The Sheik and the Slave – Nicola Italia

Katharine Fairfax is a high bred lady who enjoys a privileged life as the youngest daughter of Lord Fairfax. But when she rebuffs an older man’s insulting proposition of becoming his mistress the man decides to exact a most frightening revenge. Katharine is kidnapped from her comfortable home and family in England and taken to Arabia where she is sold to a powerful sheik. Sheik Mohammed Aksam Al Sabid is captivated by Katharine from the first moment she is brought into his audience chambers by two Arab pirates. He pays an outrageous sum for her and intends the white woman to join his harem. But Katharine demands to return home. When the sheik denies this request - a clash of wills begins. While each struggle with their emotions, Katharine falls under the Arab's spell in a world of sand and heat. Mohammed is equally bewitched and decides that he will have no other woman but Katharine and ultimately disbands his harem to start a new life with her. But there is someone within the sheik’s palace who does not want Katharine as Mohammed’s wife and will stop at nothing to tear the two apart.

This book contains:

Rape
Slavery
Physical and emotional assault
Domestic and family violence
Murder
Gambling addiction.

Katherine Fairfax is our leading lady. Born and raised as the daughter of a Lord, she’s expected to make a good marriage and have children. Instead, her father educated her and nurtured her strong will and determination that she channels into avoiding marriage for now.

Sheik Mohammed is our leading man and rules his household well. While he’s a man of his country, religion and time; he’s forward thinking enough that he isn’t offensive to our modern Western expectations and sensibilities. While he comes across as too controlling and manipulative at times, those traits are balanced out by his love, care and devotion to his household.

Katherine finds herself on her way to Arabia where she’s sold to Sheik Mohammad after refusing multiple proposals from English Lords. While working in Mohammad’s harem, she finds herself inextricably drawn to him in ways she can’t explain. As Mohammad’s infatuation grows, we see our story play out across both Arabia and England.

I’ve read a few different books by Nicola, and I can honestly say that I can clearly see how her writing has developed over the years. The first book of hers I read came out around the same time as this but was more of a romance than an erotica so was fairly clean, and the style is more in line with her writing in her newest books.

However, in this book, I found it to be much cruder, the changes between points of views were more difficult to identify and process and the way it was put together was much more immature than her current writing.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book. I did!

I just found it jarring at times and a stark contrast to her current books. Which is bound to happen as writers produce more books. Their early books will almost always feel quite different to their newest books (especially when they’ve been writing for a decade or more!).

So while I enjoyed this book, if you prefer writing that’s not as harsh, this one probably isn’t for you. But some of her later books may be more your style.

The Sheik and the Slave – Nicola Italia

Want more like this? Check these out.

Of Night and Dark Obscurity – Nicola Italia

A Widow’s Vow – Rachel Brimble

The Runes of Destiny – Christina Courtenay

The Sheik and the Slave – Nicola Italia

Want more like this? Check these out.

Of Night and Dark Obscurity – Nicola Italia

A Widow’s Vow – Rachel Brimble

The Runes of Destiny – Christina Courtenay

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