Lord of the Desert - Liveread
So I felt like doing a liveread.
You all get to suffer through it.
Fair warning to the gents; it's a romance novel. I may well go through some of the porny bits. Anyway. This will be less a liveread and more a "Puck finds things that entertain/amuse her in this book and is sharing them with you, bullshit and brilliance. Probably mostly bullshit."
On with the show!
(For the record, this book was published in 2000. So several parts of this are pretty dated, especially where flying is concerned. There's also a blessed lack of Islamophobia, though there may be some fetishisation going on. Not quite sure.)
Lord of the Desert
Diana Palmer
From seduction in the royal sheikhdom to
high adventure in the hot Arabian desert comes a breathtaking
love story by international bestselling author Diana Palmer....Sheltered small-town girl Gretchen Brannon was out of her element when she aligned herself with Sheikh Philippe Sabon, the formidable ruler of Qawi. They came from different worlds, yet she fond a soul mate in the power, sensual man who'd suppressed his passions for far too long--and harbored a secret anguish. Nevertheless, he made the virtuous young woman aware of her own courage...and, in turn, she aroused his sleeping senses as no other woman could.
However, now that Gretchen's heart belonged to the Lord of the Desert, danger loomed when she became the target for vengeance by the sheikh's most diabolical enemy. In a final showdown that would pit good against evil, could love and destiny triumph...?
So apparently the publisher thinks this takes a swing into fantasy or something.
Chapter One
...Gretchen was now wide-awake and eager for Morocco, land of camels and the Sahara desert... Having actually been to Morocco, L. O. L. Oh, Gretchen, you naïve little girl.
Several hours and a fascinating snack meal of Middle-Eastern delicacies later...Remember the days when you didn't have to fly first-class to get food on your flight?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Among the interesting customs of the flight were the distribution of traditional Moroccan foods and free newspapers in an assortment of foreign languages to travellers, and the apparently routine custom of applauding the pilot when the plane landed safely....nope, not ringing any bells.
...Diana Palmer, I am not sure calling Casablanca a mecca was really that great of an idea. So you know.
She frowned as she looked out the window. "I don't see the Sahara."
"The Sahara desert is six hundred miles from here," their driver said, glancing in the rearview mirror at them. "Tangier is a seaport on the Mediterranean, mademoiselle."I really want to know what's going through his mind. I will take suggestions!
"And maybe see the kasbah," Gretchen added dreamily.
"A kasbah," the driver corrected.
"There's more than one?" Gretchen asked, surprised.Gretchen. Baby. Was it just too hard to go to the local library and check out a book on the area?
Aha, and here is the part where we get some backstory on Our Heroine.
Short rundown; she's an assistant in a law firm in Small-Town Texas* who has had one really bad relationship. Her ex disappeared on her after her mother's death, when he discovered there was no inheritance. This is the only serious relationship she has ever had. She is also A Virgin. I will not be holding that against either her or Diana Palmer, seeing as said ex was a complete douchebag.
Also, her older brother is named Marc** and was a Texas Ranger.*
And now for some backstory as to why the vacay:
Maggie patted her hand and smiled. "I was like you, in a rut. I decided that I needed a leap of faith, a great adventure to pull me out of my complacency. So I'm going to Qawi to be personal assistant to the ruling sheikh of the whole country," she added. "How's that for a leap of faith?"And Gretchen is tagging along because hey, vacation! They do plan to split up; Maggie to go on to Qawi and Gretchen to return to Texas.
"I hope you know what you're doing," [Gretchen] added. "I've heard some scary things about Middle-Eastern Countries and beheadings."
"Not in Qawi," Maggie said easily. "It's very progressive in culture, with an equal mixture of religions which makes it unique in the Persian Gulf."
There's some more backstory on Maggie and her helpless love for her foster brother Cord, but if you want to know more, too bad! This book is about Gretchen. I had to accidentally stumble across Maggie and Cord's book and I have never found it again. Until today. Hooray, Amazon!
* Diana Palmer seems to have a thing for Texas and Texas Rangers. See also her Long, Tall Texans series.
** Yep, he has his own book too.
So.
Shall I continue on with this?
You all get to suffer through it.
Fair warning to the gents; it's a romance novel. I may well go through some of the porny bits. Anyway. This will be less a liveread and more a "Puck finds things that entertain/amuse her in this book and is sharing them with you, bullshit and brilliance. Probably mostly bullshit."
On with the show!
(For the record, this book was published in 2000. So several parts of this are pretty dated, especially where flying is concerned. There's also a blessed lack of Islamophobia, though there may be some fetishisation going on. Not quite sure.)
Lord of the Desert
Diana Palmer
From seduction in the royal sheikhdom to
high adventure in the hot Arabian desert comes a breathtaking
love story by international bestselling author Diana Palmer....Sheltered small-town girl Gretchen Brannon was out of her element when she aligned herself with Sheikh Philippe Sabon, the formidable ruler of Qawi. They came from different worlds, yet she fond a soul mate in the power, sensual man who'd suppressed his passions for far too long--and harbored a secret anguish. Nevertheless, he made the virtuous young woman aware of her own courage...and, in turn, she aroused his sleeping senses as no other woman could.
However, now that Gretchen's heart belonged to the Lord of the Desert, danger loomed when she became the target for vengeance by the sheikh's most diabolical enemy. In a final showdown that would pit good against evil, could love and destiny triumph...?
So apparently the publisher thinks this takes a swing into fantasy or something.
Chapter One
...Gretchen was now wide-awake and eager for Morocco, land of camels and the Sahara desert... Having actually been to Morocco, L. O. L. Oh, Gretchen, you naïve little girl.
Several hours and a fascinating snack meal of Middle-Eastern delicacies later...Remember the days when you didn't have to fly first-class to get food on your flight?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Among the interesting customs of the flight were the distribution of traditional Moroccan foods and free newspapers in an assortment of foreign languages to travellers, and the apparently routine custom of applauding the pilot when the plane landed safely....nope, not ringing any bells.
...Diana Palmer, I am not sure calling Casablanca a mecca was really that great of an idea. So you know.
She frowned as she looked out the window. "I don't see the Sahara."
"The Sahara desert is six hundred miles from here," their driver said, glancing in the rearview mirror at them. "Tangier is a seaport on the Mediterranean, mademoiselle."I really want to know what's going through his mind. I will take suggestions!
"And maybe see the kasbah," Gretchen added dreamily.
"A kasbah," the driver corrected.
"There's more than one?" Gretchen asked, surprised.Gretchen. Baby. Was it just too hard to go to the local library and check out a book on the area?
Aha, and here is the part where we get some backstory on Our Heroine.
Short rundown; she's an assistant in a law firm in Small-Town Texas* who has had one really bad relationship. Her ex disappeared on her after her mother's death, when he discovered there was no inheritance. This is the only serious relationship she has ever had. She is also A Virgin. I will not be holding that against either her or Diana Palmer, seeing as said ex was a complete douchebag.
Also, her older brother is named Marc** and was a Texas Ranger.*
And now for some backstory as to why the vacay:
Maggie patted her hand and smiled. "I was like you, in a rut. I decided that I needed a leap of faith, a great adventure to pull me out of my complacency. So I'm going to Qawi to be personal assistant to the ruling sheikh of the whole country," she added. "How's that for a leap of faith?"And Gretchen is tagging along because hey, vacation! They do plan to split up; Maggie to go on to Qawi and Gretchen to return to Texas.
"I hope you know what you're doing," [Gretchen] added. "I've heard some scary things about Middle-Eastern Countries and beheadings."
"Not in Qawi," Maggie said easily. "It's very progressive in culture, with an equal mixture of religions which makes it unique in the Persian Gulf."
There's some more backstory on Maggie and her helpless love for her foster brother Cord, but if you want to know more, too bad! This book is about Gretchen. I had to accidentally stumble across Maggie and Cord's book and I have never found it again. Until today. Hooray, Amazon!
* Diana Palmer seems to have a thing for Texas and Texas Rangers. See also her Long, Tall Texans series.
** Yep, he has his own book too.
So.
Shall I continue on with this?