Historical romance set in colonial Egypt in the 1890s, this novel is also full of intrigue and mystery with a complicated plot that keeps the reader guessing right until the end.
Olivia, a young 22 year old orphan, is married to the despicable Alistair. She lives in Alexandria near her elder sister Clara from whom she has been separated for many years by their spiteful Grandmother. Clara is married to Jeremy, Alistair's business partner and they have two young children.
Stuck in a loveless marriage Olivia's only consolation is her illicit romance with Captain Edward Bertram, a soldier who boards at their house. However they both know that there is no future in it as divorce at this time is inconceivable and would ruin both hers and Edward's lives.
Then, suddenly Clara disappears and Olivia and Edward are in a race against time to find her before something worse happens.
This is a story full of romance and hidden passions as well as evil and intrigue. It contains something that appeals to all tastes. Olivia is a feisty character who elicits a great deal of sympathy for her perdicament. Edward is a hero put in a very difficult situation although one hopes that in the end their story will have a happy ending.
The plot is quite complicated as their are many characters including a number of Egyptian protagonists who are called by various different names throughout the novel.
An enjoyable read set in an interesting period in history, the author evokes the stifling atmosphere of Alexandria very well. Perfect for fans of both historical fiction and mystery, this is an interesting take of colonial life under the British Empire. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, Egypt, history, love and mystery, with some strong characters. The love story of Edward and Olivia, was pure romance, I was gripped by the mystery of Clara who went missing, the pain Olivia felt at losing her sister again. Olivia's husband Alistair was horrible and he made me angry every time he appeared. Beautifully written, with lots of secrets. This is a must read, switch your phone off and indulge, it is well worth it.
Thanks to netgalley, making it possible for me to read and review.

A complex story which I had to concentrate on, set in Alexandria in Victorian times.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, a great summer read as it has everything you could want to be kept entertained. From the very first page you are completely spellbound by the intrigue of what has happened to this young woman, and as the story unfolds with romance, secrets, desire and beautiful descriptions of colonial Egypt there is lots to keep you captivated. The characters are very vivid, as are the locations and the pace of the book is just right. I read it in two sittings!

A very well put together story about love set in beautiful Alexandria. Every detail is beautifully described and told. A lovely book to get lost in.

An intriguing and well-paced story of love, passion, betrayal and murder set in British occupied Alexandria, Egypt in the 1890s. Olivia, the protagonist, is engaging and it is impossible to follow her story without feeling an immense sense of pathos for the trials she endures, from the early death of her parents, her lonely and isolated childhood and separation from her sister, to the loveless and brutal marriage she is coerced into by her cruel grandmother and her sadistic husband to be. It is Olivia who holds the attention of the reader throughout and it is for her that we yearn to see things turn out the way she wishes by the end.
Throughout the novel, the twists and turns whilst the kidnapping of her sister is investigated, alongside the story of a mysterious murder, and the endless clues and suggestions of the involvement of just about every character around Olivia, cause the reader untold anxiety and force all to attempt to work out what is going on - but it is never so straightforward ad it is necessary to keep going in order to fill in those missing gaps.
Beautifully written, with some outstanding descriptions and evocation of period and setting, excellent characterisation and plot - the author has made a fantastic job of this historical fiction/murder mystery/love story/adventure - it has something for everyone and presents a thoroughly good read.

I read this book because I am a fan of the historical fiction genre, believing it capable of shedding insight into the past in ways beyond the traditional history book. This was not so much historical fiction however as a romance and mystery set in the past. Olivia is married against her will to an abusive, rich, white husband in late 19th century Egypt. Her one consolation is that she has been reunited with the sister she lost in childhood but her sister soon disappears and Olivia's life over the ensuing twelve days forms the plot of this book. I did find myself gripped by the story and wanted to know what had happened but there is a rather confusing number of characters in the tale. Many of the characters are skilfully created however with surprises and counter-stereotypes along the way. There are a number of strong women characters who act with and for each other throughout. There are some insights into the attitudes of the British in the Egyptian 'Protectorate' of the time and these are only too similar to attitudes of many in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq in the contemporary world. I would have liked some more historical fact mingled with the fiction although I think the story is well told and would read more by the author.

Loved this mixture of historical romance and thriller. The tension was nicely maintained throughout the story and the characters were well defined. Olivia grew over time and drew on an inner strength to resolve the situations she found herself in. The historic background was interesting and well described. Difficult to put down.

This promised much in the beginning but lost its way in the middle. The writer writes well; beautiful descriptions but the book was just too long and convoluted..

An evocative period mystery full of suspense, love, and superb historical detail.

All the way through you’re rooting for Olivia, the main character. She’s experienced a terrible childhood and has just moved out to Egypt to be with her new husband - a sadistic and violent, embittered female-loathing individual who wanted to marry her sister!

