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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this so much but there is a weird scene that totally ruined it for me. I am not sure that I could get past it... Honestly... the FMC deserved better than this dude...
I read this book a long time ago but mostly forgot about it. So, I decided to read it again thinking 2 POC main characters written by WoC author will equal to a cute story. Turns out that was not a good idea. I honestly don’t remembered being this xenophobic at times. The author really made it seem like the Prince and his people were from the stone ages.
There are no words for this book.
Well, make that no GOOD words. Because there are plenty of bad ones.
How on earth is this on any type of best list? The writing is not good, the characters have no personality other than "sassy" and "sexy," and is all topped off with misogyny and bad sex.
Magical kissing (tongue sucking, really) that causes instantaneous orgasms and fainting? Big-toe sex? Hole in the pantyhose sex? Mutual shared dream sex? Not even Jamie and Claire* have mutual dream sex, people.
Oh and Jamal sucks on her nipples while she is sleeping in a hammock. He just could not resist, you see. Until that point they have shared one kiss and she says she wants nothing to do with him. Pretty gross. #metoo, Delaney.
Also this is one of those stories where the man has sex all over the place but the woman is a virgin. She has never even climaxed before. She is 25. Her internal monologue about this: "...She had been waiting for the man she knew would be her one true love, her soul mate, and had refused to sell herself short by giving herself to someone less deserving." So how does she move from that to wild animal sex with Jamal? She justifies it by falling in love with him. That's right....she's in love after one week. One week of mostly staying in her room to avoid him.
Now on to Jamal. We are told over and over again about his active sex life. Women have been coming to his room to bed him since he turned 18. He has had a mistress for 3 years and says he never wants to give her up. But one time inside Delaney's Magical Vagina and he's over all that: "And for the first time in his entire life, Jamal felt mind-boggling pleasure and body-satisfying peace. He knew then and there that he would never get enough of this woman."
Puh-leeze.
There are other reviews that detail the misogyny.
The brothers? Extreme cartoonishly bad names and "protective" personalities. Like super bad. I can't even. (The names are Stone, Thorn, Dare and two other equally stupid names).** They all -- all 5 of them -- show up at the cabin because she went off top spend 4 weeks by herself. And they notice different tire tracks and demand to know who else had been there with her.
Look. I'm not above overlooking some stupid shit. I'm in love with the Outlander series, after all. Have you read "Voyager"? Def some stupid shit to whistle past in that book. But this?
No. Just no.
PS. At the 92% mark, Delaney thinks: "the best thing to do would be to say her peace and get the hell out of there."
Say her peace. Yup.
*Jamie and Claire are from "Outlander"
**I looked it up: Dare, Thorn, Stone, Chase, and Storm. My god.
Well, make that no GOOD words. Because there are plenty of bad ones.
How on earth is this on any type of best list? The writing is not good, the characters have no personality other than "sassy" and "sexy," and is all topped off with misogyny and bad sex.
Magical kissing (tongue sucking, really) that causes instantaneous orgasms and fainting? Big-toe sex? Hole in the pantyhose sex? Mutual shared dream sex? Not even Jamie and Claire* have mutual dream sex, people.
Oh and Jamal sucks on her nipples while she is sleeping in a hammock. He just could not resist, you see. Until that point they have shared one kiss and she says she wants nothing to do with him. Pretty gross. #metoo, Delaney.
Also this is one of those stories where the man has sex all over the place but the woman is a virgin. She has never even climaxed before. She is 25. Her internal monologue about this: "...She had been waiting for the man she knew would be her one true love, her soul mate, and had refused to sell herself short by giving herself to someone less deserving." So how does she move from that to wild animal sex with Jamal? She justifies it by falling in love with him. That's right....she's in love after one week. One week of mostly staying in her room to avoid him.
Now on to Jamal. We are told over and over again about his active sex life. Women have been coming to his room to bed him since he turned 18. He has had a mistress for 3 years and says he never wants to give her up. But one time inside Delaney's Magical Vagina and he's over all that: "And for the first time in his entire life, Jamal felt mind-boggling pleasure and body-satisfying peace. He knew then and there that he would never get enough of this woman."
Puh-leeze.
There are other reviews that detail the misogyny.
The brothers? Extreme cartoonishly bad names and "protective" personalities. Like super bad. I can't even. (The names are Stone, Thorn, Dare and two other equally stupid names).** They all -- all 5 of them -- show up at the cabin because she went off top spend 4 weeks by herself. And they notice different tire tracks and demand to know who else had been there with her.
Look. I'm not above overlooking some stupid shit. I'm in love with the Outlander series, after all. Have you read "Voyager"? Def some stupid shit to whistle past in that book. But this?
No. Just no.
PS. At the 92% mark, Delaney thinks: "the best thing to do would be to say her peace and get the hell out of there."
Say her peace. Yup.
*Jamie and Claire are from "Outlander"
**I looked it up: Dare, Thorn, Stone, Chase, and Storm. My god.
This was the first book I read by Brenda Jackson, making me an instant fan and introducing me to romance novels. It was a great love story.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars. Man oh man I wanted to rate this one higher, but there was one particular scene that I wasn't okay with. I'm going to continue the series because I'm really interested in where Brenda Jackson is going to take these characters.
