Book Review: The Sultan's Favorite by Anne Burnside

The Sultan's Favorite: A Phantom of the Opera Story by Anne Burnside
Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: IUniverse
Pages: 444
From: Author
Available Now

Summary: Set in the compelling world of the Ottoman Empire, The Sultan's Favorite continues the saga of Erik from the Phantom of the Opera and his journey to a new life and a new love. The Phantom: Rejected by the only woman he loved, Erik tries to leave his past behind to begin a new life working as an architect. As the years pass, he accumulates enormous wealth and finds much success. When he is summoned by the sultan of the Ottomans to build a new palace, Erik believes it will be his greatest accomplishment. Yet even in another land he cannot escape his bitterness toward the world, and when the creation of the ruler's home appears impossible, his anger only increases. But the arrival of the sultan's newest wife awakens feelings Erik thought were long dead. The Widow: As widow to the ruler of Constantinople, Alexandria must marry the sultan of the Ottomans in exchange for peace. Alexandria is the sultan's third wife and soon finds that accepting her new life is much harder than she imagined. Will she ever find happiness again? When the sultan orders her to work with his architect on her new court, Alexandria discovers a man that hides not only his face, but also his heart.

My Review: The Sultan's Favorite was one of the best books I've read all year. The writing was beautiful with a plot full of excitement. I was hooked by the first page and became engrossed in Erik's life. I'm sure most of you know the story of the Phantom of the Opera either from the original book or the movie. Erik was known as the "opera ghost" who falls in love with a beautiful singer named Christine. He always wears a mask since he has a "deranged face" and mostly keeps to himself until Christine comes into his life. He then kidnaps her because he wants her all to himself, but after she rejects him, he sets her free to marry someone who will make her happy. The Sultan's Favorite is based on Erik's life after his struggle with a broken heart. The novel takes place during the reign of the Ottoman Empire, which I think was in Turkey, if I'm not mistaken. The sultan of the empire is pleased with Erik's work as a talented architect and wants him to build a palace for his new third wife, Alexandria. Erik spends a lot of time with Alexandria and starts to slowly become intrigued by her. She was an educated woman from Constantinople which made her different than all the others. The Ottoman empire had strict laws that did not permit women to read or be exposed to anything educational. I really enjoyed Alexandria and Erik's relationship. At first they didn't give in to their urges since Alexandria felt bad betraying the sultan, but eventually their love for each other took over. In this book Erik has a strong personality and exudes some type of sexyness even with his mask on. I really loved the storyline and was addicted to what the outcome was going to be. However, just a warning their are sexual details and some cursing, but besides that it was an amazing read. I recommend it to all the Phantom of the Opera fans, I think you'll enjoy seeing Erik in a more confident light. Also, I love the cover, it captivated me immediately and I love how mysterious her eyes look.
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Author's Info:
Anne Burnside is a graduate of Ohio University where she majored in Organizational Communication and Business. She currently works as a manager for a Fortune 100 company. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Southern Ohio.

For more info on Anne, please visit her site: http://anneburnside.webs.com