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Laws of Migration
Birds, especially the ibis, have always fascinated Elize--that's why she became an ornithologist. But when her boss at the private Texas coastal institute where she's spent her career gives away her expected promotion, Elize flees to Morocco to lick her wounds and write a research paper that will prove her worth and secure her professional future.
Morocco, with its impressive migration season, exotic flavors, and unwritten rules, is altogether foreign, even if many of the birds are familiar. After a brush with danger, Elize finds herself in Marrakesh, dependent on Erik, a sexy, mysterious stranger who makes her feel alive while opening her eyes to a new, intriguing world. After encountering her ornithology colleagues, who remind Elize of every bad professional choice and missed opportunity, she vows to find the Northern Bald Ibis--an endangered bird few have seen--and impress everyone.
She and Erik journey from coastal paradise to remote desert mountains in search of the birds. Through misadventure, Elize is forced to trust an unknown culture, and through tragedy, she realizes that love and forgiveness are attainable. But first she must surrender her past and its pain to embrace her future and fly free.
Morocco, with its impressive migration season, exotic flavors, and unwritten rules, is altogether foreign, even if many of the birds are familiar. After a brush with danger, Elize finds herself in Marrakesh, dependent on Erik, a sexy, mysterious stranger who makes her feel alive while opening her eyes to a new, intriguing world. After encountering her ornithology colleagues, who remind Elize of every bad professional choice and missed opportunity, she vows to find the Northern Bald Ibis--an endangered bird few have seen--and impress everyone.
She and Erik journey from coastal paradise to remote desert mountains in search of the birds. Through misadventure, Elize is forced to trust an unknown culture, and through tragedy, she realizes that love and forgiveness are attainable. But first she must surrender her past and its pain to embrace her future and fly free.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 18, 2012
About the author
J. Suzanne Frank
9 books103 followersJ. 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.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 28, 2012
A wonderful adventure with romance, discovery and wonder in an exotic setting! It's the first "women's fiction" I've written and the first of a trilogy featuring these ornithologists. Writing such different points of view and really delving into the choices that make us who we are, fascinated me. I hope you enjoy (especially the hot hero)!
March 29, 2014
This fairly arresting book's protagonist is a woman who is sort of mad at the world but is daring enough to wander around alone in Morocco. Likewise, she is terribly, terribly hard on herself, bursting into tears after stoning a bird who is attacking her. She is also desperate enough to be completely accepting of men whom she knows little or nothing about, while she is so overly critical about other men and women who she does know something about. As I read through the book, I become more and more impatient with her and wished desperately that she would grow up, at least a bit, and stop looking for someone to rescue her from all of the garbage that her parents put her through.
January 17, 2013
Fans of Barbara Kingsolver will fall in love with this one. The author combines the wildly beautiful natural world and a voyage of self-discovery and love told through the eyes of a fascinating ornithologist. A must-read. Perfect for a chilly winter evening when an escape to Morocco sounds like heaven.
February 7, 2013
My favorite of all of Suzanne Frank's books - her characters intensely real and genuine, her imagery vivid and all-senses engaging, her intelligent story woven beautifully around universally feminine themes but in a place most only dream of going - yet are transported. This one will be under my pillow for a good long while. Hats off to LOM!
March 5, 2013
I LOVE Suzanne Frank and her Chloe and Cheftu series so I was very excited to read this book. However I'm 25 years old and though it was enjoyable and well written, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was older. I was able to identify with the emotions of Elize but I wasn't able to relate to her on a level that comes with years of life experience. Still highly recommended.
December 11, 2016
I only read this book because I was out of something to read and a friend saved the day. It's fiction and a love story with a birding bent. Fiction and love are not my preference but turns out I really enjoyed it! Back to memoirs and historical fiction...
November 3, 2018
I didn't want the book to end - that's how good it was. Elize has been waiting for ever for the job she wants - and at the last minute, someone else gets it. Hurt, she leaves for Morocco on an expedition to study migrating birds, planning to try and forget her disappointment and to meet a man (another scientist) who's been interested in her for ages. She didn't count on fate, that joker, stranding her in Tangiers, making her miss her train, and throwing her at the mercy of shifty tour guides and shady characters. Totally out of her comfort zone, Elize has to learn to trust, and to accept, and finally, to just let go of everything that has ever held her back. I loved Elize, the main character, I loved Eric, the tall, dark stranger... I loved the atmosphere, the birds, and Morocco. I have so many memories of Morocco, and this book brought them all back to life. If you love adventure and romance, fantastic settings and wonderful characters, this book is for you!
December 22, 2022
Standard formula just not interested.
J. Susan frank wrote a great time travel series starting with Reflections in the Nile. She opened my eyes to the devastation of the pelages.
This might be a good series but just cannot get into it the same way.
It is about a Texas ornithologist going to Morocco to find herself.
I can see that he followed the first formula rule and writes about what she knows.
I guess that means after this sparse review she will not let me in her SMU class.
J. Susan frank wrote a great time travel series starting with Reflections in the Nile. She opened my eyes to the devastation of the pelages.
This might be a good series but just cannot get into it the same way.
It is about a Texas ornithologist going to Morocco to find herself.
I can see that he followed the first formula rule and writes about what she knows.
I guess that means after this sparse review she will not let me in her SMU class.
April 11, 2026
Morocco, it’s many cultures and migration of the ibis and her career up in the air. Adventure that happens because of Elize’s inability to deal with people her emotions and her need for control . Lead her on a rollercoaster adventure that will change her own migration paths. Omens, signs, karma and faith what ever you choose to call it bring romance, the beauty of the people of Morocco ,the landscape and always the birds alive on the pages of this tale.
