Annie West (1)

The Desert King’s Captive Bride is the second book in Annie West’s Desert Kings series. “Wedlocked!” is the tag line on the cover. I loved that, and I loved this latest book from the fantastic Annie West.

I don’t know why I am always so enthralled reading one of Annie’s books, but I am. A good feeling washes over me and stays with me until the last page, last word, last syllable. And at the same time that I can’t put the book down, I don’t want it to end. I don’t want my show more time with such fascinating, lovable characters to be over.

Princess Ghizlan of Jeirut has returned home to find that warrior Sheikh Huseyn al Rasheed has seized her late father's kingdom. The only way for Ghizlan to free her younger sister who is being held hostage is to marry Huseyn. She views him as a brute and a barbarian, but she is loyal with a strong sense of duty and love for her sister, so what choice does she have? However, we soon find out he is no barbarian, and that her iron will is as strong as his.

The story hits you right away with suspense and unease: where is Ghizlan’s staff and security, what has happened here, who is this guy, what’s going on in the palace? I know there should eventually be a happy-every-after somewhere here, but I’m not feeling it. All I’m feeling is nervous. The description of Huseyn as a great bear of a man has me on edge.

But wait - Ghizlan “Watched, mesmerized, as those impossibly broad shoulders lifted.” And when “That deep baritone rolled along her bones, shivering into recesses she tried to hide” I felt it too, my shoulders involuntarily lifted and I felt a chill run down my spine. Oooh, this is going to be good between these two.

And it is good. Ghizlan and Huseyn are both so strong-willed, with pasts that Annie West reveals a little at a time. Ghizlan is a princess, and her life has been duty, duty, and more duty. She has never been valued for herself, and for all her worldly experience she is profoundly innocent when it comes to love. Huseyn has a heavy-handed way of going about things, but he’s not the brute he appears to be. His sense of duty is strong as well, and he is worried about his country.

Ghizlan and Huseyn are like two fighters in a ring, circling and looking for advantage. She distrusts him but can’t help being drawn to him both physically and emotionally, which makes her distrust him even more because she is afraid to let herself give in to the strange, new feelings she is experiencing. He doesn’t know how to keep the country safe without giving orders and staying firm in his plans. And he is suspicious and sees a past or present lover in everyone Ghizlan mentions or contacts.

But slowly they become friends. He goes from bogeyman to hunk in her eyes. He feels protective. They (chastely, of course) share an apartment in the palace, and spend a lot of time together, confiding in each other and working together over business matters. Suddenly I experienced a feeling of warmth over this togetherness, and when “Ghizlan’s throat dried as if she’d swallowed part of the Great Sand Desert” I got a little warmer. When Huseyn told Ghizlan, “When I don’t need you anymore we’ll divorce” I couldn’t help but think the day when he doesn’t need her will never come.

This was a fun, exciting, romantic, sexy (yes!) story. I wasn’t really sure if they could get beyond their pasts and pre-conceived opinions. Just when the future looks promising, something comes up to throw them off track again.

This is another wonderful book from Annie West, and as always a one-sitting read for me. I just couldn’t put it down and I can’t count how many times I said, “Awww.” There is a tie-in to The Desert King’s Secret Heir, but while it was fun visiting again with Idris and Arden, both books can be read as standalones. I received an ARC for an honest review, but I read all of Annie’s books, ARC or not. I highly recommend you do, too, and add The Desert King’s Captive Bride to your library. show less

I was only on the second page of Her Forgotten Lover’s Heir by Annie West and I was already sighing and touching my heart. Pietro is breathtaking: “In the early evening light he looked like a female fantasy of tall dark and handsome made flesh.” I knew this was going to be another one of Annie’s wonderful stories, and I was right. Annie West often writes about sheikhs, and I love sheikhs. Well, Pietro is not a sheikh, but he’ll do!

Her Forgotten Lover’s Heir is an amnesia romance. show more It’s sweet, but there is a thread of mystery and suspense running through it. Molly was in an accident and has lost her memory. Everybody wants Molly to remember. Well, everybody but Pietro. He’s afraid that when she remembers their last meeting she’ll leave, and she’ll be taking the baby she’s carrying with her. The Agnosti heir. Pietro lost his entire family when he was a child, and that heir – family for him – means everything to him.

The chemistry between Molly and Pietro is so strong that sometimes it’s hard to breathe when reading; you almost need to open a window and let some air in. His look made her blood sizzle, and I wanted to sizzle, too! He’s tender and caring and considerate and makes her feel special. Molly can’t remember him, but she certainly feels the attraction and the safety when she is with him. But something isn’t quite right. Why would he say they are married if they aren’t? She wants to trust and love him, and she finally does, but then . . . .

Pietro, in addition to being the steamy, sexy object of all our fantasies, is great fun to watch as he spends more and more time with Molly and things change in their relationship. He’s so sure of himself. After all, he’s the billionaire businessman who brought the family business back to life, isn’t he? He’s had relationships, but he’s very careful about his heart; he’s keeping that. He’s going to provide for Molly, make her happy, give her everything she wants – but all so he can have his child, nothing more. He believes it is only sex, nothing more, and that he is in total control. Ha. Ha. Ha. Let’s wait and see how badly he’s fooling himself.

Her Forgotten Lover’s Heir is everything you always expect from Annie West – and more. Molly is an amazing woman. As we get more and more glimpses we see how strong and vibrant and loving she is. And how she and Pietro are meant to be together. Pietro – what can I say? I wanted to go to Italy right now to find him. And of course I got tears in my eyes when he said I love you. I received a copy of Her Forgotten Lover’s Heir in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I love everything Annie West writes and highly recommend you read this – and all her books – now. show less

If I could give zero stars this would get Zero. Fucking. Stars.

There's going to be a lot of cursing and spoilers. Beware.

This book right here is everything I fucking hate about Presents and much more. I mostly skimmed the entire thing. Within the first few pages I hated the "hero" Dario Parisi. I wanted to commit violence unto him. Alissa Scott I didn't have as much of a problem with at the start, but at a certain point it turned and I wanted both of them to die a fiery death.

Dario Parisi show more was a horrible, horrific, manipulative, abusive bully. He was incredibly judgmental and cruel. He wouldn't let Alissa speak, or defend herself against his accusations, taunts and cruelty. He had her "investigated" but didn't know shit about her and would still sling unjustified hate at her. And the things he thought about her were infinitely worse. His attraction to her pissed him off because he wanted a 'better class of woman'. Not a slutty druggie party girl who lived off other people's money and had the easiest of easy lives (note the sarcasm, that's what he thought but not a word of it was true — about Alissa at least).

Alissa Scott was weak, pathetic, and maddeningly passive. She barely even attempted to defend herself against Dario and set him straight. Her protests against him were weak at best. She grew up with an abusive grandfather, who tried to control everything she did and was. So she stayed away from men because of him. Dario was EXACTLY like him. Yet she trailed after him. Her attraction to him made her let him treat her like utter shit. You could maybe, MAYBE make a "cycle of abuse" argument for her being so idiotic over this guy, but it wasn't presented that way, and regardless that wouldn't be a fucking romance. Period. Not that this was. Dario may not have raised a hand to her, but he was an abusive bully nonetheless.

Alissa kept telling herself she stood up to his demands when in reality she didn't. Not to a single one. She didn't even put up a nominal protest at his demand she move to Sicily, thus leaving her job and life in Australia, and moving farther from her sister. She let him roll over her from the moment he barged in to destroy her original plan — marring a gay friend to fulfill the terms of her grandfather's will that she be married and live with the man for six months to inherit an estate in Sicily, then sell her share for cash to help save her sister's life. (For real, my ass would have been at a homeless shelter picking up any random dude before I capitulated to his machinations.) She never called him out on his actions and the way he spoke to and treated her. Mostly her thoughts were about how sexy he was and her attraction to him, some thoughts to her sister (who was terminally ill and needed money for experimental treatments in the US), a few to how awful he was, but mostly it was the attraction. I wanted to rip out my goddamn hair. I don't give a flying fuck how sexy a man is, he'd lose that real quickly in the face of the way he treats me. I don't care if Matt Bomer gets up in my space. I'd lose my lady boner real damn quick if he treated me even a fraction as badly as Dario treated Alissa and I'd have no problem kicking his very pretty ass. It's not cute. It's not sexy. It's not romantic. And yet West goes on and on and on about their attraction. Let me tell you, lady, I don't give a fuck. I skimmed through it before I resorted to self harm.

And for the love of all that is holy, Alissa, STOP FUCKING SHIVERING. If everything makes you shiver you may need to see a doctor.

I don't remember the circumstances why, but at least twice Dario assured Alissa that he has never had to nor ever would force a woman. And yet at some point he threatens to rape her. Of course it's not called that, but that is exactly what it is — plain as day. And instead of calling him on it, she feels a ~flash of desire~ and dares to hope. What in the fuck? Are you kidding me with this shit? I guess I'm supposed to be happy that this is the modern Presents where it's just a threat. In the olden days he would have just raped her.

But never fear, this brings its own brand of disgusting sexual exploit.

Dario ends up extorting sex out of her. You can't dress it up to make it something else. That is exactly what it was.

He turned her into a whore.

And she let him.

Her sister was getting sicker so she again asked for an advance on the money she'd get upon inheriting the estate and selling her half (she had asked once before they married, but of course he verbally abused her and refused). Since he couldn't deal with his attraction and thought she was lying about her sister needing help he tells her he'll give her the money if she fucks him right then and there and then any time he wants it for the rest of their time together. What in the bloody fucking fuck? What the fuck kind of piece of shit psycho demands something like that? He thought at the time she wanted the money to help save her sister's farm. Like, somehow that would have made it okay, and the fact that she needed it to save her sister's life made him awful. I just . . . what in the fuck? It was written like a misunderstanding. Not about what it was, but she thought he knew about her sick sister and was still demanding this, while he's thinking she wants the money for her sister's farm. I was so disgusted that West wrote it as an actual romance sex scene. I was so fucking angry and disgusted I started tearing up. I don't remember the last time I angry-cried. Then I pushed that down and got so pissed I actually beat the book against the wall. Now I have to clean that! (Who knew book covers could do that? Crap.) I also scraped my knuckle. It hurt for days. I had a book rage injury, you guys.

I've never wanted to do violence to a book more. I would have set it on fire were it not for the fact it was in the same book with another story that I actually did like. I skipped the scene. I only read a few lines and wanted to throw the fuck up so I only read enough to know when it was over. Alissa never thought the term "whore" – I was hoping at some point she'd throw that in his face. But somehow it was okay for her because there was sexual attraction between the two. The next day she worries she wanted it and used it as an excuse for having done it. The only one who thought the word "whore" was Dario later on when he was feeling guilty and berating himself. She never really held it against him the way she should have. Not to mention SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT. (She shouldn't have married him either, but . . .) Yes, she felt up against a wall but come the fuck on now, really? And Dario, that shit fuck asshole, gets pissed when she asks about getting the money the next morning. Like because he gave her so much pleasure she would forget about what it was for. Then he thinks she's nothing but a slimy little whore who fucks for money like lowlife trash, never mind it was clear to him she was a virgin and that the money wasn't even for her. And WHAT IN THE SHIT DID HE EXPECT? He made the terms clear. He knew she was doing it for the money. How was he so fucking off that he'd think it would suddenly become romance because there was pleasure?? Aaaaaaaaargh!

Near the end he told her about his past and why he was on this quest for "family honor" and that made everything okay for her, apparently. He had it rough so that excuses his heinous behavior. It never occurred to either of them that he wasn't honoring his family by becoming what he was just to get what they used to have instead of building a new legacy as a good man. Honoring them by making the name worth something decent, rather than something to be feared. He finally learned of Alissa's past and felt more like the piece of shit he is for all his assumptions and the way he treated her. He still wasn't worth anything to me in the end because there was no change in him. The truth changed his mind about Alissa, but he was still an assuming, judgmental, bullying asshole when it came to everyone else. Thank Jebus they were in "love" so he wouldn't eventually inflict himself on another woman.

It wasn't actively in the book much, but I didn't like the sister dynamic at all. Alissa had endured two abusive men and a slew of other bullshit including a drug conviction and prostituting herself to protect and help Donna. All Donna did was hare off and act like an asshole necessitating these actions later on (silly "I had a crappy childhood" behavior. Her illness was brought on by her own idiocy). And in the end she gets the loving, sweet husband and nice life? While Alissa gets what? Crapped on time and time again? Screw that.

The second I skimmed the last line I literally threw the book across the room. I'm not exaggerating that in the slightest.

I can't believe the same author wrote this book and Captive in the Spotlight. There was nothing okay about this book. I almost wish there was a tort for book induced rage and injury now. show less

You need to read The Desert King Meets His Match. It’s by my long-time favorite author Annie West, it’s got a handsome, stubborn, romantic sheikh and a gorgeous, stubborn, independent, romantic woman, glorious locations, and a “will they or won’t they” vibe. Actually, I could have just stopped with it’s by Annie West (and the sheikh thing) as reason enough to read it.

In another of author West’s books, The Sheikh's Marriage Proclamation, Salim is the absent brother of the show more not-very-nice-at-all ruler, the one who caused Tara to flee into the neighboring kingdom. Salim’s brother came to a (deservedly?) bad end and now Salim is the ruling Sheikh, perhaps the man who should have been the leader in the first place, as he is the complete opposite of his bad boy brother. He needs to bring order back to his kingdom and restore his people’s faith in the royals. He needs to be settled and serious and lead by calming, competent example. Part of that role involves having a suitable wife by his side. And that’s where Rosanna comes in. She’s the professional matchmaker hired to find the perfect match for Salim. Rosanna is filling in for her aunt, who is a high-profile, hugely successful, world-renowned matchmaker but who has had to step back this time because of health issues. Finding a bride for the Sheikh of Dhalkur is incredibly important to the business. No pressure for Rosanna, right?

Obviously Rosanna will have to work closely with Salim to meet his criteria. Just one little problem: these two stubborn, romantic people had an encounter resulting in instant heart-stopping attraction in the past, but before they could even exchange names Salim disappeared. Awkward. And unfortunately their hearts are still going pitter-pat. But this is her job and he needs a bride now, and a matchmaker is probably not on the Suitable Candidates list.

They resist, and resist, and resist some more, but I think I’ve heard somewhere that resistance is futile. It is so much fun (and so heartwarming) to watch that attraction move into the caring area. You will laugh and cry and worry and fan yourself at times and you will love every minute of it. Annie West never disappoints. Do yourself a favor and read this and all her other books now. show less