Hajar's Hidden Legacy

Hajar's Hidden Legacy
by Maisey Yates
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I think Maisey Yates will be my new go-to author when I need a Harlequin Presents fix. I hadn't read one of her books before. And I don't tend to read Harlequin Presents either. We all sort of know what to expect from one of them: rich hero, virgin heroine, probably some good soap opera passion too. This had all of that but it was really well done, in a crazy, awesome sort of way.

Zahir is a Sheik, so obviously rich and powerful, but he's been scarred by the terrorist attack that killed his brother and parents five years ago. He lives in a palace where the floors are made of jasper, jade and obsidian. All the surfaces are marble and gold. Even the walls are made of gold and onyx. I don't think there were any silk robes shot with gold, so you know he could still be richer in the future. But he's damaged inside and out and only the love of someone as strong-of-spirit as Katharine could wake up his cold, dead heart.

Unlike many of the Harlequin Presents I've read, Katharine was this totally strong, in your face, independent woman. She sees the ways people have used her and the way they intended to sell her body as a commodity and it sickens her. She grows, chooses how to live her life and owns her soul always. It was wonderful to see and worth giving more of these books a shot if they can hold on to the soup opera without making the heroine innocent and sub-human with no power of choice.

There was a lot of cliched moments and if you ever do the Romance Workouts from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, you'll get quite a workout from this book. But it was all fun and enjoyable without boxing the heroine into a supporting, her-love-and-body-are-the-only-important-things, role.

So, Maisey Yates is now on my list when I need passion and opulence with strong female agency.