Customer Reviews

In Too Deep: Husband Material\The Sheikh's Bargained Bride (Silhouette Desire)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates

Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani of Khumayrah & Sabrina Grant

This is the fourth novella story out of six in the Summer for Scandal Series set in the Hamptons in New York.

Sheikh Adham Aal Ferjani is the typical alpha supreme male. He is not as alpha as he will soon find out. Adham has struck a bargain with Sabrina Grant's father who is heavily in debt. He will pay his debts and in return Adham will marry the virginal Sabrina. Unbeknownst to Sabrina naively has fallen in love with Adham. He wants to make sure she is a virgin so he beds her before the wedding. Adham and Sabrina are very compatible in bed. Adham has one year to produce an heir and even though he doesn't love Sabrina he will make sure she lives up to the agreement that he had with her father. Unfortunately Sabrina's father dies shortly after the wedding takes place.

Sabrina is confused because she truly loves Adham and wants him to make love to her and let her be a part of his world. Adham has only carnal feelings for Sabrina. Sex is good with her and he needs an heir to appease his father and his duty to his country. He classifies her in his mind as nothing but a gold digger. His main focus is to win the polo match and bring good press to the polo matches. He plans to win. His sudden marriage is bringing too much negative publicity. But he plans to change that. His plans to make Sabrina suffer may be his undoing.

Sabrina finally figures out that to Adham she is nothing but a prize in her father and husband's agreement. She is devastated and leaves Adham. She finally realizes that she has just been a pawn in their game.

Adham almost realizes too late that his feelings for Sabrina are very real. He needs her as much as the air he breathes. It seems that he has finally realized a little too late that Sabrina is the real deal. But is it too late to convince her that he loves her?

In the Hamtons it is a Summer of Scandal for all.

This was the most explosive story so far in this series.

Once again Olivia Gates has not disappointed. All I can say is nobody does it better. My only complaint is that this novella would have been great as a complete novel.

This is a Five Star MUST read.

In Too Deep: Husband Material\The Sheikh's Bargained Bride (Silhouette Desire)

When buying the book I figured I would only read Brenda Jackson stroy which was really good, I love stories with the theme of loving, losing someone only to find them again. Ms Jackson has a gift this was a quick read that I truly enjoyed. Mathew, and Carmen were funny, loving and had LOTS of misunderstanding. I started rooting for them from page one. The second story was also really good. I had never read any of Oliva books but it was well worth it. Adham was a mess, and Sabrina was no joke. Both stories had big misunderstanding but the story was told so good you didn't want to stop reading it. Read both stories, and you won't be sorry.

Husband Material by Brenda Jackson:

Famous actress changes her mind about leaving her director ex-husband's summerhouse when he shows up to stay there as well b/c she wants to stop running away when things get tough in their r/s. Both Hero & heroine plan to seduce each other & then leave when the other gets hot & bothered. But their seductive maneuvers only result in a hot affair, which serves to make them realize how much in love they still are with one another. However, they have to discuss the reason they got divorced before they can proceed further.

This was a speedy but very emotionally-impacting & sexy read! Jackson managed to squeeze a lot in a few pages. The 2nd-chance romance had sizzling sexual chemistry & love scenes, angst, & even some humour. I loved the intensity of love Hero & heroine felt for each other. Both their celibacy during their 1-yr estrangement made their love seemed even truer. Their Big Misunderstanding was understandable, given that neither discussed the reason why heroine filed for divorce. Both characters matured during their divorce so when they tried to resolve their problems the solutions were sound & their promises were convincing.

Sheikh's Marriage Bargain by Olivia Gates:

New wife of Sheikh is increasingly frustrated with her husband for not bedding her since they got married a few weeks ago. She's baffled that he looks lustful & affectionate with her when they're out in public but has different excuses as to why he's not sleeping with her. When she confronts him about it, she is mystified at his bitter accusation that she & her recently-deceased father tricked him into marrying her. When she find out about the contract he & her father signed re: their marriage, she questions if love was ever in his equation in marrying her. Ironically, Hero is asking himself the same thing.

Gates' writes with poetic sensuality. Add emotional pull & I got a quick-paced & beautiful reading. The romance was good & sexual tension was sizzling. It's not a 5-star read b/c heroine let Hero off the hook a bit too easily. She should've let him grovel more before she interrupted him. She was also a tad too fawning over Hero but not irritatingly so.

Brenda Jackson

Live the story it's about a man and a wife who is divorce finding their way back to each other. They first got divorce because Carmen thought Matthew spent too much time wrapped up I. Work and not enough time with her. Not a bad read it's a quick short story, they were going at it like hot wild teenagers so that's not a bad thing.

