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砂漠は魔法に満ちて
Life has taught Prince Vereham al a'Karim bin Hakar to control his emotions. Duty to his kingdom drives the enigmatic sheikh.
But one unexpected, intensely sexy encounter with inexperienced Samantha McLellan shakes Vere's steely control. And when he discovers that Sam could be betraying his country, he decides to blackmail her--into being his mistress!
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2008
14 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,129 books670 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 24, 2010
This story was not good! The plot barely made sense, it was all over the place. The hero is an Angry Boner Man who is mean to heroine because she makes him horny and he doesn't want to be (dude just take care of it yourself). The heroine acts all flighty and hysterical at the sight of the Sheikhy's glorious personage and knows it's true love after a day of him treating her like crap. Ahh how romantic.
Here is my short plot summary:
- H/h randomly run into each other in a hallway and make out like crazy. No words are spoken but the heroine thinks he was her soul mate. Dude must have been quite the kisser (wonder if he has an orgasmic kiss like the talented hero in Brenda Jackson's Delany's Desert Sheikh).
- Months later, they meet at a desert camp. She whimpers and sweats when he talks to her because he is so beautiful, he becomes Angry Boner Man because she dares to make him want her rocking bod.
- Random, implausible trip to desert alone. h knows she is in luv after he treats her like crap. They are overcome with lust and do the mattress mambo. H wants h to be mistress for random reason that makes no sense.
- Random wardrobe buying session. Are these included in Harlequins because they think it's a woman's fantasy? They might be right.
- H is mean to heroine because he doesn't want luv after losing his parents at a young age. Awww. Sad but his thought process makes no sense.
- A venomous snake comes out of nowhere and bites heroine. Seriously?
- H knows he luvs h when he sees her almost die. Does he declare his everlasting luv? Nope he ignores her and pushes her away. He's such a sweetheart! I totally see why she luvs this douchbag.
- Requisite chasing down h about to get on plane scene? Check. Except H doesn't bother to do it himself, sends lackeys.
- H explains how he is skeered of luv after his mum and dad died which caused him to be Angry Boner Man to her out of fear, h forgives his asshatery and springs the ol' "By the way I'm preggers" on him. H is of course over the moon that his boys can swim. True Luv forever for these two crazy kids.
Here is my short plot summary:
- H/h randomly run into each other in a hallway and make out like crazy. No words are spoken but the heroine thinks he was her soul mate. Dude must have been quite the kisser (wonder if he has an orgasmic kiss like the talented hero in Brenda Jackson's Delany's Desert Sheikh).
- Months later, they meet at a desert camp. She whimpers and sweats when he talks to her because he is so beautiful, he becomes Angry Boner Man because she dares to make him want her rocking bod.
- Random, implausible trip to desert alone. h knows she is in luv after he treats her like crap. They are overcome with lust and do the mattress mambo. H wants h to be mistress for random reason that makes no sense.
- Random wardrobe buying session. Are these included in Harlequins because they think it's a woman's fantasy? They might be right.
- H is mean to heroine because he doesn't want luv after losing his parents at a young age. Awww. Sad but his thought process makes no sense.
- A venomous snake comes out of nowhere and bites heroine. Seriously?
- H knows he luvs h when he sees her almost die. Does he declare his everlasting luv? Nope he ignores her and pushes her away. He's such a sweetheart! I totally see why she luvs this douchbag.
- Requisite chasing down h about to get on plane scene? Check. Except H doesn't bother to do it himself, sends lackeys.
- H explains how he is skeered of luv after his mum and dad died which caused him to be Angry Boner Man to her out of fear, h forgives his asshatery and springs the ol' "By the way I'm preggers" on him. H is of course over the moon that his boys can swim. True Luv forever for these two crazy kids.
May 15, 2017
The quivering, almost-ready-to-faint PJ heroine is back and she is matched with a hero who also feels so deeply that he can never acknowledge emotion lest he lose his ability to rule his desert kingdom. These two passed hysterical and went right to delusional after they literally bumped into each other in a hotel corridor - their souls called to each other - and they shared a life-changing kiss. Then "sanity" prevailed and they each went their separate ways.
