Customer Reviews

The Panther and the Pearl

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
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This is one of my favorite books. Khalid is a man of the times... it was the late 1800's in Turkey. Sarah is smart and curious and that of course leads to trouble. To our fortune, and Sarah's, Khalid desires more than just a pretty face. This story gives only a little glimpse into harem life, a good thing I think, harem life as I understand it in most romance novels is human slavery after all. But enough of my political opinion, its a great story, one to read, and reread several times.

The Panther and the Pearl was a fun book to read, I loved the exotic setting of 1800's Persia. The book starts with the hero, Kalid, buying Sarah, an American woman from the Sultan after he sees her just once in her role as a teacher to the Sultan's daughter. Sarah is of course not happy to have been sold to someone she doesn't know even if he is handsome and rich. Kalid knew that Sarah was the woman for him at first sight, so he did what he needed to do to have her as his own. After she is brought to his palace, she is placed in his harem as the new favorite. Kalid wants Sarah to come to him willingly, so he sets out to seduce her. But alas Kalid underestimates just how stubborn Sarah will be because although she is very attracted to him, she cannot get over his buying her and placing her as a prisoner in the harem.

The book goes through the very tempestuous courtship of Kalid and Sarah after their unusual start of him buying her. I really enjoyed this story, the setting was very interesting and I felt Kalid acted as a man in his position would have but he never abuses her in any way or forces her - he wants her to fall in love with him and stay with him of her own accord. Sarah manages to stand up for herself and show Kalid what she needs from him if they are going to make a relationship work, which is great to see because Kalid has such a strong will that he would have run over someone who wasn't as strong as Sarah. If you like exotic settings or sheikh books, I highly recommend this book!

The overall plot of this story is a man who won't take no for an answer and the so called strong willed woman who falls in love with him anyway. Kalid Shah, a ruler in some mideastern country sees American Sarah and decides he wants her for himself. He kidnaps hers, threatens to beat his servants if she doesn't do what he says and constantly tries to seduce her. This fluffy story is not even a good fantasy. The reader will not understand even after Sarah escapes, why she would have any feelings for the hero. Even up to the last page he is obsessed to the point of madness.
The love scenes are so-so and not even the secondary romance had enough power to make this book interesting. Skip this one.

Katiebabs