LynneC’s review of In Defiance of Duty by Caitlin Crews
Contemporary Romance published by Mills and Boon Modern 1 May 12
I wanted something different, and I got it. This book stands out above most of the books I’ve read recently, because Crews either dares, or is allowed to, do something different. I’m still not sure this book is a romance, but I think with this one she scrapes through, because although the H/h are married and in love at the beginning, and married and in love at the end, they do go through a journey and earn their happy ending.
Kiara is a woman with a successful career, helping her mother run a thriving wine business in the Barossa Valley, and then she meets Azrin. Her world is turned around, because Azrin is a sheikh, a prince, and he is heir to a kingdom.
So far, so expected, but not after that. This story is about how a couple deals with a sudden and overwhelming change in life and if their relationship can survive. But come on, this is a romance, so we know they will. The story is really about how they do it and if it will be complete. Often in these stories the woman will give up everything, get pregnant and settle down to having babies, and that, for me, is frequently a cop-out, even if she’s in a dead-end job doing something she hates. I want to see her grow as well, and I want to see the hero become more and better because of the experience.
This story starts when Kiara and Azrin are playing one of their favorite games, that he’s a stranger picking her up in a bar. They have been married for five years, and they both travel a lot, but they’re happy with their lives. We are left in no doubt in the first couple of chapters how much they love each other and how strong their marriage is. Azrin has married her, and as the only son and heir of the kingdom his father rules, he knows he has to be king one day, something Kiara accepts but they both view as happening in the dim and distant future.
Then it happens. Azrin and Kiara’s lives have to change. Being a queen isn’t something Kiara can do part time, but neither is her demanding job.
At first, Kiara tries to conform, doing as she’s told, going through the coronation, but she doesn’t understand the strain Azrin is under. The potential loss of his father (who is very ill rather than dead) and taking on the reform of his country, trying to bring it up to date, as well as dealing with his new status and his new situation give him little time for anything else. Kiara copes, but becomes increasingly unhappy. She still loves Azrin, but she doesn’t know how she’ll cope with her new role.
I like that the resolution isn’t a miraculous sweep of the wand or that neither party had to give everything up for the other. That never seems right to me, because that person will eventually resent what they give up and maybe use it as a weapon against the other. It will leave one person unfulfilled. By ratcheting up the stakes as far as kingship, the story dramatizes a situation many couples find themselves in and shows how strength of character and actual listening will lead them to the right solution.
This one’s highly recommended.
Grade: A
Summary:
Dare she disobey the King? Kiara Fredrick is living an ordinary life until, one whirlwind romance with Sheikh Azrin and the largest diamond ring in the Khatan desert later, Kiara discovers that not only is she a princess but she’s also become public property overnight. As Azrin stands to take the throne, Kiara discovers that royal life might be enough to destroy their once strong marriage… But Kings of Khatan do not divorce – and Queens of Khatan should know better than to ask… Can Kiara remain defiant in the face of a craving hotter than the scorching desert sands?
No excerpt available.
