For the Sheikh's Pleasure

A bad experience with a man leaves budding artist, Rosalie Winters, leery of men. During a vacation on Q'aroum she meets Arik. She's attracted to him but also afraid to let him any where near her heart. As she gets to know him she becomes more comfortable; he's not like the other men she has known. Not wanting him to know about her past nor the fact that her sister is married to the Prince, Rosalie wants to treated like a normal person, not like she is a part of a royal family. When Rosalie feels things are starting to get too personal, she leaves and returns to her sisters side. But can she forget the Sheikh that broke down the barriers around her heart? Sheikh Arik Kareem Ben Hassan never has any problems when it comes to women. So when he first sees Rosalie on the beach, Arik assumes she will just fall at his feet. Up close, however, he can see the wariness in the lovely young woman's eyes. Her body language explicitly says to back off. Undaunted, he sets out to seduce her. He shows her the way's a man can cherish a woman. Once he has her in his bed he wants more but before he can tell her she disappears. When he does find her, he discovers her real identity, becoming angry and hurt by her omission. Can he set things right in time or will he loose the one woman who holds his heart? This is a story of two people, Arik and Rosalie, who don't realize until it's almost too late that they need each other. Can they get past the old hurts and mistrust in their lives and come together to create new memories? Annie West has done it again with THE SHEIKH'S PLEASURE, the follow up story to The Sheikh's Ransomed Bride. The characters are fully developed and loveable. Arik is exactly the kind of man that Rosalie needs. These two people fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - each made to complete the other. I look forward to reading more of Annie West's work. Reviewer for Roamnce Junkies

Annie West has yet again written another powerful love story. This is Annie's second sheikh book and is set on a beautiful desert coast. In the Sheikh's Ransomed Bride (Annie's first sheikh book) the reader learns that she has a sister Belle who is now the reigning queen of Q'roum and this book focuses on her sister, Rosalie Winter's visit, along with her niece and mother. Rosalie one learns has come to Q'roum to celebrate her nephew's birthday. Rosalie has a past, one she cannot escape and while on this visit her family offers to watch her daughter so she can relax and try her hand in a talent lost to her......drawing and painting. Each day, Rosalie goes to the beach to swim and draw and while there reflects on her past of why she can no longer paint. For years, she has been haunted by an event which happened in college where her drink was "doctored" and she was raped and the incident resulted in a pregnancy and the birth of her lovely daughter. On one particular morning, she sees this handsome man riding on the beach along with his Arabian horses. She is mesmerized by their beauty and power along with their handsome and virile rider. Their owner is Arik, who is bored and frustrated from a leg injury, and has been watching Rosalie from afar. It is his plan to meet her and in the end, begin an affair. After days of letting her draw the horses and the man himself, he realizes that Rosalie is timid and a little shy and that he will have to be patient to win her in the end. He proposes that he show her the sights of his city. In the end, for Rosalie it is a loosing battle and she surrenders to his charms trying to guard her heart. What she fears happens and she falls deeply for Arik full well knowing that he will never commit. He is a man who's proud, arrogant and always gets his own way. In order to protect herself from further heartbreak, she leaves without a goodbye. Arik is furious when he can't find her and he doesn't count on how deeply he feels for her until she's gone. What Rosalie does not know is that Arik and the King (her brother-in-law) are related so when he shows up at the birthday celebration for the young Prince it's a shock to say the least and tensions rise! For the Sheikh's Pleasure is truly a magical story full of passion, tenderness and discovery for both Rosalie and Arik.

I am not a fan of desert sheikh stories, but I an a huge fan of new author Annie West. So I decided to shelve my qualms and give this a try. Boy am I glad! The characters are so likeable and human - not over the top as some Harlequin characters (men especially) can be. Arik had some very touching moments as he learns about Rosalie and what he expects from her and himself. Rosalie could have been fleshed out a bit more, but she was modern and independent. You wanted a good ending for them both. The story was well written. The tension was good without being melodramatic. The characters acted as people would, without silliness or inanity. Definitely looking forward to Annie West's next books. If you've never read Annie West - go do it. You won't be disappointed.

I've enjoyed every book I've read by new author Annie West. This is her second sheikh book and it's a follow-up to her masterful The Sheikh's Ransomed Bride which I gave five stars to in a previous review. I know I'm starting to sound like a fangirl, but I can't help it. These books are fantastic. It's so wonderful to discover this new Presents author who just gets better with every story. Brava, Madam West! This book is a wonderful mixture of enticing sensuality and emotional depth so you live through every moment of Rosalie and Arik's love affair. Your heart breaks for lovely, fragile Rosalie in the grip of a love she can't run away from. And Arik is a wonderful creation, smart, seductive, determined, sexy, and then ultimately vulnerable. What a wonderful story. I was sorry when it finished. More please!

Heroine: Rosalie, a lone figure who suddenly appears on the beach one day, within (Hero) Sheikh Arik's telescopic view. Arik is bored and stuck with a broken leg, scanning the sea with his telescope when he scans the beach and sees this beautiful woman and has to have her. The problem? She has a haunted past which leaves her terribly afraid of men, but she is also irresistably drawn to Arik, who recognizes that she has somehow had a bad relationship previously and is gentle but persistant in his seduction. But, as he tells it later on, she is the one who seduces him away from his playboy lifestyle. However, she doesn't trust him. Yet. There is no hateful talk in this book. The man does not talk to the woman disparagingly or disrespectfully. What a nice change, and proof that it *can* be done! A love story doesn't always have to have the lead characters at each other's throats during most of the book, and Annie West makes it happen in a beautifully told story, artfully woven together. Author Annie West has become high on my Top Favorite Harlequin Authors list. She has a way of drawing the reader into the story so completely that one can imagine everything, and even feel the hint of fear, joy or insecurity the characters are described as having. And let's not forget the passion! What a wonderful, wonderful book, told from both the male & female perspectives, so we get a peek into the psyches of both characters and see where their thoughts take them, how their choices are made and why. I loved the characters, and it was so nice to revisit Rafiq & Belle (from "The Sheikh's Ransomed Bride" ) and see where their lives had been led after their story ended in a previous book, which I also loved so much that I took the trouble to sign online and leave a review for that book, also. I don't do that often, and I greatly look forward to Annie West's next books. My favorite authors are: Lynne Graham, Michelle Reid, Annie West, Sara Wood, Trish Morey, Sharon Kendrick, early Helen Bianchin. Please feel free to email me with your fav author names & book titles, too--I would love to hear from you :)