Olivia Gates

Adham and sabrina's story was a bit ok, when it starts the couple seem normal then Adham was treating Sabrina cold and it was a bit frustrating because you don't know why until the middle of the story when you realize what's going on then it started picking up. I am a fan of Olivia Gates love her sheik books but this was an ok read.

Both stories are connect as it is taking place in the same area.

*************************

Book 1 in A Summer Scandal miniseries it's described "spend the season in the Hamptons, where the wealthy play hard and their passions run hot!"

Husband Material by author Brenda Jackson was a very sensual read about a second chance at happiness and love. A Hollywood Producer and Actress that were adored by the press and fans as they were to have shared a perfect marriage. However, Matthew Birmingham was a work alcoholic and he only wanted to provide the best for his wife; he wanted her to have everything. However Carmen his wife didn't care about that she only wanted her husband and when he didn't show up in Spain as promised and she lost her baby she was going to tell him about upon his arrival, that was it.....she filed for divorce.

Now a year later and part of her divorce settlement, she's staying at their Hampton estate and going to attend the polo matches and have a little R&R. What she doesn't count on is Matthew showing up and telling her he's determined to stay at the estate and they could share! Gossips, the press, everyone speculated about a reconciliation. However, they both were determined to seek revenge for each of them hurting each other and it was a very dangerous game, a very sensual game which literally sizzled off the pages.

Husband material was a very enjoyable read, emotional because of the emotional loss they both felt, the misconceptions, the hurt and in the end, the happy ending. It, along with the Sheikh's Bargained Bride set the stage for this series and I'm looking forward to reading about the other characters introduced at the polo matches.

The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by the fantastic author Olivia Gates was book with all sorts of surprises because one is immediately given the insight that he cherished and adored his wife, but that was only for the press. Let's just say I was shocked at the reason he married Sabrina Grant because it was obvious they had made love and that she adored her new husband. She was also confused why he stayed away from her until she found out her about the bargain he made with her father. A ridiculous one at that!

Again, set in the Hamptons and around the polo matches of course this rich sheikh would be involved as he was a top notch player and bred Arabians. He adored his animals but he mistrusted his wife because he believed she knew about the agreement he had with her father. However, he wanted her!

As a new bride Sabina Grant could not understand why her new husband had put a distance between them. They had been intimate when they were dating and she adored him and missed him fiercely. Why during the day in front of his friends and the press did he pay attention to her, touch her, act as if she was the most special woman in the world? Then nothing, no sharing a bedroom.....nothing!

Well it had to stop and then the most horrible thing happened she overheard a conversation one that explained that what he thought of her and why he married her and it broke her heart! However, in the end he lusted after her, he couldn't help himself and she saw "red" and left him. Well, I loved a dark man, a mysterious one and in the end this particular royal was brought to he knees, I promise. Again, Olivia Gates has written a sensual dance between two extremely charismatic characters in The Sheikh's Bargained Bride.

This book did not disappoint. It was engrossing and fast paced. I couldn't put it down. However, I was a bit upset that it was a short story and ended when it did. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is a fan of romantic novels and who adores Brenda Jacksons stories as much as I do. She rarely, if ever, disappoints her readers.

I'm a big Brenda Jackson fan. "In Too Deep" didn't disappoint. She has a writing style that I like and I love her connecting stories. I haven't finished reading "The Sheikh's Bargained Bride" but I'm enjoying what I've read so far.

I really enjoyed both books. Each one took a couple hours to read. A good read for a short trip or sitting by the pool.

Wow, this one was a page turner from beginning to end, I am still trying to decide which book I liked the most. As a Brenda Jackson fan, this was a refreshing new story from her. While I enjoy all her series, it is good to read a fresh new book with a twist that you do not see in any of her other books. And I always enjoy a story of renewed love. As for Ms. Gates, this is my first time reading any of her work and it was a good book to start with. They are both treasures for fans of the genre, this is a must read anthology.

Husband Material by Brenda Jackson

Reconcilation...

Mathew is a director who thinks the key to happiness is his work. His ex-wife Carmen, an actress, has other ideas. Unexpectedly they are thrown together only to discover they indeed have unfinished business. Great characters & story.

Keep in mind that this is a erotic romance. 4* of 5*

The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates

Contract or love...

Sheikh Adham thought his marriage was a business deal even though his emotions felt otherwise. Sabrina thought she had married the love of her life until she learned of the `deal' struck between her husband & father. Great characters & fun story.

Keep in mind that this is a romantic fluff read. 3.5* of 5*