I wanted to read something a little different and stumbled upon this book. The premise of the book got my attention. I hate giving bad/low reviews, but this book was not for me. There is a plot, and it's not all about the sexual encounters. I don't know what put me off; if it was the writing or the characters, perhaps it was a combination of the two.

The story is about Dae, a woman captured by slavers and rescued by the Scion Zafirah Al’Intisar. She is then placed in a harem. As the story progresses, Dae encounters the other women in the harem, and her relationship with Zafirah grows. There is also some drama with a warring neighbor, and Zafirah and her warriors must prepare for their attack. There is a plot, and it's not all about the sexual encounters. I'm not sure what put me off; if it was the writing or the characters, perhaps it was a combination of the two.

Wonderfully written about a woman, Dae, who is saved from slavers by the Scion Zafirah and becomes part of the Scion's harem. Dae needs time to acclimate to her new environment and her conflicting feelings and attraction to Zafirah.

Dae lived a life of privilege until she is taken captive by slaver’s and dragged across the dessert. When her rescue comes from warriors, she thinks she is finally free. Zafirah is the leader of the warriors and a woman; she has no plans of letting Dae go and she takes her back to her harem. There Dae learns of a whole new world away from her rigid upbringing. Sizzling and entertaining. I liked it.

I don't want to give a bad review but I do want to say that maybe this book wasn't for me. The writing was good. The author did a great job with that. I think the whole storyline just wasn't for me. I think this book is perfect for someone who enjoys harems, sapphic and maybe has a better insight into the culture. For me I was lost on somethings but other parts of the book did want to make me research and learn more about the different cultures.

Wow! Well at the age of 62 I wanted to try reading something different and boy was I pleasantly surprised! The story truly transported me to a different, exotic place. Perfectly evoked by the author’s detailed description. I really felt I was in the harem and the desert and part of the battles. The growing relationship between the Scion and Dae was beautifully and tenderly depicted in a totally convincing manner. There was a good story to follow and the pace of the book reflected the growing excitement building in the main relationship. I was worried that the sexual descriptions could be tacky, but they were very well portrayed and very arousing! A really masterful piece of writing and I will be looking for more books by this author. Bravo!
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and amber Jacobs for allowing me access to this digital copy.

I was intrigued by the synopsis but that was it once i started it really did not Appel to me not sure why as i have read plenty of books in this genre but no.

Not sure if it was the characters or the writing

Thank you netgalley for a copy for an honest review

this wasnt for me personally . i am sure its a good book it just wasnt for me. unfortunately it wasnt for me

3.5/5 🌶️
4/5 ⭐

Thank you Jacobs and Ylva Publishing for providing a copy for review!
I really enjoyed the world Jacobs has created and the unique take on the passions of self discovery. It was a great Sapphic read full of extra spicy pleasures!

A sapphic historical/fantasy romance set in a world with ocean and a great desert. Dae has been abducted and chained by slave traders forced to cross the Jaharri desert. She is rescued by a powerful warrior female leader with blue eyes, Zafirah Al’Instar. Because of the laws of the desert she owes a debt of service to her rescur. Zafirah claims Dae for herself and places her for recovery in her harem of pleasure servants. Zafirah is the ruler and it is an honor to be in her service. Dae adjust to her life, making friends with others in the harem. She is shy and comes a protected, modest and monogamous background. Zafirah is very drawn to the beautiful Dea but won’t force her attentions. Slowly she learns the ways of harem and its ruling Scion.

The main romance of Dea and Zafirah is very slow burn in nature. But this falls into the erotica category as Dea learns about pleasing women through voyeurism, learning to explore her own body and some interactions with her harem friends. Saving some of her firsts for her eventual encounter with Zafirah. I liked the book because there is more to the story than lounging by the pool learning about intimacies. There is preparing for attack from a warring neighbor. The introduction of a new weapon, a rifle, in possession of the enemy. There are probably other books with more and differing eroticism. But this is great if you want an interesting story with plenty passion to be learned and observed.

There is a glossary at the back of the book of the foreign words and their meaning. I would suggest a note saying they are there or moving them to the front of the book as I had read the story before I found the words. Most are translated during the book itself. Thank you to Ylva Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of a book previously released in April 2016. I am leaving a voluntary review.

Slow burn long tease romance
I made assumptions about this story before reading it based on the book's cover, title and synopsis. I expected more than what was delivered and was underwhelmed by the end. Sure there are some steamy and explicit scenes but the book is quite long and proportionally, those scenes are few compared to other elements of the story that fill the bulk of its pages. It's disappointing because the story idea itself is a great one with so much potential. I had such high hopes for and yet it just fell short in my opinion. If you're wanting a s-x laden story there are others half the length of this book with more s-x scenes I'd recommend ahead of this one. But if you're in the mood for a long tease slow burn romance that has some steamy bits peppered in then this might appeal to you more than it did me.
For those concerned about potential triggers in the story, rest assured there is no r-pe or s-xual assault in it. Some may argue that there is a degree of coercion and/or manipulation in some scenes that others may interpret differently and not find problematic. There are some Turkish words used in the story whose meanings can be determined in the context they are used but a glossary of those words is included at the back of the book in case you want to check and be sure but don't want to put the book down to do that.
If the author publishes more in the future or releases a revised edition of this story I'd be willing to read it but for those choosing to read this book in its current edition, I'd suggest you temper your expectations before starting to read.

I read this in an afternoon. It was very enjoyable.

I love sapphic fantasy romance. I never read enough-- I often struggle to find it-- and I really loved this. It was fun, it was light-- everything I envy about straight fantasy romance and historical romance.

It was fun!