Rating: 
Summary: Great, Engrossing Story
Review: I almost didn't try this one because I get tired of the overdone woman imprisoned in a harem storyline. But Bertrice Small makes it work with her great writing style and attention to detail. She does a fabulous job of describing the life and customs of the muslim culture that I felt like I was right there. She does a good job of balancing the history and way of life back then with the romance. The Love Slave is definitely intended as a sort of erotic romance, but Small skillfully weaves a story with these scenes. I hate when authors get so wrapped up in writing sex scenes that they forget that they actually need to write some kind of story also.The only problem I had with The Love Slave is some of the descriptive words used when writing some of the love scenes. Words like "love pillar," "mound of venus," and "love juices" are unnecessary and ruin the erotic moment they are supposed to be. Other than that, this was a great book. It's my first story by Bertrice Small, and I intend to read more by her.
Rating: 
Summary: Kind of disappointing
Review: Used to real romances, (ie: Penelope Williamson's) I was looking forward to this book, especially after all the rave reviews. Well, sure, there's a lot of sex. And more. And more. I really don't understand how the wilfull, spirited young heroine (in the beginning) could turn into such a person. The focus of romance is supposed to be on Karim and Regan/Zaynab- or isn't it? They claim to love one another so well, yet the only scenes between them was of sex. And I don't believe love can be based on sex. Their love just wasn't believable. I found the caliph with the impossible name a much more likable character. It was not a really boring book.. but it wasn't something I enjoyed greatly. And, whatever did happen to Regan's sister Gruoch? No mention whatsoever? What happened to the all-so-important seeming revenge on the father. (well, at least to Gruoch) Well, to repeat myself. I was disappointed. I also have 'Hellion' which I hope I'll enjoy more. I feel reluctant to pick it up.. a rare thing.
Rating: 
Summary: BEST BEATRICE SMALL BOOK EVER
Review: LOVE SLAVE IS MY NUMBER ONE FAVORITE BEATRICE SMALL BOOK! FROM THE BEGINNING, THE ACTION IS FAST AND ONE FINDS IMMEDIATE EMPATHY WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER. I HAVE GIVEN THIS BOOK TO SEVERAL FRIENDS AND THEY ALL SAID THEY COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO THE UNIQUE SITUATIONS FACED BY THE MAIN CHARACTER AND TO WHAT SMALL DOES BEST- PUT A WOMEN IN A SITUATION WHERE SHE IS HELPLESS AND HELP HER STRUGGLE HER WAY OUT AND FIND LOVE. THIS BOOK DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. MY FAVORITE SCENE IS IN WHICH THE MAIN CHARACTER IS KIDNAPPED FOR THE SECOND TIME AND MUST TALK HER WAY OUT OF BEING RAPED BY THE INFIDELS.
GREAT ACTION!
Rating: 
Summary: Really dissappointed
Review: When I read the reviews I thought I was gonna read about a hot hot romance between Zainab and Karim....Unfortunately this book was not a romance. It focussed entirely on the heroine. Karim was there only in the begining of the book and then towards the end of it. While the love scenes were quite ok, most of them were with Zainab and other guys, which I didn't appreciate. In fact I was quite happy when I finished the book and stared reading The Lady's Tutor by Robin Schone....Now that is what I call an erotic romance.
After reading The Love Slave, I have not bought anything by Ms Small as I feel she she dosen't write an erotic romance centred on the H&H (which I like), she writes more about the sexual experiences of the heroine and focusses only on her(which I absolutely do not like)!
Rating:
Summary: a wonderful ending
Review: this book was really touching! it is the moving story about a girl who never got the chance of experiencing love and belonging during the most vulnerable years of her life. when she finally finds love it is for a steep price! it is not hers for the taking!the story takes different turns and our heroine faces more than her share of challenges....but ultimately true and pure love prevails in the end.regan and karim are united forever! if you are a sensitive reader with a lot of empathy ,,,this book is for you!
Rating:
Summary: Good but...cliffhanging!
Review: This is one of my favorite books from Bertrice Small -- I've read practically everything she's written. She got a lot of things right with TLS: the strong bond shared by twins, dysfunctional family life, exotic locales, eroticism, soul mates, and the enduring power of a love that cannot be dissolved. But the absolutely frustrating thing is that we never learn whether or not Sorcha MacDuff's well-thought-out plans of vengeance ever come to full fruition. Regan/Zaynab is whisked out of Scotland, and we never again see this land or any of the Scottish characters. What I don't understand is why Regan/Zaynab didn't return to her homeland years later to visit her sister and find out whether or not their mother's hoped-for revenge ever materialized. The most heartwarming aspect of the book is the reunion of Regan/Zaynab and Karim against the most impossible of odds.
Rating: 
Summary: So fake!
Review: First of all, I'd like to say that I have nothing against erotic romances. In fact some of my fav authors are Susan Johnson and Nicole Jordan who write really erotic stuff.