They can't stop thinking about each other - and PJ can't stop spewing the purple prose of longing. There are some seriously long, repetitious monologues from both PoVs.
I do have to give the author credit in coming up with a different way to have a European woman out in the desert. She's a cartographer, part of a group hired by three different countries to once and for all nail down the borders using new gps technology.
Because of the insta-soul bonding, PJ has to come up with a reason to keep them apart. Because of the heroine's interest in the source of an underground river, the hero thinks she's been hired by one of the leaders to sow doubt about the borders. He has no evidence and he decides to seduce the heroine, make her his public mistress so the leader will know that her alliances have shifted - all without directly confronting anyone and causing offense.
After the seduction at the source of the underground river (it's a metaphor for the deep hidden feelings of hero, y' all) the heroine agrees to go public as his mistress because she loves him and can't hope for marriage. But once they hit civilization again, she is "humiliated" by the shopping trip. She hates the luxurious rooms. She only wants the hero, not the trappings. The hero goes underground (metaphor - get it?) and doesn't spend anytime with the heroine.
Finally, the investigators give the hero the low down on the heroine. She's not the one trying to undermine the border project - it's her alcoholic co-worker. Hero feels bad and realizes he has to let her go. He tells her the whole story and heroine is upset that he thought of her like that. Before she can tell him off or get a grovel, she is bitten by a snake and almost dies.
The hero is reminded of his mommy dying and why he should have left his underground river of feelings stay underground. He avoids the heroine some more.
The heroine meets the twin brother's wife, but gets the wrong idea. She thinks the hero is married to her and demands her passport back. The hero lets her think that because it's the easiest way to get rid of her. She is on her way to the airport when the hero has a change of heart and has the driver return her to the palace. HEA
It's all very silly and over wrought. The hero is no great prize, but he's never mean or anything - just repressed and underground. The heroine is equally ridiculous, agreeing to the mistress title because of "love," rather than demanding marriage or telling him to go pound sand.
They can't stop thinking about each other - and PJ can't stop spewing the purple prose of longing. There are some seriously long, repetitious monologues from both PoVs.
I do have to give the author credit in coming up with a different way to have a European woman out in the desert. She's a cartographer, part of a group hired by three different countries to once and for all nail down the borders using new gps technology.
Because of the insta-soul bonding, PJ has to come up with a reason to keep them apart. Because of the heroine's interest in the source of an underground river, the hero thinks she's been hired by one of the leaders to sow doubt about the borders. He has no evidence and he decides to seduce the heroine, make her his public mistress so the leader will know that her alliances have shifted - all without directly confronting anyone and causing offense.
After the seduction at the source of the underground river (it's a metaphor for the deep hidden feelings of hero, y' all) the heroine agrees to go public as his mistress because she loves him and can't hope for marriage. But once they hit civilization again, she is "humiliated" by the shopping trip. She hates the luxurious rooms. She only wants the hero, not the trappings. The hero goes underground (metaphor - get it?) and doesn't spend anytime with the heroine.
Finally, the investigators give the hero the low down on the heroine. She's not the one trying to undermine the border project - it's her alcoholic co-worker. Hero feels bad and realizes he has to let her go. He tells her the whole story and heroine is upset that he thought of her like that. Before she can tell him off or get a grovel, she is bitten by a snake and almost dies.
The hero is reminded of his mommy dying and why he should have left his underground river of feelings stay underground. He avoids the heroine some more.
The heroine meets the twin brother's wife, but gets the wrong idea. She thinks the hero is married to her and demands her passport back. The hero lets her think that because it's the easiest way to get rid of her. She is on her way to the airport when the hero has a change of heart and has the driver return her to the palace. HEA
It's all very silly and over wrought. The hero is no great prize, but he's never mean or anything - just repressed and underground. The heroine is equally ridiculous, agreeing to the mistress title because of "love," rather than demanding marriage or telling him to go pound sand.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2019
"The Sheikh's Blackmailed Mistress" is the story of Samantha and Vere.
Our h and H meet as strangers in the desert and have a passionate kiss, experiencing intense attraction towards one another. Soon they discover each other's identities- she is a cartographer responsible for mapping his kingdom, and he is the freaking king.
Ofcourse, the moment the H discovers her identity, he starts thinking of all possible negative things about her, and a careless remark from her jealous colleague makes him assume that she is a spy working for his enemy. That does not stop the insane horniness developing between these two, and when they go to the desert to investigate, they end up banging. He still thinks of her as a disloyal employee, yet proceeds to offer his prestigious bed and mistress position to her (so he can keep an eye on her), and losing all her self respect for lurveee, the h agrees. Yada yada drama, yada yada random snake bite, yada yada misunderstandings, yada yada wuss hero, yada yada HEA.
Whatever.
Ok they were sups turned on by one another. Fine that the h suddenly fell in love with him because he was SO HOT (I don't think his personality was the reason, eh). But this guy assumed you were a hoe, lied to you like the whole time, belittled you and then just because he said he now knows the truth, you forgive him without a GOOD grovel?!
You know what, fuck you both nymphos. I like heroines who have self respect, not this one though.
Safe
2/5
Our h and H meet as strangers in the desert and have a passionate kiss, experiencing intense attraction towards one another. Soon they discover each other's identities- she is a cartographer responsible for mapping his kingdom, and he is the freaking king.
Ofcourse, the moment the H discovers her identity, he starts thinking of all possible negative things about her, and a careless remark from her jealous colleague makes him assume that she is a spy working for his enemy. That does not stop the insane horniness developing between these two, and when they go to the desert to investigate, they end up banging. He still thinks of her as a disloyal employee, yet proceeds to offer his prestigious bed and mistress position to her (so he can keep an eye on her), and losing all her self respect for lurveee, the h agrees. Yada yada drama, yada yada random snake bite, yada yada misunderstandings, yada yada wuss hero, yada yada HEA.
Whatever.
Ok they were sups turned on by one another. Fine that the h suddenly fell in love with him because he was SO HOT (I don't think his personality was the reason, eh). But this guy assumed you were a hoe, lied to you like the whole time, belittled you and then just because he said he now knows the truth, you forgive him without a GOOD grovel?!
You know what, fuck you both nymphos. I like heroines who have self respect, not this one though.
Safe
2/5
May 23, 2018
it started in a good way but ....😕
November 19, 2016
Although an engrossing read, I found this to be disappointing on several fronts. Vere appeared to be a likable guy when he first appeared in his brother's book, Taken By The Sheikh. The Vere that shows up in this book is guarded and hostile to the heroine, Samantha, for far too long. If the hero is going to be that hostile to the heroine, then he better be groveling a whole lot at the end or fall deep and fast early on in the story, which didn't happen.
Because Vere's parents died when he was a teenager, he held a deep fear of loving and being abandoned. So he fought hard against his love for Samantha. I get it. However, there was one plot development that simply puzzled me.
As for Samantha, I'm really not sure why she fell in love with Vere—and stayed that way—considering the deep contempt Vere displayed towards her and how much he hurt her. She needed more pride and self respect in dealing with Vere. The biggest WTF moment came when Samantha accepted Vere's offer to be his mistress. Granted, she regretted her decision soon afterwards. . . .
Because Vere's parents died when he was a teenager, he held a deep fear of loving and being abandoned. So he fought hard against his love for Samantha. I get it. However, there was one plot development that simply puzzled me.
As for Samantha, I'm really not sure why she fell in love with Vere—and stayed that way—considering the deep contempt Vere displayed towards her and how much he hurt her. She needed more pride and self respect in dealing with Vere. The biggest WTF moment came when Samantha accepted Vere's offer to be his mistress. Granted, she regretted her decision soon afterwards. . . .
