A Sultan’s Ransom Mills and Boon

REVIEWED BY:

SCORE:

Author: Loreth Anne White
Publisher: Mills & Boon Intrigue

REVIEW:

Rafiq Zayed, a member of a covert organisation dedicated to bringing down a powerful gang of criminals intent on world domination, has returned to his homeland of Haman. A state ruled by a tyrannical and medieval-minded king, Haman is also home to a scientific lab that’s manufactured a virulent fatal disease – one that’s about to be unleashed on thousands of innocent civilians.

Searching for a vaccine, Rafiq infiltrates the lab only to discover the woman who created the disease, Dr Paige Sterling. He kidnaps her as easily as he bugs her computer, and fakes her death in a car crash.

Paige is horrified when she learns that ‘her’ disease is being used as a bio-weapon. At first she believes that Rafiq is her enemy, but as he protects her in the police state, where women must wear veils in public and foreigners are unwelcome, she realises that Rafiq isn’t merely the freedom fighter he claims to be. There’s a deeper mystery to him, but can Paige handle the truth?

Okay, I admit it – I only bought this book because (a) I love romances about sheiks and (b) the cover guy is a real hottie. I’ve never read an Intrigue title before but this was a great introduction. Even though A Sultan’s Ransom is part of a series, the story works well as a standalone.

My favourite part of this book was the setting. So many sheik stories are set in thoroughly modern, liberal capitalist Arab states, so this one, with its unusual inward-looking, medieval regime, was a real delight. The descriptions of the market and later, Paige and Rafiq’s flight into the mountains, are strong and evocative scenes that stayed with me after I finished the book.

There are three plot-lines in The Sultan’s Ransom, and hats off to the author for keeping them tautly balanced all the way through the story. The action is well paced and the romance unfolds gradually. Considering the potential doomsday outcome of Rafiq’s mission should he fail, it’s far more believable for Paige and Rafiq to wait and enjoy the slow burn of their relationship rather than leaping into bed at the first opportunity.

If you like more adventure than spice with your romance, then I’d recommend this book. I’m impressed enough to try another of this imprint next month.

Medieval Lords & Ladies Collection: Blackmail & Betrayal Mills & Boon/Harlequin

REVIEWED BY:

OVERALL SCORE:

and a half!

Author: Juliet Landon & Elizabeth Henshall
Publisher: Mills & Boon/Harlequin

REVIEW:

This is the second book in M&B’s historical series, which pairs together two books written about the same time period – in this case, the 12th and 13th centuries (the same period covered by the Brother Cadfael books).

‘A Knight in Waiting’ by Juliet Landon

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Lady Aletta, a lovely young widow, has no desire to marry again. Her husband was an evil man who abused her and every other woman he could get his hands on, and two years after his death, Aletta isn’t keen to suffer the same fate twice.

Her new neighbour, Geraunt de Paine, thinks he can change her mind. A year ago, Aletta allowed four of Geraunt’s villeins to marry and settle on her land – a legally dubious act that Geraunt contests. The price for his agreement – and the continued happiness of the villains and their families – is that Aletta agree to bend her will to his wishes… in everything!

Geraunt has the best line. In reference to his knowledge of Aletta’s abusive marriage and his own self-confidence that she’ll come to love him: “I look forward to teaching you to fall without getting hurt”.

Oh dear. This novel really didn’t do it for me. Aletta is one of those annoying, superficially feisty and independent heroines who lacks common sense, and Geraunt is supposed to be sympathetic, understanding and gentle yet often he comes across as boorish. There’s an undercurrent of using force to ‘cure’ Aletta’s previous horrible forced experiences that, while a common enough fantasy and one I usually don’t mind, is here presented in a way that I found disturbing. And that’s not a good feeling to have when reading a romance.

It was a slog to finish this and I found myself scanning rather than reading towards the end. The research was very good and the prose was fine; but the story didn’t grab me, the characters were tedious and the romance too early 80s bodice-ripper dressed up in modern PC fashion. A disappointing 2 Flutes.

‘Betrayed Hearts’ by Elizabeth Henshall

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Tomboy heiress Lady Ghislaine is out hunting when she’s kidnapped by the mercenary Guy de Courcy as surety for a fair hearing from the Earl of Chester. Guy has been accused of murdering a young widow, Ghislaine’s best friend, and so she has no reason to trust him. But the Earl of Chester has a wicked sense of humour. He’s long been plagued by Ghislaine, who became his ward following the murder of her father, and so he forces Guy and Ghislaine to marry.

Neither of them want this marriage, but over time, Ghislaine’s desire for the convent recedes as she grows to trust her husband – despite his vile temper and surly nature. Guy struggles to clear his name and Ghislaine determines to help him – but when she unmasks the true killer, she finds her life in terrible danger.

This is a classic historical romance, a great story with wonderful characters and a lot of warm wit. My favourite line (one of many) is a riposte from Guy after Ghislaine has shouted at him: “I take it, then, that as your father is no longer alive you did batter him to death with your tongue? My sympathies lie entirely with him.”

Ghislaine is neither shrewish nor nagging despite her antipathy towards Guy, and she’s a completely believable heroine. Her clumsiness and little touches such as her rumbling stomach make her endearing and realistic. Guy is also well portrayed, a much more approachable hero to the usual M&B stereotype. The reason they’re kept apart is grounded in a very good piece of plotting rather than the usual ’silly misunderstanding’, which raises this novel a cut above the average romance.

I loved reading this story. A fabulous 5 Flutes.

In conclusion, a very uneven pair of books in this collection. Buy it for the Henshall and give Landon’s story a miss. Henshall’s story more than makes up for the disappointment of the first story.