A sun-drenched romance set in the exotic and bygone world of Upper Egypt
A sensual tale of romance and nostalgia, Song of the Nile illustrates the pain of loss, the power of love and the strength of heroine determined to put things right.
[ About the Book ]
Luxor, 1946. When young nurse Aida El Masri returns from war-torn London to her family’s estate in Egypt she steels herself against the challenges ahead.
Eight years have passed since her father, Ayoub, was framed for a crime he did not commit, and died as a tragic result. Yet Aida has not forgotten, and now she wants revenge against the man she believes betrayed her father – his best friend, Kamel Pharaony.
Then Aida is reunited with Kamel’s son, the captivating surgeon Phares, who offers her marriage. In spite of herself, the secret passion Aida harboured for him as a young girl reignites. Still, how can she marry the son of the man who destroyed her father and brought shame on her family? Will coming home bring her love, or only danger and heartache?
Set in the exotic and bygone world of Upper Egypt, Song of the Nile follows Aida’s journey of rediscovery – of the homeland she loves, with its white-sailed feluccas on the Nile, old-world charms of Cairo and the ancient secrets of its burning desert sands – and of the man she has never forgotten.
A compelling story of passion and intrigue – a novel that lays open the beating heart of Egypt.
[ My Review ]
Song of The Nile by Hannah Fielding is published in paperback format with London Wall Publishers May 27th. Described as ‘a passionate, slow-burning romance that will have you wanting to move to the continent for an old fashioned holiday romance of pure escapism’ this is a novel that is packed with sweeping imagery of Egypt in all it’s glittering colours. I am delighted to be joining the blog tour today with my review of a book that offers all readers the joy of absolute escapism to another era, to a time when society was on the cusp of change, yet traditions were very much rigidly respected and invoked.
Following a harrowing few years at the cold face of nursing in London during the war, Aida El Masri arrives home to Luxor. Times have changed for Aida and she is now no longer the terrified and traumatised young woman who left her home eight years previously following an event that shook her world. Her home is a vast estate that has been kept going in her absence but now Aida needs to make decisions on her life and her future. Her mother died many years ago leaving Aida with her father who she had loved dearly. Her mother was English and her father Egyptian. Against the wishes of their families they had married and created a new life, one filled with love and respect. A marriage to the son of the adjoining landowner had always been pre-destined for Aida. Phares Pharaony was the son of her father’s best friend Kamel Pharaony. Although a few years older than Aida, Phares was a respectable choice, a solid individual and their union would bind two very wealthy estates, cementing their position in Luxor’s society and beyond. But, at eighteen, Aida’s father was arrested, framed for a crime he did not commit. As the jury found him guilty, his heart gave up and he collapsed in the courtroom, dying in front of Aida’s eyes. Aida, distraught, hears a rumour that it was Kamel Pharaony who was responsible and, upset, now unable to stay in Luxor, Aida leaves for England. Over the following years she worked hard in her new found career as a nurse, witnessing first hand the horrors of war, but now finally she arrives home with the intention of sorting out her affairs and finally uncovering the truth behind her father’s victimisation.
Aida is opinionated and strong-willed. Her stubborn nature is not a trait that is accepted by many in Egyptian society. Her attitude has changed and she refuses to bend to the whims and desires of this world she now inhabits. She fully reembraces the fashion and the comforts, all that she had missed while overseas but she will not be pressurised into an organised marriage to a man she now sees as the son of her greatest enemy. Aida see Phares Pharaony as a man who, like others of his stature, wants a woman to be submissive, a woman who obeys. It’s very clear that many men lust after Aida but it is Phares who challenges her the most and, against all her wishes, leaves her confused and wanting more. Aida is a breath of fresh air on her return but her stormy personality soon irritates some people and she finds herself a thorn in the side of many.
Song of the Nile is an intensely racy, sensual and steamy read set against the lush backdrop of Upper Egypt. Hannah Fielding writes about her homeland with a knowledge and a passion that brings all the senses very much to life. The colours, the scents, the sounds are all very vividly described….
“A realm of sultry heat and mystifying intrigue, of evocative colour and spine-tingling sensation, of vivid settings and exotic cultures, of whispered attractions and gentle caresses, of all-consuming passion and all-conquering love.”
– Hannah Fielding
When reading Song of the Nile, the reader is transported away from their own lives into a world of bygone years when society, and its treatment of women, was very different to the world many of us live in today.
Song of the Nile is escapism, very passionate escapism, perfect for all who like to be seduced and swept away into a fictional world filled with desire, longing and very powerful attractions set in the most incredible landscape, that of the exotic and lush Upper Egypt of the post-war years.
[ Bio ]
Having already had huge success as one of the UK’s leading romance authors with total sales of over 130k Song of the Nile, follows the award-winning success of Hannah Fielding’s previous novels Aphrodite’s Tears, Burning Embers, Concerto, Echoes of Love, Masquerade, Legacy and Indiscretion.
Echoes of Love won Romance Novel of the Year at the IPB Awards in 2012, Burning Embers was Amazon’s book of the month in 2011, and Hannah’s novels have been translated into 13 languages. With its spectacular setting and deep emotional drama, Song of the Nile will appeal both to fans of her backlist, as well as lovers of atmospheric travel writing including Santa Montefiore, Penny Vincenzie, Victoria Hislop and Lucinda Riley.
Egyptian by birth Hannah is fluent in French, English and Arabic and has lived all over the world. She currently lives between her writing retreat in the South of France and her rambling family home in Ireland. Hannah’s grandmother, Esther Fanous, was the revolutionary feminist writer in Egypt during the early 1900s and helped found the Women’s Wafd Central Committee in 1920.
Twitter – @fieldinghannah
That cover is absolutely gorgeous
Very appealing isn’t it Tessa?