When Sharon was planning her 6th blogiversary celebrations, I wanted to host a giveaway. So I decided to pick one of my favourite books this year and offer it as a prize alongside some surprise happy mail. Regular readers of the blog will know I am a huge fan of historical fiction as well as romance and women's fiction but I think stories that delve into the past will always have a special place in my heart. So the book I have chose is Beneath a Burning Sky by Jenny Ashcroft. This is not a book I have reviewed on the blog but it is certainly one of the most memorable and enthralling books I have read this year. This book is an amazing début which I came across quite by accident while browsing through the new titles shelf in my local library. It's a book where you get quite a buzz from reading it and want to shout about it from the rooftops to ensure that everyone decides to read it. Simply it's historical fiction at it's finest and I can see that in the future Jenny Ashcroft will rival Lucinda Riley and Kate Furnivall as my top authors which is saying something considering how much I love the above mentioned authors.
Beneath a Burning Sky is the story of two sisters living in Egypt at the time of British colonial rule. Both women are married to men who have great power. But for Olivia the younger sister, moving from England to a warm, exotic country, it is a time of unrest for her especially considering she is not overly enamoured with her husband Alistair Sheldon. He is cruel, abrupt and forceful. The only positive aspect Olivia can take from her situation is that she is reunited with her sister Clara. This is an opportunity to reconnect and to enjoy being with her sister and nephew. But strange things are afoot and when Clara is abducted from the bustling streets of Cairo, Olivia's life is turned upside down. What follows is a breathtaking story of secrets, betrayal,intrigue and most of all love.
