Lord of the Desert

This book didn't grab me and KEEP me reading from the beginning like most do, but I really did enjoy the story and definitely was into it by the end. Really looking forward to books 2 and 3 and the continuation of the story with the sisters. A well concocted plot with great detail. A good read and I'm thinking it will get even better.

Originally posted at: [...] Get ready for myth and legend to come alive to show a side of Egypt only the brave or foolish will ever see. Lord of the Desert is the first book in a trilogy which means this book has the daunting task of introducing the main characters of this book as well as hinting at the players in the future stories. On top of that the author had to world build. That's a lot of work to do and Ms. Bruhns did a pretty good job of it. Gillian is one of three sisters and the one whom this book is about. She's supposedly got the safest career of the three but I think she has a craving for excitement in her life. She looks forward to the times when all three get together and they always do something interesting. This time the word `interesting' is tame in comparison to the journey Gillian is about to take. I like that there was foreshadowing throughout without sounding hokey or too over the top. It was just enough to flavor the story and tease a reader as to its possible meaning. Gillian runs the gamut of emotions during this tale and her reactions are all over the board. The question I had at a few points in the story is: which were her real reactions and which ones were orchestrated? Through a careful use of dialogue, the author lets the reader know the truth. I was happy with the revelation and it's in line with it being a romance book. I liked her dedication to her family and I'm pretty sure it was the author's intent to use this also as a hint of what the future may bring. The element of family ends up being a carrot that is used against Gillian which makes her both strong and weak at the same time. Her reaction to the truth of the hero is in line with how I'd imagine a person would react, up to a point. Of course, this is fiction AND fantasy so she had to be written in such a way to get the job done. If it were me, I'd have been a basket case, if he allowed me to be - that part is sort of creepy. I did enjoy the fact that the guys underestimated Gillian and she used that perception of females being less intelligent to outsmart them. It got her in trouble but it helped get her man too. Her man ends up being none other than a man who's been dead for over a century, Lord Rhys. Obviously he's not dead but he's practically so as for as the rest of the world is concerned. He made a choice many years ago and he's been pretty cool with it all. He's found a unique place in life and he feels confident, accepted and enjoys the trust of a very powerful man. He needs nothing or no one and he's fine. Until he meets Gillian. Then this complacent man, this confident and assured personality, starts making mistakes, getting emotional and taking chances - all because of a woman. Those are my favorite types of romantic conflicts. He's a guy trying to do the right thing but wants to do the wrong thing because the wrong thing feels so good that the right thing has to be wrong. And as a reader of romance I knew he was right and the fun began.

The Kilpatrick family hires historian Gillian Halliday to find the grave of their ancestor, English lord Lieutenant Rhys Kilpatrick. He died over a century ago in the Nubian Desert of Egypt. As Gillian follows clues she is taken aback to what they lead her to. Instead of a tomb, she encounters the breathing Rhys who remains alive though he vanished one hundred and twenty five years ago. Shapeshifting Rhys explains that he serves immortal vampire demigod high priest Seth-Aziz, a five millennia being, as he has for decades. When Rhys and Gillian fall in love, he risks everything to be with her even when his owner demands he turns the woman over to him. Their only hope is to find her mother, who vanished twenty years ago. Placing a vampire romance inside of Egyptian mythology, Nina Bruhns provides romantic fantasy fans will a great read. The Immortal Sheikhs story line is fast-paced from the moment the star-crossed lovers meet and never slows down for an instant. Lord of the desert is a winner as fans will root for the lead couple as they go up against impossible odds with love their strongest yet also weakest weapon. Harriet Klausner