The Sheik and the Runaway Princess

by Susan Mallery

Book Overview

The Sheik And The Runaway Princess by Susan Mallery released on Oct 25, 2001 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373244304
• ISBN13: 9780373244300
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Silhouette Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.3" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

From a desert storm......fire, passion and love

Princess Sabrina Johnson storms out of the Bahania palace; angry with her father who had betrothed her to someone she didn't even know. As she never had a relationship with her neither father nor brothers and felt left out of her family, she decides to go in search of the City of Thieves and its supposed treasure. While being trapped in a desert storm, she is rescued by a stranger who makes her his slave. Unbeknown to Sabrina, this man is Prince Kardal Khan (her betrothed) and he finds her foolish and believes what he has read about her, that she is a spoiled and promiscuous American. However, all Sabrina's ever wanted out of life is to belong instead of being shuffled and ignored by her American mother and father, King Hassan of Bahania. As they journey to their final destination, the Princes' home, she finds out that not only is he a Prince, but the Prince of the City of Thieves. He makes her his slave and allows her to stay and study the treasure within the walls of his palace. As their story unfolds, they both learn so much about each other, and Prince Kardal realizes that Sabrina is not the spoiled person he thought she was but a lovely woman and a virgin as well. Sabrina is captivated by him, frightened of her attraction to him as she realizes her duty is to her father, country and future husband. She also learns that Kardal was raised without a father and even though he is close to his mother, and adored his Grandfather who raised him, he does not believe in love but hopes for a marriage of respect and heirs. When he finds out that his father is King Givon of El Bahar, everything becomes complicated and he turns to Sabrina. Their story becomes one of fire, passion and complications. Sabrina feels also betrayed by her father who does not come to rescue her and Kardal who she learns has made a bargain with her father that she will be Kardal's wife. There are many twists and turns to this story but in the end yet another wonderful addition to the Desert Rogues series, tying in the kingdoms of El Bahar, Bahania and The City of Thieves. Book Summary: When half-American Princess Sabra (aka Sabrina Johnson) is kidnapped by Prince Kardal Khan while searching for the legendary City of Thieves, she soon realizes that his heated touch makes her body betray her recklessly. She doesn't want to feel cared for in her captor's tender embrace. After living a lonely life, rejected by her father--King Hassan--and treated dismissively by her mother, all she's ever wanted was someone to love her. But falling for the sexy Sheik, otherwise known as the Prince of the City of Thieves, was simply out of the question! The virile Sheik didn't consider kidnapping Sabrina an act of theft; he was claiming what was rightfully his. Unbeknownst to the fiery beauty, she had been betrothed to be his wife!

Challenges to being royal and overcoming it to find love...

This book had a good beginning and end but gets a little too slow in the middle. It has some good twists & turns to keep you interested in the story. Prince Kardal and Princess Sabra meet each other under unusual circumstances and get off to a bad start with each other. Although he knows who she is immediately she has no idea who he is and Prince Kardal keeps her in the dark about their betrothal throughout most of the book while they go through a series of misunderstandings.Prince Kardal is ruler of a mythical secret city called the "City of Thieves" filled with stolen treasures from many countries around the world. Princess Sabra is the daughter of a King from a neighboring nation to the City of Thieves that works closely with Prince Kardal. She was raised in America, after her parents had a disasterous short marriage, with her mother and only spent summers in the palace. Her half brothers and father ignore her because they assume she is a wild woman without morals just like her mother which isn't true. Princess Sabra's father arranges a marriage with Prince Kardal without her consent and when he tries to tell her the details she gets so upset that she runs away to find the mythical city she's always dreamed of finding. The story begins with him finding her lost in the desert. He decides to play a game with her and make her his slave while keeping her in the City of Thieves. Once they start to get to know each other things pick up but when Princess Sabra tells him she loves him he doesn't respond back so she runs away again. In the end he admits how he feels with the help of his mother, her father (who he tells off for neglecting Princess Sabra all her life) & his father (who has ignored him all his life.)

Great fun! Very highly recommended

When he discovers the woman wandering alone in the desert following a sand storm, Prince Kardal Khan recognizes her immediately as Sabrina Johnson - otherwise known as Princess Sabra, King Hassan of Bahania's only daughter. She's everything he expected: willful, difficult, and spoiled. She's also his fiancée, as marriage has been arranged to promote an alliance between their people. Trapped between tradition and progress, Kardal struggles with modernity while still respecting his people's ancient ways. His assumes that his proposed wife neither respects the ancient ways, nor lives the exemplary western life he would prefer. Unfortunately, he's bound to her just the same. But she obviously doesn't know who he is, and Kardal prefers not to enlighten her right away.Sabrina had been certain she could find the City of Thieves when she left the palace alone. Raised in California with her mother, she'd spent summers in Bahania, supposedly to learn the ways of his people. But her father ignored her, as did her brothers when they weren't teasing her unmercifully. Sabrina can't help wondering if the desert troll she's supposed to marry wouldn't be preferable to being tied and blindfolded by this desert kidnapper. She's stunned to learn their destination is the legendary City of Thieves. Shocked by the city's water supply and impressive castle, she's even more startled to learn that her captor is none other than Kardal, the Prince of Thieves. Opulence surrounds her, and if Kardal has it way, decadence as well. After all, her antics in California are well documented, and it's never occurred to him that she truly might be an innocent. Susan Mallery creates fabulous fantasy material in THE SHEIK AND THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS. The characterizations are at once outlandish and believable. The fiery heroine finds the prince of her dreams, despite slave bracelets and an unearned poor reputation. The sexy hero's path to believing in love proves to be impetuous, challenging and absolutely delightful as he goes from finding Sabrina lacking, to wanting her with all his heart. Indeed, Kardal plans to "tame" the princess; he grows to appreciate her instead. With an interesting plot and fabulous characterizations, THE SHEIK AND THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS is a keeper. Very highly recommended.

A variation on the sheik theme

This story is about a sheik (duh) an American-raised middle-eastern princess, and a lost city. When Princess Sabra set out to find the lost City of Thieves, and prove to her father that she had a brain and knew how to use it, she got completely lost. Prince Kardal Khan rescued her, and took her as his slave, locking her away in the same hidden city that she had been seeking -- without telling her that her father had engaged her to him, as was long-standing tradition between their countries.The characters in the story are fascinating, and it's very nice to see them both from the same basic culture. Both characters come to understand each other through Sabrina's captivity -- then Kardal's father comes into the picture, further binding them together. Maybe not earth-shatteringly spectacular, bit the story was defintely a keeper. Mallery did a good job with this one!