Sandstorms

The Oil Barons #1, 5, 6

by Ann Jacobs

Black Gold - Love Slave By Ann Jacobs Shana Green's been fantasizing about being a houri, a love slave to a wealthy sheikh, for years. When fate drops Dahoud el Rashid, or ""Bear,"" practically into her lap, she's not about to let him get away... Bear wants one last ultra-hot fling before he settles down to take over his father's oil business. He'll fulfill every last one of Shana's fantasies if it means he can have his fill. Of her. Review quotes for Love Slave by Ann Jacobs .".". worth the read. Hot, fast, and then tender sex over and over again gave me the wiggles..."" ROBIN TAYLOR, In the Library Reviews .".".one erotic story you definitely won't want to miss!"" COURTNEY BOWDEN, Romance Reviews Today .".".sweet and sensual, with a surprising depth in so short a piece."" KRISTINA SMITH, Simegen Reviews Black Gold - Forever Enslaved By Ann Jacobs Bound by love... Shana and Bear have survived the joining of their two very different, warring worlds. They've lived through the death, destruction and aftermath of war, tearing grief, and immeasurable joy. They've gone through too much to toss it all away, but that's what Shana seems determined to do. Tired of spending weeks on her own while Bear plunges into one dangerous situation after another in his search for his cousin held prisoner in Iraq, Shana flees to the sanctuary of her family in Houston. The miles do nothing to assuage her hunger for his touch, her need for the big, sexy sheikh who stole her heart. Too late she realizes that being lonely without Bear is infinitely worse than being lonely with him. But it's too late to turn back-her pride won't let her. The next move is up to Bear. For them to find the way home, Bear must prove Shana is still his love slave, his houri...the one woman for whom he will move mountains to make her every submissive fantasy come true. Note: While FOREVER ENSLAVED can be read on its own, it is a sequel to LOVE SLAVE. Black Gold - Entrapped By Ann Jacobs Horribly burned during the first Gulf War, Leila Qassimi lives behind the veil, longing for a taste of the pleasure the loss of her beauty and her husband have long denied. Imprisoned in an Iraqi jail, Jamil al Hassan has been whipped, beaten, and used for eleven years. He'll do anything to escape his sadistic jailer, Leila's brother-by-marriage, Dubaq. Anything, even give in to Leila's seduction.

Genres: Erotic Romance, Erotica

228 pages, Trade Paperback

First published April 30, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

First published in 1996, Jacobs has sold close to fifty books and novellas. SANDSTORMS was a 2007 nominee for the prestigious ROMANTIC TIMES Reviewers' Choice award for best erotic romance. Her books have earned awards including the Passionate Plume (best novella, 2006, second place contemporary, 2008), the Desert Rose (best hot and spicy romance, 2004) and More Than Magic (best erotic romance, 2004). She has been a double finalist in separate categories of the EPPIES and From the Heart RWA Chapter’s contest. Three of her books have been translated and sold in several European countries.

A CPA and former hospital financial manager, Jacobs now writes full-time, with the help of Mr. Blue, the family cat who sometimes likes to perch on the back of her desk chair and lend his sage advice. He sometimes even contributes a few random letters when he decides he wants to try out the keyboard. (Most of the time Blue just curls up, hides his eyes with his paws...and sleeps!)

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are three separate novellas that are connected so it comes off as one big novel. This was one unusual but sexy read...

In Love Slave, Shana Green is a University of Texas senior who's long had a secret "sheikh fantasy". She fantasizes about being captured and spirited away to a harem where she would be forced to be her sheikh's houri, or 'love slave'. Now how likely is that fantasy going to come true for the quintessential 'Jewish American princess' living on a college campus in Austin Texas? Very likely, especially when her younger brother Jake, a freshman quarterback for rival Texas A&M, is injured in a game by a crushing hit from star UT linebacker Dahoud "Bear" el Rashid. "Bear" comes to the hospital to check on the condition of Jake, and when Shana sees the big, gorgeous half Kuwaiti/half British football player, she wonders why she never noticed him on campus before. But now that he's in her sights, she plans on making her sheik fantasy a reality...

