Review by black panther4 -- Sugar & Spice by H M Irwing
Posted: 24 May 2020, 02:34
[Following is a volunteer review of "Sugar & Spice" by H M Irwing.]
H.M. Irwing has done an excellent job with Sugar & Spice, the third book in the Little Sister series. This is a romance novel portraying the story of Catherine Little and Sadiq Al Fayyad. Catherine is an independent and very mature sixteen-year-old girl who craved knowledge. She was fixated on becoming a doctor in the future. Sadiq is an Arab prince, troubled and tough. Their paths cross at a New Year party. They have a one-night stand and Catherine becomes pregnant afterward.
Things take a turn when Sadiq finds her again. Catherine discovers who he is and is horrified. He offers to marry her, but she refuses. He lets her keep denying him until he decides to take things into his hand. He takes her away (Sort of kidnapping too. He did it in front of her entire family.) to his palace in Saudi Arabia. The plot becomes extremely exciting from this point. Catherine finds his culture restricting especially the way women were treated in comparison to men. The rest of the plot continues with them untangling the problems they faced. Sadiq might appear as a cold person at first, but I could see his gentle and nurturing side whenever he took care of Catherine. Together they form a very good pair and their chemistry is simply perfect.
The specialty of this book is that the supporting characters, particularly the Little family members, had an equal role in making the plot interesting just as the protagonists. Patrick Little is the most adorable father. He pretends to put on a strict image, but beneath all that is a softhearted father who loves his family more than anything else. Mary Little came across to me as a sensitive and dramatic woman. She is fussy and constantly worries about something or the other. But all that is because she wishes nothing less than the best for her children. Lucy Little is the responsible, strong-headed, elder sister who will do anything for her siblings.
Emily Little, Catherine’s twin has to be the bubbliest person in the entire Little family. She is the exact opposite of Catherine. Even with the striking contrast between them, it was very evident how close they are. I could talk all day about the other characters too, but I am limiting myself to these many characters. Figuring out and understanding the characters, has to be one of the best parts of reading a book. The culture cross between Catherine and Sadiq was interesting to read about. They had difficulties in dealing with each other, given the different cultures and backgrounds they were brought up in. But, the love they have in common proved to be greater than their differences.
There is nothing that I dislike about the book. It was entertaining and attention-grabbing. The events that took place in the plot were completely unpredictable. However, there is one thing I would like to point out. The ending seemed quite bizarre. Almost after the first few chapters it was mentioned how Sadiq and his eldest stepbrother, Zainal, despised each other and the feeling felt quite strong. But in the end, all Sadiq has to do to resolve things out was to do a seemingly simple task for Zainal in return for his freedom. For the way their hate was described, a bargain as a solution appeared too easy.
I award H.M. Irwing’s Sugar & Spice, four out of four stars. Profanity was used frequently throughout the plot. There were a few sexual encounters but nothing in great detail. There were some minor errors here and there, and it did not bother me while reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes bold female protagonists, family drama, and love-is-not-a-bed-of-roses kind of relationships. I give you my word that you will be looking forward very much to know what happens after each page. There was never a dull moment.
******
Sugar & Spice
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
H.M. Irwing has done an excellent job with Sugar & Spice, the third book in the Little Sister series. This is a romance novel portraying the story of Catherine Little and Sadiq Al Fayyad. Catherine is an independent and very mature sixteen-year-old girl who craved knowledge. She was fixated on becoming a doctor in the future. Sadiq is an Arab prince, troubled and tough. Their paths cross at a New Year party. They have a one-night stand and Catherine becomes pregnant afterward.
Things take a turn when Sadiq finds her again. Catherine discovers who he is and is horrified. He offers to marry her, but she refuses. He lets her keep denying him until he decides to take things into his hand. He takes her away (Sort of kidnapping too. He did it in front of her entire family.) to his palace in Saudi Arabia. The plot becomes extremely exciting from this point. Catherine finds his culture restricting especially the way women were treated in comparison to men. The rest of the plot continues with them untangling the problems they faced. Sadiq might appear as a cold person at first, but I could see his gentle and nurturing side whenever he took care of Catherine. Together they form a very good pair and their chemistry is simply perfect.
The specialty of this book is that the supporting characters, particularly the Little family members, had an equal role in making the plot interesting just as the protagonists. Patrick Little is the most adorable father. He pretends to put on a strict image, but beneath all that is a softhearted father who loves his family more than anything else. Mary Little came across to me as a sensitive and dramatic woman. She is fussy and constantly worries about something or the other. But all that is because she wishes nothing less than the best for her children. Lucy Little is the responsible, strong-headed, elder sister who will do anything for her siblings.
Emily Little, Catherine’s twin has to be the bubbliest person in the entire Little family. She is the exact opposite of Catherine. Even with the striking contrast between them, it was very evident how close they are. I could talk all day about the other characters too, but I am limiting myself to these many characters. Figuring out and understanding the characters, has to be one of the best parts of reading a book. The culture cross between Catherine and Sadiq was interesting to read about. They had difficulties in dealing with each other, given the different cultures and backgrounds they were brought up in. But, the love they have in common proved to be greater than their differences.
There is nothing that I dislike about the book. It was entertaining and attention-grabbing. The events that took place in the plot were completely unpredictable. However, there is one thing I would like to point out. The ending seemed quite bizarre. Almost after the first few chapters it was mentioned how Sadiq and his eldest stepbrother, Zainal, despised each other and the feeling felt quite strong. But in the end, all Sadiq has to do to resolve things out was to do a seemingly simple task for Zainal in return for his freedom. For the way their hate was described, a bargain as a solution appeared too easy.
I award H.M. Irwing’s Sugar & Spice, four out of four stars. Profanity was used frequently throughout the plot. There were a few sexual encounters but nothing in great detail. There were some minor errors here and there, and it did not bother me while reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes bold female protagonists, family drama, and love-is-not-a-bed-of-roses kind of relationships. I give you my word that you will be looking forward very much to know what happens after each page. There was never a dull moment.
******
Sugar & Spice
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon