Review –
This is book 4 in the Black Gold series. It’s been renamed and revised, and is now part of the Oil Barons series.
Jamil2527s fighter jet was shot down about eleven years during the Gulf War and he2527s been a POW ever since at an Iraqi oil field/prison. He2527s suffered horrible torture: beatings, rapes, starvation, threats of dismemberment and castration, watching his countrymen be tortured and die, etc. This poor man has suffered through hell, but his comrade and friend, Asad, was not so lucky.
Leila lost her husband and was horribly disfigured during the war (she hides her face behind a hijab—a traditional Arab hair and face covering), and she blames the Kuwaitis and the Americans for killing her husband and almost killing her by dropping bombs on Baghdad where they’d lived. She now lives at the oil field with her deceased husband2527s sister and the woman’s vicious husband, who is the lead officer and warden of the prison.
Rape is mentioned often in this book (male on male), but it2527s not shown. What is shown, however, and could be construed as rape by some readers is the first time Leila and Jamil have sex. Basically, he2527s tied down, she arouses and forces him, and his body betrays him in order for him to perform. In my opinion, this is forced seduction—not gritty or violent—and it was nice to see a woman in charge of the situation instead of a man initiating unwelcome contact with a woman.
This book showed the horrors of war, no matter what side you2527re on, and that no one really wins. Jamil2527s pain, humiliation and suffering wasn2527t breezed over, and Leila, who was full of hatred, found redemption in Jamil2527s arms and in the freedom they soon found together.
We meet Brian in this book, an American Air Force pilot and a fellow eleven-year long POW. He was a great side character, and I wish I could’ve learned more about him and his wife, Diane.
Bear, Shana, Jake, and Kate return in this book, and it2527s always great to revisit past couples to see how their lives have turned out.
Even though I enjoyed the story, it was repetitive at times with some grammar issues. I had to re-read various paragraphs to figure out what happened and who was talking because of POV shifts.
Jamil was the perfect tortured hero with a soft side. I liked Leila for the most part and I definitely felt sorry for her, but she was always so concerned with her scars that it grew a little tiresome.
The book was darker and grittier than the other books, which I really liked. Overall, it’s a good addition to the series.
3.5 Stars