King Of The Desert, Captive Bride (Harlequin Presents) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jane Porter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When Sheikh Khalid Fehr rescues innocent Olivia Morse from the hands of his country's enemies, he guarantees her freedom by announcing she is his betrothed....

Khalid has vouched for Liv with his honor... and this desert king is determined that his new wife will fulfill her marital duties, by his side as his regal queen...and as his captive virgin bride!

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373127251
• ISBN-13: 978-0373127252
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #385,177 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun escapist read, November 15, 2008

By	booksforabuck "BooksForABuck.com" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Since the death of his sisters, Sheikh Kalid Fehr has had a soft spot for young women in trouble--and for the brothers who want to help them. When he finds an urgent on-line message about a missing American woman, lost somewhere in the Middle East. With his power, money, and connections (he's the brother of the King of Sarq), he finally tracks down the missing Olivia (Liv) Morse--in the worst prison in the middle east. Worst, she was found smuggling drugs and the local authorities are intent on making an example of her.

Money and power does its job, and Kalid springs Liv from the notorious Ozr prison--but before he can reach the border, government officials from Jabal stop his car. Olivia will be returned to prison unless he can come up with a convincing story, so he claims she is his fiancee. Once he's told the lie, though, it's up to him to make it come true--because the alternatives are for Olivia to be returned to a prison that few ever leave--or for his word to be disgraced forever.

Olivia wants only to return home to America. She doesn't understand why she was arrested, why she was held in prison, or why it matters so much to Kalid that she be freed. Still, she can't help enjoying his attention, wishing the huge yellow diamond engagement ring he buys her meant he loved her rather than was trapped into marrying her, and savoring the first-class accomodations, private jet travel, private Nile River cruises, and extensive shopping alternatives that being the fiancee of one of the world's richest men provide.

Jabal insists that Olivia really was a drug smuggler and continues to push for her return--and Kalid insists on moving forward with the wedding--while fearing he might have made a horrible mistake. Still, as the two spend time together, each learns that the two can uniquely fill empty spots in the other's life.

Author Jane Porter keeps the story moving forward, her smooth writing encouraging the reader to gloss over the unreality of the situation (even in Sarq, surely some engagements end before marriage--does he really have to go through with the entire process?), but the fantasy of being forced to marry a super-handsome, super-rich, super-generous, super-kind sex-god is one that certainly appeals to many readers and Porter taps into this fantasy. KING OF THE DESERT, CAPTIVE BRIDE makes a fun escapist read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, April 26, 2009

By	Sara (United States) - See all my reviews

All I can say is "wow"! I put off reading this book because of the uncomfortable rescuing-from-an Arab-prison situation, but the small part revolving around the prison was so minute that it didn't bother me. What I loved about this book was the relationship between the two main characters. This main male character, Khalid, is a good model of how men should regard women (even though his culture was not so respectful.) So many of the Harlequin romance novels I have read have a male lead who is wealthy, but arrogant, and in general cruel or cold-hearted toward the female lead.

It is so refreshing to read about a romance that is actually loving for a change. What made it better is that both characters' circumstances forced them into a marriage to save their lives. And, of course, they fell in love. The end resolution could have been longer and more intimate, but at least it wasn't one of those depressing rehashings of all of their misunderstood feelings for each other that Harlequin just seems to adore.

The only real complaint I have with this book is that the female lead is 27 years old and a VIRGIN. Hello, Harlequin, can we knock off the virgin bit for a change!!? Women can still be sexy even after they have lost their virginity. But at least the author got the male lead right. He hadn't had sex with a woman in years, so he wasn't the typical player kind of guy who is always looking for the next...uh mistress. So, overall, a fabulous read! Write more like this one--PLEASE!

4.0 out of 5 stars :0), January 7, 2009

By	Lady Raven "raven rave" (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews

Loveable story i think i'm leaning more to this brother's story i like it good fast read for me.