Thank you for the opportunity to read The Sheikh's Pretend Fiancee. Unfortunately, I did not complete my reading of the book before it was archived in January 2018. I do not plan to finish the book.

This was a fun story! I enjoyed the story and the characters. I had read the previous books in the series, but it didn't feel like that was necessary to enjoy the book.

Five years after a university exchange, Liyah returns to the Middle East to find herself (and hopefully, a job). She never expects to get roped into a scheme to make Sheikh Asad look like a responsible grownup - that is, to pretend to be his fiancee.

The premise is kinda ridiculous but put it aside and this story is fun. It turns into a comedy of errors as everyone - from Asad's sister to his potential investors - try to get involved.

My gripe with this book is that we spend too long in Liyah's head as she agonises over everything. It felt like we never truly saw her and Asad fall in love - only in lust, There are a bunch of relationships that start interestingly, but end with little resolution.

Overall, a fun little book with too fast an ending.

This is a really quick read. I enjoyed the story and how it unfolded but even more so the characters. Liyah is a very nice character who you immediately can like. She is shy and doesn't quite have a plan for what's to come when she meets Asad. He offers her a job as his fiance and from there the story really begins. There is a chemistry between them and I like how the story progresses, especially how a misunderstanding can be blown out of proportion. Love the happy ending.

Another satisfying escape novel by Leslie North. Great for those rainy days.

Highly entertaining yet quick romantic journey filled with passion, fun, love and emotional highs and lows. This story is engaging and keeps you reading from beginning to end wanting to know if their fake engagement was ever really fake. Looking forward to more Sharif Sheikhs.

Liyah often felt out of place and was ready to make her mark on the world. The only problem was she was going nowhere and she was desperate for a change. Heading to Dubai she meets Asad. Not knowing his place in society she was taken aback when he came back with a proposition that would change her life forever. Would she have her happily ever after or will she never be the same after her world begins to fall apart? Great story and I love the dynamics os Asad’s Siblings.

I always want more of these sexy snippets! Pretend fiancee trope done extremely well!

A Classic Cinderella Story.

Liyah, a plain jane that she is never thought she would catch Sheikh Asad's eyes. Liyah came to back to Middle East because she fell in love in the country five years ago when she visited it as an exchange student. She never thought she would fell in love again but to a man this time. Asad just needed a pretend fiancee to prove his prospective clients that he's not the same man they knew. But he might be wrong at thinking that he just picked Liyah because of her demure nature. Soon, they found themselves caught up in a passion they might not know how to handle.

A classic story I know. Not only it was a Cinderella story, it was also the cliched pretend-turn-into-real relationship but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Liyah and Asad were both great characters. Though Liyah can be really shy at times, most of the times she shows this strong side of her especially when Asad was concerned. And how cute is that. Asad however was cute as he sometimes just chose to avoid her than to lose himself with her. I really enjoyed the tension between these two and I'm not talking about the sexual tensions only. Hahaha. The banters they shared were fun to read. Also the side characters are also amazing, especially Asad's sister.

Not Much About Being a Sheikha

Altogether, 3.5 stars. There were some hard-to-believe character moments, a few spelling errors, and the major conflict was "the big misunderstanding (that could be easily resolved by a mature conversation)." Also, the steam felt misplaced somehow...like the book should have been more or less explicit in the placement of steamy scenes for these characters in this context.

Wow what a great story I couldn't put it down had to finnish it. I just love this author s book and what a maverlous one this what. Can't wait to start the next one .I just have to say go and get this book you would not be sorry I loved it well done to the author

Really enjoyed this start to a new series with Liyah and Asad in their pretend romance blossoms to real life. Looking forward to reading the next book.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks .Opinions are my own.

So maybe the Sheik's of Leslie North kind of grow on you... (Check out my reviews for The Sheikh's Fake Fiancée and The Sheikh's Surprise Triplets).

It is still astonishing how Leslie can create totally different stories, set in different parts of the world. Although the grumpy hot cowboys are my favourite, the rich and famous Sheikh's are also getting more and more appealing.

In the series, we meet the Sharif Sheikh's. Asad and his brother Rashid are great business men. They have invested very well and they are a very rich family. Together with their sister Amira they live in Dubai, where they meet Liyah by chance.

Liyah was just helping out her friend Mila at the bar where she works, when she met the Sharif family. Having returned in Dubai after five years, Liyah is trying to find out where she belongs. Asad needs a pretend fiancée to convince his investors he is not the young reckless guy and playboy they know him to be. As a soon-to-be married man, he can convince them he is perfectly capable of building great projects together with his brother. So he asks Liyah to play the part in exchange of an enormous amount of money. For Liyah, this is a means to help her exchange-mother paying off the debts due to medical bills.

But when shy, bookish Liyah in her baggy clothes gets transformed by Asad's sister Amira into a gorgeous woman with a mind of her own, Asad nearly forgets that she is only his pretend fiancée.

But mistrust from both sides and meddling family members result in a 'cold war' between Liyah and Asad, while sparks are flying on the physical part. Will their chemistry result in something else? And will the investors be convinced of their feelings of each other?

