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Forbidden! #3
Συμφωνία με το Διάβολο
Ο αδελφός της Κρίστι, που ήταν φωτορεπόρτερ, βρισκόταν αιχμάλωτος στη Σαουδική Αραβία και μονάχα ένας άνθρωπος μπορούσε να τον βοηθήσει: ο σεΐχης Σάλεφ μπιν Γιούσεφ Αλ Σαγιέντ. Η δύναμη και η επιρροή που είχε μπορούσαν να εξασφαλίσουν την απελευθέρωση του αδελφού της. Πως θα κατάφερνε όμως η Κρίστι να τον πείσει να συνεργαστεί μαζί της;
Το να μπει λαθραία στο μεγαλοπρεπές κοκτέιλ πάρτι του σεΐχη στο Λονδίνο, ήταν ένας έξυπνος τρόπος για να τραβήξει την προσοχή του. Ταυτόχρονα όμως, πυροδότησε μια σειρά από αναπάντεχα γεγονότα. Γιατί η Κρίστι δε φανταζόταν ποτέ ότι θα έφτανε να μοιραστεί με τον Σάλεφ κάποιες καυτές νύχτες πάθους. Και στο παιχνίδι αυτό δεν υπήρχε καμία αμφιβολία ότι εκείνος όριζε -ή καταργούσε- τους κανόνες ...
Το να μπει λαθραία στο μεγαλοπρεπές κοκτέιλ πάρτι του σεΐχη στο Λονδίνο, ήταν ένας έξυπνος τρόπος για να τραβήξει την προσοχή του. Ταυτόχρονα όμως, πυροδότησε μια σειρά από αναπάντεχα γεγονότα. Γιατί η Κρίστι δε φανταζόταν ποτέ ότι θα έφτανε να μοιραστεί με τον Σάλεφ κάποιες καυτές νύχτες πάθους. Και στο παιχνίδι αυτό δεν υπήρχε καμία αμφιβολία ότι εκείνος όριζε -ή καταργούσε- τους κανόνες ...
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1996
About the author
Helen Bianchin
384 books231 followersHelen Shirley was born on February 20 1939 in New Zealand, where she grew up, an only child possessed by a vivid imagination and a love for reading. She wrote stories for amusement in her early teenage years, and when she left leaving school, she took a secretarial job at a father-and-son legal firm.
At age twenty-one Helen joined a girlfriend and embarked on a working holiday in Australia, travelling via cruise ship from Auckland to Melbourne. Alas, no shipboard romance, as she spent all four days in her cabin suffering from sea-sickness! After fifteen months working in Melbourne, Helen and her friend bought a vehicle and took three months to drive the length and breadth of Australia, choosing to work in Cairns in order to fund the final leg of our journey to Sydney.
It was in Cairns that Helen met her future husband, Danilo Bianchin, an Italian immigrant from Treviso. He was a tobacco sharefarmer from the tobacco farming community of Mareeba. His English was pitiful, and her command of Italian was nil. Six months later they married, and Helen was flung into cooking for up to nine tobacco pickers, stringing tobacco, feeding 200 chickens, a few turkeys, ducks... plus killing, cleaning and cooking the same! Her knowledge of Italian improved, and there were hilarious moments in retrospect. Some of what she endured was cooking on a wood-burning stove, having no running hot water, a primitive shower and toilet facilities, washing uniforms for two soccer teams during the soccer season... floods, horrendous hailstone damage to tobacco crops, hardship, and the stillbirth of their first child. Then, to their joy, Helen's daughter, Lucia, was born. Three years later the couple returned to New Zealand, where they settled for sixteen years. During those early years, they added two sons, Angelo and Peter, to the family.
With multiple anecdotes of farm life in an Italian community to friends, the idea of writing a book occurred. A romance, set on a tobacco farm in Australia's far north, Queensland, featuring an Italian hero. Helen says, "the background was authentic, believe me!" However the hero was rich and owned the farm artistic license! It took her a year to complete a passable manuscript, typed on a portable typewriter at the dining room table. That first effort was deemed too short with insufficient detail. Helen rewrote it. This time it was considered too long with too much extraneous detail. She revised, then sent it to London. Four months later she received a telegram from Alan Boon (Mills & Boon) to say they intended to publish and a contract would be sent in the mail. It was the most wonderful news!
Helen wrote ten more books while living in New Zealand, then in 1981, her family resettled in Australia, on Queensland's Gold Coast. She has since published twenty-five more books. Today, with computer technology, the mechanics of writing are much easier. However, the writing process doesn't change. Helen says that she's having a good day if she can achieve 5 good pages, which she is likely to change, edit and rewrite the following day.
She loves creating characters, giving them life and providing a situation where their emotions are tested and love wins out. For her, the greatest praise is for a reader to say they couldn't put the book down... then Helen knows that she has achieved what she set out to do -- "create a moving enjoyable story which holds the reader entertained from beginning to end."
Helen's hobbies are tennis, table-tennis, judo, reading. She loves movies, and leads an active social life.
At age twenty-one Helen joined a girlfriend and embarked on a working holiday in Australia, travelling via cruise ship from Auckland to Melbourne. Alas, no shipboard romance, as she spent all four days in her cabin suffering from sea-sickness! After fifteen months working in Melbourne, Helen and her friend bought a vehicle and took three months to drive the length and breadth of Australia, choosing to work in Cairns in order to fund the final leg of our journey to Sydney.
It was in Cairns that Helen met her future husband, Danilo Bianchin, an Italian immigrant from Treviso. He was a tobacco sharefarmer from the tobacco farming community of Mareeba. His English was pitiful, and her command of Italian was nil. Six months later they married, and Helen was flung into cooking for up to nine tobacco pickers, stringing tobacco, feeding 200 chickens, a few turkeys, ducks... plus killing, cleaning and cooking the same! Her knowledge of Italian improved, and there were hilarious moments in retrospect. Some of what she endured was cooking on a wood-burning stove, having no running hot water, a primitive shower and toilet facilities, washing uniforms for two soccer teams during the soccer season... floods, horrendous hailstone damage to tobacco crops, hardship, and the stillbirth of their first child. Then, to their joy, Helen's daughter, Lucia, was born. Three years later the couple returned to New Zealand, where they settled for sixteen years. During those early years, they added two sons, Angelo and Peter, to the family.
With multiple anecdotes of farm life in an Italian community to friends, the idea of writing a book occurred. A romance, set on a tobacco farm in Australia's far north, Queensland, featuring an Italian hero. Helen says, "the background was authentic, believe me!" However the hero was rich and owned the farm artistic license! It took her a year to complete a passable manuscript, typed on a portable typewriter at the dining room table. That first effort was deemed too short with insufficient detail. Helen rewrote it. This time it was considered too long with too much extraneous detail. She revised, then sent it to London. Four months later she received a telegram from Alan Boon (Mills & Boon) to say they intended to publish and a contract would be sent in the mail. It was the most wonderful news!
Helen wrote ten more books while living in New Zealand, then in 1981, her family resettled in Australia, on Queensland's Gold Coast. She has since published twenty-five more books. Today, with computer technology, the mechanics of writing are much easier. However, the writing process doesn't change. Helen says that she's having a good day if she can achieve 5 good pages, which she is likely to change, edit and rewrite the following day.
She loves creating characters, giving them life and providing a situation where their emotions are tested and love wins out. For her, the greatest praise is for a reader to say they couldn't put the book down... then Helen knows that she has achieved what she set out to do -- "create a moving enjoyable story which holds the reader entertained from beginning to end."
Helen's hobbies are tennis, table-tennis, judo, reading. She loves movies, and leads an active social life.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 24, 2018
Re Desert Mistress - Helen Bianchin waited 22 years before writing every vintage HP writer's obligatory Sheikhy Lurve HP outing.
I am pretty sure she was waiting for confirmation that there is gourmet twenty course meals and luxury showers along with fresh ground coffee available in the desert.
It turns out in an HB Desert Sunset Passionfest, there IS luxury power showers built for two, along with the proper servant offered luxury dining and endless cups of black coffee when you're in a Desert Palace Hunting lodge 100 kilometers south of Riyadh and your host is an uber rich half English Sheikh with an international business conglomerate.
This one features an orphaned photographer socialite h who gets her London diplomatic friends to get her into a billionaire Sheikh's exclusive diplomatic party.
The h's photographer brother got himself captured by a warring faction of Saudi Arabian desert tribesmen and the h is hoping to convince the sheikh to use his long standing acquaintance with the desert tribesman's leader to get her brother released.
There is all the usual HB standby's of couture clothes, high society parties, multiple showers with appropriate moisturizing, (some times two in one chapter and it is an eleven chapter book,) endless cups of coffee and a roofie kissing moment at the end of every h and H interaction.
The h manages to get the H's attention by spilling hot black coffee on herself and in the subsequent burn treatment scene, the h pretty much blackmails the H into taking her with him to visit Saudi Arabia by threatening to reveal his long standing connections to the aforementioned desert tribesman leader, who is apparently viewed by the rest of the world as bit on the dubiously fanatic side.
The H is very intrigued by this feisty young miss, so after a lot of verbal dueling, he agrees to take the h with him on his trip and contact the tribal leader, but the h will have to pretend to be his mistress.
So off to Riyadh we go and we get some travelogue and some wanna be OW catty remarks and we learn that the ladies in Saudi Arabia love, love, love the European High Fashion Couture Collections. The h manages to sneak off to the H's Desert Palace of Deelites when she thinks the elusive desert tribesman leader will be there and then she gets run off the road and shot at by ruffians on the long desert highway.
The Sheikhy H rescues her in his big shiny helicopter and of course they become madly passionate lovers after the the most clinical and non-explosive Purple Passion Unicorn Grooming License Revocation in the last five HP outings.
(It was extremely AWKWARD and the h did not have a good time with it, but the H managed to sneak a Lurve Mojo manual in while she slept and his early morning seduction passion blitz went much, much better.)
By the end of the h's desert vacation, the brother is released and the h is in love. The H offers up a mistress position and when the h refuses, the H then offers marriage. But the h isn't about to marry a man who isn't wholeheartedly in love. (So good for this h for standing up for herself.)
The H claims he doesn't do romantic love and never will and then he politely escorts her to the door. The h goes home to Australia and does her HB Society Mopey bit, then the H cleverly books the h for an appointment to photograph his new Sydney home for his long distance interior decorators.
The unknowing h shows up to do the supposed rush job pictures and the H toys with the h and her unreasonable demands for a marriage where both parties are mutually in love. Then he tosses in the towel and finally gives in to the h's stubborn stance. He wins the h's deepest devotion with the big "I love you and adore you and will forsake having twelve other wives for you" declaration.
The h is overjoyed and More Purple Passion Moments ensue, cause the H paid a visit to India and found a copy of the Kama Sutra with excellent and descriptive pictures. The h decides she will marry the H and they will travel the world and have Sheikhy Desert Lurve Club moments for a very happy HB Desert Ride Into the Sunset HPlandia outing.
This one was pretty quick and fairly well done. I was amazed that HB managed to get all those showers in, but I guess she was really worried about the dust in the h's hairstyle.
Still it was good to know that even in the desert, HB's h would be able to get her shower moisturizing, high fashion groove on, complete with little cups of coffee and we can rest assured that the H made his showers big enough that he can personally supervise the whole process, for another day in the HB HPlandia office.
I am pretty sure she was waiting for confirmation that there is gourmet twenty course meals and luxury showers along with fresh ground coffee available in the desert.
It turns out in an HB Desert Sunset Passionfest, there IS luxury power showers built for two, along with the proper servant offered luxury dining and endless cups of black coffee when you're in a Desert Palace Hunting lodge 100 kilometers south of Riyadh and your host is an uber rich half English Sheikh with an international business conglomerate.
This one features an orphaned photographer socialite h who gets her London diplomatic friends to get her into a billionaire Sheikh's exclusive diplomatic party.
The h's photographer brother got himself captured by a warring faction of Saudi Arabian desert tribesmen and the h is hoping to convince the sheikh to use his long standing acquaintance with the desert tribesman's leader to get her brother released.
There is all the usual HB standby's of couture clothes, high society parties, multiple showers with appropriate moisturizing, (some times two in one chapter and it is an eleven chapter book,) endless cups of coffee and a roofie kissing moment at the end of every h and H interaction.
The h manages to get the H's attention by spilling hot black coffee on herself and in the subsequent burn treatment scene, the h pretty much blackmails the H into taking her with him to visit Saudi Arabia by threatening to reveal his long standing connections to the aforementioned desert tribesman leader, who is apparently viewed by the rest of the world as bit on the dubiously fanatic side.
The H is very intrigued by this feisty young miss, so after a lot of verbal dueling, he agrees to take the h with him on his trip and contact the tribal leader, but the h will have to pretend to be his mistress.
So off to Riyadh we go and we get some travelogue and some wanna be OW catty remarks and we learn that the ladies in Saudi Arabia love, love, love the European High Fashion Couture Collections. The h manages to sneak off to the H's Desert Palace of Deelites when she thinks the elusive desert tribesman leader will be there and then she gets run off the road and shot at by ruffians on the long desert highway.
The Sheikhy H rescues her in his big shiny helicopter and of course they become madly passionate lovers after the the most clinical and non-explosive Purple Passion Unicorn Grooming License Revocation in the last five HP outings.
(It was extremely AWKWARD and the h did not have a good time with it, but the H managed to sneak a Lurve Mojo manual in while she slept and his early morning seduction passion blitz went much, much better.)
By the end of the h's desert vacation, the brother is released and the h is in love. The H offers up a mistress position and when the h refuses, the H then offers marriage. But the h isn't about to marry a man who isn't wholeheartedly in love. (So good for this h for standing up for herself.)
The H claims he doesn't do romantic love and never will and then he politely escorts her to the door. The h goes home to Australia and does her HB Society Mopey bit, then the H cleverly books the h for an appointment to photograph his new Sydney home for his long distance interior decorators.
The unknowing h shows up to do the supposed rush job pictures and the H toys with the h and her unreasonable demands for a marriage where both parties are mutually in love. Then he tosses in the towel and finally gives in to the h's stubborn stance. He wins the h's deepest devotion with the big "I love you and adore you and will forsake having twelve other wives for you" declaration.
The h is overjoyed and More Purple Passion Moments ensue, cause the H paid a visit to India and found a copy of the Kama Sutra with excellent and descriptive pictures. The h decides she will marry the H and they will travel the world and have Sheikhy Desert Lurve Club moments for a very happy HB Desert Ride Into the Sunset HPlandia outing.
This one was pretty quick and fairly well done. I was amazed that HB managed to get all those showers in, but I guess she was really worried about the dust in the h's hairstyle.
Still it was good to know that even in the desert, HB's h would be able to get her shower moisturizing, high fashion groove on, complete with little cups of coffee and we can rest assured that the H made his showers big enough that he can personally supervise the whole process, for another day in the HB HPlandia office.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2020
Sedate...
December 9, 2017
The cover of this vintage HB tome just cracks me up every time I look at it. What's even more awesome is there is a scene in the book where the heroine wraps herself up in a sheet. Best. Cover. Ever.
Anyway, sheiks and sultans are not my favorite Harlequins so I rarely indulge, but this book was just okay. A little long in the tooth and it took forever to get to any steaminess (it felt like forever at least). I did enjoy the HEA.
Rated 2.5 white sheets and sheiks!
Anyway, sheiks and sultans are not my favorite Harlequins so I rarely indulge, but this book was just okay. A little long in the tooth and it took forever to get to any steaminess (it felt like forever at least). I did enjoy the HEA.
Rated 2.5 white sheets and sheiks!
July 4, 2022
Bargain with the devil!
Kristi's journalist brother was a hostage, and only one man could help: Sheikh Shalef Al-Sayed. He had power and influence at his fingertips - but how could Kristi win his support? Shalef was way out of her league. His world of wealth and privilege was closed to Kristi.... Gate-crashing his glamorous cocktail party was the only way of grabbing his attention!
