Title: Captured by the Sheikh
Series: Rivals to the Crown of Kadar Book #1
Author: Kate Hewitt
Genre: Romance
Blurb: “I took your bride. I’ll take your throne. Because both are mine by right.”
Banishment and shame has turned Sheikh Khalil al Bakir into a man determined to reclaim the crown of Kadar from his rival. Khalil’s campaign begins by kidnapping his enemy’s bride-to-be. She’s a means to an end, so why is he so inflamed at the thought of her in anyone’s bed but his own?
Queen Elena Karras of Thallia was prepared for a cold, mutually convenient marriage. Instead she is carried off into the sands, where the virgin queen soon discovers an unexpected desire for her sinfully sexy captor that leaves her craving more….
Thoughts: Who could resist picking up this book after reading that quote from the blurb? Kidnapping Elena is crucial to Khalil’s plan to reclaim his throne, and he just has to hold her long enough to prevent her marriage to his rival – his stepbrother. Unfortunately, Elena has her own reasons for her marriage of convenience, and Khalil’s efforts to reclaim his throne might cost her hers. But the longer they remain in close quarters, the stronger the desire between them grows. When the time comes for them to go their separate ways, will Khalil be able to let her go?
While this may be a storyline that has run rampant (particularly in some of the Harlequin lines), this one is definitely worth a read. I loved the characters, and the author manages to throw in a few twists and turns that makes this one really stand out from the masses. I figured I knew exactly how this story was going to end, but the author managed to surprise me. While it did have a HEA (Happily Ever After) – of course! – I was upset that I few things went totally different than I thought. I don’t want to give the storyline away, or take away enjoyment for other readers, so I’ll just say that I wanted to read more about how things work out in the future. Things are kind of turned topsy-turvy and my sympathies were definitely with the characters. My first reaction on finishing the book was to look for the next book in this series, so I will say that Captured by the Sheikh is a fitting title in more ways than one – readers are ‘captured’ and captivated from the very first page.
Rate: B+
**The next book in the series, Commanded by the Sheikh, is due out Oct. 1, 2014**
Sounds interesting. Thank you for the post!