Title: The Cobra and the Concubine
Author: Bonnie Vanak
Published in May 2005 by Leisure Books
Genre: Historical Romance
IBSN: 0-8439-5529-5
Related Books: (1) The Falcon and the Dove (2) The Tiger and the Tomb (4) The Panther and the Pyramid
The raid on the Al-Hajid was a huge success, the stallion reclaimed and yet Fareeq, Sheik of the Al-Hajid lives still, the damage he has done, and is doing is not past. For too long, Fareeq has been a burr under Jabari’s saddle and it would not really please him if the man died too soon or too easily. Of course, the tall young Khamsin understood his sheik’s displeasure. Khepri knew that if it had been his wife Fareeq had defiled, Jabari would wish all the tortures of the damned on him as well as a slow and pain-filled death to get him there. The theft of a Khamsin stud was as bad a crime though in the warrior’s eyes. Osiris was not going to look kindly on him. Fareeq would be lucky to get into the afterworld at all. Elizabeth was the light of his brother Jabari’s life, and Khepri knew Fareeq did not believe abducting her would cost him his life. His brother was protective of those under his care, and so Jabari has given him Badra, a concubine of Fareeq’s taken from the raid, to protect. Khepri is to protect her, guard her from all harm. The attack expected in retaliation only proves his resolve, the dead at his feet prove Jabari’s confidence in him is well founded, and his promise to her is being fulfilled. Khepri is proud his talents and skill have been proven again, and Badra remains safe.
What Khepri is not expecting is the love he feels for her, has felt from the start, and finally Khepri has to admit to himself he can no longer look after her without violating his oath. He asks his brother to give him leave to court Badra, and so he begins the journey to her heart. Khepri is quite determined to woo and win Badra’s love, and yet fate has other plans for the pair. Strangers come to the camp of the Khamsin, and Khepri learns he could be the long lost son of an English family, heir to a dukedom, and he is not at all happy. He would give up all for the hand of Badra in marriage if only she would consent. Several times he has asked her, each time she refuses cuts like a dagger to his heart. He approaches her again, his mind in turmoil, but knowing deep within as Jabari is willing him to go, he will be leaving behind his heart. She refuses him again, and Khepri leaves. Turns his back on the only life he remembers to face the strangeness, the oddity and stricture that is in truth, his heritage. Little does Kenneth Tristan, the newly discovered heir to the Duke of Caldwell, know that their paths will cross again, and that he can never truly leave his desert life and family behind…
Sold as a slave by her poor family as a child to a ruthless bordello owner, Badra passed into the harem of the Al-Hajid Sheik, Fareeq. He is ruthless in his dealings with her, and she is often the punching bag for him when he is displeased, angry, frustrated, or otherwise upset with the childless state of his harem. He was not a gentle man to begin with, and his treatment of her has been nothing less than cruel. When the attack starts, confusion reigns and she and Farah find themselves outside the camp. Fear is a living burn in her, and she hesitates when Farah pulls them from the relative safety of the rocks that sheltered them during the battle. She knows that Farah has long wanted to escape Fareeq, but she is not certain this flight into the path of the fierce Khamsin Sheik and his warriors is the best course of action. Badra is afraid they are exchanging one horror for another. Her fear only escalates when offered protection by the Khamsin Sheik, the refuge they seek. It borders on terror as she and Farah are accepted by Jabari as his concubines. Not even Farah fully understands what Badra has been through at Fareeq’s hands, the cruelty and degradation he forced upon her.
Not until she is passed into the hands of the young Khamsin Warrior, Khepri, does Badra feel safe, and even then, she finds herself worrying for him. As the years pass, she wished that she could feel for him, what he apparently feels for her but it is not to be. Badra cannot afford to let herself care for anyone. The fears she harbours are too great, the trauma still too real even after all these years, and the death of Fareeq. She is haunted by the ghosts of her past, and now the child she bore, the daughter she thought was dead is caught in the same trap. Badra is given some hard choices, and must make a decision that will again change her whole life. She must face the fears which were given their start here with her enslavement at age eleven, or allow her daughter to remain and be sold again and again to whatever man pays for her. Badra cannot allow her daughter to suffer such a fate, but unbeknownst to her, Khepri has learned of her plight. Even though he has been restored to his English family, he is in Cairo. Badra sends her daughter to him, knowing that she will be safe, and protected. What she doesn’t expect, and has no hope for now is rescue…
From the deserts of Egypt’s past, Bonnie Vanak again takes us on a journey of discovery. We travel the road with Badra and Khepri as they grow and learn of life, love, trust, honour, and the differences between false hope and betrayal, fate and destiny. For Khepri, the discovery that he has an English grandfather from whom he will inherit a dukedom is more than he can believe. To leave the only family he remembers, and to travel with strangers to a land of green and damp is more than he can imagine. He can ‘t understand the circumstances of this situation, but little by little he must learn to adapt and accept the heritage that has been dropped in his lap. In a desperate attempt to stay with the only family he knows, he asks Badra again to be his wife. Her refusal hurts him more deeply than she can suspect, and it is something she will learn to regret later. She is also labouring under some strains. She has made a pact with Rashid, for they both are aware of each other’s secrets, and are bound together by mutual promise. Neither will marry, and for their own reasons, they feel they must stand together.
Once again, in The Cobra and the Concubine, Ms. Vanak has delivered a story that you can sink your teeth into, one that stirs the senses as well as the heart. The scope of the story goes from Egyptian desert to English drawing room, from the archeological digs to the bordellos of Cairo. The depths and breadths of the heart, from dark secrets to the bright light of love are explored as the two frustrated lovers find the courage to try again, and to revel in meaning and the true healing of the emotion. Both are, in their own way, hurt and abandoned souls, and the delicious dark sensuality, the forbidden nature of their plight, her slavery and his heritage only enhance the drama. The Cobra and the Concubine has more delightful twists, turns, and plot excitement than a Cairo alley, and around each bend, there is a surprise. I refuse to tell you more, for the joy is in the reading, and this is a tale you won’t want to miss. The Cobra and the Concubine will be available to you in May from Dorchester’s Leisure Books imprint, so make sure you keep your eyes open and watch for it at your favourite bookseller.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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