Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is my favorite book. I have had it since it was first on the market and have read it over and over again. Would never sell it. I consider this the greatest love story I have ever read. I would give it a 10 star rating if I could. Bertrice Small gets my vote as the greatest erotic love author around. Make sure you read Love Wild and Fair after this one to continue the love story.
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Summary: The Kadin
Review: I started reading Bertice Small with Love Slave. But I thoroughly enojoyed reading The Kadin. The author has a way with words, that transports you to the era. I "lived" with Cyra, Firousi, Zuleika, Sarina, Lady Refet. So much so, that I finished reading the book on a Sunday afternoon. Loving it, crying, laughing, enojoying it tremendously. The Kadin explained so much about the Sultan way of life, not known today. So much so, that I re read certain parts of the novel today, and looked up on the internet all that I could find on Sultan Selim. I strongly recommend reading this book if you wish to get away from your world for a few hours. I cried when Lady Refet passed away, as did Haji Bey. Via the author, you can understand their way of life and view yours as in need of change or review. Trust me, you must read this!
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Summary: Thrilling, juicy, great history time-lines!
Review: I LOVED this book! The mixture of women from different cultures, all uniting in their love for one sensual, erotic, and powerful man made an interesting read! The intrigue, the sexual scenes, and such a rich sense of history! I absolutely loved Cyra, Firousi, Zuleika, and Sarina! Esther was also a favorite. A must read!
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Summary: My all-time favorite!!
Review: If you've just started reading Bertrice Small and haven't read this book, this is a must-read! It's her very first book and my absolute favorite! Bertrice's style hasn't quite matured in this book but the story is so good! You'll find references to the main characters in this book in later novels down the road!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent as always!
Review: Bertrice Small has yet to disappoint me with any of her books. The Kadin seemed to capture my heart, because for some reason I seemed to feel like Cyra. Beautiful, yet not jealous over hwat others had.
Rating: 
Summary: Very different from later novels, this one is a gem
Review: I read this book after I had read Small's *steamier* novels, like "Skye O'Malley", "All The Sweet Tomorrows", etc. Wow, this is very different. Oh, "Kadin" still had all the wonderful historical details (I can probably remember the embroidery and color of the damask in the harem), but, shall we say, there were no explicit adult scenes that seem to be the trademark of her other books. I'm not griping about it; I love this book above all the others she has written since. The romance between Cyra and Selim was tender and sweet, and gave me an interesting look in harem life and politics. The plotting and scheming by Besma and other girls in the harem were very interesting. NOW comes my only gripe with this book, and that's the ending, when she returns to Scotland. I find it hard to believe that the people in her society have nothing to say about that fact that she was once a slave, even though she did come up with a story about a kind Christian man buying her and marrying her. Also, I don't think returning to Scotland was true to the spirit of Cyra because that left Khurrem to all her machinations. I believe the real Cyra, the feisty Cyra, would never have consented to the Kind of Scotland's desires (yes, once again, a lusty Scottish King rapes a subject who has no choice in the matter, a la "Love Wild and Fair") or left Khurrem to ruin the empire with her plotting. I like to pretend the part about Cyra returning to Scotland was never written.
Rating:
Summary: The Kadin
Review: I love this book, even though I don"t usually like love stories.This one is very well written and I think it keeps you wondering with every page. I've went through 3 copies of this book!
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Summary: Fabulous and fascinating look at harem life.
Review: For those of you expecting a typical sizzling Bertrice Small romance, be prepared to get something different. I actually found myself checking the cover again and again to make sure this was the same Bertrice Small. There are virtually no [adult] scenes in this book, but the story is so compelling and wonderfully written that it doesn't need them. This is the amazing story of Janet aka Cyra Leslie, a young Scottish girl kidnapped and purchased for a Selim, future Turkish sultan. Even though this is not the life she would have chosen, she quickly adapts and is determined to make her life with Selim as pleasant as possible. She forms a lasting bond with her fellow wives and finds herself madly in love with Selim. This isn't a fairy tale romance. Cyra has to share Selim with other women, and their life is repeatedly marred by violence and tragedy. Her rise to power is fascinating, and all of the relationships in the book ring true. The book is well-grounded in historical research, and the book reads like a true story. Enjoy!
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Summary: best Bertrice small book
Review: this is her best book. i loved it. once i started reading it i couldn't put it down. this book does not have that much romance in it but it has romantic ideas. it entwines historical facts with fiction, this is one of the things that bertrice small does very well. janet leslie experiences the kind of power that hardly anyone gets to have and she is not ruled by the power that she has
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Summary: How a strong woman can rule...
Review: An epic story of men and women; of men thinking they are the ones in control and of women secretly running the world behind their backs! This is the life of Janet Leslie who is kidnapped from her family and sold to the future sultan of Turkey as his slave. Janet becomes one of the few women who can look on the "bright side" of her situation...instead of bemoaning her fate she takes control of her life. She becomes the beautiful Cyra Hafise; first wife of the sultan, bas-kadin (mother of the heir), and unspoken leader of her household. The other wives look to her for advice and the children come to her for comfort. She advises her husband in affairs of state and on his military campaigns. She is a strong woman who sends her youngest son to her family in her homeland rather than see him killed as a danger to the succession. At the sultan's death she becomes the power behind her oldest son, the new sultan. This book follows her success and her failures. A fantastic book I was sorry to see end.
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