Fast forward six months later, and Shana and Bear have graduated and are on a flight to his place in Kuwait. Apparently they've gotten together in that time and Shana explained her little fantasy, and Bear is only too eager to make it a reality. He has his personal assistant Asad prepare his family's ancient fortress-like palace along the Persian Gulf, hire a supposed "eunuch" and a couple of houris for his imaginary harem...anything to make Shana's fantasy look realistic. Bear thinks of this little 5 day tryst as his last hurrah before he takes over his family's oil business, and for Shana...I guess it's just a chance to fulfill her fantasy before she settles down to the life that she's expected to lead. While on the trans-Atlantic flight, Bear and Shana waste no time beginning the fantasy. After Bear's first command of "disrobe and kneel", I knew where this one was heading. (*Fans self*). Whew.

So yes, this one was filled with pages and pages of hot sheikh/love slave sex, lots of aggressive sex acts, and for the most part, it didn't disappoint in that respect. There were a few unintentional chuckles, especially when Shana referred to Bear's male parts as his "monster ****" (for some reason, I kept thinking "monster truck"), and some of the things they said to each other while acting out the fantasy had me rolling my eyes, and I got a little tired of hearing about her yoni and his lingam, but, when they started developing real feelings for each other, I was on board. And when they wanted to be together despite the problems that it would create--their different faiths, different cultures, the Gulf War about to happen (it's 1990)...so yes, they had a lot of obstacles in their way, but I was rooting for them.

In Forever Enslaved, it's eleven years later, and Shana and Bear are married with two children, and have been through a lot. One of the biggest heartaches has been the Gulf War and the physical damage it's done to Bear's oil fields and the destruction of their family home. But that can be (and was) rebuilt. What Bear is finding hard to live with is the disappearance and likely capture of his cousin Jamil and his personal assistant Asad who fought for Kuwait against the Iraqis during the war. For ten years Bear has been following leads as to where they might be held, and going on dangerous missions inside Iraq to try and find them, but with no luck. While Shana is sympathetic, she takes Bear's recent preoccupation as a sign that he's grown tired of her, and feels she's no longer number one in his life. She's terrified that Bear's putting his life at risk by searching for Jamil inside Iraq, and she can't stand the thought of something happening to him. So she forces his hand and takes the kids with her back to her family home in Houston. Will Bear follow her and convince her that she's his top priority?

Well, Shana came off as a bit spoiled in this one. I couldn't understand how she doubted Bear's love for her, but I guess she was just used to his undivided attention and missed it when it was gone. The guy had a lot on his plate and I think Shana really needed something to occupy her time! So when she runs off to Houston but then misses him even more, I didn't have a lot of sympathy for her. Lucky for her, Bear really was her love slave, and tracked her down and proved his devotion to her by taking her to a special dude ranch where he could prove his devotion to her, again and again...All I can say is, Shana's one lucky spoiled girl.

Finally in Entrapped we get Jamil's heartbreaking story. This one was hard to read at times, because I felt so bad for poor Jamil and all the pain, humiliation, and indignities he suffered while being held captive for 11 years by an Iraqi guard who surely must be related to Saddam Hussein. Very hard to read about the torture that he and other captives went through, and hard to read about the scarred Iraqi woman (Leila) in the story who was determined to make him pay for the death of her beloved husband. Hard to read about what essentially was Jamil's rape by this woman, even though he later didn't think of it as rape when they grew to care about and understand each other. Jamil was a character who I really respected, and I was hoping that one day he would be reunited with his cousin Bear and learn to find happiness. This one was both suspenseful and erotic (hard to believe but it was), and was much more serious than Shana and Bear's love story, and more rewarding. And it had a very hopeful HEA.

