Son of the Sheik

Good second chance romance mixed with some exciting suspense. Sara and Talib were a couple three years earlier. Sara made the mistake of telling Talib when her feelings for him grew into love. He wasn’t ready for it and immediately broke up with her. When Sara discovered she was pregnant, she didn’t tell him. She rationalized that his avoidance of relationships meant he wouldn’t want a baby either. She was also afraid that it would be easy for him to take her baby away because of his wealthy family ties. Three years later, she is being blackmailed by an ex-boyfriend who threatens to tell Talib about Everett. Finally, out of money and tired of running, she takes Everett and flees to Morocco, knowing that Talib is the only one who can help her.

I loved the first meeting between Sara and Talib. The hotel she chose has been attacked, and in the confusion, she lost her grip on Everett. Talib is friends with the owner and has been working on setting up the hotel’s security. He arrives at the hotel just in time to see a maid taking a little boy out a side door, and is immediately suspicious. After taking the boy himself, he is stunned to find Sara in the middle of the melee looking for that same child. Sara wasn’t ready to face Talib yet but had no choice. I ached for her, as Talib didn’t take the news well and said some rather nasty things to her. I also hurt for Talib, once he accepted the truth because he had missed so much of Everett’s life.

I liked watching the rekindling of the relationship between Sara and Talib. Neither one had forgotten their feelings for each other, though Talib had become an expert at burying his memories of their time together. He made me mad with his initial suspicions about why she came to Morocco because he knew better. Once he understood the danger that sent her running to him, Talib’s protective instincts kicked into high gear. The more time he spent with Sara and Everett, the more he realized that he wanted to keep them in his life. He also knew that he would have to earn Sara’s trust first. Meanwhile, Sara knew that her feelings for Talib were as strong as ever, but she couldn’t see herself fitting into his lifestyle. I liked the way that Talib overcame her fears, from his immersion in being a father to the special dates where they got to know each other all over again. I loved the ending and the surprise Talib had for Sara.

The suspense was terrific. It started as a simple blackmail scheme but became so much more. The initial culprit, Tad, was bad enough with his greed. The way he was always able to track Sara down, no matter where she ran to was creepy. Things became much worse when Sara ran to Morocco, and Tad enlisted the help of a school friend who was there. Glimpses into the mind of this man showed how his greed and hatred made him so much more dangerous. There were multiple twists to the story, including Talib coming out on the wrong side of some attacks, before the final confrontation. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over. I liked how Sara stayed calm and did what was necessary to protect Everett. Talib’s arrival was perfectly timed, and I loved watching him protect his family.