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Lord Of The Desert

Lord Of The Desert

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I found it pretty shallow
Review: I got this book based on reviews here at amazon. I found the plot contrived, the characters not very believable, and the writing only so-so. I finished it, so it isn't in the "I can't stomach it" category, but I found several of the twists and turns unlikely, even given the characters as presented. It is not in the same category as books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Linda Howard, Elizabeth Lowell, Suzanne Brockman, to name other authors amazon readers have recommended whose work I found riveting, well-written, and fun.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Lord Of The Ludicrous !
Review: I have to admit, this book did make me laugh. Unfortunately, I'm sure that's not the author's intention.

Our heroine ,Gretchen, has nobly cared for her dying mother over the years. She "wasn't able to date much", and so came under the spell of a cad who ditched her when he found out there was no inheritance. O.k., so far. Then this story turns into "Barbie goes to Morrocco"

Due to amazing circumstances, apparently a lead in for the next Palmer book, Gretchen and her friend decide to switch identities, and Gretchen will use her friend's plane ticket, ( no photo i.d. in the Middle East?)and become assistant to the Sheik of the teeny, but oh so important, country of Qawi.Yeah, right!

We go on to incredible coincidences, several HUGE misunderstandings, and characters who are shallow, immature, and totally unconvincing.

Ms. Palmer manages to use every desert sheik movie and book cliche possible. But that's o.k. because The DESERT SHEIK, LAURENCE OF ARABIA visuals were the best part of the book.

My biggest problem with this book is the writing itself. In one instance, Gretchen's blouse is desribed first as silk,on the next page,"wonderblouse" has turned into cotton.She is descibed as wearing a long skirt, a few sentences later the hero is fumbling with the waistband of her slacks!

I realize that Palmer fans will say I'm nitpicking. But mistakes like this, and I've only mentioned two, tell me that either the author, or her editor, thinks I'm not smart enough to notice!

The wonderful Sean Connery movie THE WIND AND THE LION is mentioned here. You would do far better spending a couple of bucks to rent this movie than to shell out $7.oo for this poorly written, ridiculous book.

This was my first, and last, Diana Palmer book. If it were possible to rate this lower than one star, I would have. In my opinion, it's books like this that give romance novels such a bad time. A complete waste of time and money!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Book, one of Diana Palmer's best Romances
Review: I have truly enjoyed Lord of the Desert, the story is captivating. I first read about Philippe Sabon (the Sheik) in Once in Paris and I became curious about his story. Gretchen and Philippe Sabon also appear briefly in Texas Ranger (Marc Brannon's story) as a married couple. Gretchen Brannon is a great heroine, couragous and with a big heart. And the love she has for Philippe Sabon is so powerful that makes dreams come true! Definitely a keeper!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Girl got it goin' on!
Review: I read this book in one day. It was so good that I couldn't put it down. The romance was there all the way. You had the handsome sheikh and the lovable texas girl. Diana Palmer will definitely be added to my list of good authors. If you want to read about a woman that knows how to handle herself in a dangerous situation, get this book. The women in this book got it made, the men just don't know it yet.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lord of The Desert
Review: I trully enjoyed reading this book, I couldn't but it down. I wish there would be a second part to this story that's how much I enjoyed it. This was my first story read by Diana Palmer and it will definitly not be the last. Could hardly wait to read The Texas Ranger when it gets released.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beautiful book
Review: I'm a Diana Palmer's fan, I like her style, and this story, she adds all ingredients to do a very beautiful book. The characters are strong, well defined, you can't stop to read. You share the emotions, Diana maintains me very entertained since the first pages.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: evil-arch-nemesis-turned-hero
Review: in Palmer's book Once in Paris (one of my favorites) Brianne is kidnapped by her stepfather's partner in crime, Sheikh Phillipe Sabon. But it turns out that poor Phillipe has had a hard life, is only trying to protect his people, and can never...love a woman. Enter Gretchen, a repressed Texan legal assistant who takes her friend's job as a personal assistant to the Sheikh of Qawi when that friend has to rush home unexpectedly. While vacationing in the middle east before traveling to Qawi, she meets a businessman named-you guessed it-Phillipe Sabon. Gretchen falls in love, and Phillipe is charmed by her but wary because he knows he could never do exactly what he wants to do-marry her and have children. They marry anyway-don't they always?-and Gretchen is kidnapped by Kurt, who has escaped from a Russian jail. Phillipe saves her, falls in love with her, and discovers that all kinds of miracles can happen.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Philip and Gretchen Perfect for each other
Review: Lord Of the Desert is a book that I highly recommend to fans of diana Palmer books and also those that may have not read her books. Philip and Gretchen are great characters because she made Gretchen strong, she was willing to stand up for what she thought was good and willing to fight and support Philip because she loved him. Gretchen speaks her mind and isn't afraid that it will shock people. This was great for Philip because he finally found his match. Someone who didn't care about any physical defects he might have and this helped Philip with some residual emotional problems stemming what happened to him nine years previous. Also if you've read the Once In Paris & Paper Rose, Diana Palmer updates you on those characters as well. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's worth the read.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: This book stretches the realm of the ridiculous
Review: Reading the synopsis I expected something a little far-fetched. Blonde american girl is swept away by mysterious desert sheikh and all that. But this book is beyond ridiculous. I could accept the rather absurd circumstances of the plot, but the characters' reasoning and motivation that attempt to move the plot along are so silly and vapid, I was very tempted to put the book down. On top of that, the heroine is just annoying. Why do people assume that "old fashioned values" has to be synonomous with stupid and naieve. The heroine expresses surprise and confusion when an obstetrician reccommended to her is a "woman doctor"! Women in medical school? I didn't know I could do that. And here I have been chained to the stove all these years.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Standard Diana Palmer.....
Review: Recent Diana Palmer books seem to follow a checklist (and this is a re-issue):
1. Heroine/Hero HAS to be from Jacobsville, Texas (a geographically questionable place that seems to be close to both San Antonio and Houston)
2. Have to mention the mercenaries and ex-mercenaries that reside in Jacobsville.
3. Heroine has to be "untouched" or have had a relationship that ended badly (this one has both!)
4. Hero must be an Alpha male that treats the heroine poorly, or uses her for his own purposes (again, this has both).
5. Normally mentions archaeolgy, science fiction movies, and the hero's large feet and cigarette smoking.
I could go on and on. But this one has somethingg most Diana Palmer books don't, a completely ludicrous made up Middle Eastern country. I don't expect much accuracy from romance novel depictions of the Middle East, but most authors at least do more than cursory research in to the language and culture. Many of the errors could have been caught by a mediocre editorial effort (these errors have been mentioned in other reviews). And the use of an "Arabic-Lite" language reminded me of the worst offenses of the Indian romance writers of the
1980s. And to have people refering to Gretchen as "Lady FIL-fil" is ridiculous. Filfil is the Arabic word for pepper-but the accent is usually on the second syllable, or each is equally stressed. I still haven't managed to figure out the significance of the sha-KOOSH (and why it's spelled that way, like U.N.C.L.E.) other than to be some humourously titled bodyguard.


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