Marriage behind the Façade by Lynn Raye Harris

Reviewed by Desere


I know that most you will agree being married to a real life Prince is something every woman wants, but have you ever stopped to think what it might be like if you find your Prince, marry and then discover all is not it seems?

In Marriage behind the Façade the author beautifully showed me the other side of the royal life of Prince Malik (don't you just love how foreign and exotic his name sounds) and Sydney. They meet have spectacular sex and on impulse they marry, only Sydney discovers that Malik reckons he made a mistake by marring her and she takes off back for home.

Almost a year goes by before Malik comes looking for her and he has a quite the deal breaker for her to get the divorce she wants. They need to return to his home land of Jahfar, live as man and wife for forty days and then and only then will they be able to apply to the King for a divorce.

I don't know about you ladies but for me I would not see the idea of being swept off to a foreign land for a couple of days with a Prince all that bad, except if like Sydney I cannot seem to keep my mind out of the gutters whenever in the vicinity of a sexy as sin Prince in all his glory!

Yet, Sydney agrees and once there Malik tries everything he can think of to bring her around and back into his bed. The question of course being will her heart survive this time around if she falls again.The characters of Malik and Sydney were simply stunning. Malik being the always in control of his emotions and Sydney always doubting herself and not ever being confident.

That combination of personalities made for some really stunning conflict and hotter than the desert sun reading. I loved how the author let each layer of Malik unfold giving me as reader the insight into the man's head I was searching for. I also truly adored the level of deep emotion the author packed into the character of Sydney showing me the side that the world does not see, yet is the real her.

The setting of the desert made the read that much hotter, and a really sexy sex scene in the desert scene not only packed the passion into this one but also let me see that the author was showing that the storms of the desert raging out of control was much like the characters emotions and the inner storms they are fighting, which I just totally loved!

The dialogue was funny and witty as Malik and Sydney bash it out, and also extremely passionate and emotional. This is not the first time I have read this author's work but I can with all honesty say that this time around she somehow, and believe me I did not think it possible, but she completely surprised me and made the book almost personal as if she was writing about herself. Either that or it is just proof that this author writes so well that she lets her reader connect with her characters on such a deep level of emotion that it will as it did me stun you into awe!

Excellent work Lynn, I truly cannot wait to see what you offer up next! Highly recommend read.

5/5 star review
" Their passion burns as hot as the desert sun" 

Reviewed by Nas


Mills & Boon : Marriage Behind The Façade
Marriage Behind the Façade
Mills & Boon : Marriage Behind The Façade
Marriage Behind the Façade

MARRIAGE BEHIND THE FAÇADE by Lynn Raye Harris is a Mills & Boon Modern release for February 2012.

Sheikh Malik of Jahfar married and whisked off Sydney Reed to Paris. But he didn't take her to his homeland Jahfar. After a few weeks Sydney walked away from Malik and her marriage. She was so in love with Malik, so why did she walk away?

Now Sydney needs Malik's signature on her divorce papers. But Malik has other ideas. He takes her to Jahfar and exposes her to his way of life. Stranded in the desert, Sydney falls for his charms again and succumbs to passion. Will Malik let her walk away now?

Warmly poignant with simmering sensuality MARRIAGE BEHIND THE FAÇADE is a lively contemporary romance with a lovely heroine you will love and want to cherish and a gorgeous Sheikh Hero you are sure to swoon over. Lynn Raye Harris brings to live this sparkling tale of unexpected encounters and red hot passion with a hint of danger in the desert!

Reviewed by Maria


This is my first sheikh book.  The sheikh, it seems, has been a sought after romantic hero since the days of Valentino, or maybe since Edith Maud Hull penned her vintage romantic novel, 'The Sheik'. I mean, what could be more irresistible than the prince of the desert, riding his camel, his white robes flowing in the desert breeze?

As a woman of western origin, married to a man from the east, I read this with particular interest, although my man is not from an Arabic community.  What I thought I'd get was a piece of high flown romance.  What I got, was a story of a relationship between two human beings. How they resolved their conflict and found their conclusion.  She is the ugly duckling in a family of swans, who ran off with a prince on impulse and ended up running away.  He is a man who easily straddles two cultures, eastern and western.  The fact that he's an Arab prince and she's American is neither here nor there.  But it makes for interesting reading.  The Arab land is not a dusty, sandy place, it's air conditioned comfort. Until the pair find themselves in the desert in a sandstorm, that is. There's no muezzin referred to calling people to namaz.  But the focus remains entirely on the protagonists.  This is a piece of quality writing.  You want fiction to make you feel good and give you the message of hope?  You'll get it right here.  And I have to add that Lynn Raye Harris is a very skilled writer.  She is quite one of the best writers I have ever read.  Her love scenes are beautifully written.

In a relationship, both parties have to change and adjust to each other and you will notice that in this couple.  If you read only one romantic novel this year, read this one.

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Review by TashNz

Lucky me, this supurb story was available in NZ in September and it was a must buy for me because I had enjoyed book one, Strangers in the Desert so much.

In order to secure a divorce from Prince Malik, Sydney agrees to return to Prince Malik's hometown, Jahfar and live as man and wife for 40 days and nights, as is custom in Jahfar in order to proceed to a divorce. Being back in close vicinity of Prince Malik slowly dissolves all the hard feelings Sydney has held tight to over the past year of absence.  Not being one with words Prince Malik is too proud and stubborn to just say what he feels and instead tries to show Sydney but it's not enough for Sydney.

I recall being in awe of the imagery! Lynn Raye Harris reminded my why the Sheikh genre is number one on my top five list. The desert is so far removed from my world I love it because I can escape from my daily grind and Marriage Behind the Facade achieved that 100% for me.  I love drama and conflict second-chance stories bring and I knew I was invested in the story when I was feeling Sydney's pain.

A fast-paced heart-accelerating highly recommended read.

5/5