"Ancient Lovers Born Again"

It is 1892 in Egypt. Elizabeth Summers is an American who is on an archaeological dig with her uncle. She is hoping to take an active part in the excavation at the site, but as a woman, she is only allowed to catalogue the specimens. But she and her uncle are in Egypt to find an ancient, hidden artifact.

The dig near Amarna is being watched over by desert warriors dedicated to preserving the secrecy of the artifact. Jabari is the Sheikh of the desert clan. He is a descendant of the ancient Egyptian guards of Kiya, one of the Pharaoh Ahkenaten's wives. Jabari is surprised to see the beautiful, blond Elizabeth on the dig, and he is attracted to her. To keep a closer eye on the Europeans, and to make sure they do not come too close to the artifact he guards, Jabari dresses as one of the workers and joins the diggers on the site. He is able to follow Elizabeth after she has figured out where the artifact is buried, and goes there to dig it up. Jabari has no choice but to kidnap and take her to his harem.

Elizabeth and Jabari are strongly drawn to each other. And when Jabari sees a birthmark shaped as a dove on her he begins to think that Elizabeth may be Queen Kiya reincarnated, as the ancient legends have promised. The prophecy states that Kiya and Ranefer, the chief of Kiya's guards, would both be reincarnated in the future. They would finally be able to fulfill their destiny as lovers.

THE FALCON AND THE DOVE is an enjoyable read. It contains some of the most exciting elements of the film The Mummy, and is a romantic tale of kidnapping into a desert hideaway, as in The Sheik. Add to this fun mix the element of lovers long separated, and finally reincarnated together, and you have a fast-paced novel that is hard to put down, although I would have enjoyed even more emphasis on the reincarnation elements, especially for Jabari.

Reviewed by Cynthia Meidinger
Posted October 1, 2002

Summary

In the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, there was born a love that can never be broken—that of a young queen and a great warrior. And while the warrior's duty to combat the infidel was strict, and though his beloved was the wife of Pharaoh, the two would be separated only by death. But then only for a time.

Elizabeth Summers comes to the dig in 1892. English archaeologists have made huge advances, and Egypt's fantastic history is being laid bare. And while Elizabeth doesn't know whether she is the reincarnation of an ancient queen, she realizes that in the arms of a great sheikh she has found her destiny.