365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #172

Girl in the Bedouin Tent - Annie West
Mills and Boon Modern
Harlequin UK, 2011
ISBN: 9780263886900





My rating




From the back cover:

"Not your average damsel in distress!
Sheikh Prince Amir has vowed to redeem his scandalous family name - so the last thing he needs on a tour of his desert kingdom is to have a sensuous blonde with more spirit than clothes presented for his harem.
Fiery Cassie might have been kidnapped by bandits and dolled up as the Sheikh's love-slave, but she refuses to be any man's plaything. Yet spending a week in Amir's desert tent pretending to be his mistress would get under any girl's skin. Especially when she is under his sheets..."


This is a book that my husband bought for me as he thought the cover was really nice, and I agree, it's beautiful. I enjoyed this one too.

The heroine Cassie and the hero Amir meet when she is presented to him as a 'favour' during his negotiations with a tribal leader in his country. Cassie is terrified what will happen to her, and attempts to attack Amir in order to try and escape. But she is no match for him and once Amir is able to calm and reassure Cassie that he will not hurt her he learns that she was kidnapped by the tribe when the bus she was travelling on broke down in the desert. Amir promises to protect her, especially after her brutal treatment from the guards, but she has to stay with him in the royal tent until Amir's business is finished. Cassie is nervous around men after a bad experience in her youth, but she feels safe with Amir. As they get to know one another they realise that they desire one another, as well as feeling a connection that is much deeper. Amir finds it hard to end his and Cassie's relationship, but he knows it can never be anything more than a fling as Amir must do his duty for his country and that included marriage to a suitable woman.

I enjoyed this book. It really grabbed my attention right from the very start. I liked that the way the hero and heroine first meet is a little dark and dangerous and very original. Annie West does have a talent for creating exciting back stories/events. Even though the first part of the characters relationship took place over only a couple of days, the author managed to make it seem like it had been longer. The story itself has a wonderful flow, although the almost constant switching of point of view is a little disruptive.
I do think the story lost its way towards the last third, it just didn't seem to have that exciting edge that it started with. The HEA and closing chapters are, however, fantastic.

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