The Falcon & the Dove [Mass Market Paperback]

Bonnie Vanak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

THE LEGEND

In the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, there was born a love that could never be broken - that of a young queen and a great warrior. And while the warrior's duty to combat the infidel was strict, and though his beloved was the wife of pharaoh, the two would be separated only by death. And then only for a time.

THE LOVERS

Elizabeth Summers came to the dig at Akhetaten in 1892. Great things were being discovered! English archaeologists had made huge advances and Egypt's fantastic history was being laid bare. But Elizabeth was not destined to simply study history - she was to be a part of it. Swept away by desert raiders, the pale beauty found herself in the arms of a great sheikh. And while Elizabeth didn't know whether she was the reincarnation of an ancient queen, she realized that in this man's arms she had found her destiny.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A classic desert romance story of forbidden love on the hot desert sands, reminiscent of Joanna Lindsey's Captive Bride." -- Romantic Times

"A fast-paced novel that is hard to put down." -- THE BEST REVIEWS

"In her debut novel, Bonnie Vanak writes with humor and passion. I truly enjoyed this unique and compelling love story." -- Old Book Barn Gazette

"This story is a lot of fun and excitement. It is pretty darn sensual too with some sizzling love scenes." -- New & Previously Owned Books

"This timeless love story will keep you enthralled. A great mix of adventure and romance makes this a delicious read." -- Rendezvous

From the Inside Flap

Swept Away

The desert warrior of her dreams came galloping toward her like a shadowed promise. She dropped her shovel in fright, recogizing the tall, veiled figure. Jabari. Her legs trembled and she stepped back, leaning against the boulder. A wicked-looking sword flashed silver in the moonlight as he held it aloft.

Even in her terror, she marveled at his magnificence, his proud fierceness like an ancient warrior. The sheikh looked like a dark, avenging angel.

Instinctively, she knew he intended to kill her. She had violated some sacred ancestral burying place. Any last vestige of strength fled her. Tears formed in her eyes as she contemplated the specter of death approaching swiftly.

Elizabeth bowed her head, waiting for the killing blow. Then raised her gaze for one last look at life. And let out a startled gasp as he whirled the blade in the air, and sheathed it.

He stopped his horse in front of her. In one powerful motion, he leaned down and as easily as a falcon plucks prey from the sky, scooped her into the saddle.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084395132X
• ISBN-13: 978-0843951325
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of Egyptian historicals and werewolf paranormal romance novels. My latest Nocturne release is The Shadow Wolf. This story features Gabriel, perhaps the most deadly of the Draicon werewolves.

Taken by the Alpha Wolf is a short story published on Kindle that features Etienne, the eldest of the Draicon werewolf brothers. It's a prequel to my other Draicon stories, including The Empath, Broken Souls, Enemy Lover and Immortal Wolf.

Starting in October 2011, I will have a trilogy of short novellas released by Harlequin's new Nocturne Cravings line. These stories are part of my new series called The Ancients and feature triplet sisters who are half angel, half demon. Bitten by the Vampire is the first novella.

Many of my backlist Egyptian historicals are now available on Kindle. These include The Falcon and the Dove, The Tiger & the Tomb, The Panther & the Pyramid, The Sword & the Sheath and The Lady & the Libertine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystically Exciting, October 3, 2003

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Falcon & the Dove (Mass Market Paperback)

Setting - Egypt 1892 - American Elizabeth Summers has always wanted to be accepted as an archaeologist. She travels to Egypt with two purposes in mind - one to meet with her Uncle on an archaeological dig and the other to find a cure for her sick grandmother. Elizabeth had found an old papyrus that told of a special artifact, the Almha, that contained special writings for a cure. Unfortunately, being a woman, she would only be assigned the mundane tasks of cataloguing the findings.

Sheik Jabari and his desert warriors were honor bound to keep the Almha safe from infidels and routinely send warriors to the dig to monitor their activities. During a raid to frighten off the workers Jabari is first introduced to Elizabeth who has just arrived. Jabari overcome at seeing this beautiful, blond, and brave woman among the diggers soon decides, that because he understands English better, he is best suited to discover what is going on. He goes undercover pretending to be a worker and also to discover just what it is about Elizabeth that attracts him.

