A review by lucy_qhuay
As You Desire by Connie Brockway

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.