Customer Reviews

Mediterranean Prince's Passion, The (Sexy S.)

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For such a great-sounding title, this novel was a huge disappointment to me when I read it. The beginning was pretty unrealistic - the female protaganist Ella on a boat which happens to drift to the edge of the country and the prince just happens to be there. The story was too simply structured, there is no real depth to the plot. Very mundane with the only problem posed between the the male protaganist Nico and Ella, happens after they have sex for the second time and he say he doesn't love her and they wouldn't be suited for each other. There was not much of the sexual tension that usually sizzles in Sharon Kendrick's novels unless you count the few primitive phrases such as "I want to make love to you all night until you empty me of my seed". I think the novel needed more "emotional wrangling" between the Ella & Nico. Realistic problems, not just the background differences and Nico's declaration of "I don't love you Ella". Nico, I found that while he possessed the typical traits of men written in romance novels (handsome, arrogant, commanding etc.) wasn't all that much of a dream man which readers love to read about. He was portrayed as a bit immature, using his parent's death and consequent pressure of being a prince to live dangerously (choosing risky sport pursuits). He was pretty weak, he gets told off like the immature little boy by Ella which he is. Ella is so much stronger than him, she's worked for everything she's got (she's a business woman) and he just 'plays' at being a prince, managing tourism with a few ideas, convenient for Ella to help him out with. 10 or so pages after he declares that he doesn't love Ella and she leaves him (after telling him off), he comes back telling her he's fixed himself all up (got rid of the dangerous boy toys he had - the motorbike etc.) and does love her. Presto! Instant happily ever after - a romance novel is published. The storyline needed more work and while I usually like reading Sharon Kendrick's novels, this one is not one you'd read if you'd like a stimulating/interesting romance.

I can certainly understand why someone would not like this book. I think that Nico could have been a stronger man--but I was just so thrilled to have a heroine that wasn't a simpering, bumbling, fool that I find it difficult to give this book a bad review. The part where she tells Nico off was my favorite moment. In so many romance novels the hero never gets called on his crap, but in this one he did! I wanted to stand up and cheer for Ella for doing that, and being able to walk away from Nico when it was clear that he wasn't going to treat their relationship with the respect that she wanted and deserved.

I found the love scenes to be very hot but I have to admit that seeing the line, "I want to make love to you all night until you empty me of my seed," out of context makes me laugh a little. Again, maybe I liked it because I really liked Ella.