"Exhilarating historical romantic suspense"

From the deck of her father's vessel the Promise, Katherine "Kat" Adair sees her beloved Lord David Turnberry fall from his ship The Inner Sanctum into the Thames; when no one reacts, she jumps and rescues him. However, before she can get back to her boat, she runs out of steam. Notorious rake Lord Hunter Macdonald sees the two "fools", jumps in, and saves her life though she refuses to acknowledge he did. Afterward David insists someone deliberately pushed him into the river.

Hunter asks Kat's father, an artist, whether his daughter can join an Egyptian archeological expedition. He agrees, but she becomes concerned when she hears rumors of some dying on their last trek. When Hunter learns that David wants to make Kat his mistress, he decides to protect her by naming her as his fiancée. In the Sahara someone tries to abduct Kat with only Hunter keeping her safe. She falls in love with her heroic rescuer who feels the same way as they search for items of antiquity while trying to uncover who is behind the deadly attacks on this expedition and the previous one.

This is an exhilarating historical romantic suspense due to the RECKLESS antics of the heroine who dives head first into dangerous situations that forces her champion to keep rescuing her. The story line is action-packed but brings out the English Egyptology period during the reign of Queen Victoria especially in Egypt. Fans of nineteenth century adventure romances will appreciate Shannon Drake's tense thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted August 23, 2005

Summary

When Kat Adair plunges into the waves to rescue a drowning man, it is just the beginning of an odyssey that will sweep the fisherman's daughter on an adventure of danger and desire. Convinced she is in love with the man she saved, Egyptologist David Turnberry, she plots a bout of "amnesia" that enables her to linger among the highborn, hoping to win David's heart away from his betrothed! The only problem is Hunter MacDonald, rugged archaeologist, bold adventurer, a man who is wise to her little charade—and determined to protect his best friend.

Undaunted, Kat stows away on the ship carrying David and Hunter's expedition party to the land of the Pharaoh. Scandal ensues, and Hunter vows the only way to protect his friend and keep this confounding woman out of trouble is to make her his wife. Inevitably, in the sultry heat of the desert, passions ignite. But as the secrets of the ancient tombs are revealed, terrible danger unfolds. Is it a legendary curse, or pure human evil? Plunged into terror, Kat must trust the one man willing to risk everything to save her from doom.