February 4, 2014
I read an article some time ago about this series of Mills and Boon romances entitled: "The Sheikh Who loved me, Romancing the War on Terror" which argued that M&B were directing their authors to write such romances in order to allay some of their readers' fears and miscomprehensions about the middle-east. These books are all written in fictional "Arabian" countries such as Zuran or Dhurahn (you know, turn left at the roundabout by B&Q) and featured sizzling romances between Arab men and European women. The men in the tales are almost all, without exception, of some European descent (the chap in this one has an English Great-grandmother and an Irish mother and has lovely green eyes - in fact he'd probably be more Arabian if he came from Barnsley) - but then he can't be too different can he? It's just going to frighten the readers. Similarly, differences of religion are never mentioned (they are not in this one either). However, what Jordan does pick up on in this book are the cultural differences - the pair are united over a love of the Desert in age-old romance, and yet the heroine is open to misinterpretation by the hero, and, as Jordan writes: "Honour and good faith were vitally important in the Middle East, and once lost they were impossible to recover." p. 53 Vere, the hero, initially believes cartographer Sam is a slut (to be fair, she has just run up to him in a corridor and kissed him!); he also believes she is betraying his country. In return, Vere looks at Sam as if "she were an insect crawled out from beneath a stone" and then makes her his mistress, establishing her in the "women's quarters" away from the household - a fact which causes Sam to shiver. He's also taken her passport - a fact which would make me shiver even more and have me heading for the nearest British Embassy.
This is a good story from Jordan and the male character, for a change, is more rounded and developed than the female, who's a bit two-dimensional. Their motivations are plausible, although poor old Sam's parents have absolutely no idea that she's been established as the mistress of the ruling prince of a middle-eastern country and there's no indication she's going to tell them this, even when the inevitable Jordanesque pregnancy occurs. To be fair, for them, living in their "conservative detached house in London" it's going to come of something of a shock.
The best thing about this book is that it so clearly illustrates M&B's policy for establishing world peace - if ONLY more people read Mills and Boon romances ,we'd all be putting aside our differences and forgetting all about the war on terror. If only.
This is a good story from Jordan and the male character, for a change, is more rounded and developed than the female, who's a bit two-dimensional. Their motivations are plausible, although poor old Sam's parents have absolutely no idea that she's been established as the mistress of the ruling prince of a middle-eastern country and there's no indication she's going to tell them this, even when the inevitable Jordanesque pregnancy occurs. To be fair, for them, living in their "conservative detached house in London" it's going to come of something of a shock.
The best thing about this book is that it so clearly illustrates M&B's policy for establishing world peace - if ONLY more people read Mills and Boon romances ,we'd all be putting aside our differences and forgetting all about the war on terror. If only.
August 9, 2012
The hero and heroine's extreme reactions to each other on first meeting aren't very believable -- basically they bump into each other in a hallway and immediately start kissing. The story was ok, but the characters' inner monologues were too melodramatic. Ok read.
February 20, 2021
It was an okay read. I didn't enjoy the push and pull in their relationship. The book was too predictable, and both the heroine and hero weren't realistic enough for me to give this more than 2 stars. But I'm still looking forward to reading more books from the author.
August 6, 2011
I enjoyed this book,
June 29, 2020
50+ pages of how Vere will never love anyone, especially not a wanton Western woman (even though the men in his family always marry European women) and how devastated he was by his mother’s death - repeated over and over with slightly different phrasing (pick one and get on with the story, don’t waste 50+ pages - we get the picture!) Sam is barely fleshed out as a character, but somehow we’re supposed to accept that after another 50 or more pages of Vere being openly hostile to her, deciding out of nowhere that she’s a spy, and treating her like garbage, she just cannot resist his sexiness. So they copulate and he continues to be rude.
He’s abusive and she’s a doormat. And, in the end, he lets her think he has a pregnant wife and leave broken-hearted before having her return to, ‘Just kidding, she’s my brother’s wife. I love you, let’s have babies.’ And after that mindf***, she forgives him and says, ‘Yay, I’m probably already pregnant!’
