Review (PDF) The Panther And The Pearl
25,000+ downloaded in 10 daysThe American Beauty: When an innocent excursion to Constantinople took an unexpected twist, Sarah Woolcott found herself a prisoner in the harem of young and virile Kalid Shah. Headstrong and courageous, Sarah was determined to resist the handsome foreigner whose arrogance outraged her-- even as his tantalizing touch promised exotic nights of fiery sensuality. The Turkish Prince: Never had he encountered a woman who inflamed his desire like the blonde Westerner with the independent spirit. Although she spurned his passionate overtures, Kalid vowed to tempt her with his masterful skills until she became a willing companion on their journey of exquisite ecstasy!* * * * REVIEW: by Patricia S. (edited for space)"Oh no, not another blonde sold to a pasha story!" Well not exactly. This book is more like Katherine Hepburn meets Spencer Tracy in a harem. If you like books where there is a clash between intellectual equals, I strongly recommend this one.Sara Wolcott is a Boston school teacher visiting her cousin James in Constantinople during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. Sara is curious about life in the royal palace, and she becomes a temporary tutor for one of the princesses. Sarah accompanies the Princess Roxalena to a state dinner in honor of a local pasha, Kalid Shah. Kalid, upon seeing Sarah, is smitten and makes the corrupt Sultan an offer he can't refuse. Sarah is sold into Kalid's harem. She is plunged into the lavish opulence of a strange world, but Sarah is determined to resist its luxury and the charms of the man who claims to own her.Kalid Shah is the product of a Western mother and an Ottoman father. He has a British public school and university education, is an enlightened despot. Khalid is used to getting what he wants, so when he sees Sarah, he summarily buys her. But he is determined to woo Sarah into accepting her new position as the ikbal, the favorite. Despite his best efforts and to the astonishment of Kalid and the palace staff, Sarah refuses to be won over by his charm, her envied position as the favorite, or the fabulous riches at her disposal. She feels Kalid views her only as a pretty possession instead of as an independent woman who deserves the right to determine her own life.Sarah is forced to rely on inner strength, intelligence and an occasional right hook to hold her own in a situation unlike any she's ever known. Her humor, guts and grit win her the admiration and respect of those in the palace as she thwarts Kalid at every turn, even while she falls in love with him.Handsome, witty and charming, Kalid has never had to work to get any woman he wants. She is an enigma to him, a woman who demands equality. Initially attracted to her beauty, he finds himself fascinated with her mind and relishing their battle of wills even as she drives him toward the cliffs of insanity.But it is the climactic confrontation that makes this book a keeper for me. As their marriage ceremony takes place, information that Kalid tried to suppress to keep Sarah with him is revealed and Sarah learns that maybe Kalid hasn't changed his views on women. Did I devour this almost 400 page book in one sitting to find out? The answer is definitely yes.The secondary characters are just as wonderful as the two leads. There is Kosem, Kalid's 82 year old grandmother, Memtaz, Sarah's servant, who isn't happy unless Sarah is wearing enough finery to cover the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, Achmed, the khislar who is as baffled as his master, and a cast of thousands who have never seen any woman quite like Sarah.In the best Hollywood style, wry one-liners fly as two determined wills spark against each other. The period detail is convincing without being distracting and the action goes to the wire before Kalid and Sarah can make admissions and compromises to achieve the "happily ever after" ending they deserve. I urge you to grab some popcorn and settle in for a wonderful time
File Size: 2422 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Gypsy Autumn Publications (April 24, 2012)
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B007XH6JIU
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #30,769 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #2 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Regional & Cultural > Middle Eastern #1715 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Historical Romance #1944 in Books > Romance > Historical
The Panther and the Pearl was a fun book to read, I loved the exotic setting of 1800's Persia. The book starts with the hero, Kalid, buying Sarah, an American woman from the Sultan after he sees her just once in her role as a teacher to the Sultan's daughter. Sarah is of course not happy to have been sold to someone she doesn't know even if he is handsome and rich. Kalid knew that Sarah was the woman for him at first sight, so he did what he needed to do to have her as his own. After she is brought to his palace, she is placed in his harem as the new favorite. Kalid wants Sarah to come to him willingly, so he sets out to seduce her. But alas Kalid underestimates just how stubborn Sarah will be because although she is very attracted to him, she cannot get over his buying her and placing her as a prisoner in the harem.The book goes through the very tempestuous courtship of Kalid and Sarah after their unusual start of him buying her. I really enjoyed this story, the setting was very interesting and I felt Kalid acted as a man in his position would have but he never abuses her in any way or forces her - he wants her to fall in love with him and stay with him of her own accord. Sarah manages to stand up for herself and show Kalid what she needs from him if they are going to make a relationship work, which is great to see because Kalid has such a strong will that he would have run over someone who wasn't as strong as Sarah. If you like exotic settings or sheikh books, I highly recommend this book!
It's a keeper. I love the stories about the shahs and Ottoman empire.There are times that I think, for a women, it would be nice to have someone else "take care of everything".But, alas, I for one would probably not have survived this culture for an entire day. It's the mouth you understand. I would not be anymore able to adjust than Sarah.But, ahhh, what a fantasy. To have such a man so totally obsessed with you that he would be willing to part with almost anything to have to you. What woman, especially those who read romance, wouldn't long for a little bit of that.I loved. I recommend it. Yes, I agree its not the usualromantic approach but is a sigh a minute one.
I was absolutely thrilled with the accurate historical details of this story. The romance was beautiful and built with such finesse that I was blown away. I will be reading more from this author and am so glad to have found this book. I can definitely say the readers are in for a treat!
This is one of my favorite books. Khalid is a man of the times... it was the late 1800's in Turkey. Sarah is smart and curious and that of course leads to trouble. To our fortune, and Sarah's, Khalid desires more than just a pretty face. This story gives only a little glimpse into harem life, a good thing I think, harem life as I understand it in most romance novels is human slavery after all. But enough of my political opinion, its a great story, one to read, and reread several times.
I found this book very enjoyable. Loved the war of wills between Sarah and Kalid. Here you have two very intelligent and willful people trying to out do each other. The clash between their cultures is always a topic of argument between them. It is their love that wins at the end.I found the editing needed to be better. The author jumped from one scene to the next without any transition and it became annoying at times. I gave it 5 stars because the plot and characters were excellent. I did notice that in the sequel, The Panther's Prey, the editing was much better.Overall, it was an enjoyable and enchanting reading.
The overall plot of this story is a man who won't take no for an answer and the so called strong willed woman who falls in love with him anyway. Kalid Shah, a ruler in some mideastern country sees American Sarah and decides he wants her for himself. He kidnaps hers, threatens to beat his servants if she doesn't do what he says and constantly tries to seduce her. This fluffy story is not even a good fantasy. The reader will not understand even after Sarah escapes, why she would have any feelings for the hero. Even up to the last page he is obsessed to the point of madness.The love scenes are so-so and not even the secondary romance had enough power to make this book interesting. Skip this one.Katiebabs
Normally I don't read free books on my kindle but I was bored and in the mood for some exotic romance. I can say that I was not disappointed by the author's writing style. I couldn't stop reading once the main characters met. The beginning was a bit slow for my taste but it picked up really fast. I really like stories that have two people despise each other but then they slowly fall for each other. I think anyone who likes reading about mysterious exotic males will appreciate the romance blooming between the main characters. The ending was also what I was hoping for. I haven't bought the sequel because it doesn't sound as good, but someday I might. After quickly looking at the book's buy page I see that it is no longer free, but I can say that it's worth the small amount of money!
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