Customer Reviews

The Desert King's Virgin Bride (Romance Large)

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It's always fun to read about a girl that undergoes some sort of makeover in these stories; in this case, a young Englishwoman goes from a burka to a minidress and the king is not pleased.

Despite having known her since childhood, he is intent on making her into his lover. He doesn't want to take her completely, so the story is mostly 3rd base action until the very end when they're married. Not a great story because the male lead is so demanding of the woman, and once they come together he 'appears pleased' when she's pained (she was a virgin) by his body.

Not a bad read if you have an hour to kill at the airport, but the story is instantly forgettable.

I could actually kick myself that I didn't read the other two books in the series first. This is a wonderful "sheikh" book with all of the elements......powerful, stubborn, sexy as sin, doesn't know the meaning of love only how to rule his country and duty above all!

If you love sheikh books then you'll adore this one, I promise.

Book Description:

As Sheikh of Kharastan, Malik has no time for distractions. But when Sorrel, an Englishwoman in his care, wants to explore the pleasures of the West, Malik decides he will be the one to teach her the ways of seduction!

Malik wants Sorrel, but he will not dishonor her. Yet, as sheikh, he is expected to marry and his bride must be pure. Is the answer to make Sorrel his virgin queen?

I wanted to like this book, because the plot sounded so interesting. I've read a few books about a guardian falling in love with his ward and many authors can make the transition smooth from an almost familial love to a romantic one. Unfortunately, this author didn't do so well with that. For me, there was an ick factor throughout. Malik had taken Sorrel into his home at the age of 16, having known her even when she was a child, which he refers to frequently. The man is very commanding to the point where, it seemed to me, that he needed a doll to play with rather than a real woman. The author even references that Sorrel feels like she's a mannequin and, at another time, a puppet. I agree! The writing doesn't flow. Maybe this is an unfair comparison, but I had just read two absolutely steamy books by the author Jane Porter before reading this book, and Jane Porter's writing is 20 leagues beyond Sharon Kendrick's (at least based on this book.) See comparison passages below:

"She was about to lose her virginity in the most matter-of-fact way possible--to a man she had always loved, but who could never return that love."--quote from The Desert King's Virgin Bride by Sharon Kendrick

"Emotion rose, hot, stinging, hungry and her lips trembled beneath his. For a split second she let herself lean into him, let herself feel how hard he was, how strong, how confident. It was a hint of heaven, a taste of bliss. His mouth on hers, his arms around her, his strength supporting her."--quote from The Sheikh's Virgin by Jane Porter

The "lessons" that Malik gives to Sorrel seem just like that, totally lacking in sensuality. Plus, there is dialogue like "come over her and kiss me" that I felt would have been better left unstated aloud and would have been indicated through body language. Furthermore, some of the characters' history was repeated later in the book. (I guess you get a second chance, in case you slept through it the first time)! The characters, to me, lacked feeling. There wasn't enough build-up into who they were and what they wanted. Sorrel seemed to be very eager to throw herself at Malik, and he seemed to always be chastizing her. It was like she was this annoying, clingy female and (according to him) she could never do anything right. Another issue was that Sorrel was 25 and still a virgin; and in fact, she had not tried to assert her independence before this age. This seemed a bit far-fetched to me.

Also, Malik's assistant starts out as Faliq and then becomes Fariq. It was just another one of those quirky things that broke the "flow" of the book for me.

Sheikh Malik was Sorrel's guardian. She'd come to him as a teenager and over the years, he'd never shirked his responsibility to ensure her well being. Sorrel fit so well into his calm, orderly world that Malik hadn't realized how much time had passed. Sorrel had grown into a bright and exceptionally beautiful young woman, eager for a taste of adventures in the West! Unfortunately, Malik didn't agree with her.

Sorrel's abrupt departure brings Malik to his senses. He never realized how much she did to smooth over every minor difficulty, keeping his schedule running flawlessly and his world calm and complete. Little wonder that something seems to be missing now that Sorrel is gone. But what is Malik really missing, a capable assistant or someone who could become much, much more?