Hello, my name is Flo, and I’m a high-functioning sheikh addict.

I’ve always known I’ve had a weakness for romantic heroes. From rakish Rupert Campbell-Black to dark-hearted Heathcliff to lovely Mark Darcy, I read every hero I could get my hands on. If pushed, I’d even have said I was a connoisseur.

Then I started at Paradise Heights, and made a *major* discovery. Far from being a connoisseur, there was a huge gaping hole in my hero knowledge. And what’s more, that hole could only be filled by the most dark-hearted, outrageous and/or protective men of all – the Modern series sheikh! And so my addiction was born.

Let me explain why…

The heroes: to me, sheikhs are the ultimate heroes. Untamed, bound by duty, regal…you name it, I love it. Not convinced? Read of The Last Prince of Dahaar by Tara Pammi, released April 2014 – I defy anyone not to be enthralled by her gorgeously tortured hero!

The heroines: heroines need a special quality to capture the heart of heroes as powerful and charismatic as a good sheikh. Be it feistiness or an innocence that brings the hero to his knees, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching a heroine bag her sheikh.

The fantasy world: it doesn’t get more high-fantasy than a sheikh romance! I love how removed they are from the world that I live in, and I find them a vehicle for total emotional escape. Take Sharon Kendrick’s Seduced by the Sultan, out in Presents April 2014 – nothing to say except a big ‘yes, please’ to that!

The settings: From the palaces to the desert, there’s just something about those desert kingdom landscapes that add an extra edge of drama and enjoyment. (Plus I’m British, so the idea of all that sunshine is dizzying!)

Finally, the heroines’ outfits! Call me shallow, but surely I can’t be the only one who wishes I got to wear jewel-coloured, gauzy, silky dresses? And the jewels… Major wardrobe envy. To be fair, I’m often jealous of the heroines I edit – they get a man, a lifestyle, and a wardrobe to die for. But those sheikh heroines… they’re just that extra bit lucky!

So there you have it. My incurable addiction that I’m just going to have to learn to live with. (Luckily I work in the perfect place for my daily fix…! Next on my list? Lucy Monroe’s Sheikh’s Scandal, available in May 2014. A delicious combination of sheikh amazingness and the start to a brand new continuity, what’s not to love?!

So, who’s with me, and why? Or not, as the case may be! Let’s get sharing the sheikh love, I know I’m not the only addict out there!

By The Mills & Boon team