THE LADY AND THE LIBERTINE

Author: Bonnie Vanak ISBN: 9780843959765 4/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: 1908

NOBLE IN ALL BUT NAME Anne Mitchell, born illegitimate and raised in a workhouse, sold by her mother and packed off by her father to the East, had every reason to lose faith. But in Egypt she found identity with the Khamsin, a tribe of Bedouin warriors. Greater even than the secret they entrusted to her was her newfound honor, and for that she would give all. NOBLE IN ALL BUT ACTION Nigel Wallenford was an earl. He was also a thief, a liar and a libertine. Regaining his birthright of Claradon had been a start. Next he required wealth, and he knew of just the fabled treasure…and its key’s guardian was a ripe fig waiting to be plucked. Never before had he scrupled to cheat, steal or even murder. One displaced Englishwoman, no matter how fair, would hardly be his match.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE LADY AND THE LIBERTINE is actually the seventh book of historical romances based around Egypt from author Bonnie Vanak. I didn’t know that, nor have I read any of the other books, but in my opinion, that didn’t take away from the story. For the most part the events of those books were far removed from this one—mentioned, hinted at, but ultimately had little sway over the plot. If you read those books I’m sure that there would be that added layer of knowledge behind some of the couples’ marriages and courtships, so that would be interesting for those readers.

I quite enjoyed this book, for the most part. The characters were lively, the banter was quick and sharp, and the romance was sufficiently hot enough to make me sigh in happiness. I enjoyed the sections that were set in the Bedouin camp of the Khamsin warriors, more so than the few chapters spent in England, honestly—I have a keen interest in Egypt, but rarely see it used as a serious piece of the story and not just a convenient device. Life is brutal, as is proven in the first few chapters when a thief is punished by old traditions, but we’re shown it is necessary to deal with these problems swiftly. I appreciated that.

A lot of my issues centered around the middle of the story, when the hero and heroine aren’t in favor with each other. Progress was made, then backtracked, and then the hero seemed to take a sharp turn away from sanity for a little while. It's not even his actions, for the most part, that I balk at—it's his line of reasoning and thinking. Nigel isn’t a bad fellow; he’s just had a really bad life, made worse by recent events, and he was desperate to make it all better. But his actions were reprehensible, and I’m only sorry that Karida didn’t smack him with an iron pan. She does get revenge, of a gentler but worse kind, later on, but I’m not sure her tolerance of his antics was the wisest choice.

By the end the story was back at a good pace, and both Nigel and Karida had come to an understanding that suited them perfectly and suited me perfectly. At least it left me thinking that if Nigel ever tried to pull anything over on her, she’d have his head and jewels far more precious than the ones he was searching for in the tombs.

Alexandra Cenni