Publication Date: March 8, 2014
Tyema is the Head Priestess for the god Sobek in a rural Nome of Egypt. When Sahure comes from Thebes seeking advice on a mission from the Pharoah, he’s enchanted by the young priestess and falls in love. Sadly, their union is not meant to be, but what will happen when Egypt is threatened by dark magic and the god Sobek sends Tyema to Thebes to deliver a sacred crocodile and determine the source? Will she be able to reconcile that the evil seems to be coming from her beloved yet distant Sahure?
The author, Veronica Scott, gave me this novel as an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my review.
Veronica Scott is quickly becoming my favorite author of historical romance. Each book she writes builds on the one before, stands on its own and just gets better and better. [easyazon-link asin=”B00IWC3UH8″ locale=”us”]Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon-link] is a wonderful novel that is engrossing, entertaining and enacted by beautifully drawn characters in a time appropriate setting. A lot of historical romance could be transported to any time or place. Not so, [easyazon-link asin=”B00IWC3UH8″ locale=”us”]Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon-link]. Scott’s attention to detail in ritual, custom and even style of war smacks of authenticity and creates a bond between the characters and their world.
Tyema is a wonderfully detailed character. She is timid and unsure in social settings but confident in her role as Sobek’s celebrant on earth. She is very uncomfortable in Thebes for its very contrived social musts and is grateful to Sahure for his help. But when it comes to the Head Priest of the Temple of Sobek in Thebes questioning her vision, she smacks him down in what is very realistic for this extraordinarily well-crafted character. Tyema and Sahure are refreshingly direct with each other and in their lives so that the reader is clear in how they feel but also very clear on how impossible their feelings are for each other.
A lot of times in romance novels the male protagonist is a pretty piece of meat— bulging muscles and a strong face attached to the only thing that matters—a porn-star large penis. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with these attributes and they are especially attractive when a personality is thrown in just for fun. Sahure is a warrior and one of his time, so the hard body and the pretty face are there. But, he’s a good mix of man on the move. [easyazon-link asin=”B00IWC3UH8″ locale=”us”]Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon-link] covers a great deal of time, so we follow Sahure on a mission for Pharaoh to save the occupants of a desert oasis. We see his respect for fellow human beings whether they are like him or not; we see his longing for Tyema and how he doesn’t let her distract him from what he needs to do. We see him go in disguise to caravans using his bravery and wits to gain intelligence. He is a guy who doesn’t ask his soldiers to do what he wouldn’t do.
Scott doesn’t spare the background characters. We get a rich and developed mix of personalities from the scribes to the crocodile keeper to the sister married to a god. The whole world and characters are so interesting that this reader sat rapt as Tyema and Sahure walked through the Pharoah’s zoo. I was with them and loving every minute of it. [easyazon-link asin=”B00IWC3UH8″ locale=”us”]Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon-link] transports the reader.
As a reader when I sit down with a book I want an experience and [easyazon-link asin=”B00IWC3UH8″ locale=”us”]Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon-link] gives that experience. Closing the book, I felt satisfied with the story but longed for more by this talented author.
If you like romance, fantasy or historical romance read an excerpt and pick up Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt by Veronica Scott today on:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
[easyazon-link asin=”B00IWC3UH8″ locale=”us”]Magic of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon-link] is the fifth novel by Veronica Scott to be reviewed on this website to view reviews of Veronica Scott’s novels by Tammy Dewhirst, click here.Watch the book trailer of the “Gods of Egypt” series.
Credits:
Veronica Scott’s first book of The Sectors series was awarded with the 2012 SFR Galaxy Award. She also writes semi-monthly column on U.S.A Today.
For more information Veronica Scott and her work, visit her website. You can connect with her on Facebook, GoodReads and Twitter @VScotttheauthor.
Series readers can track “The Sectors” and “Gods of Egypt” series on FictFact.