And no follow up with the other characters - did Jim have a drinking problem? Did he smuggle booze illegally into camp? Was there any comeuppance for his nasty backstabbing? Did the survey of the Empty Quarter just fall apart after losing multiple team members, undoing the work that all the princes and sheikhs. Did Nadia recover from her injury? What did Drax and Sadie have? Absolutely loathe it when books end with no resolution.
He’s abusive and she’s a doormat. And, in the end, he lets her think he has a pregnant wife and leave broken-hearted before having her return to, ‘Just kidding, she’s my brother’s wife. I love you, let’s have babies.’ And after that mindf***, she forgives him and says, ‘Yay, I’m probably already pregnant!’
And no follow up with the other characters - did Jim have a drinking problem? Did he smuggle booze illegally into camp? Was there any comeuppance for his nasty backstabbing? Did the survey of the Empty Quarter just fall apart after losing multiple team members, undoing the work that all the princes and sheikhs. Did Nadia recover from her injury? What did Drax and Sadie have? Absolutely loathe it when books end with no resolution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2017
Oh Goodness! So cliché, so stupid, and one most important thing, did anyone catch the person who was paid by the Emir? No? No! Just one mystery to be solved, but everyone just let it be. Why?? It would be the only smartest thing in this book if you let me know who is the person! I'm sorry ma'am, but i dislike this book so much. The hero is the jerk, the a$$hole! And the heroine, are you a masochist? Really, huh!?
May 1, 2019
The identical twin Sheikh's must find a bride so that they are not forced into making alliances with their bordering countries as the brothers rule their country together and want to be fair. Drax decides he is going to find a bride for his brother and he does, but there is just one problem he wants her for himself. Vere basically runs into his bride about 3 months before he officially meets her. He can't stop thinking about the kiss they shared in the hotel hallway. He does not want to want her and a co worker tries to make her look bad, so the Sheikh has a reason to not want her. This is a good read and worth getting if you like the HEAs.
April 12, 2013
Arap ülkelerinde geçen kitaplar okumaktan hoşlanmıyorum çünkü bana araplar gerçekte de kitaplarda da zorba olarak görünüyorlar ama bu kitap değişik geldi.Yani Okudum ama Vere'nin bazı nedenlerden dolayı metres olmasını istemesi ve Hanımlar bölümü harem vs bölümler bana tiksindirici geliyor ama genede okudum.
Beni etkileyen tek şey ise İlk karşılaştıklarında pardon çarpıştıklarında birbirlerine duydukları duygular.
Kader belki de böyle birşey? Kim bilir?
Beni etkileyen tek şey ise İlk karşılaştıklarında pardon çarpıştıklarında birbirlerine duydukları duygular.
Kader belki de böyle birşey? Kim bilir?
June 3, 2021
Life has taught Prince Vereham al a'Karim bin Hakar to control his emotions. Duty to his kingdom drives the enigmatic sheikh.But one unexpected, intensely sexy encounter with inexperienced Samantha McLellan shakes Vere's steely control. And when he discovers that Sam could be betraying his country, he decides to blackmail her--into being his mistress!
February 12, 2012
Bizde bu isimle olsa elimi sürmezdimi ki zaten tam bu nedenden olsa gerek bizdeki ismi çölün gidemiydi indirdiğim sitedede hiç açıklama yoktu olsaydı baştan sevmiyeceğim bir Kitabı. Okumazdı... konusunu sevmesemde gerekanlatım biçimi gerekse çevirisi çok kötüydü. Sıkıcı ve basit geldi....
May 17, 2011
Right from the start it was too predictable.
August 2, 2015
good story and a fast read
did-not-finish
April 5, 2016I just don't think Penny Jordan works for me as an author at all. I rarely find anything redeemable in her books, not even the tropes and heightened emotions I look for in HP titles.
October 18, 2016
Torn between giving this 3 and 4 stars. About another sheikh from a fictional country and the English girl in the desert. Some good emotional points, but his character was inconsistent.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews