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Desert Prince's Defiant Bride: An Uplifting International Romance

Julieanne Howells entertains with this passionate desert romance in her stunning debut for Harlequin Presents!

A royal ruse…
… or a royal wedding?

A pretend engagement to the future king of Nabhan wasn’t part of Lily Marchant’s plan for proving her brother’s innocence, but brooding Crown Prince Khaled is quite insistent. The simmering chemistry they share makes playing his fiancée in public easy—and resisting temptation in private nearly impossible!

Impetuous Lily couldn’t be further from appropriate as a desert bride! Even so, Lily makes Khaled feel more alive than he’s felt in years. And the thought of a real dutiful marriage grows less attractive with every moment he spends in her intoxicating presence…

From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 25, 2022

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About the author

Julieanne Howells

41 books6 followers
Julieanne Howells loves the romance of a stormy day, which is just as well because she lives in the rainy North East of England. On inclement days, if she's not writing and reading, she has a fondness for cooking. Sometimes her efforts are even edible. She compensates for her lack of domestic skills by being an expert daydreamer, always imagining ways for plucky heroines to upend the world of handsome, provoking heroes. For Julieanne, writing for Harlequin is just about the perfect job.

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5 stars
34 (35%)
4 stars
36 (37%)
3 stars
19 (20%)
2 stars
3 (3%)
1 star
3 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Ivy H.
860 reviews
January 9, 2022
3.5 stars.


Well this was a pleasant surprise!


Julieanne Howell's HPlandia debut is a commendable attempt to bring together the following tropes:


▪️ Childhood acquaintances to lovers.

▪️ Brother's best friend.

▪️ Modern desert romance.

▪️ Fake engagement of convenience.


It didn't blow my mind, but it was an entertaining slow burn romance about a pair of MCs who stumble into a pretend engagement, as part of a larger scheme to root out the villain who's framed the heroine's half brother for embezzlement.


In a very dramatic opening chapter, the clumsy swashbuckling heroine sneaks into the H’s English mansion, armed with a ridiculous, doomed to fail plan, to steal her half-brother’s laptop.





Light-hearted banter, witty comebacks and an annoyed but sexy, stoic H, immediately caught my interest. The pacing was good and the author’s style of writing is quite simple, because there’s a marked absence of grandiose imagery etc., but she manages to get the point across when she must.


The plot became a bit cartoonish towards the end, though, with a blink and you’ll miss it attempted coup d’etat and a pantomime villain who’s so transparently evil, that I was astounded that he’d been allowed to manipulate, wield so much power and work so hard, for such a long time, to undermine the royal family...





Khaled, the H, has been designated *The Sad Prince* by the tabloids, who coined that moniker due to his perpetual unsmiling face and rigid demeanour.





He's been best friends, for more than a decade, with the heroine's older half-brother, Nate and was also the object of the then adolescent heroine's infatuation.


This is the H, Khaled:



Lily, the heroine, has her share of personal troubles and backstory angst, but she's not the whiny, self-pitying type to wallow in it, like an eternal victim. She's a glass half full type of person, which is the opposite of the H, who seems to look only for the drawbacks in all situations. But her most impressive trait, is her willingness to stand and fight for the people she loves.


This is the heroine, Lily:



The major part of the story is set in the H's fictional kingdom, where both MC's buy time (to uncover proof of the villain's guilt and save her half-brother) by pulling off one of the most absurd faux engagements in HPlandia history.


A romantic epilogue, set a few years in the future, was my main issue with this novel. There was one thing that ought to have been cleared up definitively and that was whether or not the heroine's illegitimacy ever cropped up, in the future, to create problems for the H. The H had indicated that, if that ever happened, he'd abdicate, so an epilogue would've put my mind to rest, vis a vis this specific issue.


But, despite these issues, I enjoyed the novel because:


▪️ The romantic storyline was nice and filled with just enough push/pull, that provided a sexy teasing element to the MCs budding relationship.


▪️ The MCs' slow burn romance was also a huge plus, for me, because I dislike opening chapter sex scenes (which seems to be such a trend in HPlandia today) and I prefer to wait for the big sexual payoff towards the end.


▪️ The MCs' separate and mutual backstories didn't bore me to death and I enjoyed reading the flashback scenes when they were younger, especially the role played by the H in comforting the adolescent heroine after her mom's untimely death.


It was hard to decide between 3 and 4 stars, as a rating, but I decided to go with the higher rating, only because I enjoyed the whole sum of the story, despite the issues I outlined above.


It was quite nice, for a debut novel, and I'll be looking forward to the author's next book!


Safety: The H had been in tentative talks with a neighbouring king, whose daughter he was considering as his wife, but she doesn't count as an OW, since there's zero romantic connection between herself and the H. There's no OM, no cheating and no separation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Marwah  .Qoura .
189 reviews48 followers
January 21, 2022
Abloutely sweet and well researched for a debut writer , I am an Arab myself so I scrutinise the ones with the Sheikh Trope a bit ,this was certainly well done and researched 3.5with a B+
Profile Image for Susan in Perthshire.
2,362 reviews126 followers
January 6, 2022
This is apparently the debut book for this author and I rather liked quite a lot of it. Great premise, likeable characters and some fabulous dialogue. But somewhat predictable and pedestrian.

There was humour in the book and I rather liked the light touch, but some of it was rather unreal. The idea that the heroine would be so rude and impertinent to royalty when she was trapped in such a foreign environment didn’t strike me as credible. All of her smart assed remarks struck me as utterly bizarre and laughable.

Many of Lil’s inner monologues showed a distinct lack of understanding of life’s realities. Many times she came across more like an adolescent than an adult and I found that irritating. I like my heroines to be smart and adult not childlike.

The villain was a two dimensional melodramatic jerk and it was obvious from his first appearance that he was behind everything.

The hero turned into a totally ridiculous softie and the idea that the heroine would seduce him in the car while allowing the chauffeur to totally understand what was going on in the back of the car struck me as beyond farcical and ridiculous. You create a conservative Islamic world - you stick to the mores of that world.

However, this was an entertaining read overall. It desperately needed an epilogue.
Profile Image for Vee.
757 reviews234 followers
April 23, 2022
4.5 stars ⭐️

Almost become my favorite, just lacking the kind of ending that I love. I adore both MCs. They’re not perfect but that’s what making me feel charmed. If they got married with kids on the way I would put it in my favorite shelf. But this one intrigued me and I ended up loving it. There was some action bloody scene in it too lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shana.
227 reviews9 followers
January 29, 2022
I had to DNF this at 20%. The writing style was awkward, and then list of problematic components in this sheik romance just grew insurmountable. The sample should offer enough information on whether the style is a good fit.

Kidnapping plots are hard to do well and this book had the Sad Prince (yes, literally what people call him!) reminiscing about forcing her onto his plane with this line:

“As he’d carried her into the cabin she’d felt so slight, her curves more girl than woman.”

So no, I am not interested in the hero’s pedophile tendencies.

And the way the hero was exoticized for his mixed race heritage felt like something HQN would publish 20 years ago.
Profile Image for Yukino.
1,157 reviews
July 31, 2023
Un finto fidanzamento con il futuro re di Nabhan non faceva parte del piano con cui Lily Marchant intendeva provare l'innocenza del fratello, ma il tenebroso principe Khaled sa essere decisamente persuasivo. Inoltre l'innegabile attrazione che scorre tra loro rende molto semplice fingere di essere una fidanzata devota in pubblico - e quasi impossibile resistere alla tentazione in privato!
L'impetuosa Lily non potrebbe essere più inadeguata come sposa di un futuro re, eppure Khaled non si sentiva così vivo da anni. E di colpo la prospettiva di un vero matrimonio con una donna appropriata si fa sempre meno allettante. Lily è tutto ciò che lui desidera. La regina del suo cuore.


Quest'anno è stata l'estate degli sceicchi. Ma purtroppo, rispetto al precedente, mi è piaciuto meno.
Non sono riuscita ad affezionarmi ai due protagonisti. La storia è intrigante e loro poi fanno scintille, ma mi è mancato qualcosa. Forse perchè un pò simile all'altro e quindi la trama non è stata una novità. Di solito questo non mi spaventa, ma stavolta è mancata quella marcia in più.
Il libro è carino, si legge velocemente e il suo scopo lo raggiunge. Intrattiene e fa sognare.
Per chi ha voglia di svagarsi senza troppo impegno. Per le romantiche.
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,788 reviews
hq-to-read
July 24, 2022
A royal ruse…
…or a royal wedding?

A pretend engagement to the future king of Nabhan wasn’t part of Lily Marchant’s plan for proving her brother’s innocence, but brooding Crown Prince Khaled is quite insistent. The simmering chemistry they share makes playing his fiancée in public easy—and resisting temptation in private nearly impossible!

Impetuous Lily couldn’t be further from appropriate as a desert bride! Even so, Lily makes Khaled feel more alive than he’s felt in years. And the thought of a real dutiful marriage grows less attractive with every moment he spends in her intoxicating presence…
Profile Image for Jane Hunt.
Author 3 books115 followers
January 22, 2022
This engaging contemporary romance has humour, mystery and passionate attraction. The physical attraction between Kahled and Lily has increasingly emotional commitment as they are drawn together in a fake engagement. The simple plot allows the romance to be the story's focus. The couple's interactions are often humorous and easy to imagine.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Mattie.
2,082 reviews10 followers
December 31, 2022
I didn't like it, I did like heroine and how she got along with everyone. How she fully believed in her stepbrother and lengths she went to help him.

However the hero felt so weak to me like he was a puppet on his scheming uncle's strings. He went along with his uncle's suggestion for a fiancee (was never official, negotiating was before and during book). He started feeling for heroine and wanted to marry her for real but dropped the idea when the uncle brought up her being illegitimate. He just did as the uncle suggested instead of looking into ways it could work. There's several more instances he just did as uncle suggested all while not liking him and knowing he was scheming.

Then the hero asked (through his secretary) heroine to be his mistress while he married someone else, she would live in a house in Greece and he would visit her. Sickening. He regretted it and said he panicked because his father went into the hospital and he thought he was about to die. Let's say the father did die and the uncle didn't attempt a coup resulting in heroine being shot, would he have married the other woman? Would he have abdicated like he was willing to do at the end? I would like to think so, but I highly doubt it. Np.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,241 reviews658 followers
July 18, 2023
New-to-me author, so I didn't know what to expect. This was well-thoughout story with some rich backstory and world-building.

H/h knew each other from childhood through the heroine's stepbrother. When stepbrother is accused of stealing from the hero's charity, the heroine breaks into hero's bedroom to find evidence to clear him. Hero catches her and whisks her off to his kingdom in order to?? That was never very clear. But they do end up in an engagement of convenience so heroine can spend time charming everyone - including the hero.

I don't usually care about palace intrigue, but the author was able to put a fresh spin on it. I appreciated that the actual stakes at the end were high and the villain was truly a villain.

The hero, the "Sad Prince," was alpha enough, and even had glimpses of charm so that the heroine's attraction made sense. The heroine's characterization was uneven. Her feistiness bordered on immaturity too many times - especially at the opening of the story.

I look forward to more from this author.
Profile Image for Andrea Wenger.
Author 4 books44 followers
January 25, 2022
When Lily tries to get evidence of her brother's innocence from a computer in Prince Khaled's private chamber, the prince catches her in the act. He gives her a choice: either he'll call the authorities, or she'll stay in the capital as his "guest" until her brother shows himself. But the queen mistakes Lily for his girlfriend, and Khaled decides it will serve his purpose for Lily to go along with that assumption. As Lily and Khaled gather evidence to lead to the true criminal, will their fake relationship turn real?

I really enjoyed this book. Both Lily and Khaled are clever and resourceful, so they're constantly trying to one-up each other. Yet they both have memories of what they meant to each other as children, which tempers their enmity. This is a fun, emotional enemies-to-lovers royal romance with great banter and a strong plot.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Profile Image for Laura.
792 reviews28 followers
January 17, 2022
This is a debut author and I thought she did a good job! I liked her writing style and look forward to reading more from her.

Some of the plot was a little bit OTT (the baddie situation) and the book definitely needs an epilogue as there was one aspect that had posed a problem but then was sort of brushed over at the end, so I would have liked to have read how that was resolved.

Good chemistry between Khaled and Lily and good banter. I liked how Lily defied Khaled! However, she was a little bit too forgiving of some of the thing he put her through but I really did enjoy this story and it's not often nowadays I enjoy a book.

ARC provided via Netgalley.
Profile Image for Frankie.
454 reviews
Read
November 21, 2021
Desert Prince's Defiant Bride was a sweet story with your typical HP romance leads that were likable & a story arc that kept me enthralled to the end. The tension was handled expertly and I really liked how the set up of the conflict and engineered resolution was written.

I was kindly provided an advanced copy by NetGalley/Publisher/Author for an honest review and I want to thank them for the opportunity
Profile Image for Sarah Pesnell.
178 reviews
January 9, 2022
I really enjoyed this book by Julieanne Howells. It was very well done and interesting. Would definitely recommend this to anyone.
Profile Image for Ishara.
559 reviews9 followers
February 20, 2022
Lovely debut book by this author. Minus 1 star for two reasons; firstly, the heroine's behaviour was a bit immature, and I really wanted an epilogue! Otherwise, an enjoyable afternoon read.
Profile Image for Joan Gray.
216 reviews7 followers
January 18, 2022
Desert Prince’s Defiant Bride is Julieanne Howell’s debut Mills & Boon Modern novel and it certainly doesn’t disappoint the reader!
The Crown Prince Kahled has earned the moniker the sad prince as he never appears to smile or look happy when out in public. Kahled, future King of Nabhan meets Lily Marchand when she sneaks into his rooms in his English countryside mansion order to steal Nate Marchant, her brother’s laptop to prove his innocence - £10 million has disappeared from a charity run jointly by Kahled and his best friend from childhood, her brother.

Kahled catches her in the act of stealing the laptip and whisks her off to his desert kingdom, in the process blackmailing her into becoming his temporary fiancée, or he will surrender her to the police. Kahled hopes to flush out her brother so the money can be recovered. Lily persuades Kahled that her brother may not have siphoned off the money and he starts investigating who may have done so if not Nate.

Slowly Lily and Kahled fall in love and he starts to wish they could be together forever. He needs to make an alliance with a neighbouring country and has already virtually agreed to an alliance there. The most he can offer Lily is an affair with house etc. A coup, led by the villain who stole the money happens whilst Lily us in the process of having her heart broken but will Nate be able to tell/ show Lily that it is her that he really wants to be with.

This is a solid, humorous read. The characters gel well together. Both Nate and Lily are complex characters due to their childhoods. Thee are no holes in the storyline which I found to enjoyable. A great first novel, setting a high bar for future books.



I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley #gifted
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews