The Sheikh's Last Gamble by Trish Morey

Bahir Al-Qadir is a man who has a past that has troubled him since he was a child growing up in the desert and part of a Bedouin Tribe he learnt a lot from his parents but he was a bright boy so he was sent away to England to study to make something of himself but tragedy strikes and Bahir’s life changes forever. He is placed in the care of a very cruel man and finally leaves and makes something of himself as a gambler and he never loses he has made a lot of money and it very wealthy travels the world visiting many casinos but he never returns to his homeland either it is too hard for him.

Marina Peshwah is a Princess but is very rebellious and does everything she can to not confirm to rules she is beautiful and also travels a lot but when she meets Bahir there is an instant attraction and they have a very sensual affair and when she arrives to see him one day with news he tells her he never wants a family and he then breaks their relationship and Marina goes her own way and settles down but never forgets Bahir.

Years later Marina is the unwed mother of two children and Bahir is asked by his friend to help save the spoilt princess after she has been kidnapped he also has never forgotten Marina even those he has tried hard to, he agrees only to help out his best friend and when they meet again there is no re-kindling of their relationship and they go their separate ways ignoring each other until again Bahir is asked to escort Marina back to her home to keep her safe.

Although not happy Bahir ends up escorting Marina home and the journey is tense but when he meets her son he realizes that Chakir is his son and although he has always said he did not want children he is determined to be a father to his son.

This starts an incredible journey that is both heart-warming and very sensual as they journey back to the place that Bahir lived as a child and has never returned to until this time and when he opens up to Marina you will need the tissues.

This is a beautiful story of re-kindled love and passion of two people opening up and learning about themselves and each other and of secrets being revealed and the setting is wonderful I do love a story about a Sheikh and a beautiful strong heroine. I highly recommend this one and gave it 5 stars, one not to be missed.

Helen Sibbritt

September 18^th 2012 published 

The Proud Wife by Kate Walker

The Proud Wife
Kate Walker

Review by TashNz
5 Stars

My autographed copy of The Proud Wife came down off the shelf yesterday when Kate's Facebook page shared yesterday that the Kindle version was currently free at the AmazonUK website.  I recalled loving it but couldn't remember why until I opened the first page and started reading... not putting it down until the very last page.

Pietro, a Sicilian billionaire Prince of ages old ancestry, summons his ex wife Marina back to Sicily to discuss the terms of their divorce.  Left with no option but an immediate return Marina flies back to the country she once loved much and lost so much.  She walked into the boardroom, armed with nothing but her copy of the divorce settlement... ready to fling the papers in Pietro's face because she wanted noth-ing-at-all!

Seeing Marina again after 2 years hits Pietro hard in the solarplex - bam! It wasn't his choice to end the marriage, Marina left, never looking back.  He thought it was time to wrap up the marriage once and for all but how can he when seeing Marina brings back so many memories, of dampening down his feelings for her, of painful memories buried in the past of the pain they've both suffered when they lost their baby and desperately trying to cool down the heat he feels in her presence.

Sometimes I thought the title of this book should be The Proud Husband because that's what Pietro is, Proud! Proud of his heritage, proud of his beliefs, proud of his country and somewhere deep proud of his wife.  It's some of this proudness he has when he stands tall and decides he doesn't want to let his runaway wife go and he spends the book convincing her what she's throwing away is worth the world.  If I had to be on a team I'd want to be on Pietro's fighting for me.

Marina is broken.  The loss of their baby early on in their marriage left Marina with a broken heart and soul.  She convinced herself when she lost the baby her marriage was also lost.  People grow alot in two years and now looking back (with the help of Pietro) she wonders whether she shut him, locked him out, instead of unlocking herself and letting him in to help her through such a tragic time, and in turn help him through his grief too.  All Marina knows is the longer she spends in his company the harder it is to keep her feelings locked away.

What's great about this book is that all the cards are laid on the table in the first chapter.  The marriage was a whirlwind one, with Marina falling pregnant Pietro rushed her down the isle, he was a Prince after all, his children would not be born out of wedlock.  They were dynamite in bed and a match made in heaven until the loss of the baby. Marina left and two years later she's standing in his boardroom flinging divorce papers at him. The rest of the book is two people who have lost in love battling to find their way back to each other.  It's full of angst, lost love, second chances, dealing with their painful past and broken hearts and the chances of history repeating itself.  There's tons of dialogue and things move quickly.  I am hooked until the last heart-wrenching (in a beautiful way) page.

*sigh* Now I remember why I loved The Proud Wife :)

Published by Mills and Boon Modern 2011
At writing date free at Amazon.Co.UK
Amazon.Com