Captive

Book Description

"The haunting song of a distant era calls the beautiful graduate student to her subject, the enigmatic Captain Blackwell.

Across the centuries, she is drawn by an inexplicable passion into a realm of mystery and danger--to be imprisioned in an opulent world of harem intrigue and sensuous slavery.

And now Blackwell is with her--patriot, privateer, heroic commander of the U.S. merchantman the Pearl--the dream, the desire made achingly real. Imperiled captives of fate, they are united by a power far greater than time--and by a passion that could destroy them both . . . or forever change the course of history.

Customer Reviews:

Book description.......2005-07-25

While working on her master's thesis, an inquisitive graduate student stumbles across the story of a 19th-century New England sea captain who was slaughtered by pirates. The student finds herself transported back to the Barbary Coast of 1802 where she hopes to prevent her beloved sea captain's tragic murder. From the author of Beyond Scandal.

An Engaging Time Travel.......2003-10-19

I read this book when it was first published, and reordered it as my original copy has disappeared. Reader's reviews on this book were mixed: the most obvious flaws in the book are that the heroine is a scholar on naval warfare, but seems to be incapable of putting this knowledge to use when she finds herself transported back in time to her favorite period in history, and her overuse of the expression "ohmygod!" But, remember, when you read a time travel you are suspending your disbelief anyway, so I wouldn't let that keep me from reading this fine swashbuckler! The book is fast paced, has a fine secondary cast of characters, provides interesting historical details and exploration of a time and place (the Barbary Coast in the era of the famous pirates -- early 1800s) that is generally ignored by romance writers. To paraphrase what another reviewer wrote, the fact that the heroine is very human and and doesn't always know what to do in a given situation, and frequently makes incorrect decisions just makes her more endearing to me. If you like your heroines and heroes to be perfect, this is not the book for you -- but if you don't mind some rough edges on both, and want to try a different time period, I think you will enjoy "Captive."

An incredible love story!.......2003-09-21

This is one of those books I keep on my bookshelf and after I've read a few stinkers and need a good read, I pick it up and read it again. I've read this book several times because I know I'm in for a good read. It was my first time travel I've read, though I've only read a few, and it is also one of my favorite all time historical romance novels. I am unable to put it down when I read it and it seems to get better each time. A truly wonderful love story between Xavier and Alex. Read it! You won't be disappointed.

Awful.......2003-06-23

Ovewrought, melodramatic characters, an annoying and none-too-bright heroine that is supposed to be independent, intelligent and a scholar of nineteenth century American naval history, sex scenes that don't pack a whole lot of heat...yawn... The hero had potential, though, although what he saw in Alexandra is beyond me.

Overall a good read.......2003-01-23

This book was enjoyable enough to keep your interest, but Alexandra's "ohmygods" do irritate sometimes. Alexandra falls in love with Xavier before she even meets him and gets to know his personality. Time travel books usually don't intrigue me, but this one was good. However, during a time of slavery in Tripoli, Alexandra did not use a whole lot of sense and did not think about possible consequences to some of her escapades. I was disappointed to find out Xavier continues to think she is a spy. I plan to read the sequel to find out if he changes his opinion and find out more about her handsome servant in the harem, Murad, and his descendent (possibly?), Joseph.

Average customer rating:

Sexy!

The Harem (Club Fantasy)
Melissa MacNeal , Noelle Mack , Celia May Hart , and Emma Leigh
Manufacturer: Aphrodisia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0758215304

Customer Reviews:

Sexy!.......2007-01-04

THE HAREM contains four erotic romance novellas and each story has its own twist on the Harem theme. "The Secret Door" by Noelle Mack has a slight paranormal element where the heroine--a lonely odalisque--unveils a hidden garden overseen by a mysterious golden-hued man.

In "The Pleasure Garden" by Emma Leigh, the shipwrecked heroine finds herself at the mercy of a handsome Englishman who must teach her the ways of Tao lovemaking in order to prepare her for the emperor.