This was one unusual book--don't think I've ever read a story set in Kuwait during and after the Gulf War before--and I learned a few things about the whole Arab culture (and a few Arabic dirty words/phrases!) Very interesting and highly erotic, so if that's what you're looking for, this book delivers. 4 stars

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" Love Slave – Love Slave was a sweetly sensual erotic romance of forbidden love between a Jewish American young woman and an Arabic young man who was a Kuwaiti sheik. This theme, along with the love-overcomes-all theme, both of which are a prominent part of the story, are among my favorites. Shana and Bear were both very likable characters. Although I can't say I've ever fantasized about being part of a sheik's harem like Shana did, I certainly wouldn't mind if that sheik were Bear (and it was only a harem of one;-)). Making love in his private jet, his limo and his isolated ancient family fortress would be a scrumptious dream. I liked that Bear was completely into fulfilling Shana's fantasy and how the couple were so open and giving toward one another. It made the idea of them falling in love so quickly more believable. I wasn't a bit surprised when Shana got jealous of the other women in the “harem,” even though she said that's what she wanted. In fact, the short menage scene between Bear, Shana and the other two women was the only thing about this novella that wasn't really my cup of tea. I happen to be a jealous reader who wants the hero to belong completely to the heroine. I was quite happy when Bear wasn't responsive to the other women and kicked them out pretty quickly, so he could have his favorite houri all to himself.;-)

Even though the characterizations aren't particularly deep because of the short length, I really came to like Bear and Shana a lot, and would have loved to read a longer story about them. I'm really happy that Forever Enslaved, the second novella in the series, is a continuation of their lives together. Love Slave may require a little suspension of disbelief to accept Bear and Shana falling in love and overcoming their cultural differences so quickly, but there was enough tender emotion between the pair to make me buy it. This story also introduces Shana's brother, Jake, who becomes the hero of book #3, Firestorm. This was my first read by Ann Jacobs and the first in her Black Gold series. I really enjoyed it and look forward to continuing the series. Love Slave can also be purchased as a separate e-book. Rating: ****1/2

Note: This novella contains explicit language and sexual situations which some readers may find offensive including a f/f/m/f menage with brief mention of f/f action and anal play with fingers.

Forever Enslaved – Forever Enslaved continued the story of Bear and Shana that began in the first novella of the Black Gold series, Love Slave. The couple has been married for ten years and things have become rather rocky between them, causing Shana to leave Bear. Romances about married couples are rather rare, so I really enjoyed this aspect of the story, not to mention getting to read more about Bear and Shana was a treat. Having them still madly in love and so hot for each other after a decade and in spite of their differences was wonderful. I absolutely adore Bear. He's willing to play the dominating hero, but all of his actions toward Shana are filled with tenderness and love. I thoroughly enjoyed his willingness to gift Shana with every sexual fantasy she had ever expressed to him in order to prove his love and devotion to her. As with the first novella, I wasn't entirely into the menage scene, but I at least understood the reasons behind it. I was quite happy though that Bear was jealous enough to have trouble going through with it and that Shana had a last-minute epiphany about Bear being the only man she would ever need to satisfy her. The marital issues which made Shana leave Bear aren't explored in a lot of depth, but as the underlying cause is a pretty common problem, I could fully understand her feelings. I was also pleased to see that both of them realized that they were soul mates who simply couldn't live without each other and were willing to compromise to make things work in the future.

As one might expect with an erotic novella, it is primarily about the sex, and it was some of the most scrumptious sex I've ever read. In my opinion, the love scenes were laden with emotion while still being a bit kinky and full of intense passion. I was also thrilled to finally find an erotic author who knows how to write back-door lovin' with patience and gentleness, avoiding the “ouch” factor. There was also lots of variety in the love scenes with each one being completely different than the last which kept the sex from becoming too boring. Overall, this was another sweet, steamy, enjoyable read from Ms. Jacobs. Forever Enslaved is the second story in the Black Gold series. It makes mention of Bear's cousin, Jamil, who has been missing in action for the ten years since the Gulf War ended. He becomes the hero of the fourth story in series, Entrapped, which I'm really looking forward to reading soon. Forever Enslaved can also be purchased as a separate e-book. Rating: ****1/2

Note: This novella contains explicit language and sexual situations which some readers may find offensive including bondage, anal sex, and a brief m/m/f/m menage.

Entrapped – The synopsis for Entrapped had me really looking forward to reading it, but I have to say that this novella wasn't quite what I was expecting. The first half of it made me rather uncomfortable, mainly because of how Jamil and Leila met and began their interactions. Jamil had suffered heinous tortures as a prisoner of war for eleven years including repeated rapes at the hands of the sadistic male jailer and his guards. I can usually handle quite a bit when it comes to abuse, but even though these parts had happened off canvas and weren't described in a particularly graphic way, for some reason, it still had my insides in knots. After all that had happened to Jamil, it just didn't seem very appropriate for Leila to use him rather callously for her own pleasure while he was chained like a dog. I realized this was supposed to be a BDSM fantasy and Jamil seemed to enjoy it, but in my mind, the whole scenario was at best forced seduction; at worst outright rape (the characters even admitted as much to themselves later in the story), which just didn't sit well with me. I also didn't find the prison setting to be a particularly enticing place to begin a romantic relationship.

Once the story got to the prison break, I was much more into it. The escape scenes were exciting and well written, and once they had returned to civilization, Jamil and Leila's interactions were much more tender and to my liking. Ann Jacobs seems to be good at balancing a decent plot with steamy sex scenes, and she also has a knack for writing very appealing heroes who are just the right mix of alpha male with a more sensitive side. I loved Jamil's protectiveness of Leila while also being very gentle and reassuring about her scars. Once the couple was away from the prison, Leila's vulnerabilities over her scars became more prominent too, and that along with her kindness in releasing Jamil, made her a more sympathetic heroine to me. Even with the added emotional development during the latter half of the novella, I still had a hard time swallowing Jamil and Leila falling in love, but I think it was mainly my personal issues with the way things started between them. That just wasn't my cup of tea, but if it had been, or if things had begun differently, I could definitely have seen this becoming another keeper in this series for me.

Entrapped is the fourth story in the Black Gold series. It reunites the couples from the first three, with all of them getting some decent page time. Bear and Shana (Love Slave, Forever Enslaved) even got their own love scene, and Jake and Kate (Firestorm) are seen on their honeymoon in Kuwait. I read this novella out of the Sandstorms anthology. I couldn't find good information on the correct reading order for the series and hadn't read Jake's book yet, so I should warn that there are what I believe could be a couple of spoilers for Firestorm when read the way I did it. Entrapped also introduced Brian Shearer, an American POW who was being held in the same prison with Jamil. He becomes the hero of Zayed's Gift which is the fifth story in the series. Even though Entrapped was not a perfect read for me, I still mostly liked it. I'm very much enjoying Ann Jacobs writing style and look forward to going back and reading Jake's story, as well as continuing forward with the rest of the series soon. Entrapped can be purchased as a separate e-book, and according to the publisher, Ellora's Cave, it was also previously released in a anthology titled, Captured. Rating: ****

Note: This novella contains explicit language and sexual situations which some readers may find offensive including forced seduction, heavier BDSM-style bondage with chains, light bondage, anal play with fingers, intimate shaving, and intimate piercings. There are also mentions of various tortures being inflicted upon prisoners including brutal beatings, amputations, castrations (and the constant threat of it), rape and the use of a BDSM device on male genitalia to elicit pain. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shana Green fantasizes about being a love slave. She convinces Dahoud el Rashid, who is a foreign exchange student and her brother's best friend to fullfill her fantasie. He whisks her away to the family fortress in the middle east and fullfills her fantasie. This one was very hot and sensual. After Dahoud (aka Bear) fall in love they have to convince their families to let a muslim and a american jewish girl get married.
In "Forever Enslaved" Shana takes her two little girls and returns to Houston. She feels that Bear does not take her feelings and fears into consideration when he constantly travels to Iraq, looking for his cousin who was imprisoned by the Iraqi's during the Golf war. Bear follows her to Houston and takes her to a secluded sex ranch. There he convinces her that she is still number one with him. The sex is very hot in this story also and I love the way Bear cares for her and tries to assure her of his love.

"Entrapped" Is the story of Jamil, Bear's cousin. This one is pretty brutal. It goes into details of the torture of the war prisoners. Jamal is kept close to an oilfiled so he can help with the repairs. The other prisoners are his friend and an American pilot. Leila is an Iraqi who lost her husband when the American's attacked. She herself was badly burnes on one side of her face and chest. She is the sister-inlaw of the guy who is in charge of the prisoners. She has not had sex for seven years and deceides that Jamil will do. So she seduces him while he is chained up in his prison cell. Jamil convinces her to help him and the American escape. Once they are safe he proposes to Leila telling her that he loves her even with her scars because she is still beautiful to him.
Very touching story about acceptance, love and forgiveness.