With her slight build and blonde fragile beauty, Harriet Montague could be the typical Victorian miss. She isn't, though. Her scholar father has taught the young lady everything he knows. She's much more at home on an archaeological dig than she is sipping tea demurely in a London drawing room. Instead of poring over intricate stitching work or playing the piano, you'll find her poring over ancient inscriptions, probably deciphering them. She looks like she needs protection, but she can kill a man with a dagger, if need be. She'll never be a burden to your expedition. Rather, she'll be an asset. When Lucas Saintclair, the scion of French colonial settlers, agrees to guide Harriet and her companion Archibald Drake across the Sahara Desert, he thinks that this young woman will be nothing but trouble. He's right.
But in the vast Sahara, everything takes on a different hue. In order to fend off unwanted advances, Harriet dresses like a man and claims that the staid Archibald Drake is her fiance. But nothing can stop the burning attraction between Harriet and Lucas Saintclair. Soon their passion scorches the desert sands. Yes, be warned, readers. The love scenes are what you might call hot and steamy. In the desert, enemies lurk close by. From lionesses on the hunt, to veiled Tuareg warriors and even unknown assassins, there's intrigue behind every sand dune and in every underground cave. This is a story full of romance and intrigue. I never wanted it to end.
A wonderfully authentic novel which conjures up the Sahara of yore and old London and will please readers who like longer reads, this novel abounds with intrigue from start to finish. I loved this historical fiction work from author Marie Laval and eagerly await her next book.
