that said the book was rather sweet in that the H genuinely was besotted with the h. If you really want to read an old school sheik kidnapping book I recommend those written by Violet Winspear.
There's insta love from his side but she's weary. She hasn't felt anything for a man since her husband killed himself three years ago (apparently her husband had a wasting disease and couldn't live with not being close to his wife.) The H kidnaps her. He tries to convince her to give a relationship between them a chance. But before he has time to succeed, the h is rescued by a man she met at the hotel were she is staying. Rescued and safe, she then decides that maybe she is missing out on something and goes back to the sheik. She says that she's willing to be his lover for as long as she's in Egypt. The H takes offense (because she wants to take control of the relationship? I don't know) and goes apeshit. Angry sex ensues. They calm down and talk a bit. The H wants her to move in with him but she doesn't think that’s a good idè. The sheik agrees and they decide to see each other the next night. After a lot of thinking the h makes up her mind to live with him and damn the consequence, she loves him. It turns out that he wants to marry her after all! (that’s probably why he was so offended at the whole being lovers thing) Why he just didn't tell her this from the beginning I don’t know. HEA
The thing that stopped this book from being good for me, was that the h was a widow. That's a turnoff for me in a Harlequin. It didn't help that, at the beginning of the book, the h stated that she couldn't think about sex without thinking of her husband. Every time he was mentioned it just brought the mood down. But that said the book was rather sweet in that the H genuinely was besotted with the h. If you really want to read an old school sheik kidnapping book I recommend those written by Violet Winspear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2011
Oh the melodrama! Everyone else is reading this so I thought I'd give it a whirl too. Improbable and goofy fun. He's in love within two minutes. It all happens within 2 and a half days. It was like watching one of those books where you flip the pages to make a little scene happen. Brrrip and it's done! Lots of angsty declarations of desire and love. A fun way to spend a hour or so.
November 20, 2014
This book reminded me of old movies, where all the actors and actresses dramatically overact each scene.
But I still liked it because the hero was crazily in love with the heroine and there was a sweet side characters love story.
But I still liked it because the hero was crazily in love with the heroine and there was a sweet side characters love story.
November 23, 2013
This turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining read. There was more to this book than I expected given the synopsis. Although overly dramatic at times, the plot and the characters were more complex than I had initially anticipated. The minor characters were nicely drawn and added a little something extra to the story. The writing flowed so smoothly that I was completely engaged from the first page; and even though I knew there would be a HEA ending, I couldn't wait to see how Darcy would bring this about. An oldie but a goodie.
June 12, 2013
Tyhle volovinky opravdu zbožňuju. K tomu, aby se člověk nezbláznil z učení se hodí výtečně. :D
Ale bože nikdy jsem si nevšimla toho šíleného slohu. :D Na absurditu a pohádkovou nareálnost jsem si už zvykla, to mne ani nepřekvapilo.
Ale bože nikdy jsem si nevšimla toho šíleného slohu. :D Na absurditu a pohádkovou nareálnost jsem si už zvykla, to mne ani nepřekvapilo.
August 20, 2014
omg! after reading this book, i felt like i already traveled to Egypt. fascinating :)it's my first time reading story about a shiek,and this experience is awesome. i love it :)it is also the 2nd book i have read in the "emma darcy collection" ♥ i love the two love story :) so good :)
July 3, 2015
Couldn't believe the love. Didn't see it. Didn't feel it. So very weird novel.
October 23, 2015
read it through but wouldn't recommend
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews