The Sheik's Arranged Marriage (Desert Rogues, #2) (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Nope. Couldn't do it. This rating is based on reading 20% of the book. Maybe the first and second chapter. I tired. I seriously tried to continue with this series but I can't. Here we meet Heidi, who dreams of translating the slowly disintegrating ancient texts at the palace. Unfortunately for her the King, and his mother Fatima, have decided she's perfect for the middle Prince Jamal. Heidi doesn't want to marry but apparently according to the King (and Fatima), Heidi has to be married in order to be happy. She needs kids. The King said so several times though there's never really any indication that Heidi, herself, wants kids. She's 25 and has just completed a degree and 2 years at a finishing school. She's begun to suspect that Fatima and the King may have been plotting to toss her with one of the Princes for a little longer than she thought. What with the whole grooming her for the guy by sending her away from the only place so loves and making her go to school and a finishing school before allowing her to finally come home and do what she's dreamed of doing. Why can't I finish this book? It's simple: I don't want to waste my time on characters that are assholes or spineless.We've got two people of power, the King and his mother Fatima, who know that they mean a lot to Heidi. She lost her parents and her grandfather, leaving her dependent on the King and Fatima for affection and roots. Her one and only dream is to translate the texts. She feels beholden to both of them for their love and support, and knows that the King can easily bar her from her dream job. She tells them several times she isn't interested in being married yet. She's not ready. But they know, and she knows, that she can't say a firm no because of obligation and guilt.The Prince also knows she's not interested in marriage. He's a mixture of spineless and asshole (I'll get into the latter in a bit). He can't say no because he's a prince and he knows what his duty is blah blah blah. He, too, tells them no. He tells them she's not interested, he begs them to find someone else for him to marry, but no. It has to be Heidi. Then he brings up the point that these two idiot matchmakers have screwed up twice. Both he and his brother were married to women that these two were sure had to be great matches. Both failed miserably. What the hell makes them think they can pull this matching thing off? What the hell keeps Jamal from growing a pair and telling his father that he's already had one arranged marriage, if the man insists on creating another for him, he'll leave. Jamal has stock market skills. He's in charge of making the family rich. He could very easily do the same thing on his own and leave his home also putting the whole money making for the kingdom in jeopardy and maybe using that as leverage to get his father off his back. But, instead, he puts Heidi and himself into a place that neither of them truly want to be in. Neither can say no, so he is forced to ask her to marry him knowing the outcome will be that he and she are now trapped by family obligation and guilt into an arrangement that could potentially screw them both out of happiness. Now, he's an asshole because he and his brother Malik have a few great conversations (and thoughts) about how horrible Heidi dresses...which interestingly enough they consider spinster like but I'd say it sounds pretty damn close to how Dora from the first book The Sheik's Kidnapped Bride had to dress in order to keep from being seen as slutty. Fatima is described several times as wearing form fitting suits by Channal. She sounds stylish. Dora never sounded stylish. She sounded like she was wearing clothing that covered her neck, her wrists and her ankles. She sounded like she was from some sort of religious sect. Which is amusing because Fatima is the one with the antiquated notions. Shouldn't she be covering her body in ill fitting clothing so no one lusts after her and then blames her for causing them to think dirty thoughts? Or has she earned the right to wear nice things because she's old? Anyway, Heidi is wearing the same sort of clothing as Dora did, but apparently she's a "spinster" and should be wearing clothing that is a little more form fitting. Sort of screws the whole first book over. Should I take this to mean that in their culture a woman who is married should dress conservatively so as not to reflect poorly on her husband, but a woman who is single should dress nicely so as to entice a man and not make him think she's a dried up spinster? Sort of like how women can't be happy unless they have a husband and family :P Anyway the asshatedness continues as the brothers make a wager. After mocking the hell out of Heidi, the two place a bet that Jamal won't kiss her on the lips. There's really no reason for this bet other than being juvenile jerks. Jamal, of course, goes and kisses her. His thoughts reflect on how she wasn't that ugly, she could be prettied up a bit with the right clothes and makeup and while he didn't find her attractive, he found some of the things she did cute. Honestly, he basically toys with her emotions for a bit because he has a bet to win. Both he and his brother spend a great deal of time tearing her down because she isn't dressed stylishly or wearing makeup. Jamal assures his brother and the reader that she could be pretty! If only she pulled herself together. I just can't. There's just too much stupid shit in this that makes me angry. I can't read the rest of the book and be happy. I just don't think there's an outcome that could make any of the stuff mentioned above alright. I worry this will be a big makeover sort of idea, where she's made "pretty" and therefore loveable and worthy of Jamal. That, after having been forced into marriage and manipulated by these people-- who openly admit that they recognize Heidi's deep-seated need for a home and paternal affection and who are willing to use her fear of losing those things from them if she denies their life changing demands--, she will ultimately come to the understanding that they were right to make these decisions for her because she could never ever ever have grown to love Jamal without their intervention. Isn't that a novel concept?! Let the two work in close quarters and fall in love naturally if you're so bloody sure they'll love each other. Why force their hands and marry them so quickly? Anyway, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the story goes in another direction. I'm just not going to read it to find out.
OMG, I wanted to punch the heroine in the face for the entire book. The hero....I liked. The heroine....a total dumbass. I find it hard to believe that she is supposed to be this brilliant college graduate, but she has NO CLUE about sex. I can buy her being a virgin, what I can't buy is her not really understanding how Tab A fits into Slot B. I liked the book enough to keep reading and I will continue with the series, but I will punch kittens if there is another heroine that is this effing stupid.
What do You think about The Sheik's Arranged Marriage (Desert Rogues, #2) (2000)?
Again, I looooooved this book....except for a teeny tiny detail.... (view spoiler)[I really didn´t like Heidi´s reaction to Jamal telling her he knew all along about her being Honey, that was silly and way too used. (hide spoiler)]
—Francis
Man-shy American Heidi McKinley winces when the king himself insists she marry--and make heirs with--his sinfully sexy royal son! For Prince Jamal was a legendary lover, an expert on erotic intrigue. Whatever would he see in serious-minded Heidi?Plenty! Up to his crown in gold-digging bubbleheads, Jamal is secretly enchanted with the sweet and studious virgin. So why was homespun Heidi donning silken disguises and posing as siren "Honey Martin" to seduce him? And how could Jamal hope to choose between a bold, brazen "mistress" and a bashful, blushing bride?I thought Heidi was a bit of an introvert compared to Prince Jamal. Not only was she a 'studious virgin', but she went to an all girls school, hung out with studious girls in college, and finished up her studies at a finishing school. She only dated once, and got drunk on 'delicious coconut' drinks. The only reason she wasn't raped, was because she thru up on the guy. Now tell me, how would a girl like this co-habitat with a Prince. Not tack on the fact that he was married before, and his wife died in an auto accident. It was a cute story even in spite of her lack of. This one got a 4 star.
—Barb
I'm sorry to say this, but not even SM's writing could save this book for me. Jamal was OK, but his decision to hold his silence when he clearly knew Heidi had misconceptions about him made him look stupid, not cool and distant. Heidi, oh Heidi... I didn't like her at all. She was unbelievably innocent, to the point of being totally ignorant about sex. I just couldn't buy the idea of a modern, 25-year-old woman who had had the best education possible being so clueless. And her scatterbrained plan to seduce Jamal was idiotic at its best.So there you have it: I didn't care for either Jamal or Heidi, hence I didn't care for their story. 3 stars is the best I can give.
—Dina