In "East Meets West" by Celia May Hart, the half-Indian, half-English heroine has been trained in the erotic arts in preparation for the Maharajah. Escorted by a charismatic lieutenant neither one can deny their overwhelming passion.

Author Melissa MacNeal takes a slightly different approach with the Harem theme in "A Lady's Pleasure." Recently widowed Ophelia Leeds discovers that her late husband captained an elaborate ship fashioned to entertain all his wealthy friends' sexual desires. Intrigued by the escapades detailed in a hidden journal, Ophelia sets out to make a Harem of her own.

Each story revolves around a theme of forbidden passion, but my personal favorite is MacNeal's "A Lady's Pleasure." Sexy and fun this novella lightens up the mood and still makes you squirm in your seat.

Average customer rating:

Not exceptional...
OK book, but not recommended
Sexually Suggestive!
Historical Fiction--but a fine bit of fiction
Curl up with this one! A lovely read

Harem Girl: A Harem Girls Journal
M. Saalih
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0595313000

Book Description

HAREM GIRL is, at its heart, an engaging and erotic love story.

Sapphira, beautiful and assured, tells in unblushing and sensuous detail of her journey through life, briefly as an innocent young girl in Tunisia, then as one of eleven slave girls in an Arabian sheikh's harem, where her life changes utterly. Shamelessly, she reveals the sheikh's secrets of exotic lovemaking, and writes down all in her journal, her every thought, fear, and pleasure, with pressing frankness.

There is much to learn before she is “called” to her Master. Eunuchs train and instruct her in every facet of the art of pleasing a man.

…“on one hand, I looked forward to knowing these things, yet on the other, I was aghast at the way I had to show myself and the distasteful things I might have to do. It thoroughly unnerved me to realize that I must know a man in these ways—a man I scarcely knew”…

Her description of life in the harem is compelling and moving, recalling a level of lustful debauchery, submission, and decadence unimaginable today, but completely believable in the era in which it is set…and we are like the “fly on the wall” to watch intriguing, romantic, and sometimes wretched events unfold.

Download Description

HAREM GIRL is, at its heart, an engaging and erotic love story.

Customer Reviews:

Not exceptional..........2007-05-04

This book was...ok. Definitely a beach read.

The back cover led me to believe that it would be an incredibly sexy and a delicious read. While it was sexy in some parts, it also lacked for believeable characters, had a tiresomely predictable plotline, and lacked for any real excitement. It was an easy and fast read however, good book for poolside or if you're sitting bored in an airport, pretty mindless.

OK book, but not recommended .......2007-02-24

"Harem Girl" was an easy read and some of the details of the harem life were interesting (ie- how the women come to desire their "master" and dress/act/pose in ways to attract his attention; the piercing ritual; the punishments and rules of the harem), however the story of how the author came to be in the Harem was so contrived and unrealistic, as was the master's sudden desire to set all his slaves free towards the middle of the book- such a complete role reversal and ideological shift simply could not take place in a matter of a few weeks. Additionally, the author tried way too hard to make the book overtly sexual and it just didn't work.

If you have an interest in what Harem life may have been like I would recommend Debbie Taylor's "The Fourth Queen" which is much less contrived and much more realistic.

Sexually Suggestive!.......2006-09-25

This is one of my favorite books. It is very sexual and in good taste. There is much to be learned about the human desires and how to stir them up! I have read this book 3 times and will definately read it again!

Historical Fiction--but a fine bit of fiction.......2006-07-03

Harem Girl is historical fiction. The author took pains to get the details right, but the word "harem" stems from the Arabic word "forbidden" and many of the details remain forgotten secrets. It isn't as if there was an official harem manual that the harem owners followed--the man who owned a harem was rich and politically powerful enough to do as he pleased with little hinderance from the law. In many cases, the harem's owner WAS the law! Slavery was officially outlawed in Saudi Arabia during the 1960's, finally, but unofficially harem slaves are still rumored to exist throughout the world.