But this novel had such an utter lack of characterisation that I was bored out of mind after the first few chapters!
Even the so called 'erotic' scenes were a complete turn off. If you cannot feel anything for the primary characters, reading the steamy stuff becomes a bore, like reading the Penthouse letters or something. People looking for erotic romance should try Brenda Joyce's earlier works or the authors I mentioned previously.
AVOID THIS ONE.
Rating:
Summary: Hallow Love Story
Review: Regan MacDuff is thirteen when - to protect her non-virgin twin sister- she takes Gruoch's place in her wedding bed...Whisked away to a convent, it seems like prayer day in and day out is what her future holds. Fate has other plans. Regan will become Zaynab, a Love slave, the most skilled of courtesans.
I'll start off by saying that I'm giving this two stars because it's obvisiou Bertrice Small put a lot of effort into researching this period and the Muslim culture, but that's really all I can say for this story.
My first problem with The Love Slave was the characters. There are some genuinly interesting conflicts that could have done much for the book except for the way the characters are presented to us. Small keeps the reader and the characters at arms length instead of letting us get really close to them. After four hundred pages I felt no closer to Zaynab than I did on page one.
Zaynab doesn't have much depth because she's as perfect as a Barbie doll. She's the most gorgous, most sensual, smartest, maturest, wisest, bravest, kindest woman to ever live. She always knows what to do and it's always the right thing. Every one who meets her worships the ground she walks on except the villians and even their hatred of her feels half-hearted. She's able to learn languages, music, and love slave stuff with no difficulty, and she never ever feels in a bit of vulenablity or fear. As a result of her being so perfect, and Smalls writing style as mentioned earlier, most of her emotions come off as trite and paltry, like how she claims to love Karim more than any of her other doleful worshippers. We never see any evidence of this when said scenes with Karim are playing out but she says so 100 pages later.
Sure, whatever you say, Zaynab.
The other characters aren't much better drawn. The villains are dastardly, Zaynab's lovers adore her, and the servants are most loyal bunch ever assembled.
.... Technically, Regan/Zaynab has 6 parterners. Now I don't mind a more mature heroine, but 6 men in four years is not the kind of thing I want to read in a romance novel, espeacially since Small is so graphic when it comes to sex. Is it tittilating? Nope. It's funny and disturbing. The prose are so purple that you'll need sunglasses to protect yourself from the ultraviolet light they pratically emitt and had me laughing out loud several times. The only thing that Zaynab feels with any earnesty at all is lust, and she feels it often since that is the main focus of the book, at least that's what I thought.
Rating:
Summary: lush historical titillation marred by violent content
Review: I'd read Bertrice Small's great Skye O'Malley series when I was in graduate school, and seeking an escape from the news and nonfiction, I decided to read something light -- and what better well in which to dip my ladle than Ms. Small's, who I remembered as being a good storyteller and a fine writer with an interest in historical accuracy. I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the book. It met all expectations, and I pampered myself by taking bits of time to read Regan MacDuff's adventures. She is an intelligent and resourceful young woman, and I liked her and her friend Oma. The story was not a disappointment, making me laugh with its outrageousness even as I quickly turned the pages. Regan is the youngest of the twin daughters of newly widowed Sorcha MacDuff in AD 929 Scotland. Sorcha is driven by a thirst for revenge that will change her daughters' lives. Favored Gruoch will become the lady of their ancestral lands as well as the major lands adjoining, but her legacy comes at the price of Regan's virginity, as Regan takes her twin's place on her bridal night to prevent the groom from knowing Gruoch is not a maiden. Soon, with an heir coming, Regan is in the way and to prevent her from ever giving birth to a potential rival heir, she is sent to a distant convent to spend the rest of her life. Within hours of her arrival, however, she is raped and sent off to a slaver with other girls victimized by the sadistic Mother Eubh, including her future companion Oma. The man who buys her finds her so exquisite that he is going to have her trained by a legendary Passion Master and then presented as the centerpiece of a parade of priceless gifts presented to a powerful and influential caliph. And that's just the first 50 pages (of 400)! From there, things were not as strong. There were a lot of exciting sex scenes, but the romance of Zaynab and Karim was two dimensional. You could see why they admired each other, but other relationships were more complex and interesting than this one. But what I was most disturbed by was the violence, and to me it's amazing that even those who are critical of the author's efforts here have not even mentioned it, whereas I would go so far as to say it ruined this book for me. I can enjoy brutes and naughtiness right along with the next person when it comes to reading a romance, but there is some disturbing violence here, a suicide, graphic torture and the death of children. I need escape from my escape literature! C'mon, Bertrice, lighten up! I also would have liked to have some closure on the Gruoch storyline.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Had Hoped
Review: I was expecting a powerfully erotic story. What I got was a lot of wonderfully descriptive passages of scenery and costumes. The scenes of Karim teaching an abused innocent the secrets of passions should have been lush and moving. They ended up being rushed and almost cold. The passion between these two people was all consuming and should have been written that way.
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