 Customer Reviews
Mesmerizing!, 07 Jul 2008
As the new crown prince of Judar, Shehab Aal Masood must marry Farah Beaumont to keep peace among tribes and peace in the region. Farah, upon discovering the identity of her father had the audacity to refuse. Does this woman care about anyone else but herself? Cold, hot, promiscuous to the point of flaunting her affair with an older man, Shehab sees her as one twisted, selfish and conniving woman! He hatches a plan to hide his identity from Farah, seduce her, and make her his bride. Once he meets Farah and sees her beauty, innocence and concern for others, his devious plan goes haywire! Who is seducing whom? Once the truth comes out, can love heal the depths of pain-inducing dishonesty?
In the second book of the Throne of Judar, Olivia Gates takes the reader on a thrilling emotional ride, full of the zeniths and nadirs of a passion and destiny that will not be denied. THE DESERT LORD'S BRIDE is a stunning middle book in a trilogy that draws even deeper into the landscape and the mythical Judar kingdom. Olivia Gates brings all the intensity and poetry of the first book, THE DESERT LORD'S BABY, into THE DESERT LORD'S BRIDE while also giving the reader a unique set of characters with their own personalities, passions and vulnerabilities. Farah and Shehab both have a wonderful sense of wonder and joy beneath their passion that draws them to one another. With her innocent loving nature, no wonder Shehab's plan explodes the minute he sees Farah. Caught in the middle between his dedication to the Throne of Judar and keeping peace in the region and his plan to avenge Farah's marriage refusal, Farah touched him in one place in his heart that is all his own, a place deep and beyond obligation but rather a place of passion, pureness of heart and sensual pleasure. Shehab is just as determined as his older brother Farood in THE DESERT LORD'S BABY but different and just as delightful!
In the second book of the Throne of Judar, Olivia Gates takes the reader on a thrilling emotional ride, full of the zeniths and nadirs of a passion and destiny that will not be denied. What once started as a change in color of ceremonial robes marking Shehab's rise to the position of crown prince becomes a story of legendary love. Olivia Gates fills her romance with twists that will leave readers gasping at the beauty and tearful for the sheer depth of their love for one another. In DESERT LORD'S BRIDE, the reader feels Shehab's dedication to Judar as he takes Farah on journeys to see the wonders of this desert land. Olivia Gates's vivid details mesmerize, portraying an exotic/fantasy culture with an intimate vision that makes Judar also personal, familiar and deeply-moving. I was just fascinated by how her poetic sensibility bridges a divide between the unfamiliar and landscapes more personal and familiar within this reader's imagination. DESERT LORD'S BRIDE sparks a a whole range of emotions from pure joy to the pain of loss, not just once but all the way to a happy ending that will have romance readers most eager to read the third book, THE DESERT KING.
A firestorm of passion and emotion!, 13 Sep 2008
Third in the Throne of Judar series, THE DESERT KING by Olivia Gates tells the passionate and tempestuous romance of the third brother Kamal Aal Massod. THE DESERT KING takes the reader on a journey into an exotic imaginary kingdom that combines hereditary and merit as entitlement to the throne. Be prepared to be swept into a world all its own in THE DESERT KING. Combining traditional ancient culture and passions with modern characters and concerns, Olivia Gates sets off a firestorm of passion between strong characters placed in a tension-filled drama that threatens to overwhelm character and region but just as the intensity builds, threatening to overtake all, she unveils a surprising tenderness, a turn that delights and uplifts, embracing not only the two lovers but also family and region. My main word of advice is put everything aside, open this book and be prepared to be transported with her unique sense of imagination, characterization and delightful, poetic use of language.
Seven years ago, Kamal Aal Masood loved Aliyah with a passion, an addiction even, that consumed ever fiber of his being but then he discovered what she has been trying to hide. Addicted to drugs and promiscuous, Aliyah is now the woman he must marry to preserve peace among rival kingdoms! No matter the cost to him, Kamal will honor his duty. Of all the brothers, he alone now holds the key. How dare she refuse him! Kamal will do anything and give anything to honor his responsibilities to rule the kingdom and produce an heir, but will he find the way to Aliyah's heart? Can he give her the one thing she needs the most? Aliyah thought losing Kamal was the worst thing that could happen. Seven years later, a revelation and declaration turns her world upside down. She discovers her parents are not whom she thought, she must adapt to having new parents and she is expected to marry the one man who nearly destroyed her seven years ago and all for some outdated notion of power. How much more loss can she take? Now, as a pawn in a political game, must she lose everything, even herself and then be discarded when she has produced the desired heir? One thing is for certain --- Aliyah is no pushover and in a battle of wills, she can give just as much as she gets! Can destiny and love have a way of overpowering and upending the best laid battle strategies?
In THE DESERT KING, Olivia Gates concludes her Throne of Judar series with an emotional, passionate romance that blends beauty, power, legend and innovation all in one. Kamal is all power and beauty behind his restrained, duty-bound intentions and yet, Olivia Gates also gives the reader an insight to the side of him even his brothers cannot see. Not only do we understand the reasons for his attitudes in the previous books, but here, we catch the insider's look into the heart of gold that lies hidden behind his all consuming power. Beneath the intense emotions provoked by Kamal, Aliyah is a rock, a woman who has her entire life pulled out from under her and still, she stands up to this man, making a unique place for herself. In her characterization, Olivia Gates draws together a perfect combination of man and woman, ancient customs and modern sensibilities, all consuming passion tinged with moments of rich tenderness, sensuous exotic scenes with dynamic dialog pitting wills and wit in a powerful tug-of-war.
Olivia Gates's THE DESERT KING takes the reader away to a world where her characters breathe passion not just with their bodies but in the heart, in every word and action. Open this book and be prepared for everything else to go by the wayside except Kamal and Aliyah's story! Olivia Gates thrills with her descriptions. Power radiates from the bodies of her characters, Aliyah as much as Kamal, as they face one another, indeed surprise one another, with their strength of character. The ending leaves the reader convinced that Kamal and Aliyah are two lovers who have given the other exactly what they needed to be whole and also given to the kingdom, through their passion for one another, an amazing gift that will revitalize not only them but the kingdom. From trickery comes eternal love, a love able to change lives and land. The very language of THE DESERT KING mesmerizes the reader as Olivia Gates has some of the best one-liners ever. Indeed, her unique vision revitalizes language itself in the dialog with lines that inspire this reader to memorize them for their sheer uniqueness, beauty and humor. From the heights of passion to the threat of gut-wrenching loss, Olivia Gates takes the reader on one intense emotional journey. In her debut series for Silhouette Desire and this spellbinding finale of THE DESERT KING, Olivia Gates has a powerful, intense voice destined to become a classic in the romance genre.
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