I know I am in for a treat when I read a book by Marguerite Kaye. Her historical quartet of Hot Arabian Nights, which has already brought a Cornish lady botanist and a British horsewoman to the vast desert, continues with CLAIMING HIS DESERT PRINCESS. Tahira is taking a risk to go out at night dressed in practical garb, exploring a mine site for antiquities. But she's not expecting to find someone else doing the same thing, Christopher, an antiquarian from Britain.

If the new mine in Nesserah does hold turquoise, the chances are good that people in antiquity found the semi- precious stones too and traded them. This is 1815 and Ancient Egypt is all the fashion in wealthy Europe. Tahira just wants to uncover the remains of a village, if possible. Christopher, a surveyor by trade, holds a jewelled amulet which he wishes to return to its origin in Arabia, believing it to be fated. Maybe they can work together.

I love the original trades and occupations this dedicated author gives to her characters. Someone had to do these jobs, and it's far more interesting than yet another of the landed gentry. Tahira is a princess who, at twenty-four, is unmarried due to unfortunate circumstances, but whose life is luxurious. She expects to marry soon, as rulers need family allies, but personally she'd rather stay a chaperone to younger women. Her sister does wish to marry well, for then she will have status and control over her own life. By exploring Tahira's status, duty and restricted life, Marguerite Kaye explains a great deal about women of the day.

For people so interested in uncovering secrets and history, both Tahira and Christopher keep a lot of secrets of their own. Under the wide starry sky, crossing the sand dunes, they get a chance to be free from the ties of past, heritage and society. No wonder this stolen time is so alluring. Of course their developing respect and love can't lead to anything... they are worlds apart. And the interests of empires may decide their fates.

The detail about the jewelled palace and the bazaar is fascinating; I love the playful sand cat kept as a pet. CLAIMING HIS DESERT PRINCESS is suitable for adult readers who can't get enough well-written historical romance. One sip of this heady brew won't be enough.