The Book of the Seven Delights

by Betina Krahn

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515139726
• ISBN13: 9780515139723
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 327 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Epitome of its genre

I am not a professional reviewer like the other ladies who addressed this book, so my review will not contain a plot summary or be as long and polished as theirs were. I'll simply say that this book is a great example of its genre. It's a fabulous, well-written, FUN historical adventure romance. You fall in love with the places they visit, and you root for the characters and boo the bad guys. It's a great couple of nights' read-yourself-to-sleep book -- if you can put it down!

Fun romantic adventure

Think The Mummy. Much fun ensues when a librarian goes after the lost library of Alexandria in the company of a man who's being hunted by the French Foreign Legion for desertion. The good: The banter. Abigail and Apollo's banter had me laughing out loud. The adventure. It's fast-moving and exciting. The book references. Abigail has learned everything she knows from books, and is constantly referring to them. It's funny and occasionally poignant. All the twists and turns in the plot. There's one after the other. The bad: Not a thing, as long as you suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride. The surprising: That in such a fun, romantic adventure, you also get character development and growth. The verdict: A wonderful read, particularly for fans of The Mummy, or Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series.

The Mummy for Chicks

This romance is an historical - which is a genre I usually deplore. It's Victorian, though, so it's palatable, I suppose. The heroine IS Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) from the hit movie, the Mummy. The hero? Well, hmm. A bit more than Brendan Fraser's character, but then again, a pretty close call. The big difference is that the treasure not in Egypt, and that there's a nice little feminist twist to this book. I enjoyed the story, both the main plot, and the characters getting to know you sessions. I almost put the book down because the Heroine was such an annoying pest in the beginning - but she got better. As did the Hero. The locales are vividly portrayed, the characters have good balance, and the story is well paced. Another good, light read. (*)>

Exotic Locales, Adventuresome and Romantic! 4-1/2*

During a time, and in a field where women were not wanted but simply tolerated, Abigail Merchant was determined that she would succeed where others had failed. Having trained and been experienced as a fully qualified librarian and armed with her mother's eternal faith and support, Abigail knew she would persevere in the lowly position given to her of `cataloguing acquisitions' in the British Museum. Here she would stumble upon the journals of a noted scholar that would compel her to leave England and venture forth to the remote city of Timbuktu in order to complete said scholar's quest in locating the Great Library of Alexandria. Along the way, her path crossed that of the arrogant and insufferable `Son of Satan' (SOS) Apollo Smith. Handsome in a swarthy pirate kind of way, complete with eye-patch, he was not her idea of hero material, although his somewhat tender care of her seasickness on the ocean crossing did garner him some points. Once she was well enough to notice - he certainly inspired and aroused some very annoying and unladylike feelings. As her un-appointed but necessary guide they battled the Sahara desert, nomad tribesmen, and some merciless French Foreign Legionnaires in their quest for the hidden treasures of the fabled Great Library of Alexandria, and discover an ancient scroll that would change their lives - The Book of Seven Delights. *** This was an exciting romance filled with a suspenseful adventure as the protagonists battled one another as well as the dangers found in the Sahara desert. Initially bound to each other out of necessity, both Abigail and Apollo soon came to discover that some of the traits that infuriated them the most were those in the end they came to admire and embrace as they fell in love with each other. Krahn does an admirable job of inserting enough detail to keep the pace briskly moving from one harrowing escape to another as the two managed to keep one step ahead of the dangers that dogged their every move. In Abigail, the author has created a character with credible issues and feelings that the reader can relate to and Apollo was well drawn out as well, though I would have liked to discover what the inheritance was that his Uncle was willing to murder for. Otherwise, for those looking for a marvelous adventure set in the exotic locales of Casablanca and Timbuktu then this is the ticket. --- Marilyn, for www.historicromancewriters.com ---

fabulous late Victorian romantic suspense

In 1899, American librarian Abigail Merchant obtains a job with the prestigious British Museum due to the influence of her estranged scholarly father. However, the chauvinist management has problems with a female working in a museum so they assign her to the basement to catalogue the zillion donations received over the decades. Though upset with the position Abigail accepts it as a foot in the doorway. After several of weeks monstrous monotonous classifying, Abigail uncovers the suitcase given to the library by Professor Thaddeus Chilton five decades ago. Inside is scholarly information that provides clues to where someone could find the remains of the ancient Library of Alexandria destroyed by the Romans. Abigail travels across the Mediterranean towards Casablanca on the Star of Persia, but becomes ill. The crew refuses to deal with an infidel female, so passenger Apollo Smith nurtures her back to health. In Northern Africa they follow clues but others wait to steal any artifacts they find while even worse problems plague them as rogue legionnaires want them dead. Readers who treasure strong female protagonists starring in historical romantic suspense thrillers will take immense delight in Betina Krahn's fabulous late Victorian tale. The story line starts off by introducing the audience to the intrepid, energetic but bored Abigail struggling to escape the restraints the chauvinistic English scholarly-library community imposes on women regardless of experience, education, or intelligence. The plot abruptly picks up speed at sea and becomes hyperspeed in Africa where the two lead characters go from one escapade to another while falling in love. Harriet Klausner