Reviews

4/5 stars for me :)

Loved the humour in this book. Absolute gold! Brilliantly written. The first chapter alone was hilarious and had me dying of laughter.
Also loved how Dizzy makes up these romantic scenarios in her head. That’s literally me haha
I was not a big fan of the whole “I’m gonna push her away because I don’t want her seeing my authentic self because I’m scared of being rejected”. I like Harry but I prefer a hero who isn’t afraid to express how he feels and go after what he wants. Loved it when Magi put him in his place. I was like yes girl! You tell him!
I really loved Cal. See? A brave healthy man who wasn’t afraid to tell Marta how he felt about her. And wasn’t threatened by the fact she was pining for Harry.
I absolutely loved the ending! And loved the author’s note at the end regarding dyslexia.

sarahanne8382's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This is a solid historical taking place in late 1800s Egypt amid a crowd of crazed Egyptologists. Desdemona Carlisle is tired of living a singular life as the prodigy granddaughter of an impoverished Egyptologist who contributes to their meager household by translating works for everyone about town. She thinks that being swept away by an English lord for the normalcy of her home country is just what she needs. On the other hand, Harry Braxton is done with England forever after his childhood spent as the family idiot. He's proud of the life he's carved for himself in Egypt and never wants to leave, that is, as long as Desdemona is there to share it with him. The only trouble is, he's done everything he could think of to turn her away from him for the last five years because he's sure that as soon as she knows his secret, she won't want anything to do with him.

My real problem is that I vaguely remember having this recommended to me a few years ago as THE BEST ROMANCE EVER, and after crying over Gone With the Wind I needed to read a love-hate relationship that ended happily. This book could not measure up to those impossible expectations, which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of the 4 it probably deserves (I did finish it over the course of a long weekend, afterall).

hannahreads09's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

aaceeeyy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

srwells48's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-paced

3.5

This was another romance that was pitched to me as The Mummy-esque, and I can see the similarities. Brilliant heroine, roguish hero, Egypt setting, but the adventure was just not adventurous enough for me. I'm also not a big fan of a miscommunication trope, especially when you can see it coming a mile away.

lucy_qhuay's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This was my first Connie Brockway book, but it was such a pleasant surprise that it definitely won't be the last.

'As You Desire' tells us the story of Miss Desdemona Carlisle, a beautiful prodigy with an uncanny aptitude for dead languages and Harry Braxton, the man she has loved since she was 17 and who doesn't seem to see in her anything but a sister-like figure.

Desdemona finds herself in a pickle (again) - she was drugged, kidnapped and is about to get sold to the highest bidder by Egyptian slave traders. Not that she is going to show any fear.

And then she sees a vision straight from one of her wildest romantic fantasies - a dashing rider veiled in black atop a white steed galloping to her rescue.

Imagine her reaction when she realizes the mysterious hero is none other but Harry Braxton, known blackguard with a mercantile heart and the very same man who broke her young heart, once upon a time when she was foolish enough to act on her feelings for him.

But Harry isn't the scoundrel he tried so hard to convince Dizzy he was. In truth, he has loved her for as long as she has loved him.

The problem is that he doesn't feel worthy of her, for reasons we find out later on, so he has been acting on the assumption he has no right to ruin her life.

But when his idiot of a cousin Blake Ravenscroft comes to Egypt with his own agenda and becomes serious competition for Dizzy's affection, Harry decides he won't give up on his true love.

I'm so glad he finally realized he couldn't keep them both on that hot and cold routine and that it was sheer stupidity not to make his feelings known, when it was so obvious all she wanted was to fall into his arms. She just needed to know it wasn't all in her mind. Yes, he was feeling that same love and desire she thought she saw in his eyes.

The bantering and bickering between these two was highly entertaining and I admit I am drawn to stories where one of them tries the damnedest to deny those feelings, but seriously, it comes to a point when I'm practically begging for the two to just surrender.

I guess that's why I didn't give this book 5 stars. I had to wait way too long for a proper kiss.

Anyway, loved the fact it had some different elements from what I use to read such as the heroine being a 'genius', the hero's dyslexia and the action taking place in Egypt.

The bits of Egyptian poetry throughout the story were a really nice touch as well.

All in all, it was a pretty good book.

brittanyt's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

When you read an interview with Julia Quinn and she says As You Desire is one of the most underrated historical romances, you buy the book immediately! Desdemona is living with her father in Egypt. She is a talented linguist and due to her “unnatural” language capabilities, she didn’t have a normal childhood. Her number one goal is to return to England and live a “normal” life. Harry is a rogue who is in Desdemona’s circle. Years ago, she “threw” herself at him and he turned her down. She thinks Harry is uninterested, but the truth is Harry has been in love with Dizzy for years. He is dyslexic, which caused people to look down on him in England. When he came to Egypt he was able to build the scholarly life he always desired. He has no desire to return to England, but knows that is what Dizzy wants, so he never tells her how he feels.

This is the book that had the step back with our hero watching our heroine sleep. Let me just start by saying he is in no way a creepy hero! Harry is one of the best. He was ridiculed his whole life, because of his “word blindness”. While this could have made him a bitter person, it has done exactly the opposite. His love for Desdemona is everlasting, because he refuses to get in the way of the one thing she thinks she wants. He knows returning to England would break him, but he’s unwilling to ask her to give up her dreams. What Desdemona fails to realize is that living in Egypt has placed her in the position to use her intelligence. If she returns to England, she will be boxed into the life of a proper English woman. I really liked this book! There are kidnappings, rival love interests, and a good sick bed scene. This is my first Connie Brockway and there’s no way it will be my last!

More...