An unforgettable meeting in Paris
An unexpected reunion in Egypt
Viscount Louis Wesley is captivated by the beautiful
woman he meets at the Louvre. He never expects to see her again, but then he
arrives in Egypt for his royal best friend's wedding and discovers she's the
bride, Princess Mervat! Learning it's a convenient match that both intend to
avoid, Louis vows to help. The stakes may be high, but Louis's biggest
challenge will be resisting falling for the princess himself!
Good book. I enjoyed the unusual setting of 1870s Egypt
and the blending of cultures in the story. The richness of the details, from
food and clothing to traditions and folklore, gave depth to the story and added
to my enjoyment.
I liked the first meeting between Louis and Mervat. She
is an Egyptian princess visiting Paris with her mother. Mom is most interested in
shopping, but Mervat has deeper interests. She is fascinated by the genealogy of
artifacts and sneaks away to the Louvre for an afternoon of research. There,
she meets Louis, an English viscount, who is there to attend a lecture about a
Turkish artifact. He is drawn to Mervat, introduces himself, and proceeds to
get her talking about the sculpture she is standing in front of. He is
fascinated by her and her story, while she is unused to someone genuinely
interested in what she has to say. He invites her to the lecture, not knowing
of her connection to the artifact, and never expects to see her again.
Imagine his shock when he arrives in Egypt to attend his
friend Hussam's wedding and discovers the mysterious lady is Hussam's fiancée! He's
not sure why he's dismayed, but when he learns that neither wants the arranged
marriage, he offers to help. Here's where the story gets very complicated.
Hussam claims to be in love with someone else and develops an elaborate plan to
prove to his father that he and Mervat are not suited. It involves Hussam and Nadine,
and Louis and Mervat being seen together, with the ultimate goal of Hussam
being able to marry Nadine.
Louis believes he is safe to help because he has no
intention of falling in love before marrying, thanks to a family history of
poor choices. As soon as he made that statement, I knew he would fall hard. He
and Mervat connect over their interest in the Cerulean Crown and work together
to investigate its history. They connect over their interest in the stories
behind things and spend as much time together as possible. Neither expects the
feelings that grow between them.
I liked the scenes of Louis and Mervat together. I liked
Louis's belief in and respect for Mervat's intelligence and abilities and his
support for her dreams. Mervat does a great job of boosting Louis's self-confidence
in his writing and what he can do with it. But Louis has little confidence that
he is worthy of Mervat, and Mervat doesn't believe she can hold his attention. Both
have insecurities that hold them back from sharing their feelings, and it takes
effort to overcome those obstacles. I liked the ending and Louis's big moment.
I didn't like Hussam very much. He came across as shallow
and spoiled, more interested in pulling one over on his father than actually achieving
the purpose of the deception. Trouble comes when his plan fails, putting all
their plans in jeopardy. I was happy to see that he learned from what happened
and came through for his friends in the end.
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