Abigail Merchant has something to prove -- to her father,
who chose his career over his family, and to her mother,
who urged her to have an adventure, chase after life and
generally quit being so stodgy.
So she travels to Britain to take a job at the British
Museum, where women still are not considered appropriate
choices for the job of librarian. The principal librarian
sticks her in the basement cataloguing boxes and boxes of
books and papers that have been donated to the museum. In
the mess, Abigail finds a treasure -- the papers of a
professor whose research had pointed him to the location of
the lost Great Library of Alexandria.
Now the adventure her mother wished upon Abigail really
begins. Armed with knowledge garnered (where else!) from
books, Abigail travels to India to find the library and
prove herself to her father with the great discovery.
Unfortunately, books don't adequately explain seasickness,
and Abigail finds herself at the mercy of Apollo Smith when
she's struck seriously sick. With ill-grace, Apollo nurses
her through the journey, expecting never to see her again.
He's on his own mission -- to seek revenge on the man who
deserted him to prison and almost certain death.
No amount of reading or planning or research could have
prepared Abigail for the turn her life takes. Apollo is
wanted by the French Legion for desertion, and the soldiers
are waiting at the dock. With her life inextricably tied to
his through a series of unfortunate events, Abigail's
adventure looks to be suffering.
Whew! I loved this book. Action, action, action and then
lots of hot, sensuous love scenes. Abigail is adorable (and
reminds me of myself years ago -- living through books and
sure that she knows everything!) and Apollo is a terrific
character. Great plotting, terrific pacing and characters
you want to befriend (or at least join on an adventure) all
add up to a read you can't put down. What fun!
Abigail Merchant travels to Casablanca to search for the
remnants of the Great Library of Alexandria. There, her
quest becomes entangled with the fate of a handsome ex-
legionnaire. Arrogant, brash Apollo Smith hardly inspires
trust...but he certainly inspires unladylike thoughts.
Together they search for the remnants of the great library,
but a host of vengeful legionnaires and greedy bandits is
soon on their trail, threatening to put an end to the
sensual delights they have just begun to discover.