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jmc_bksAngieW's challenge this month -- to read a series/category romance novel. Easy enough, right? Not so much. I tried reading a couple old (as in copyright date 1979 or 1980) Harlequin Presents. While the heroes are often alpha @ssholes and the "morality" of them dated and full of double standards, there seem to be fewer secret babies, sheikhs and cowboys. Lots of shy virgins, but I guess it's a trade off. :shrugs: Ended up putting them down. Instead, the only category/series I managed to finish this month is the first in my mini-glom of Nalini Singh, whose Secrets of the Marriage Bed I reviewed earlier here.
Title: Desert Warrior
Copyright: 2003 by Silhouette Desire
Why did I pick this book? I've read a couple of Singh's other books and liked them, so I fished this one out of the TBR pile.
Did I like the cover? Uh, no. I think the art department was going for exotic in a desert fantasy kind of way, but the end effect was cheesy. And what is the heroine wearing? It looks like an aluminum foil bra.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes, I did. But when I sat down to type this review, I started to like it less -- I kept thinking of things that didn't work, rather than the things that did.
New to me author? Will I read her again? As mentioned above, I've read Singh's categories before. I've got Slave to Sensation, Singh's single title debut in the TBR pile, along with another Desire.
Keeping it or passing along? Probably passing along.
Anything else?
What did I think of the book? Well, it has a sheikh. And a virgin. But somehow manages to rise above both cliches, I think. Tariq and Jasmine's main conflict is trust. He's wants to conduct their relationship without protestations of love, because he doesn't feel he can rely on Jasmine. Four years earlier, Jasmine's family made her choose between them and Tariq. Being 18 years old and scared, Jasmine chose her family. Of course, since Tariq was 23, he didn't take it well. Jasmine's problem -- she's illegitimate. Maybe I'm blase about that kind of thing, but I don't see why/how that's a big deal. But I get that she was raised in a not very loving family environment, so she might have self-esteem issues and be projecting her insecurity about not knowing who her father was onto Tariq. Plus, I have to give them a break, since they were so freaking young the first time around (18 and 23) and not too much older now (22 and 27). How many dumb, hurtful things did you do as an 18 year old? Me? Lots. Without thinking too much about how my actions might rebound on my future. I like that Jasmine stood up to Tariq and called him on his behavior when he was acting like an ass. And since the reader gets to peek into Tariq's mind, you know how he feels and what he fears and why he's behaving like an ass, which kind of makes his behavior forgivable. Plus, he does regret what he has done and atones for it.
Now that I'm typing away at this review, I'm thinking of more things that irked or didn't work for me, but as I was reading, I really liked Desert Warrior.
Stuff that bothers me now in retrospect: First, the camel journey to visit Zeina, a small industrial city away from the capital. WTF? Are there no helicopters or airplanes in Zulheina? I get that the camel ride and camping was the "road romance" portion of the book, the vehicle for setting up a large part of the conflict and sharing backstory, but seriously, the complete avoidance of modern technology/transportation?
Second irritating thing -- the evil sister. Come on. She's uber-eeeeevil, with no reason. She's cast as a complete bitch, with no character-building, no reason to connive. She needed more page time and better motive for her plotting.
Third (and this is really just a personal pet peeve) -- I hate made-up countries in romance novels.
All in all, a pleasant read, and a better one than many sheikh category/series book. B-/C+.
Title: Desert Warrior
Copyright: 2003 by Silhouette Desire
Why did I pick this book? I've read a couple of Singh's other books and liked them, so I fished this one out of the TBR pile.
Did I like the cover? Uh, no. I think the art department was going for exotic in a desert fantasy kind of way, but the end effect was cheesy. And what is the heroine wearing? It looks like an aluminum foil bra.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes, I did. But when I sat down to type this review, I started to like it less -- I kept thinking of things that didn't work, rather than the things that did.
New to me author? Will I read her again? As mentioned above, I've read Singh's categories before. I've got Slave to Sensation, Singh's single title debut in the TBR pile, along with another Desire.
Keeping it or passing along? Probably passing along.
Anything else?
Against her will
The fabled desert kingdom of Zulheina was Tariq's birthright, and he was a man who held tightly what belonged to him. And that meant he had to reclaim a very special woman -- the woman who had broken his heart years before in New Zealand. And once he had lured her to this distant land, he meant to keep his new bride here forever....
But Jasmine Coleridge was not as easily tamed as he had imagined. Her beguiling blend of untouched innocence and dazzling sensuality threatened, once again, to bring the haughty sheikh to his knees -- and made him wonder who was the true prisoner....
What did I think of the book? Well, it has a sheikh. And a virgin. But somehow manages to rise above both cliches, I think. Tariq and Jasmine's main conflict is trust. He's wants to conduct their relationship without protestations of love, because he doesn't feel he can rely on Jasmine. Four years earlier, Jasmine's family made her choose between them and Tariq. Being 18 years old and scared, Jasmine chose her family. Of course, since Tariq was 23, he didn't take it well. Jasmine's problem -- she's illegitimate. Maybe I'm blase about that kind of thing, but I don't see why/how that's a big deal. But I get that she was raised in a not very loving family environment, so she might have self-esteem issues and be projecting her insecurity about not knowing who her father was onto Tariq. Plus, I have to give them a break, since they were so freaking young the first time around (18 and 23) and not too much older now (22 and 27). How many dumb, hurtful things did you do as an 18 year old? Me? Lots. Without thinking too much about how my actions might rebound on my future. I like that Jasmine stood up to Tariq and called him on his behavior when he was acting like an ass. And since the reader gets to peek into Tariq's mind, you know how he feels and what he fears and why he's behaving like an ass, which kind of makes his behavior forgivable. Plus, he does regret what he has done and atones for it.
Now that I'm typing away at this review, I'm thinking of more things that irked or didn't work for me, but as I was reading, I really liked Desert Warrior.
Stuff that bothers me now in retrospect: First, the camel journey to visit Zeina, a small industrial city away from the capital. WTF? Are there no helicopters or airplanes in Zulheina? I get that the camel ride and camping was the "road romance" portion of the book, the vehicle for setting up a large part of the conflict and sharing backstory, but seriously, the complete avoidance of modern technology/transportation?
Second irritating thing -- the evil sister. Come on. She's uber-eeeeevil, with no reason. She's cast as a complete bitch, with no character-building, no reason to connive. She needed more page time and better motive for her plotting.
Third (and this is really just a personal pet peeve) -- I hate made-up countries in romance novels.
All in all, a pleasant read, and a better one than many sheikh category/series book. B-/C+.
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Date: 2006-10-01 08:59 am (UTC)I felt that I only had 'issues' with her Desires in retrospect. As in, I don't notice it whilst reading them, but afterwards? It kinda starts to chip at the edges.