Shadows on the Aegean

Chloe and Cheftu #2

by J. Suzanne Frank

Here the fascinating characters of Reflections reemerge on a dazzling Aegean island called Aztlan - where a mystery older than time may be solved, and where a love more powerful than death lives on...

Chloe Kingsley expected to wake up in 1997; instead fate and a rip in the fabric of time-space are sending Chloe to a mysterious ancient culture, another woman's body, and an enormous test of her love for Cheftu the physician. In Aztlan, an advanced civilization set on a volcanic isle in the Aegean, Chloe becomes Sibylla, a prophetess about to enter the political arena and ceremonial bull rings a dazzling, decadent kingdom.

Visions of a terrifying catastrophe inspire Chloe and Cheftu to desperately try to save Aztlan from utter destruction. But already the rumblings of doom are shaking a glorious culture that created labyrinths and a new panoply of gods, as two lovers, sworn to be together for eternity, are torn apart by cruel rituals, twisted ambition...and heinous murder.

Shadow on the Aegean provides a stirring blend of finely drawn characters, authentic historic detail, and passion, while offering a fascinating theory about the real location and fate of Atlantis, a world renowned in legend, long searched for, long dreamed about, and never found...

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Historical Romance

475 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

J. Suzanne Frank is a newspaper and magazine journalist who has traveled extensively in Egypt, Greece, and Israel. A native of Texas, she lives in Dallas. She has written 4 novels under her own name and a short series of light mysteries under the name Chloe Green, which feature a fashionable sleuth named Dallas O'Connor. Her four novels are a linked series of time-travel fantasy that take a woman from the 1990s to ancient Egypt, Atlantis, and Biblical Israel. She draws heavily on history, myth and especially the Judeo-Christian Bible.

Reviews

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. I loved Reflections in the Nile and I was so excited to continue Chloe and Cheftu's journeys through time but this book fell far short of my expectations. I found myself skimming through a lot of the book-my interest didn't even begin until after the first 150 pages. There was just too much thrown in here-volcanic apocalypses, mystical talking stones, medical forensics, mythological characters, incest and a random look at Chloe's body in modern day. I'm not sure I'll follow Chloe and Cheftu in their next journey.

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in a series of time travel. Instead of returning to her own time, Chloe Kingsley wakes in Azklan. The time is the mid 1800s B.C.E. She is now Sybilla but then again she is returned to the twentieth century while Cheftu thinking she is dead struggles to find her. Meanwhile she is looking for him and then they must try to save Azklan.

[Cassy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I read this book is because I wanted to know what happened to Chloe and Cheftu. I loved the first one but this one was not my style. Now I'm moving on the the third book to once again find out what happens to those two!

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't make it through this one -- well, I could have, but I really didn't want to... WAY too detailed and the characters were flat and uninteresting.

[Sher Fick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous time travel

[Beth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these time travel, historical fiction love stories.

[Calpurnia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigo sin saber por qué estoy leyéndome esta saga, pero no puedo evitar pasar al tercero.

[dimitra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Publishers Weekly

"The myth of Atlantis inspires the confident second novel in Frank's time-traveling romantic trilogy (after the popular Reflections in the Nile). Green-eyed Chloe Kingsley finds herself not in ancient Egypt, where the last novel ended, but on pre-classical Crete, inhabiting the body of an oracle headed for the doomed island of Aztlan. There she meets her soulmate and fellow time-traveler, Cheftu, now an Egyptian healer. Together, they experience a sensuous barbaric Minoan culture. Part Mary Renault, part Jacqueline Susann, Frank delights in re-imagining (sometimes pulpishly) lost rituals of love, power and religion, but she also finds moments of refreshing humor in the contrast between Chloe's modern sensibility and ancient manners. Longing for a cigarette or a bar of chocolate or a Diet Coke, Chloe is an easy heroine to sympathize with. Meanwhile, back in the 20th century, Chloe's nemesis now inhabits her body while Chloe's sister encounters ferocious magic in an unknown tomb. Fans will stay tuned."

Now that I’ve read the first two books in this series, I’m hooked, but not completely bowled over by it. I find the locale of the islands in the Aegean fascinating, and the ritual customs of the islanders repellent yet mesmerizing – I looked forward to reading this book every night and was surprised at how quickly I finished it. But, one of the problems with the book is it is very confusing at first. The reader is not sure what is going on and who is who. It’s not easy to keep track of the many priests and oracles and clan chiefs, much less who is “evil” and who is “good.” Before long it all makes sense, but it takes a while. The glossary and map in the front of the book help a little, but I wish it had been more detailed and said who was who (like the way Colleen McCullough does with her Man in Rome Series.)

This book is full of many different characters. I especially had trouble with the male characters and keeping them straight: Niko, Nestor, Dion, Pheobus, Who was gay? Who was the one that was supposed to inherit and kill his father? Who was the albino and what of the girl Niotne he rescued? Who was Nestor again and why was he important? Who was in love with their sister, and who had to have sex with their stepmother? The intrigue and various rituals became overwhelming, not to mention the characters in Egypt. Before long I knew who was who, but it was disconcerting at first, as well as trying to figure out who these people were and what their purpose was. The book jumped around a lot. One character in Egypt that Cheftu meets, (who’s name I can’t remember) winds up being a patriarch of Israel as is revealed to us in Cheftu’s last parting words to him. At one point in the story, the plot takes us to present day Egypt and Chloe’s sister’s world with the scheming priestess, RaEm (from Reflections in the Nile) in the body of Chloe, acting like a slut and not caring one bit how she looks or dresses. (We never see this part of the story again – a major loose thread, if you ask me!) It also took a while for me to figure out, (until Cheftu comes right out and says it) that instead of traveling forward in time from ancient Egypt during Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s reign, they’ve traveled back 400 years! Cheftu now must experience an even more uncivilized Egypt than last time, with Egypt suffering the poverty and starvation of an ongoing famine. Is this the same famine from Jacob and Joseph in Genesis? Throughout the book there are many biblical references, and by the end they are key to the plot. The God of the bible, God of the Israelites, is the anchor and salvation of many.

The best part of the last book, Reflections in the Nile, is the relationship between Chloe and Cheftu. In this one it’s not as intense and enjoyable. There are miscommunications and misunderstandings that cause some angst. Before they found each other again, I was driven to keep on reading until they meet. Their first meeting is a disappointment since Chloe isn’t even aware of meeting him – and yet she sleeps with him! This is the drawback of sharing a body with another. The owner of the body, an oracle, Sybilla, is the one that actually gets to be with Cheftu during a ritualistic night of sex and sacrifice. He is drawn to her, though does not realize why. At this point he thinks his wife, Chloe, is dead. Later on when Chloe is with him, (as Chloe, not Sybilla) the truth comes out. I was afraid this was going to cause a problem between them when she realizes he has slept with Sybilla. Her “Go to hell!” comment in English helps accomplish their reunion. Instead of causing angst, it made Cheftu realize he is with his beloved Chloe again – for whom else would say this to him in English? He races after her, they reunite, all is forgiven and it turned out to not be such a big deal. This happens a few times in the book. Later on, she’s under the misimpression that he’s gay or bi – silly girl! Sometimes I find Chloe’s modern way of thinking jarring amidst these ancient times. Wishing for a water bottle just seemed stupid to me, rather than amusing.

The 2nd half of the book entails the various volcanic explosions of the islands and the eventual demise of the Aztlan Islands (Atlantis) completely. How are Cheftu and Chloe going to survive and get away alive? It gets very exciting and at parts it was riveting and hard to put down. Not only are we aware that all of this will one day sink into the sea and oblivion, but we worry about this sore on his groin that Cheftu has, and what is it? Will Dion have his way with Cheftu? Not only that, but Mad Cow Disease seems to be running rampant due to the sacred cows and bulls of Apis that are worshipped by the Egyptians and Aztlans. Not only is Aztlan sinking, but all the leaders and priests (including Cheftu) have got Mad Cow Disease and holes in their brains!

