The Falcon & The Dove [Mass Market Paperback]

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!

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.