Reviewed by Desere
I know this author as Susan Stephens one of the very best and certainly most extraordinary Harlequin Presents authors.
And anyone who knows me will know that I am a major big fan of contemporary romance reads and that the Harlequin Presents books are more in line with what I prefer to read, and yes occasionally the odd erotica too. But this read is a historical erotica and am no major big fan of historical reads simply because I don't have the background knowledge of the time periods and the this outfit and that , not that I have never wanted to learn I certainly do, but I have more than one bad experience where the author is giving such an overload of descriptive info into the historical part of the read that I as reader feel lost and like a intruder into the lives of the characters. So instead of wanting to get lost in their world I want to get out as soon as possible!
In this book it was however not the case, the author as I mentioned has created some absolutely brilliant Harlequin Presents reads over the years and has time and time again blown me away with her level of deep emotion and sparkling writing brilliance, take that and add in a magical setting , which would to the non historical lover would sound boring , but in actual fact is totally romance perfection, mix in some hotter than the desert sun erotic nights and you get two reads that will blow your mind!
The year of this book is 1527, so of course as I mentioned before I get all uncomfy when I see the historical part but knowing that it is always good to keep any open mind when reading I kept going and I could not have been more delighted, I was so addicted to this read that it was as if I was Celestina and I wanted to remain in the world the author had created. Not once did I feel lost or like I was intruding into a world where I most certainly don't belong.
In the second read we get to learn all about Celestina and her new life with the Sultan at her side and in her bed and everywhere else for that matter, I did say she has an insatiable sexual appetite, not the mention that the Sultan cannot get enough of her! But being Queen of the Sultan has it's disadvantages too, being married to the land's most fiercest warrior brings her directly into the line of fire. She is tested by her people and her enemies and yes of course by herself, because as we all know when life dishes out the challenges for you to pass a test you learn a lot about yourself and thus start testing yourself in order to see just how far you are able to go. But facing up to the challenge can either destroy her if she let's it or make her a true warrior queen.
A side from both reads being so super magical with settings and historical elements that just made me wish I could climb into this book change my name to Celestina and forget I ever lived in 2014 and instead live the amazingly hot and delicious new adventure Celestina finds herself in, the reads had that perfect emotional meets super hot balance that I have come to love from this author's Harlequin Presents books, of course this being an erotica read it was double the spice and twice as hot!
Both reads had a message that is an old one but a good one, all of us are warrior's of some kind. At first glance it might not look like it to anyone from the outside but on the inside there lives a special kind of person. We might not even know it yet because the challenge as not yet arose to bring the special out. But the fact will always remain that somewhere deep inside ourselves that person is alive and well and ready to come out and fight in order to walk away from any challenge as a winner, the trick is to not go running when that person is ready to come out. Don' t tell yourself this is not me! I should leave now before I get into deep. Life is trying to unleash the real you, don't ever fight it!
I highly recommend this read for all fans of erotic delights! The book has the perfect balance of sexual hotness to make any reader's toes curl and the right amount of emotion to make you feel so connected to the characters that just as me you will want to be the characters ! This author is remarkable in every way, whether she writes fun, flirty and emotional Harlequin Presents or hot and sexy erotica's she knows how to capture your attention, keep it all the way and in the end deliver the perfect read into a world of romance escapism!
5/5 star review
" The student becomes the master and emerges into a warrior queen fit for any battle"