Delaney's Desert Sheikh is the first in Brenda Jackson's Westmorelands series which is a series that I've been meaning to start for a while. It's an extremely short book so I was expecting the characters to fall in love quickly. The insta love trope didn't necessarily bother me; however, I wish that we would have gotten a little more interaction between the two characters. It would have made the connection just a tad more realistic. There is also a specific scene that technically isn't consensual and I wasn't a big fan of it especially since it wasn't addressed at all in the later parts of the book. There's a lot to take into consideration with this scene including expectations and standards of romance novels at the time that this was written. It doesn't excuse the scene, but it helps readers understand how and why the scene was included. There was clearly an attraction between the two and I rather enjoyed their banter, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about that specific scene.
Quite frankly, I love what Jackson was able to do with character development in this book. Jamal had a certain perspective of the role a woman should play in the life of a man and Delaney challenged him every single step of the way. She refused to be subservient or agree that the role of a woman in a relationship should be simplified to catering to every need of her partner while being okay if he makes the decision to take on mistresses. Delaney makes Jamal reconsider a lot of things that he would have traditionally done. They had a lot of strong moments as characters, but also some weaker moments. If this book would have been just a little longer, I think that the chemistry between the two characters could have gone better and more smooth.
Ironically, there isn't really much to discuss about this book without giving away too many spoilers. Everything happens rather quickly. There are appearances from Delany's older brothers so I'm anticipating that readers will have the opportunity to see them in later books. To be completely clear and transparent, this book is a little on the dated side. There are still books coming out in The Westmoreland series so naturally I'm 100% positive that Jackson has done a great job with those. If you read this book, don't let it turn you away from exploring the rest of the books in the series.
Delaney's Desert Sheikh is the first in Brenda Jackson's Westmorelands series which is a series that I've been meaning to start for a while. It's an extremely short book so I was expecting the characters to fall in love quickly. The insta love trope didn't necessarily bother me; however, I wish that we would have gotten a little more interaction between the two characters. It would have made the connection just a tad more realistic. There is also a specific scene that technically isn't consensual and I wasn't a big fan of it especially since it wasn't addressed at all in the later parts of the book. There's a lot to take into consideration with this scene including expectations and standards of romance novels at the time that this was written. It doesn't excuse the scene, but it helps readers understand how and why the scene was included. There was clearly an attraction between the two and I rather enjoyed their banter, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about that specific scene.
Quite frankly, I love what Jackson was able to do with character development in this book. Jamal had a certain perspective of the role a woman should play in the life of a man and Delaney challenged him every single step of the way. She refused to be subservient or agree that the role of a woman in a relationship should be simplified to catering to every need of her partner while being okay if he makes the decision to take on mistresses. Delaney makes Jamal reconsider a lot of things that he would have traditionally done. They had a lot of strong moments as characters, but also some weaker moments. If this book would have been just a little longer, I think that the chemistry between the two characters could have gone better and more smooth.
Ironically, there isn't really much to discuss about this book without giving away too many spoilers. Everything happens rather quickly. There are appearances from Delany's older brothers so I'm anticipating that readers will have the opportunity to see them in later books. To be completely clear and transparent, this book is a little on the dated side. There are still books coming out in The Westmoreland series so naturally I'm 100% positive that Jackson has done a great job with those. If you read this book, don't let it turn you away from exploring the rest of the books in the series.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first book in the Westmoreland series, Delaney's Desert Sheikh, centers around Delaney, the youngest member of her family. Her vacation plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers the secluded cabin already occupied by a handsome Sheikh named Jamal. This is my second time reading this story, and once again, I was captivated by the undeniable chemistry and sizzling passion between Delaney and Jamal. However, it's important to note that there is a scene in which consent is not given, which may make some readers uncomfortable. Despite this, if you enjoy the instant love trope, you will likely find this story appealing.
This was my first Brenda Jackson novel. I loved it!!!!! The emotions were so real and one could imagine being in Delaney's shoes. The chances of meeting a prince and becoming his princess? Loved it!!!
This is one of if not the dumbest books I’ve ever read. Only reason I chose it was to complete a square on my Book Bingo card.
Ok.
Storyline: trash.
Character building: trash.
Writing style: painfully plain
So why the high rating, you ask? The audiobook.
Sean Crisden’s narration of Jamal was everything I didn’t know I needed. And I typically don’t like Sean Crisden as a narrator, but he did that! I was okay with the book’s lack of substance because of how short the book was. Idk, maybe I was in the mood for a book like this but *chef’s kiss*
UPDATE: I am so glad people are allowed to grow. Because I have. I am rereading this book, thinking it would be a nice comfort read. The man in this book is so misogynistic. And then he literally touches her body while she is asleep and does not get her consent. I understand that some men are like this but my dream book man does not try to pacify me on issues I care about and he definitely doesn’t touch me without consent. And I shouldn’t have to teach him that I deserve rights. So I unfortunately can’t relate to this book anymore
Storyline: trash.
Character building: trash.
Writing style: painfully plain
So why the high rating, you ask? The audiobook.
Sean Crisden’s narration of Jamal was everything I didn’t know I needed. And I typically don’t like Sean Crisden as a narrator, but he did that! I was okay with the book’s lack of substance because of how short the book was. Idk, maybe I was in the mood for a book like this but *chef’s kiss*
UPDATE: I am so glad people are allowed to grow. Because I have. I am rereading this book, thinking it would be a nice comfort read. The man in this book is so misogynistic. And then he literally touches her body while she is asleep and does not get her consent. I understand that some men are like this but my dream book man does not try to pacify me on issues I care about and he definitely doesn’t touch me without consent. And I shouldn’t have to teach him that I deserve rights. So I unfortunately can’t relate to this book anymore