Thank God for miracles – the elusive elixir of mortality! Stay tuned!

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow-up sequel to Reflections on the Nile. Kept me interested, a bit abstract for me personally. I was devouring time travel novels at the time having just read the first three Outlander novels and this fit the bill. Definitely worth reading. It's been 10 yrs and I remember enjoying the series.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

-creative mix of history and mythology
-continued character development
-slightly confusing during fast-action scenes

[Linda Šimerová · Rating 4 out of 5]

První díl jsem četla před šesti lety, takže si ho už moc nepamatuji. Druhý díl se mi četl celkem špatně a hodně jsem přeskakovala. Nicméně téma se mi líbí.

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I really enjoyed book 1, but this one fell flat. It was over and over a volcano blows up, people flee or die and it happens again. And Chloe and Cheftu kept having a hit or miss.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part two in this series of stories about Chloe and Cheftu. This is set for the most part on islands near ancient Greece, in what Chloe thinks is the Minoan culture that her mother has studied. Eventually the two of them figure out that this is actually Atlantis, and of course they are there at the end of the road for this civilization: earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions abound.

However, instead of going back to the 20th century at the end of the first book, the two of them have ended up further back 400 years. Cheftu in Egypt (in his same body) and Chloe in Aztlan, where she is inhabiting the body of a prophetess. So somehow Cheftu has to figure out that she's alive, and who she is, and where.

Everyone on these islands is oddly related family-wise but not exactly family in the same sense we think of today. The inheritance laws are a bit confusing, and so are all the relationships in the 'royal family.' Just like usual, that.

There is a short glimpse of what's going on with Chloe's 20th century family since she left. It's not good, to say the least. I suspect the third book will be bringing in more of this whole situation.

The end leaves us hanging again. Of course our heroes are separated by time and, one has to presume, space. There was a lot of research that went into this book, but Frank manages to (mostly) not bore the readers with too much historical detail (although there are a few pretty disgusting scenes that involve eating). Yes, I will be looking for the third book. It's nice to come in on a series like this that is finished! Betcha Egypt plays into the next one somehow!

[Dyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Reflections in the Nile that I read about a month ago. It is another time-travel historical fiction novel. This time Chloe and Cheftu have traveled back 400 years (from their time in ancient Egypt) to mid 1800's B.C.E. in pre-classical Crete. Cheftu becomes Spiralmaster Cheftu, and Chloe is now sharing a body with Sibylla, an oracle and clan leader on the "lost island of Atlantis". Sibylla eventually disappears and Chloe inherits the body! Humor comes from Chloe's modern day response to Sibylla's ancient thoughts and actions. A disclaimer at the back of the book says that this story is a mix of mythology and the combination of the cultural aspects of two different cultures - the Minoans and the Aztecs. Also showing up are the Urim and Thummim (remember the stones from the Bible that the high priest wore on his ephod?) and the search for the recipe to a long-life elixir. Warning = this book is very graphic in descriptions of cruel rituals, twisted ambitions, heinous murder, prion diseases and cannabalism (mad cow), and sexual matings, etc. The plot is complicated, the characters are many, the danger repellent; but all is mesmerizing. AND Atlantis sinks into the ocean after several volcanic eruptions! Where to next Chloe and Cheftu?

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but with real reservations. This is a sequel to "Reflections on the Nile". The time travelers in the first book, Chloe and Cheftu, go further back in time rather than to the time periods they came from. They find themselves on the "lost continent" of Atlantis (or Aztlantu). The culture of the time is obviously taken from other cultures of the time. The costume is Minoan with long ringletted hair for men and women, breast-baring, tightly corsetted jackets worn with many-tiered, colorful skirts for women and kilts for the men. A mother goddess is worshipped. The ruler rules for 20 years, then is killed by his successor, who then has a 30-day "honeymoon" in which his assignment is to impregnate the winner of a race who becomes the more-or-less incarnation of the goddess. If she doesn't become pregnant the runner-up assumes the role. Licentiousness prevails. The cultural elements and the whole concept of Atlantis are quite interesting, but the licentiousness is really too much. I did a lot of skimming, trying to skip as much of that as I could.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe and Cheftu are once again thrust through time in this second installment of J. Suzanne Frank’s amazing time travel series. Last in Egypt during the biblical era, now the couple ends up on an island kingdom that turns out to be the fabled Atlantis. As the volcanoes rumble their warnings and the seas heave, the inhabitants struggle with plague, political conflict, and godly aspirations. Their doom already sealed, Chloe and Cheftu must determine their purpose in this place before they can escape to yet another time period. Fascinating details of the Minoans and the Aztlans, as the Atlantians are called here, pepper this story along with bull worship, cannibalism, and prophecy. Only Chloe and Cheftu’s love for each other keeps them sane and helps them to survive. You’ll be left eager for the next installment in this gripping series.

[Nicholas George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly ordinary romance novel cloaked in an imaginative premise involving time travel to the days of Atlantis--in this case, the Aztlan empire on the Mediterranean. There's a lot of intrigue and political wrangling going among among the empire's power elite, including a lot of (literal) back-stabbing. In addition, earthquakes are constantly occurring, presaging the ultimate destruction of the empire as it slips beneath the sea. But the love story between Cheftu, a Frenchman, and Chloe, an American from the 21st century, who had met (and married) in a previous novel, is standard romantic bathos, with them repeatedly being separated, then reunited and separated again. Ho-hum.

[Donia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this book several times and, though it's always been my least favorite of the series, I enjoyed much more this time around. The mythology that Ms. Frank is able to weave throughout is fascinating. Sure, mythology always comes with some really kinky stuff, but I thought Ms. Frank did a fantastic job of making gods human. It's an interesting theory and one that makes for great reading! I will definitely re-visit this book in the future!

[Simmu Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN MAGICAL STORY!!

This book was AN EXOTIC, EROTIC, BREATHTAKING ADVENTURE, FASCINATING, FUNNY, INTELLIGENT, IMAGINATIVE, CREATIVE, INGENIOUS, and ENGROSSING, WONDROUSLY
CONCEIVED, BRILLIANTLY EXECUTED. I LOOK FORWARD WITH GREAT EAGERNESS
TO SUZANNE FRANK’S next book!!
It was good and ecxiting in many ways.

[The Listmaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, not as good as the first in the series, but a good book nonetheless.

My only real complaint is the fact that there were too many characters this time. It just seemed very crowded.

And I kind of missed "the other" helping Chloe out when needed.

[J. Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the darkest, most sensual of the Chloe & Cheftu series to date. As the author, it challenged me in ways that others didn't. It challenged Chloe and Cheftu, too! I'm biased, but I love it. It was born from questions writing the first book raised, then it took on a life all its own.

[Sandy Edidin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part two at the time of the Exodus. I just lice it. If your are interested in Egypt, than this is for you. Egypt has such an interesting history, of course culture. And romance, and you can smell the landscape.

[Tippit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so excruciatingly slow through the beginning! I had to make myself continue reading but after I got through about 40% of the story it began to pick up. A tad. My curiosity is peaked enough to try the third installment. I pray it reads much better.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books!

[Starfish1285]

QUIERO ESTE LIBROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

[MB (What she read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the historical details in this book. If it weren't for the continuity issues and contradictions this would be 5+ stars.

[Inga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great. If you like time-travelling/ love-story books, this is one of the best!

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd book in a great series about ancient civilizations and a woman who is precariously thrown into them. Great series!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the books in the series and have read them many times. I even used this one for a research paper!