Leslie North

[I have received an audio version for this book, in exchange for an honest review]

Ok this is a first for me. It is my first book involving Sheikh Romance and I must admit I kind of liked it. I have received an audio version from the author in exchange for an honest review so my rating is for the overall quality of the story and writing narrator.

Starting with the big list of positives, I really really enjoyed the adventures Fleur and Masoud embark when deciding to find Solomon's diamond. In this exotic context, the sheikh becomes attracted to the archaeologist Fleur Summers. Her passion and her devotion towards uncovering history have aroused his interest. Travelling with her for days to find a precious jewel that will secure his family’s ruling only gets him more attracted to her and thus his desire to have her. This mix of adventure and passion is great and give the story of big big plus. It's simply something new and refreshing.

Analyzing a little the characters, Sheikh Masoud Khalidizack is used to women falling for him, especially for his money. When he meets someone clearly focused on something else but his looks and wealth, he becomes intrigued and even more committed to have her. Fleur is so caught up in continuing her parents’ research on the diamond that the romantic involvement does not seem as important as her mission to prove the existence of the jewel. Yes, definitely she sees the gorgeous man in front of her but she understands she only needs her to find a diamond and she needs him to approve for research on his land.

For the most part of the book, the focus is on finding the diamond, but when this is out of the way that is a shift towards the romantic aspect. Sort of like “Business first, pleasure later”.

Now here come some things I did not quite enjoy. From writing perspective, I would have wanted a little more insight into the sheikh’s culture, except the wealth. Also in the beginning, it all starts with a bet between the brothers and one would think this was a focus point as well. But no, until the end of the book I completely forgot about it. So for this story the bet was not significant at all. It may be for the other books in the series. We shall wait and see. Last on my list of dislikes is the narrator. I could not relate to her interpretation of Masoud and most of the other male characters. I had the impression everybody was angry or ironical, probably because there's a lot of muttering. The sheikh was more like a grumpy man.

To close up, I am going with 4 stars for the story but 3 for the narrator. An adventure with a lot of romance is a perfect combination for a great read. Hope you like it at least as much as I did.
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I start by saying that I love Leslie North’s books. I love the romance she builds and the characters she creates in her stories. I was first introduced to her books by the author herself and I was very lucky to have received some other copies of her work to review. That being said, let’s dive into my review.

In “Wired”, we meet two characters which apparently are very different. A tech girl meets a football player. A smart young woman trying to achieve her dream of using her statistics and programs as military equipment meets a sports guy whose career is close to an end because of an injury, but who also tries to inspire others, to keep doing what he has been dreaming to do. Both put passion in their work, but one cannot understand the other’s expectations.

Marcus and Claire will have to learn to accept each other and to work together, so that both their wishes can me somehow fulfilled. The beauty of this story, in my opinion at least, is how they came to communicate so well, how the chemistry between them turned into much more than physical attraction. Even if this was a short length story, it was created in such a way that the action does not feel rushed at all and the reader can easily experiment what each character is feeling.

The narration was great as well. Rebecca Roberts did her job really well when it came to voice acting and every world was spoken clearly. I like listening to the audiobooks at the normal speed, so I can say the story was told with patience and involvement.

All in all, a total of 4 stars to yet another great book by Leslie North! I am happy I was able to participate in this blog tour, so a big Thank You to Audiobook Promotions for the opportunity!… (more)

I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I love Leslie North’s books and I love her stories with sheikhs and all this interesting land. However, for “The Sheikh's Christmas Fling” it’s the short length that bothers me so much.

We have characters with potential and an interesting plot, but there is not much room for development. Ana is one of the most determined heroines I’ve encountered. She has faced a failed marriage, a ruined business and career. Now she starts over in a small country, where tradition is key and food customs are to be respected. Little did she expect to feel this attraction for her employer’s son – Sheikh Noel Yared. He shows her his country, with all its beauty, the spices that are at the heart of their culinary tradition and all she has to do is work her magic. However, not everybody is happy with the arrival of the new chef and she has to deal with a disgruntled employer, willing to do whatever it takes to see h iner out of the kitchen.

As I was mentioning, there is so much potential here. I wanted to see Ana explore more of the food,
I wanted to see more traditions, just more of Maatkare. Noel knows he should stay away from a single mother, but this angle is not explored enough. As for Ana, she has adopted her daughter from a foreign country – cheers for that! But I wanted to know why. Charlie, Ana’s best friend is more like a shadow and for now I don’t see where he fits in the bigger picture.
With all my complains, we do have this intense attraction between the two and I loved to see Noel’s respect and pride for his country. They are a match for one another in terms of ambition and success.

All in all, I would never pass a Leslie North book. Even if this is not the great start I was expecting, I cannot wait to discover the other stories in the series. I saw that they are a little longer so I have high hopes.… (more)