With what appears to be a mystical connection to the long dead queen who originally hid the Almha, Elizabeth realizes where the artifact is hidden and attempts to unearth it. Jabari, discovering her about to unearth the Almha, and rather than kill her on the spot, as tradition would dictate, abducts her so that the artifact remains hidden and brings her to his harem. Although, there exists a strong attraction between Elizabeth and Jabari to begin with, when he sees a dove shaped birthmark on her, he believes that she is the reincarnation of Queen Kiya, whom the ancient prophecy claims that one day she would return. He knows that for the good of his people he must marry her - but more than that - for himself as she's captured his heart.

This is a fast-paced tale that hooks the reader from the first chapter when Jabari sees Elizabeth among the excavators. The story is fast-paced and loaded with action and stimulating dialog, and a plethora of interesting and colorful secondary characters. The love developed between the lead protaganists is wonderfully and sensually done and the mystical reincarnation aspect is a unique touch that simply adds more enjoyment to this wonderful love story as East meets West. Tension and suspense leading up to the conclusion in the final chapters will leave you fully satisfied with this fabulous read and leave you yearning for more and looking forward to the next tale in this series.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot and sensual paranormal romance, May 23, 2003

By 

"trsanders" (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falcon & the Dove (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1892, Elizabeth Summers travels to the Egyptian desert to join her uncle on an archeological dig in the ancient city of Akhetaten. She desperately wants to find the Almha, a large gold disk supposedly buried in the ancient city; it purportedly possesses strong powers and ancient remedies. She needs the disk to hopefully find a cure for her grandmother's tuberculosis; however, her uncle wants it for an entirely different reason. Despite her vast knowledge of the Egypt's 18th Dynasty, her uncle will only allow her to assist in the cataloging of the dig site's discoveries. Possessing a papyrus she found in her grandmother's attic and strange images/memories she does not understand, Elizabeth sets out on a secret dig where she not only locates the Almha but meets her destiny in fulfilling an ancient prophecy.

Jabari bin Tarik Hassid, Sheik of the Kahmsin warriors, is a descendant of a long line of warriors sworn to guard the Almha from discovery and destroy any efforts to unearth the disk. Posing as a field worker (Asim) to spy on the "infidels", Jabari soon finds he cannot deny the strong attraction he feels for Elizabeth. When she unearths the Almha, he cannot find the strength to follow his tribe's tradition and destroy her, so he spirits her away to his harem to spare her life. Overcome by his lust he sets out to seduce her only to find out she is not only his fated bride but possibly the answer to his tribe's prayers.

I highly recommend reading this enchanting love story full of romance, sensuality and adventure. Bonnie Vanack demonstrates a true skill in making her characters not only human but humorous as well. I really enjoyed the plot, found it well-paced and the dialogue between Jabari and Elizabeth had me chuckling at the idiosyncrasies of Middle Eastern men and "modern" British women. The secondary characters, Uncle Nahid, Nkosi (Jabari's grandfather), Badra (a member of Jabari's harem) and Nazim (Jabari's best friend) not only made the story well rounded but added another key piece to this wonderful tale. I can't wait to read Nazim's story, "For A Warrior's Heart", currently in the works based on Bonnie's website. Happy reading!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A romance you'll dig!, November 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Falcon & the Dove (Mass Market Paperback)

The Falcon and the Dove tells the story of Jabari, a warrior sheikh, and Elizabeth, an American archeologist, who, at the turn of the 19th century, play out a love story that began during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. Weaving fact and fiction, author Bonnie Vanak takes readers on an exciting journey into a foreign land and time to offer the familiar thrill of romance fiction. And she does it with strong characters, snappy dialog, a sense of humor and, of course, lots of steamy romance.
Although the hero and heroine have much ground to cover to find each other (and like each other!)it's a trip well worth taking.