The Sheikh Surgeon's Proposal by Olivia Gates... QC #288

Reviewed by scoobie on August 2nd, 2008, 6:20pm

by Olivia Gates

Format: Print Books

Series: Harlequin Medical Romance

The Sheikh Surgeon's Proposal by Olivia Gates ~ Mills & Boon Medical
Ratings:
Excellence: Very Good
Steaminess Factor: Yummy

Description & Critique:

Jay (Janaan) Latimer was in Damhoor to discover part of her heritage.  That’s where she came into contact with Sheikh Malek Aal Hamdaan.  The only thing was she had no idea who he was on their first meeting and she held nothing back when she talked to him.  Malek certainly appreciated her honesty.  No one dared speak to him that way.  Eventually, they worked together and spent time together.  Their feelings for each other kept growing as their respect for one another did.  However, there was one major complication.  Malek was the crown Prince and would never be free to choose his wife.  What could possibly become of them?

The love story was very touching.  Our leading man and leading lady were remarkable people.  It would be impossible not to like these two.  Their feelings grew deeper over time and this is something I enjoy in a romance book.  If I only judged the quality of the love story I would have certainly rated this book much higher.

There are a few reasons why I lowered my rating on this book.  Firstly, our leading man and lady were too perfect.  It would be nice for them to be somewhat flawed.  They were too nice and too self-sacrificing.  They are so perfect that they are a little unattainable.  It’s hard to relate to.

Also, I seriously suspect that if I launched myself in front of a boulder to save someone’s life and spent 20 days unconscious or coming in and out of consciousness after having been in surgery, sex would not be on my to do list for a while.  I would assume it would take a while for my body to recover enough to want to share a passionate encounter in which I was a willing and eager participant.  This part made me disconnect a little near the end.  I was really into this book and really enjoying it until this occurred.

Lastly, I find that near the end, the words used to describe the contact between Malek and Janaan get too intense.  Too many declarations, most of which I couldn’t understand because they were in Arabic.  And the words to describe their passion were too intense:  Trashing, launched…  I enjoy reading about a more flowing passion than words like “thrashing” imply.

The beautiful love story is what kept me reading.  It was what kept me from focusing on the disconnect.

Although there were a few things that lessened my enjoyment of this book, I still thought the love between Janaan and Malek was beautiful.

Favorite Scene:

Malek never shared anything of himself with Janaan.  One day, he just broke down as the inevitability of what they were sharing hit him.  He broke down and shared everything with her.  I won’t describe the scene so as not to spoil it for anyone but it was a very touching scene.

Personal Totals:

Harlequin / Silhouette / Etc: 44

Others: 5

Total Books Read: 49

Kel (scoobie)
Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog