Second Chance to Wear His Ring

Sheik debuts with a tenderhearted romance that sees first love get a second chance. Millionaire Mansur Ali is used to calling the shots as CEO of his construction and engineering firm—but back home in Somaliland, he answers to his mother. So when she calls urging him to return home with no explanation, dutiful Mansur begrudgingly hops on a plane. Upon arrival, he learns that his lost love, Amal Khalid, has been in an accident at the worksite of the hospital her architecture firm is building—the first of its kind in the area. Now she’s laid up with amnesia—and among the things she’s forgotten is rejecting Mansur’s marriage proposal and breaking his heart. Mansur, at his mother’s insistence, takes Amal to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for additional care. The close proximity their trip requires brings them together but emotional wounds keep them apart: Amal’s rejection solidified Mansur’s feelings of inadequacy, while Amal worries she shouldn’t trust the pull she feels toward Mansur because of her memory loss. The novel lacks heat, but between the sweetness of the romance and the weight of the emotional arc, it’s not missed. Sheik is sure to secure some fans. (Sept.)