Bonnie Vanak, The Sword & The Sheath

The Sword & The Sheath

Bonnie Vanak

Leisure, Mar 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 0843957565

Ramses bin Asad Sharif's daughter Fatima dreams of becoming a Khamsin warrior though she knows females are banned from becoming warriors, let alone carrying weapons. She has a deep need to prove to doubters that she can perform the duty and an even deeper obsession to keep her people safe. She feels strongly that as a Khamsin warrior she can do so, especially if she also uses her gift to foresee events that have always made her unwelcome in most circles.

When Fatima saves Tarik's life due to her sight skill, he gives her a chance to become a warrior. Tarik has been friends with Fatima for years, but wants much more from her. He has waited a long time for his Tima and feels soon he will tell her how he feels about her which goes way beyond friendship. However, when his Tima comes home to keep him safe from an assassin, she catches him making love to another woman. He knows how much harder it will be to persuade his warrior woman she is the one for him when she insists she just wants to protect him from those who want him dead.

The latest Sahara Desert historical romance is a great thriller, perhaps the best in the series, due to Fatima, a unique heroine with an obsession to protect her people which means entering an exclusive, male-only guard. The storyline is fast-paced and filled with action adventure while allowing for strong characterization and a deep sense of time and place. Readers will taste the sands as Bonnie Vanak provides an energetic, vivid yet entertaining tale.

Harriet Klausner