Review: A Helluva Story!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 29, 2013
This is the third book by this author that I've read.  My first impression is that the editing, although by no means perfect, is 100% improved over the previous two......."My Angel My Hell" and "Black Warlock's Woman" (but, I have to say that "BWW" is still my favorite book by this author).  Ms. McPartland is a gifted storyteller and I've enjoyed all her books that I have read, but her talent is usually overshadowed by rampant grammatical errors.  In this book, however, with the much improved editing, her writing talent shines through!Mersiha discovers her betrothed,Immad has been keeping a mistress during the courting period of their relationship.  Mersiha is also suspicious that after they marry, Immad intends to take other wives (in their country he was allowed to take up to 4) and mistresses.  Mersiha is already half in love with Immad and is devastated, not only by her discovery, but also by the realization that Immad does not return her feelings.Determined to avoid a loveless marriage, Mersiha runs away.  During the time Immad is searching for Mersiha, he starts learning who his princess really is (I loved the way he always referred to Mersiha as "my princess")......she wasn't some passive, shrinking violet with a pretty face, but was a cunning, smart, and determined woman.  Once he discovers the reason Mersiha ran away, Immad is overwhelmed with guilt.Upon finding Mersiha and returning her to their home, Immad is determined to win back her regard.  But, Mersiha is not having it and Immad is forced to fight for the happy future he desires with his princess.  I absolutely loved Mersiha!  Despite being born and raised in an Arabian country, Mersiha is very Americanized after spending several years studying and working in the States.  She's smart, stubborn, and strong willed.....more than a match for Immad.I also really like Immad.  Despite his cheating ways, the author managed to make him a sympathetic character.  From the very beginning it's clear to the reader that Immad is not such a bad guy.  As you might expect of a future king, he is arrogant and a bit overbearing, but with Mersiha he is a total sweetheart!  I just loved how caring and tender he was with her.  This is a beautiful story about love and forgiveness.  It is extremely sweet and romantic.As I said earlier, the editing in this book is much improved from other books I've read by this author, but she still has a ways to go.  There were several misused words, such as 'of' for 'off' and 'to' for 'too', just to mention a couple.  Furthermore, improper verb tense is used throughout, and many times I had to reread a sentence to try and make sense of it.These issues aside, this is an excellent read.  Once I started reading I didn't want to put the book down!  I highly recommend this contemporary romance novella.  Oh FYI, this is not a clean romance, though the love scenes are not, IMO, overly graphic.