But Kristi got more than she bargained for. Becoming the mistress of this enigmatic, dangerously attractive man hadn't been part of her plan, yet this was the deal and Kristi had no choice. If she wanted Shalef's help...she'd have to play the game his way, and he was clearly making - and breaking - all the rules!
Kristi's journalist brother was a hostage, and only one man could help: Sheikh Shalef Al-Sayed. He had power and influence at his fingertips - but how could Kristi win his support? Shalef was way out of her league. His world of wealth and privilege was closed to Kristi.... Gate-crashing his glamorous cocktail party was the only way of grabbing his attention!
But Kristi got more than she bargained for. Becoming the mistress of this enigmatic, dangerously attractive man hadn't been part of her plan, yet this was the deal and Kristi had no choice. If she wanted Shalef's help...she'd have to play the game his way, and he was clearly making - and breaking - all the rules!
August 28, 2009
Kristi set her trap well, dressing in an alluring gown certain to catch the eye of the powerful Sheikh Shalef bin Youssef Al-Sayed. She needed his help to free her brother, so Kristi went along with Shalef’s demands.
Little by little, Kristi fell more in love with Shalef’s family, his country and finally with the man himself. Shalef was handsome, rich and powerful, the perfect suitor for any woman, but could Kristi ever reach his heart? Shalef could have any woman in the world and Kristi could only wonder what the great sheikh might see in her.
Little by little, Kristi fell more in love with Shalef’s family, his country and finally with the man himself. Shalef was handsome, rich and powerful, the perfect suitor for any woman, but could Kristi ever reach his heart? Shalef could have any woman in the world and Kristi could only wonder what the great sheikh might see in her.
November 30, 2022
Fue mi primera historia que involucra a un sultán, pensé que iba a tener algo diferente a los típicos hombres super poderosos que siempre describen, pero no es el caso, aun así, me gustó que al menos aquí sí mostraron motivos fuertes para "justificar" el machismo, dado que ella estaba en un país extremadamente machista, la única forma de proteger a la protagonista era haciendo que siga las reglas, era un "sigue las reglas o mueres", y aun así, él permitió que ella tuviera libertad incluso delante de hombres de una cultura super machista, mostró su poder para que ella pudiera andar libre en un espacio cerrad donde se supone no debe tener inhibiciones.
May 3, 2020
Desert Mistress
Though H. Bianchin wrote this story I felt it was just another cookie cutter story of an Arabic alpha and an Aussie woman almost cliche. Like many other authors who extol the mysteries of the desert and the men who find themselves involved with a woman not if their culture.
Though H. Bianchin wrote this story I felt it was just another cookie cutter story of an Arabic alpha and an Aussie woman almost cliche. Like many other authors who extol the mysteries of the desert and the men who find themselves involved with a woman not if their culture.
March 21, 2021
Trama molto semplice, scritta bene, con stile fluido, che scorre via fino all'ultima pagina.
Se gli sceicchi sono tutti così fig... ehm affascinanti, mi trasferisco immediatamente da quelle parti! :D
Come da manuale Harmony Old Style, l'ideale per un pomeriggio in totale relax.
3 stelle e 1/2
Se gli sceicchi sono tutti così fig... ehm affascinanti, mi trasferisco immediatamente da quelle parti! :D
Come da manuale Harmony Old Style, l'ideale per un pomeriggio in totale relax.
3 stelle e 1/2
November 18, 2017
2.5 stars for me. I didn't really like the sheikh character.
June 29, 2025
great
Head strong photographer determined to get her brother released from jail. Read her story of how she encompasses this and meets her happy ever after
Head strong photographer determined to get her brother released from jail. Read her story of how she encompasses this and meets her happy ever after
October 26, 2025
Unexpected happiness
A very well written story that has you smiling, biting your cheek in aggravation, sighing and finally truly beaming with happiness!
A very well written story that has you smiling, biting your cheek in aggravation, sighing and finally truly beaming with happiness!
April 21, 2012
Titre vf : La magie du desert
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews