In this book, Petra is described as "mature" because she was orphaned at 17, and has jet-setted across Europe and Australia since then. However, there is little evidence of any maturity. She is childish, selfish, self-righteous, intolerant, and stereotypes Rashid as a beach bum gigolo undeserving of any respect. Petra has absolutely no compassion whatsoever. She immediately thinks the worst of him in any situation (that he is a money-grubbing promiscuous male slut), jumps to conclusions, and as far as I can tell, has no redeeming qualities aside from being attractive and rigidly, self-righteously virginal (in other books, it's actually possible to be virginal and a nice/admirable person at the same time). Petra is usually yelling, accusing, or panicking in this story.

The hero, Rashid "Blaize" is devastatingly sexy, but as to his actions, he acts very cruelly towards her, taunting her, making her panic.

The characters were not likable for me - she was too childish, he was too mean at times - and the plot suffers from two very difficult to believe twists: Implausibly and unrealistically, in a sudden blinding moment, emerging from her total lack of respect for Blaize, Petra realizes she loves him. And we learn that underneath his cruel manner, Blaize has secretly loved Petra all along because of her ideals (oh, is that why he was so mean to her?).

There were some stereotypes, like Petra feels a longing for home and roots because she's part British, but also feels a longing for a nomadic lifestyle because she's part Arabic. (Could one also say that a character has a taste for conquest because they're British and a taste for being colonized because they're part Egyptian? It sounds pretty absurd to me.)

This was my first Penny Jordan book, and will be my last. I much preferred the other book I got at the same time, "The Arabian Love-Child" by Michelle Reid.

Unlike Penny Jordan's usual fare, I found myself unable to really immerse myself in this book. The characters never rang true, and maybe because of this the plot seemed conspicuously thin.

I did not like this novel. It valued virginity very lightly. And there was no real chemistry between the main characters. I could never figure out how or why they were in love with each other. Chase treated Somer very badly through most of the story, and then after all that he reveals he has loved her and never stopped loving her. It didn't really make a lot of sense. I hope Ms. Jordan's other novels are better than this, and I'm very sure they are. Keep in mind, this was originally published in 1986. A good romance has changed a lot since then.

I HAVE READ A LOT OF PENNY JORDANS WORK. I SEEM TO HAVE A LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP CONCERNING HER WRITING. UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T THINK OF A GOOD THING TO SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK. THE SO CALLED HEROINE WAS A REPORTER THAT JUMPED TO CONCLUSIONS WITHOUT ANY FACTS TO BACK UP HER ASSUMPTIONS?? THIS BOOK WAS VERY SILLY. I FOUND MYSELF NOT REALLY LIKING EITHER ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS... I SUGGEST THAT YOU READ "BEST MAN TO WED" THAT IS MY FAVORITE PENNY JORDAN BOOK!!

Back Cover description: Gray Philips had hired Sarah to be his son's nanny out of desperation--she alone could reach and comfort the unhappy child. But Gray made no secret of the fact he resented her presence in his home and in his life.
Forging a bond between father and son was near impossible task--as was hiding her growing feelings for a man who'd forsaken love and trust...

First let me state that I thought Sarah was judgmental and an idiot. The young boy runs away, she finds him. The father is looking for him and she immediately dislikes him. Sarah takes the word of a 6 year old that his dad hates him and goes on from there. I not surprised Sarah had problems at her teaching job. When she finally gets input from family and friends about the state of Gray's marriage and divorce, she still favors the ex-wife, who is now dead. Sarah is told by Gray that the ex-wife has constantly told the child to hate him and she still holds him responsible. Don't waste your time with this book

A complete waste of money. The main character is so whiny, you couldn't care less about her. Not that the other five or so confusing relationships interest you either.
I've read other Penny Jordan books that were pretty decent, so I won't write her off, but this one I could have saved my money.