Arabian Pearl

Robert St. Clair, the Earl of Grayson, was visiting his friend, Ali who is the son of the Sultan. The Sultan offers Robert a gift, her name is Celia and she happens to be the daughter of the Duke of Rushton. Having been taken captive while on a holiday in Spain, Celia has expected to be given out for sexual subservience, however she never expected the man to be English, handsome or gentle. Even though Robert feels guilty for taking sexual liberties with the young virgin, he knows that he is probably her only way out of captivity. It is both Celia and Robert’s hopes that at the end of his stay with the Sultan Robert will be granted a request to take the young concubine with him. So, for two weeks Celia must play the submissive lover and Robert must take his liberties with her and they must both attempt to keep their emotions separated from the physical acts they are expected to engage in.

Cultural differences need to be kept in mind with this book. In her native country Celia is Lady Celia Davenport, as a prisoner though, she is nothing more than a warm female body that should entertain men at their whim. Robert wants to save Lady Celia but his conscience weighs on him for the way in which he must go about it. Even though Celia is not allowed to speak of her former life, the reader is shown small portions of it through Robert’s recollection of the society pages in which she was a regular feature.

ARABIAN PEARL is book one of the Brothers of the Absinthe Club series and this reviewer is anxious to read the second. The pace of the book keeps the readers attention while not moving so fast as to make it seem that Celia just magically gives in to the lifestyle expected of her. Ms. Wildes has done an excellent job of starting the series off in a way to keep readers coming back for more! She has done an amazing job of melding the very hot and sensual sex with the softer, more caring sentiments of the heroine and hero while not making it feel like Celia has been completely victimized. The tender moments shared between Robert and Celia make the reader dread the inevitable separation as much as the characters.

May 2007