The Sand Daughter

In the book, Sand Daughter, by Sarah Bryant, the reader travels back in history to the time of the Crusades. The Christians, known as the Franji, with their Templar Knights, are battling to retain their hold on the Holy Land while the Bedouin tribes of the Fertile Crescent are battling for Islam. In this drama, told from the unique Islamic point of view, we meet a Bedouin Princess named Khalidah and her childhood friend Bilal. Both are to be pawns in a cat and mouse game that spans the Arabian deserts and mountains. When Khalidah is being bartered into a marriage to help unite clans, a strange minstrel enters the game and evokes ghosts of her long dead mother, rumored to be one of the mythical Jinni. By escaping with this mystery man, Khalidah embarks on a journey to find the truth of her mother's past and her own heritage. Bilal, who had thought he loved Khalidah, betrays her escape plans and becomes a pawn in his own right as the fate of his own mother is held over his head. He is forced into the position of becoming a double spy for both the Franj and the Arab tribes, but finds himself confused about his loyalties as he falls in love with the Sultan's youngest son. Who will he be forced to betray--his mother, his childhood friend, his tribe, or maybe even his new lover? Bryant's lyrical style of telling a story gives such vivid descriptions that the reader is left spell bound and determined to find out the fate of her fascinating characters. This blend of history, romance and thriller gives a fresh look into the history of the rise and fall of many Holy Land occupations by the Jewish people, the Muslims and the Christians. by Rhonda Esakov for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

In 1187 the crusading Franks are in control of the Holy Land while the Muslim armies led by Salah ad-Din prepare a counter offensive against the occupying European forces. In that environs, two normally hostile towards each other Bedouin clans of the Hassan have settled on a peaceful coexistence as they share a common infidel enemy. To anchor their shaky friendship, Khalidah and Numair will marry. She does not want to wed her cousin, but knows she must for her people's safety; however Khalidah is unaware her saying I do is a death notice for herself and her clan as betrayal is what awaits her and them. The minstrel Sulayman persuades Numair to flee with him to save her clan. He promises to escort her to her maternal kin in Qaf; she prays to Allah that the Qaf Afghan warriors Jinn come to her aid. At the same time, her friend Bilal initially joins with Numair before switching to the Templar Knights as a spy lover of Salim, the sixth son of the Sultan; he also learns his dead father actually lives and is coming commanding a legendary unit as war will soon unite him with Khalidah. This is deep Crusades era historical thriller that brings to life the Holy Land at a time in the late twelfth century when the Christian Franks are in control. The story line provides various perspectives of those caught up in the numerous battling factions, but especially the SAND DAUGHTER and her BFF. Fans of vivid tales of the Crusade will want to read this fresh saga. Harriet Klausner

Sara Wilson in the Historical Novels Review said that this is "a fasinating snapshot into the world of the Crusades." It focuses on a young Bedouin noblewoman who seeks to avoid a tribal death warrant in 12th century Arabia. Wilson said "Arabia is beautifully recreated, but ultimately this is a story about people and not places. . . . Not just a love story, a thriller, or a straight historical but rather an impressive blend of all three. . . . an epic filled with emotion and rich with atmosphere - as heady as the hashish smoke swirling around the desert tents."