THE SWORD & THE SHEATH

Author: Bonnie Vanak ISBN: 0843957565 3/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: Egypt 1919

LIKE THE SUN… From very young, Fatima knew she must do battle. It had nothing to do with her Sight, those visions of the future tormenting her since childhood. No, Fatima knew her destiny because every fiber of her body cried out for it—just as every fiber of her body cried out for Tarik, her friend, the impossibly handsome “White Falcon” who was next in line to lead her tribe. They went together like the sun and the searing desert sand, like a sword and a sheath. She had been trained by her father Ramses, the old sheikh’s bodyguard, and though her twin brother was intended to take over the role, only Fatima could do so. …AND THE HOT DESERT SAND Yet, women of the Khamsin were not warriors. And the sons of sheikhs did not wish to have their lives saved by women any more than they wished to fall in love with childhood friends. Though he stared at her with passion hotter than the very Sahara, it would take deception and devotion for Fatima to protect her lord. Tradition be damned, she would fulfill her destiny. And Tarik would love her forever.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

No one does Egypt like Bonnie Vanak does Egypt. Her tales are always well written and wonderfully descriptive, not to mention hot and sultry! THE SWORD & THE SHEATH continues that legacy, boasting of complex characters and a wealth of Egyptian culture.

I love the way the heroine's plight and life mirrors many of the challenges that face women today. I can only imagine the tests and struggles that happened in the historical time period detailed here. Again, I applaud Vanak for making such an insightful read by valuing Egyptian heritage, but combining it with modern times. For me, those passages in the book are the best.

My one complaint, and of course I have one, is that at times this one gets a little "purple prose-ish." The sex early on is hot, but a few, uh, moments, are repeated exactly the same later on. And what I term as verbal foreplay between the hero and heroine, well, it is not subtle, which is where it gets purple. Not to mention embarrassing, since it happens when the entire Khamsin camp is within earshot. There is even a scene where the heroine lets out a war cry during her excitement that everyone in the camp can hear. That's embarrassing because her parents, and his, are very close by. I can still feel my cheeks heating up over that one. Perhaps I am just not a free spirit?

If a few outdated love scenes are my biggest complaint on this read, then obviously it's still one heck of a story.

Shannon Johnson