Decent enough story. Maybe 3-1/2 stars. I liked the princess in peril whose wild ways were really attempts on her life. The story was pretty unbelievable but then sheikh stories are not my favorites nor are royalty stories so it had 2 counts against it. The hero was nice enough. Mostly I guess there didn't seem to be a lot of meat to the story. A little melodramatic. ( )

Karim is, at best, a little clueless. You’re escorting a desperate princess across the desert, people are chasing you, you get shot, and you think she’s just assuming that said people are trying to kill her? Her uncle makes thinly veiled threats on her life in front of you, withholds her passport so she can’t leave the country and you think he’s just being over-protective? Jump on the clue bus, dude!At worst, Karim is an arrogant ass. He continually commands that Alexa give him everything - her trust, her honesty, her body, and her heart - and he never offers the same to her in return. He is honest with her, to a point. He tells her only those things about himself that are convenient at the time.Alexa is strong-willed, tough, and resourceful. She’s also a little stupid. She thinks running away to an unknown country, climate, and culture alone is the safest option for her! She insists that she doesn’t need help, that she can and will survive on her own, no matter that hired killers are hot on her heels and she’s in the middle of the desert! Her back story was interesting, but just how many murder attempts can one person walk away from?Even though Alexa’s a tough cookie, she’s got a good balance of softness in her character. She can bend, but she doesn’t break. While Karim is pushing his weight around, Alexa is the one who puts aside her own feelings of hurt and betrayal and attempts to salvage their relationship. This, unfortunately, leaves Karim the opportunity to get what he wants out of their marriage - a caring wife who stays put and puts out. He never apologizes for anything he says or does. In the end, his character gets his happy ever after without ever having to own up to any wrong doing at all.And I guess The Powers That Be missed the fact that Karim is a Sultan and not a Sheikh when they put that cheesy title on…http://iheartpaperbacks.wordpress.com/ ( )