Crowned at the Desert King's Command

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By Jackie Ashenden

Publisher Description

From desert captive to convenient queen!

The borders of Sheikh Tariq’s kingdom are permanently closed—just like his ironclad heart. After rescuing lost archaeologist Charlotte from the desert, he can’t let her go. And when he requires a bride, their mutual desire compels Tariq to crown Charlotte as his queen!

Innocent dreamer Charlotte thought passion was for other people—until Tariq proves how deliciously wrong she is! The pleasure of their marriage bed makes her feel alive. But the intensity of her connection with Tariq makes Charlotte feel something infinitely more dangerous…

From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

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3 Reviews

3.0

Estie

Created over 2 years ago

Created almost 5 years ago

“4.5 stars This was another great read from Jackie Ashenden, and I enjoyed the ride she took me on as I was reading this book. It was a very pleasurable reading experience, but I think what surprised me the most about this story was despite the fact the story wasn’t overly dramatic or overly angsty, I was totally into it. I usually want angst, and I crave it, but with this one I didn’t need it, and I was enjoying myself and the journey I went on with Tariq and Charlotte. The first thing that really drew me into this story was the very descriptive language that was used at the start of the book where Charlotte was lost in desert and experiencing heart stroke. It was very evocative, and it felt like I was right there in the desert with her as she was experiencing heart stroke and dehydration. Then later on in the story when Charlotte was seeing Kharan for the first time between the cell, the city, and palace. There was just so much descriptive language, yet didn’t overwhelm. It was just enough. The descriptions were absolutely beautiful. It was easy to see in minds eye. I will admit that it did take me a little bit before I warmed up to Tariq and Charlotte as a couple. Despite the fact that they were butting heads because she entered his country (where the borders were closed to the outside) illegally, I didn’t quite feel the sparks in the beginning. It wasn’t quite an interesting cat and mouse game as it could have been. The attraction between them was more subtle in the beginning, and I wasn’t feeling it. Until they got to the dinner scene where Tariq made his intentions known of marrying her and blackmailing her with her father’s freedom. Then sparks really flew after that. It was moment where she decided to fight back and give to him even though he was king, and it was really entertaining to watch. That was where it clicked for me that they would work as a couple. I liked them together. And that strawberry scene was sexy that it brought anticipation to a new level, and I loved it. Then the story really took off from there, and they had quite a few steamy moments that showed off their attraction to one another, the sparks that flew between them, and the pull they had to each other. I loved it. It was so good. That first kiss scene in the baths, oh my goodness. It was steamy in more ways than one. Plus it was fun to see her spar with him, which just increased all type of anticipation and friction between them. Again love that. It was an amazing scene. As for the love scenes, what I loved about them, besides being majorly steamy and sexy, they were surprisingly emotionally intimate on both sides. They not only craved the physical pleasure between them but also craved the emotional bonding between them. It was from both of them. After having lonely childhoods, they both had needs that hadn’t been filled back then, but could be filled with each other because they both understood what they lacked, mainly love. Both of them described it in the scenes of the connection that they had with one another that they never had before. It was a need that only each other could fulfill in each other. Tariq even described it as him not being able to breath for all this time until he was intimate with Charlotte then he felt he finally could. It was similar for Charlotte though she said in a different way. I loved that so much and thought it was beautifully done. What impressed me a lot about the story was how emotional intimate they were while not in the bedroom while experience all those physical pleasures along with the emotional ones. It was right after their first time in the desert when Charlotte was wrapped in a blanket, and he’s besides her and they are just talking. It was really sweet and lovely, and really showed them being emotionally open with one another with their past baggage. It made them understand each other better, but it also got them to bond on another level. It was just really eye opening. It just showed how their relationship was changing and growing now that they were man and wife. I loved that. What I didn’t realized at least at the start of this story was this had loosely resembled Beauty and the Beast , which I was all for. It just hit me near the end when Charlotte’s father got sick, and she wanted to return to his side to take care him. It got me thinking that this had Beauty and Beast vibes the whole time. The way Charlotte bartered her own life for her father at the beginning. The whole isolating of Tariq’s country and by extension Tariq himself, which resembled the beast’s castle and the beast. The tortured vibes of Tariq and the Beast were similar. So, knowing that these vibes were in there and really well done that I didn’t even realize it until the end was just amazing and made me adore this story even more. This was the second Jackie Ashenden book that I have read from the Harlequin Presents line, and it won’t be my last. I have a feeling she is going to be a favorite author of mine in this line. Thus far that I’m pretty impressed with her and her Harlequin Present entries. I liked the Spaniard’s Wedding Revenge a little bit more than this one, but overall it was really good, and I throughly enjoyed myself while reading it. I found from reading both of these books that I have been on quite a journey right along with the characters, which makes for a really amazing reading experience. The flow was really nice. The story was compelling that I was sucked in from the get go. Ashenden made me not care that, at least this one, wasn’t overly angsty. I love my angst, but it didn’t matter in the case because it was so well done. I felt like I wasn’t missing anything, and I had a complete experience. I still got the feels that I want to get, which is why I like angst because angst makes me feel so much, and there were great intimate moments both physically and emotionally. In fact I was really impressed how much intimacy was present in this story. When I have intimacy, and it was done in a very satisfying manor then the lack angst didn’t matter, the fact that hero wasn’t an a**hole didn’t matter, the fact that there weren’t all these dramatic misunderstanding between the couple, didn’t matter. As long as there are those emotional intimate moments between the character, that’s all I want from a romance. The building of intimacy in romance is what the most compelling part and my favorite part of romance. Jackie Ashenden did that so well, and I applauded that. It’s what is going to make her love her and her stories if she keeps on doing just that. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next in the Presents line. It didn’t hurt that there were some really steamy moments in there as well. I can see myself reading this book again in the future. Highly recommend for Presents lovers.”

Meadowsweet

Created about 5 years ago

About Jackie Ashenden

Jackie writes dark, emotional stories with alpha heroes who've just got the world to their liking only to have it blown wide apart by their kick-ass heroines.She lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with her husband the inimitable Dr Jax and two kids. When she's not torturing alpha males, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, wasting time on social media, or forced to mountain biking with her husband.

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FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?