Find out in this lovely story. And I can't wait to read on about Rashid in The Sheikh's Tamed Bride. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

An enjoyable romance with decent characters and a good plot. I would have liked to see them in situations together to see why they love each other, rather than a general comment of they had dinner and talked. I found it interesting how they could be in the same situation and interpret it completely differently. Overall, a good story and I look forward to reading about Asid's siblings in their stories. *I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Liyah had been a foreign exchange student five years ago for three months. in Dubai. Sahaar had been her exchange mother of the exchange family. Liyah decided to return to the place she had loved and try to decide what to do with the rest of her life. Liyah knew she had to return if for no other reason than to step out of her comfort zone again. Sahaar was a shadow of her former self before she had always been bubbly and laughing and there had always been something happening in the small household. But Sahaar’s husband was dead and she was worried about paying all the medical bills and not losing her home. Now the house was quiet and there was sadness in Sahaar’s eyes. Lilah wanted to help her exchange mother as much as she had helped her years ago. Mila had returned from work and was glad to see her old friend.They had kept in touch and were happy to see each other again after so long. She was also staying with Sahaar. Mila worked at a lounge and wanted Liyah to come there to relax and let loose a little. Finally Liyah did but the greeter had to go to the bathroom so Liyah had sat three gentlemen and a woman who all looked to be family. She also got the drink specials at the woman’s request. Liyah had got her teaching degree and a job since she had been in Dubai before but she hadn’t connected with anyone. She had not went out on a date in over a year. There were weeks when she seemed to only leave her apartment for work and errands. Liyah had made any new friends since college. Liyah was just existing rather than living. Casual hookups had never been her thing. When the waitress finally came in to work after a delay Liyah introduced fatima to her table but but they still wanted Liyah but then instead one of the men -Asad- said since Liyah was not working there she could go out on the patio and have a hookah with him. Liyah did then Asad got a call about work and had to leave. Asad’s sister Amira suggested he he show he had grown up and present his fake fiance at Rashad’s - Asad’s brother- birthday party. Asad had no fiance at the time fake or otherwise. That way the prospective investors might commit to the condos Asad wanted to build. Then a car came to Sahaar’s for Liyah and she was to meet with Sheikh Asad and his sister Amira for lunch. Mila pushed Liyah to get ready and she did and left in the car. Asad then told Liyah he had a business proposition and she was to play his fake fiance and he would pay her well. Liyah agreed so she could help Sahaar pay off her debt.
I loved this book, it was a little predictable but romances tend to be most of the time. I loved Liyah and Asad together and they had burning hot chemistry together. I also loved how Amira became Liyah good friend and even got truly mad at her brother in Liyah’s defense. I also loved how Liyah worried about her exchange mother and wanted to fix things for Sahaar. I loved Mila’s and Lilahs relationship. I couldn’t find anything to complain about and that was great. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

Liyah Reed returns to the Middle East hoping for something more than her humdrum life back at home, but what she finds is beyond her wildest dreams.Five years after her first stay as a foreign exchange student, American librarian Liyah returns to the Middle East. The move goes against her practical nature, but even a plain jane like herself sometimes thirsts for adventure.When I started reading I couldn't put it down I read the book i couldn't put it down.Leslie is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of het books.Keep up the great work.

Another great quick start to a series by Leslie North

This is the first story of the Sharif Sheikh series and it is about Liyah and Asad. Liyah is American and she is visiting Dubai for her second time. Her first time was 5 years ago when she went as foreign exchange student. She is librarian and she has really loved Dubai and felt it as her home. After Mila’s insisting she will go to the restaurant where she works and because one of the waitress has delayed she will help around and like that she will meet Asad though at that time she will not know that he is a sheikh. Asad is in the middle of a business deal, which he is afraid that he will lose because the investors see him as a boy. That’s when his sister Amira will come with the idea of setting up a pretended engagement in order to convince them that he is a man. Asad he make this proposition to Liyah who will accept and as time will go by things will change between them.

An amazing romantic love story. The author did an excellent job in conveying the culture, pictures, tastes and odors of Arabia. The story itself was fast paced with interchange of hot scenes and the evolvement of the plot. I loved it. I could not let down the book.

Liyah Reed was a foreign exchange student in Dubai five years ago. She has since graduated from college and was working. Her life didn't seem to fit, so she returned to the place she felt the most at home. Liyah is staying with her beloved exchange-mother and attempting to find a job. She helps her friend in a short-staffed lounge and catches the eye of Asad Sharif.

Asad Sharif needs a wife. He is attempting to convince investors in a real estate project that he is a dependable man when they remember him running around his father's estate in diapers. Quiet, bookish American Liyah is his perfect choice. Asad's offer may be the way to help her exchange-mother with her burden of medical bills so she accepts the offer to be his fake fiancee.

When the investors throw in a new loop-hole, the fake fiancee must become the real wife. Can they successfully make the marriage real?

I thought this was a perfect Cinderella story. Liyah is the jeans and baggy t-shirt girl, simple and understated thrust into the world of the wealthy. There was just the right amount of tension between Liyah and Asad. Their chemistry was white hot when Asad let his guard down. Liyah was a wonderful, caring heroine. I liked how Asad's sister Amira plays the fairy-godmother role toward Liyah.

This was a great start to the series. It was perfect for an afternoon read! I can not wait for the next one!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

ARC - I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
After 5 years, Liyah is back to the Middle East to visit her exchange-mother.
For Liyah, it was good to be back.
She had loved her time here as an exchange student.
Asad is accustomed to power that comes with being a Sheik.
However, the business investors still see him as the playboy.
Asad's sister came up w/ the idea of a pretend fake fiancée to impress the investors.
Will this pretend fake business succeed ?
Will Asad + Liyah both get want they want ?
Loved the storytelling + the characters!