Series:
Princes of Egypt (Book 1)
To Prince Saleem,
With Love
When Elise agrees to pose as her friend Lady Olive in a
few letters with a faraway prince, she never dreams she'll actually meet the
man. Yet when they travel from England to Egypt, and Olive runs away, Elise
finds herself alone with Prince Saleem and fighting a forbidden attraction!
It might be a tactical match, but Saleem's all but
betrothed to her best friend, and fiercely independent Elise is wary of his
royal world. As they team up to solve a dangerous mystery, dare Elise reveal
she's the one who wrote the letters and surrender to this impossible desire?
Enjoyable story in the unusual setting of late Victorian
Egypt. Elise is a Greek-English woman who is best friends with Lady Olive.
Olive has been promised in marriage to Prince Saleem of Egypt, something she is
not excited about. Uninterested in even exchanging letters with her intended,
she palms the chore off on her friend, Elise. Over the next few months, a deep
connection forms between them, though Saleem believes the letters are from
Olive.
I liked Saleem. He is the heir to the throne, even though
he has an older half-brother, Adnan, who is illegitimate. Saleem is a good man,
well-liked by everyone he meets. He has a vision for Egypt's future. However,
he has trouble overcoming his irresponsible reputation from his younger years,
putting him at odds with his father. Meanwhile, Adnan is more serious and has a
closer relationship with their father. I liked that there is no tension between
the two brothers, just an understanding of who each is. I enjoyed Adnan's efforts
to help Saleem.
Matters become complicated when Olive runs off before they
reach their destination, leaving Elise to attempt to explain her absence. I
thought Saleem took the news very well, and Adnan stepped up to track down
Olive. In the meantime, Saleem and Elise spend a lot of time together. Saleem
is confused by the connection he feels for Elise, not knowing that she is the
letter-writer. There are some great scenes of them together as Saleem shows her
around his city. It doesn't take long for Saleem to realize that there's no way
he can marry Olive when his heart belongs to Elise. Saleem also must overcome
Elise's belief that there is no future for them. She is wary of involvement
because of a bad experience and plans to live an independent life. But Olive's
reappearance puts Saleem at odds with his father again, and it doesn't look good
for the future he wants. The ending is confusing, with no explanation of how
Saleem pulls off his triumph of love.
There is also a secondary storyline involving Elise's
inheritance. The background of the gold bars was intriguing. I enjoyed how
Saleem and Elise worked together to discover the truth. There was some danger
involved that kept the tension up, and an unexpected revelation that changed
Elise's life.
I look forward to the next book, which is probably Olive
and Adnan's story. Hopefully, we will get an explanation of Olive's actions,
because in this book, she came across as spoiled and thoughtless.
I enjoyed the Egyptian setting of this book. The author's
descriptions of the food and scenery added depth to the story. I loved seeing
Elise's wholehearted enjoyment of the new experiences.
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