Annie o'Neil has a vibrant writing style. Robyn the heroine is endearing and the story of the hero's daughter Amira becoming a hearing child is heartwarming but Idris the hero seems to lack emotion and I failed to warm to the character. Good storyline but the spark of romance for me was missing.

Great story with believable characters and a strong story.

I have been really enjoying the Paddington. Hildren's Hospital series so far and this title was no exception. I liked the heroine and was especially interested in the way the author uses the hero's daughter's journey of opening up to a hearing world to mirror him opening up to the prospect of an enduring future relationship. However, the hero was a bit too remote for me and I found his sudden proposal of marriage in front of the world's press to be very unlikely, even more so when he is the ruler of a state and not a private individual. I did enjoy the story though and would read more by this author.

3 Stars!
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Healing the Sheikh’s Heart, is probably my least favorite of the books from the Paddington Children’s Hospital series that I have read so far. Which pains me to say if I am honest, because a good Mills & Boon Sheikh romance has always been like catnip for me.

The surgery couldn’t fail. The hospitals future depended on it…

My main problem is that I really didn’t see Robyn and Idris as a compatible couple at any point in the book. Amira his daughter/her patient was the only real connecting point for the two of them in that they both wanted the best for her, and Robyn as her Surgeon could perform the operation that may restore her hearing.

He was letting her under his skin. Too much. Too deep.

The lack of any real emotion from Idris for most of the story except for where he daughter was involved, took him out of the tall, dark and arrogantly brooding category for me, and edged him more into the aloof, unfeeling dislikeable box. When the emotion did come in the latter stages it was too late for me to warm to him.

On the plus the author has a pretty vibrant writing style and it bought about a few laughs especially when in Robyn’s head, and her initial introductions to Sheikh Idris Al Khalil, I just missed the usual buzz of chemistry and the depth of connection between the two of them that you usually get from this sort of story.

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ARC provided via Netgalley as part of the Mills & Boon Insiders review programme, in exchange for the above honest review.