When Jameela's father dies, and her brothers decline to support her, she is sold into slavery. She is purchased by Lord Dagan, a man who supplies the Conclave (a sort of kinky fraternity) with sex slaves. Lord Dagan instructs the virginal Jameela in how to please men, prior to a simultaneously creepy and incredibly erotic "audition" for the Brothers in the Conclave, in which one will select her for his wife. Dagan and Jameela have fallen in love during the course of her training, but there is just one tiny problem; he has been castrated. Despite the fact that she weds another man, the two are determined to be together.
A little more than halfway through the book, a paranormal element was introduced that seemed to come from completely out of left field. What was strange was that the Conclave Brothers were well aware this paranormal element existed, but unless I somehow missed it, there had been no mention of it earlier in the book. Jameela also suddenly exhibits psychic abilities, which also seemed to come from out for nowhere. When she started to give the expert warriors of the Conclave strategic military advice, (and they listened!) it was all becoming increasingly hard to swallow.
As another reviewer wrote, the purpose of the Conclave, and in particular, the sex auditions, is not clear. The opening sex scene was very hot, but served no other purpose than titillation. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the story unnecessarily confusing.
While I thought this book was just OK, I honestly think it may be worth buying just for that opening sex scene. It was just ridiculously hot, and I'd never read anything like it.
BTW - Am I the only one who did not know what "Sirroco"? is? I looked it up - it's a hot, oppressive wind. And that ends the vocabulary lesson of the day! :)