LynneC’s Review of The Sheikh’s Sinful Seduction (Seven Sexy Sins, Book 2) by Dani Collins
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 1 Mar 15
Cool title, huh?
This book is by one of Harlequin’s newer authors. In fact, it occurs to me that in the past couple of years Harlequin Presents has taken on quite a lot of new authors, the older ones either leaving of their own accord or being rejected. I do know that Presents has had a rough couple of years, trying to reinvent itself in the light of the “Fifty Shades” phenomenon and the decline in sales of the paperbacks, but Dani Collins was a bright spark in this.
This series, “Seven Sexy Sins,” is supposed to reflect the seven deadly sins, and this one is lust. However, you could easily read it without knowing that, as apart from a few mentions of the word, lust isn’t really part of this story, since they fall in love early on. There’s no rampant goings-on, and the hero is so considerate of the heroine that it’s obvious that more than lust is going on between them right from the start.
Dani Collins is a good writer, who edges into the purple occasionally with delicious results. This is a solid entry into the Presents line.
Fern is a shy redhead with a severe lack of confidence. While I could just believe that she would attract the attention of a desert sheikh, I do think her shyness is a tiny bit overdone, although there is one touching scene, a turning point, when she stands up for somebody else and averts a possible disaster, unwittingly seeding some good for her. Her character development is an enjoyable part of this story.
Zafir is a green-eyed sheikh whose mother is the daughter of a British duke and whose father was the King of a desert kingdom. Although he’s alpha, there is a bit of beta in him, enough to make him interesting. He’s neither one thing nor the other. His parents never married, because his father didn’t want to bring his mother into danger. But couldn’t he have married her and left her in Britain? Especially since this solution is suggested for Zafir and Fern.
Zafir and Fern’s meeting, and the way they find their way to each other, is touching and the most enjoyable part of the book. Her decision to hide her pregnancy from him lost a lot of my liking for her. I’ve always believed that the father has rights, too, certainly to know that he has fathered a child. Whatever the consequences, Fern has no right to do that to him, and I think he should have been angrier than he was. I don’t buy the explanations she gave. It wouldn’t have been fair on Zafir’s intended bride, who was just a plot point to separate them.
The other part is that at the end of the book it seems to be assumed that Zafir will inherit the dukedom from his grandfather, through his mother. No, just no, on three counts. For the vast majority of peerages in the UK, especially in England, only male heirs can inherit. No peerages can be inherited by illegitimate children. Peerages can only be inherited by British citizens. Since the Presents line is a London-based line, this flaw is a bit surprising to read, unless editing has become so light as not to notice fundamental errors like that.
So the lack of research in that area annoys me, and, yes, it does mar my enjoyment of the book. “Synchronicity” doesn’t mean what Dani Collins thinks it means. She means “synchrony.” This seems to be a common flaw, and I’ve read it in various books this year.
The desert part I enjoyed, because there is a little more detail, but I really would have liked the inheritance thing sorted out. Maybe, as a historical author, I expect too much.
Grade: B
Summary:
Ruled by duty…
A king among men, Sheikh Zafir cannot allow emotion or feelings to color his judgment. His carnal desires must be curbed for the sake of peace in his kingdom. But his control is tested by the feisty Fern Davenport; Zafir must have her.
Driven by desire…
Innocent Fern Davenport tries to resist the sheikh’s skillful seduction—she knows that he could never marry her. But under the blistering sun an incendiary thirst awakes, and one incredible night results in a very lasting consequence.
Now this sheikh must claim his heir and his bride!
Read an excerpt.