I have no way of verifying what is fact and what is fiction in Harem Girl, so I enjoy it as fiction. Anti-slavery activists and feminists won't read this book, which is a pity--they'd learn something that could help their cause of equality for women. But this is a work of erotic fiction, nothing more.

That's enough.

Curl up with this one! A lovely read.......2005-12-12

I was at first a little concerned about the subject matter and whether the author had fallen into that oh so commom trap of writting pornography as pretense for erotisism. But not in this novel. Saalih has done a masterful job of writing tastefully and titillatingly about what inevitably has very sexy content and context - life in an Arabian harem - and I have no compunction whatsoever in wholeheartedly recommending this book. Read it with someone you want to undress!

Captive of the Harem (Harlequin Historical)

Average customer rating:

Captive of the Harem by Anne Herries (Large Print Historical Romance)
Sheesh
RAVISHING ROMANCE

Captive of the Harem (Harlequin Historical)
Anne Herries
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0263173267

Customer Reviews:

Captive of the Harem by Anne Herries (Large Print Historical Romance).......2005-10-05

Description from the book back cover:

She belongs to him ... Sold to Suleiman Bakhar after being taken prisoner on the high seas, Eleanor Nash is fearful of what will become of her. The all-powerful Suleiman will not allow her to leave Constantinople, while Eleanor is adamant that she will not willingly become his concubine. To Eleanor's surprise, Suleiman's open to Western ways. The glimpses of the sensitive man behind the awesome public image tease and tantalise her - and his seduction is increasingly hard to resist.

Ottoman Empire ... capture, treachery and passion ...

Sheesh.......2005-02-11

I wonder how old the other reviewer is? I demand a little depth & dramatic tension in my romance-novel reading...bad enough to still be reading books with titles like "Captive of the Harem" at my age, but after all! One deserves a little break now & then...

Actually, despite the two stars, this isn't a horrible book; it has some fresh points. The plot is a "typical" one -- innocent English girl kidnapped into a Sultan's harem -- but, the hero, despite his attraction to the heroine, restrains himself from boinking her immediately, they TALK, and LEARN from each other, and actually form a friendship. [Well, the friendship IS heavily laced with their thoughts of mutual attraction, but then it wouldn't be a romance novel without THAT, would it?]

And at least the hero is untypical in that he's been confined by his father's wishes to remain close to home, and he can't travel, educate himself & broaden his horizons as he longs to do. And Eleanor, the heroine, is not without depth either. But there was nothing to raise this novel above a pleasant few hours reading; nothing memorable or moving. I knew once I'd finished it, I wouldn't want to read it again. So, a reluctant, but deserving, two stars.

RAVISHING ROMANCE.......2004-11-03

THIS BOOK IS GREAT. IT HAS PASSION, JEALOUSY, TRAGEDY, INTRIGUE, AND EXCELLENT PLOT.

Alone In My King's Harem (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga)

Average customer rating:

Alone in My King's Harem
Very cute...
Very good
DMP has yet to disappoint me
My first Yaoi: Fair

Alone In My King's Harem (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga)
Lily Hoshino
Manufacturer: Digital Manga Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1569709378

Customer Reviews:

Alone in My King's Harem.......2007-07-22

This was a huge mistake. I never should have bought it. It's not yaoi, it's not even good mushy romance or fantasy. When boys look like girls and have crocodile-tears in their eyes all the time it just doesn't do it for me. Girls don't become boys if they're referred as "he".

Very cute..........2006-11-17

I loved this manga. I thought it was very cute. No it isn't yaoi, with all the hot steamy sex, but there's romance between guys, and it's adorable. The art is very beautiful as well. It's a collection of short stories, and yes, most of the bottoms (uke) look/dress like girls, but hey, that's not a problem, right? Either way, it's cute, and I would recommend this to anyone.

Very good.......2006-07-28

When I bought this, I had no precise expectations, which is always good for when you read something. What I got was beutiful stories about love in all it forms. Loving someone who has forgotten you, loving someone who you cannot be with, and so on. It isn't what you'd call dirty, so if you're looking for dirty stories about bishonen then go somewhere else. But the stories are very beautiful reading.

DMP has yet to disappoint me.......2006-04-12

i got this book b/c i've loved every single one of the other DMP books i'd read, even though i'd read the other reviews. yes, the long-haired and otherwise completely feminine characters are a bit of a turn-off if you're expecting boy on boy action, but for people who have a cross-dressing[...] and for anyone who is interested in exploring that realm this book is perfect. this was the first DMP book that extensively featured fantasy elements (such as a fairy queen, a fantasy kingdom, and a magical circus), which i enjoyed. what makes this worthwhile for me though is the artwork, which is some of the best i've seen and which fit the stories perfectly. (the freedom of the drawings and layout reminds me of clamp's clover series if that gives you an idea.) the masculine guys are drawn well also. if you're looking for a strong story with strong characters then you should def. try some of DMP's others (like the popular -only the ring finger knows-), but if you've read all the others and want to try something different this is def. worth getting.

My first Yaoi: Fair.......2006-02-23

The first thing I thought when I saw this: WOW!! It's pretty big. This is my first yaoi, so I don't know if all yaoi are this big aside from regular mangas.

What I thought of the cover: Uhhhh...I thought this was yaoi. Most yaoi has a pic of two guys on the cover, but I thought that 'lady like character' on the cover was a woman. Come to find out, Lily Hoshino actually made most of the Ukes in this manga look like women with flat chests and long hair. I did not like this type of uke design. I mean its just so..."transvestitish" lol. The only time the uke wasn't girl-like was the last story, which is pretty smutty and dirty. Meaning they have the most action.

What Caught my Attention: What caught my attentiuon was the good story idea in the first piece, 'Alone in my king;s Harem'. Not only did I continue this story because it caught my attention in all the sex scenes, but most of the stories are actually pretty interesting.

What I liked: I liked/loved, the story Adventures of a Canary in this book. It was great the way a human 'boy'(canary is the uke, which looks like a girl)was portrayed like a canary all caged up by its owner. And how the boy had a beautiful voice that juno (oure seme and hero) couldn't resist it. It was pretty retarted at the end of this section when he just got kicked off the ledge by the canary owner, but the next part made up for it when canary jumps off after him not knowing that he can't fly until his hair (i think it was his hair) turns into canary wings. Its just a beautiful tale b/c the live happily ever after at the end. I also liked the dirty 'just sex' scenes at the end of the book. The last story contains hardly any plot, but makes up for it in smuttyness. Like I said before this is the only story where the uke isn't rediculously 'transvestitish' (lol i live the use of that word). The last story I liked, was the shortest one, Night Circus. Even though its almost less than 7 pages long, I stil enjoyed it. It had no sex in it and the outcome of the story just made me feel mushy, because this is the story about a boy who has love for the lion, Kika. (Just read it an you'll see how it makes you mushy)BTW it has no sex in it.

What I didn't like: Like I said I didn't like the uke design, my least favorit story is the Sea Bed of Night, b/c the two main characters were just retarted to me. Also there was too much side-narration and random thoughts by the uke, Lullus.

Overall: Iguess this yaoi would be considered "fair". But overall if someone obsessed over wanting to read it, I'd say, "Dude, it's not all that great. Have you read Brother?" BTW that's what i'm going to read as my next yaoi manga. I bet it will be 10 times better than this one.

Average customer rating:

Bad, bad book
Slightly ridiculous in places
A multicultural adventure
A fascinating story

The English Harem
Anthony McCarten
Manufacturer: Alma Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Harem Girl: A Harem Girls Journal

ASIN: 1846880009

Book Description

Supermarket checkout girl Tracy Pringle has a very lively imagination indeed. In front of her, as she blip-blips herself into a daydream, walk past not boring housewives with screaming children or tired office clerks, but the likes of Lord Byron, Lawrence of Arabia and Princess Leia. It comes as no surprise, then, that she turns a blind eye when Her Majesty herself pops a packet of Mr. Kipling's Bakewell tarts into her handbag without paying. Obviously, the management sees it differently, and Tracy is given the sack on the spot and forced to find herself another job. But nothing can prepare her for the new life that awaits her at the Taste of Persia restaurant, where she is flung headlong into a clash of cultures, languages, dinner plates, religions and a rather tricky domestic arrangement...

Customer Reviews:

Bad, bad book.......2006-07-19

The English Harem started out well - Tracy seeing Literary figures in her supermarket customers was delightful, but that proved to be the only highlight of this disaster. I am always astounded by writers who manage to personify the opposite gender well, making their characters completely believable, but this author is hopeless. One wonders if he knows any women at all. Remember, he is supposed to be writing about Western women agreeing to be part of a harem (where the second wife is taking on the man who accidentally killed the love of her life!!) -really, what is their motivation to do this? The book is a long, drawn-out male fantasy, with glaring inaccuracies about Islam as well. It is a bad straight-to-video movie of a book; the author needs to get out more, meet some real people and some real muslims.

Slightly ridiculous in places.......2005-12-06

I really can't say I enjoyed this book much, and finished it more in the name of morbid fascination than general interest. Its a promising subject matter that could have been interesting, but instead was dealt with in a slightly ridiculous and melodramatic way which left no room for character development or further exploration of the key ideas. It would have been nice if the writer had gone deeper into Sam and his East-West conflict, or the real reasons behind Tracy's obsession with exoticism. Yes, there were points where I wanted to know what would happen next but I was mainly counting the pages to the end, where things turn out to sadly resemble a made-for-video matinee film.

A multicultural adventure.......2005-03-11

A young London working class girl becomes one of three wives of a middle aged Persian. Superb characterizations; funny; touching; a novel about goodness (in a totally unmawkish way) in the midst of lack of understanding and (for a few pages) of unbearable wickedness; full of unexpected developments until the very last page.

A fascinating story.......2003-10-21

It's a story about a twenty-year old girl who works as a check-out for Sainsbury. She compensates for her dreary job, by spending her days daydreaming about celebrities. It is no surprise when this daydreaming gets her fired. She found herself without a job, but determined to change her life she fights her way into a waitressing job at the Taste of Persia, a vegetarian restaurant ran by a 50 year old self-exiled Iranian.

It's a fascinating fantasy where modern London lifestyle meets that of the more old-fashioned and conservative style of Iran. It offers a gentle introduction to Muslim religion and tradition. I found it very entertaining and enjoyable.

The Romance of the Harem (Victorian Literature and Culture Series)

Average customer rating:

A Victorian woman looks at life in a Siamese harem
A great, romantic novel.

The Romance of the Harem (Victorian Literature and Culture Series)
Anna Harriette Leonowens
Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0813913284

Customer Reviews:

A Victorian woman looks at life in a Siamese harem.......2001-09-19

The introduction to this book is as interesting as the book itself. Anna Leonowens remains a controversial character. The truth of her stories is questionable, her own biographical information may have been selectively edited or changed to reflect a more genteel background than Anna really had. Was she, in fact, an Anglo-Indian? Much scandal surrounds her still.

This book is the source, along with her other book The English Governess at the Siamese Court, for Margaret Landon's better known work Anna and the King of Siam. This book has the story of Tuptim, the concubine who was executed for running away, disguised as a priest. It is written in a typically Victorian elaborate style, so can be heavy going for some people. However, if you are curious about Anna herself, this is a must-read.

A great, romantic novel........1999-07-13

Mrs. Leonowens is a fine writer. Though most of here stories have been debated whether they were true or not, it reads as a good book if not a historical novel. Ms. Morgan gives a lot of backround to the author and book and unviels an amazing truth about Anna Leonowens. I like the book because it was like a small door to the world of yesterday that is dead with only a faint memory behind. I also like storiesof history.The book is heavy like most Victorian novels I've read. It takes longer than most but worth the effort. In this copy we see a picture of Anna Leonowens herself. If you enjoyed this you ought to read Anna and the King of Siam.

Average customer rating:

:0)
Excuse a male for being confused
Intense
Coulter Historical Romantic Fiction
Book Description

Devil's Daughter
Catherine Coulter
Manufacturer: Large Print Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1587240343

Book Description

Devilish romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Golden-haired hellion Arabella goes to Naples, Italy, to solve the mystery of her father's missing ships and cargo. But soon she discovers that the man behind the thievery is a man she can't resist.

Download Description

Golden-haired hellion Arabella goes adventuring to Naples, Italy, to solve the mystery of her father's missing ships and cargoes. But soon she discovers that the man behind the thievery is an enemy from her father's past. A man she shouldn't love--but can't resist.

Customer Reviews:

:0).......2006-07-08

I am just starting to read Catherine Coulter's novel for sometime now and I thought this one was pretty good. What I like about it the most is that she's telling 2 stories in one about the brother and sister but its mainly about the sister. WHAT i also like about her books is that she gives great details in the beinging of the book and doesn't jump right into the story, I loved Adam and Rayan story, also Arabella and Kamal and the great details she gives for both stories. I got angry when Arabella did laugh when she did and dislike kamal when she did and fell in love with him when she did THATS how you know your reading a good book when you feel what the the 2 people are feeling where your understanding his point of view and her point of view.. The book is very good you might read a couple of bad reviews but its that 1 or 2 review that is good that is going to make you want to buy this book...go for it I think you will love this book.

Excuse a male for being confused.......2006-06-13

If women so loath being treated like dirt why do they read so many novels in which the main male character treats his women this way?

I ask myself this question when reading this novel and a number of other romances.

She is basicly abducted from her home and given to this guy who mistakes her morals due to the lies his mother has given him. He treats her like dirty cloths. He tosses her into his harem to be kept as a slave. He thrashes her. He ravishes her. He treats her like dirt.

Eventually they fall in love.
The twists in this one are really interesting.

Still, do women actually enjoy being treated like this?

Intense.......2006-03-28

This story is a sequel to the most violent Catherine Coulter book ever. Devil's daughter Arabella is the daughter of the Earl of Clare, who years ago kidnapped and raped her mother because he was infatuated with her. Her mother eventually fell in love with her father and gave him two children, one of them Arabella their rebelleous daughter. This is Arabella's story. She is kidnapped by a former rival of her mother's and sold into a harem in an Arab kingdom. Her master is half Arabic/Italian and quickly finds out Arabella will not be submissive. This book has some very brutal violence as well, but the chemistry between the two characters is so intense, that the hero will give up all others for her. She is eventually freed but still chooses to stay with him.

Coulter Historical Romantic Fiction.......2005-10-07

If I like the way an author writes, I give that author's genres, other than mystery, a chance. These stories have become boring. I am going back to her FBI and crime fiction. Her plots are still fine there.

Book Description.......2005-07-26

This book comes after "Devil's Embrace" and is about their son and daughter. The in print version has been RE-WRITTEN.

Escape From the Harem (Harlequin Presents, No. 938)

Average customer rating:

Escape From the Harem (Harlequin Presents, No. 938)
Mary Lyons
Manufacturer: harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Harlequin Presents | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0373109385

Average customer rating:

Flight from the Harem (Masquerade)
Janet Edmonds
Manufacturer: Harlequin Mills & Boon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0263771490

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