During the reign of Queen Victoria, but in a parallel
universe in which all humans have been given the gift of
magic, and dragons and flying carpets are real, two factions
have set out on a quest to find a sacred ruby, the Heart of
Light, which has the power to concentrate the magic powers
of an entire continent and bestow them on a single family
line. Nigel Oldhall and his innocent new bride, Emily, have
been sent to Africa by Queen Victoria on a secret mission to
locate the stone and bring it back to England.
Opposing them are the Hyena Men, a secret society of those
loyal to Africa, who plan to stop the English from stealing
the stone, thus insuring Africa will remain free of English
tyranny. Leading the expedition is Kitwana, a prince of his
native tribe, and Nassira, the lone female member of the
Hyena Men, who was instructed to track the Oldhalls ever
since they left England. Kitwana and Nassira intercept the
Oldhall party, which now includes Nigel's former school
friend, Peter Farewell, in Khartoum, and convince Nigel to
hire them and their fellow Hyena Men to act as guides on the
quest.
With the assistance of a compass stone which points in the
direction of the hidden ruby, they set off into the African
wilderness, but suspicion and danger follow them like a dark
cloud. Emily and Nigel, who never consummated their marriage
before reaching Africa, begin turning against each other
after Peter's suspicious behavior leads Nigel to accuse
Emily of having an affaire. To make matters worse, Emily
discovers that Nigel has spent an evening alone in the
jungle with Nassira, convincing Emily that Nigel would
prefer to be free of her. Kitwana and Nassira, meanwhile,
must face the fact that their English companions are not the
embodiment of evil which they imagined. While Kitwana sees
Nigel as weak and unworthy of Emily, and he suspects that
Peter is hiding a dark secret, he's humbled by Emily's
beauty, compassion and strength. Nassira is disgusted by
Kitwana's obvious attraction to the English woman, but she
also can't help feeling a strong urge to protect the
weak-hearted Nigel from doing something stupid which will
get him killed in the jungle.
On the night Kitwana solves the riddle of Peter's strange
behavior and is ordered by the leader of the Hyena Men to
take action, a chain of events is set in motion which will
force the two groups to form unlikely alliances against an
unexpected adversary, and the race will be on to save the
stone from falling into the hands of a power-hungry madman
set on world domination.
The best word to describe HEART OF LIGHT is "epic". This
book is part romance, part action adventure, and part
fantasy, reminiscent of a Tolkien adventure. Despite a very
serious subject matter and a strong conflict, nearly all the
characters are likeable from the very beginning. This also
makes the storyline unpredictable, which is a big plus for a
500 page novel. The twists and turns of plot made it a
difficult book to put down, and the ending left me eagerly
awaiting book two, SOUL OF FIRE, due out in August. I hope
you'll find it as delightful as I did!
Set in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was,
this unique fantasy blends adventure, intrigue, and romance,
as a newlywed couple embark on a dangerous quest—and, in the
process, discover their own heart’s desires.
On a
luxury magic carpetship in 1889, an English couple travel to
Cairo for their honeymoon. Except for a brush with a dragon,
the voyage is uneventful. But for Nigel Oldhall and his
beautiful Indian-born bride, Emily, the holiday hides
another purpose. Within hours of arriving in the teeming
city, they are plunged into an extraordinary struggle among
demons, murderers, and magic.
In Cairo, Nigel can no
longer hide his secret from his wife: he is on a mission to
rescue a ruby that will ensure Queen Victoria’s hold on
Africa forever. But the search has already swallowed up
Nigel’s older brother—and now it has put his own Emily in
mortal danger. But is she the innocent Nigel imagines? Soon,
separately and apart, the two will set off for the heart of
the continent among conspirators and traitors, all seeking
the ruby and the gifts and curses it offers them—and all of
humankind.…
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