Olivia is reunited with her long lost sister when she moves to Egypt and hopes to find some happiness at last, but then her sister mysteriously vanishes on a trip to the marketplace. The ensuing twists, turns, red
snappers (!), entanglements, alliances, excuses, misplaced loyalties, blames and omissions will have you reeling. I’d say it’s pretty impossible to guess the eventually revealed antagonists early on. It’s intricate, atmospheric, well thought out and superbly written.

I started making notes as I usually do when it’s a book I‘m going to review, but I found this far too gripping and so totally absorbing that I put pen and paper away and just rode with it. It was such a smooth flowing, evocative and exciting read which really drew me in - I chose to read it twice, rather than interrupt this wonderful story. I haven’t felt that good since picking up my first Harry Potter (in a different way, of course, and I’m in my 50s, btw! - Just the feeling of easy, yet enticing 'comfort reading' I got from them both). Anyone who liked the Tea Planter’s Wife will love this.

The characters are brilliantly portrayed, you want to kill some, strangle some, knock sense into a lot and nurture others. Put your life on hold and sit down and read this – you’ll be doing yourself a big favour. This has stayed in my mind for 2 days before I could even start this review. I really hope this author will continue to produce books in this vein – foreign climes, colonial pompous asses and the decent folk trying to survive around their bumbling catastrophes!

Not often a book blows you away but this has so much, the hero the heroine, some seriously evil villains. Some are very poor others sickeningly rich. And a reminder of just how much 'the world has developed but yet evil and good still exists in every class and walk of life no matter how well it is sometimes covered up. If coverage ladies the romance the men we get the fight of right n wrong but not that these are gender specific but it's how it divided in my home. I found every page a turner to see what was next I do highly recommended this book to you all.
I did receive a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a true and honest review.

This is one of those books that is so memorable that when you finish it you almost grieve for its loss.
It is a fantastic story about all human emotions and especially love and the lengths that a person will go to for the one that they love even if it puts them in danger.
At the other end of the spectrum it deals with jealousy and revenge and the widespread effects that it has not only on the person it is directed at but these around who are innocents.
A real page turner five stars all the way.

What an excellent page turner. Characters you fully believe in. Even the children were fully fleshed out and your heart goes out to them. The style of writing, with its italicised interjections and it's running together of words in tense situations underlined the fear of Olivia. A book read in two days, truly hard to put down.

Set in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 19th century, this is a very entertaining read full of mystery and intrigue, secrets and lies. There is romance but it is rather lukewarm compared to the sweltering Egyptian heat. However, I found that to be a bonus as more time was spent on the actual story than on too much kissy-kissy stuff. I would have liked a bit more detail about the setting of the story but generally this is a very good bit of escapism.

Thanks to netgalley and publisher for a download of this book to review honestly.
This is a wonderful book, a love story, mystery and thriller all rolled into one sumptuous read. Olivia has had a terrible childhood,her parents dying in Egypt, separated from her sister and made to live with an unbearably cruel aunt who forces her into a marriage she's does not want, she then has to return to Egypt with her cold cruel and vindictive husband Alistair.
Here she reunites with her sister Clara and meets a dashing Captain, Edward and Olivia are drawn to each other, but a husband and Clara's disappearance lead to untold dangers for everyone.
The tensions in Egypt in the late 1800's are as high as the temperature and a cast of characters come into play.
My only niggle is that there were at times too many characters and it was difficult to keep up and distracted from the main tale.
That said a great enjoyable story.

This is a book full of secrets, passions and intrigue. Olivia , married to an unspeakably cruel man, Alistair is in Alexandria. She has the delight of reconnecting with her sister Clara from whom she was forced apart by an evil grandmother. Clara is kidnapped, and horrors and betrayals come to light in the ensuing hunt for her.

The picture of life in the late 1800s under Colonial rule is vivid, the differences in culture and in wealth are pinpointed. It shows clearly the place of women in the late 19th century. Personally, although I felt the book was very well written, I found it difficult to keep up with all the characters, particularly with the Egyptian names.

An interesting read, mystery meets historical fiction meets romance. Hopefully another installment from this author will come out soon??

I enjoyed Beneath a Burning Sky by Jenny Ashcroft. This was a romantic story with plenty of mystery and suspense, set in Egypt in the late 1800s.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was attracted to the description of this book as I am a fan of Dinah Jefferies and it is under the same Historical Fiction genre. It is a story of betrayal and love set in Egypt during the British occupation. There are many characters in this novel and lots of stories which all come together in the end, so I found myself having to concentrate quite hard.

Olivia a 22 year old is married to the horribly cruel Alistair, who I have to admit I loathed him pretty early on. But as he is a wealthy business man with many connections and hugely influential he can get away with almost anything. When Olivia’s sister Clara goes missing feared abducted, Olivia sets about trying to find her with the help of her secret admirer Edward. They are up against a mammoth task and during their search discover many lies and untrustworthy people.

There are many heart-wrenching moments in this exotic tale that had me enthralled from the start and particularly enjoyed how it came together in the end.

An emotional intricately woven story which keeps you enthralled to the end.