Lust and love in Egypt.

Synopsis

A scarred mercenary…Or the Disappearing Duke of Greybourne?

Rafe has spent years running from his true identity. He’s a lone wolf, living far from aristocratic England and his violent father. Then unconventional Cleopatra Osbourne requests his protection as she crosses the Egyptian desert. In Cleo he discovers a fellow outcast—and a fierce desire! Cleo must return to London, and here lies Rafe’s dilemma—because following his heart means claiming the title he’s avoided for so long!

My review

Cleopatra Osbourne is looking for her brother in Egypt. But as she finds herself chased by people with lesser good intentions, she asks for protection to Rafe while she crosses the desert.
Rafe poses as a mercenary, but in truth he is the Duke of Greybourne.
During their crossing of the desert, Cleo and Rafe find they have more in common than thought and are finding it hard to resist their attraction.

But when Cleo has to return to London, Rafe is not sure what to do… will he just stay in Egypt or will he follow her back but that means also he has to claim his title…

This is not the first book of Lara Temple I’ve read, so I kind of knew what to expect. But somehow I found myself still surprised by it!

From the very beginning Cleopatra is not your standard lady in distress. She is looking for her brother in Egypt and is going several lengths to accomplish her goal. Talking about a woman in charge!
Being a lady, especially in that period and in a country like Egypt is not so easy. Yet when it’s clear how Cleo manages to get around things, I found it hilarious!

She also shows how strong she is, as she does not take easily “no” as an answer. She wants to be involved with every step.

Rafe is something else… he is literally scarred and is used to be just him and his friend Birdie. He is used to people staring at his scars and being a bit afraid of it.
Yet what he went through when he was younger has scarred him emotionally.
So when he meets Cleo for the first time, he is very distant.

What I truly liked about this story is that Cleopatra does not need constant rescuing. She is very independent and just needs a little bit of help.
And yet I also loved the way Rafe tries to protect her all the time. it shows that he is a real good man!
Cleo knows her mind and even dares to take some risky decisions when it comes to her attraction to Rafe. She is mature enough to know giving in to the attraction does not always mean that there is something more.
And she also sees behind Rafe’s scars. And she knows that the looks of someone is not what makes a man.

This story is about two people looking for something. One is literally looking for her brother, but also a place and a person she belongs to. While Rafe is looking for closure about the past, and also for courage to claim what is his.

Two different characters finding each other, giving each other a cause to face their demons and daring to take a chance. Yet also causing sometimes misunderstandings that could be easily avoided.

A lovely tale about love, lust and eventually following your heart, and not being held back by society and their standards. I loved it from the first word until the last one!