February 14, 2019
I’ve read LOOOOOTS of books, but this has definitely earned a spot in my top 5. It is sexy and steamy in a way that genuinely gave me goose bumps, BUT that wasn’t a focus of the book. The gift of this author is character development which followed an evolving character that was very real, relatable, thought provoking, and inspiring.
Highly recommended reading!
Highly recommended reading!
July 20, 2017
I love bird-watching, so I read any novels that I can find that feature birds/ornithology. Although one of the reviews here warned that this was basically chic-lit, I bought it anyway. But I got only about 25 pages into it before I realized that it was not for me.
September 4, 2013
Having read all four books in Suzanne Frank’s time travel series featuring Cheftu and Chloe Green, I knew she was an expert at bringing historical characters and settings to life in such a way that they mattered to the reader in the 21st century.
When I heard that her latest book, Laws of Migration, features a modern heroine and it occurs in the Morocco of today, I knew I had to read this book. And, of course, Suzanne Frank doesn’t disappoint. She writes with an enviable fluidity that somehow makes the characters and their plights immediate to the reader.
I love books (especially fiction) that show me a new facet of a subject I’m interested in, and I’m a sucker for books that deal with cultures foreign to me. What I didn’t expect in Laws of Migration, and hence it came as such a pleasant surprise, is the fascinating details about birds that each page contains. I also love the attention to little quirks in this book, like when Elize indulges in a dreamlike observation of an ant’s suicidal march towards the ocean’s waves or her equating the Berber women’s social customs with those of her beloved bald Ibises.
And such a cliff hanger at the end: what happened to Zephyr? Is she still alive? Oh, I can’t wait to see where Suzanne takes this series next.
When I heard that her latest book, Laws of Migration, features a modern heroine and it occurs in the Morocco of today, I knew I had to read this book. And, of course, Suzanne Frank doesn’t disappoint. She writes with an enviable fluidity that somehow makes the characters and their plights immediate to the reader.
I love books (especially fiction) that show me a new facet of a subject I’m interested in, and I’m a sucker for books that deal with cultures foreign to me. What I didn’t expect in Laws of Migration, and hence it came as such a pleasant surprise, is the fascinating details about birds that each page contains. I also love the attention to little quirks in this book, like when Elize indulges in a dreamlike observation of an ant’s suicidal march towards the ocean’s waves or her equating the Berber women’s social customs with those of her beloved bald Ibises.
And such a cliff hanger at the end: what happened to Zephyr? Is she still alive? Oh, I can’t wait to see where Suzanne takes this series next.
October 18, 2013
I chose this book because it took place in Morocco but I found the story to be middling and not very interesting. It is competently written but little better than most genre romance books. Elize, an older woman, not sure how old, is not given a promotion to directorship at a local organization she has been working with for 15 years. it is academia and while she had two Masters degrees, she never bothered to get that Ph.D. which is really required for the job. A 25 year old woman with a Ph.D jumps ahead of her. Elize had planned a research trip to Morocco to see a bald headed ibis since she is an ornithologist but the trip hinged on her becoming director, encouraged by a friend from work, she uses her own money to go to Morocco to prove herself. She ends up learning about the people, meeting another ornithologist named Erik who becomes her lover and faces a crisis which changes her priorities in life. Nothing really surprises here and it is so pedestrian that the crisis seems a bit amusing. This book is what most of its readership expects and I was not the typical reader for this book.
April 15, 2013
Do you believe in Fate, Reincarnation, Karma?? Even if you don't, this book will make you ponder if it possible for these believes to exist.
This is the story of Elize and Erik. Elize's life revolves around her study of waterland birds, nothing else. No spoilers here! Reading the story you will discover how Elize overcomes her limitations and opens up to llfe.
Word of caution: I almost stopped reading this book because the first 30% of the book gets into the birds and details about the different species a little too deep for me. If you work through this, you will then get the true story and will not be able to put this book down. There is a lot of symbolism attached to the birds, etc. that interweave with our characters, so all not lost with the detailed descriptions. Just not for me. Beyond that, I loved the love story and would enthusiastically recommend this book!
Oh! By the way, I have fallen in love with Erik! I live in Chicago ... I wonder if I might run into him here?
This is the story of Elize and Erik. Elize's life revolves around her study of waterland birds, nothing else. No spoilers here! Reading the story you will discover how Elize overcomes her limitations and opens up to llfe.
Word of caution: I almost stopped reading this book because the first 30% of the book gets into the birds and details about the different species a little too deep for me. If you work through this, you will then get the true story and will not be able to put this book down. There is a lot of symbolism attached to the birds, etc. that interweave with our characters, so all not lost with the detailed descriptions. Just not for me. Beyond that, I loved the love story and would enthusiastically recommend this book!
Oh! By the way, I have fallen in love with Erik! I live in Chicago ... I wonder if I might run into him here?
March 26, 2013
Shocked, devastated and angry that she has been passed over for a promotion in a job she loves, Elize, an ornithologist, leaves the bird-filled Texas coast of the Gulf Mexico for a trip to Morocco that she hopes will reestablish her professional worth. The Moroccan coast is a hub for birds migrating to Africa from Europe and Asia and is popular with professional birders, but since this trip will now be on her own dime Elize’s journey there is more circuitous than that of her colleagues. On the way she serendipitously meets an enigmatic but unforgettable guy, which precipitates the notion that maybe she should take a side trip to the mountains to see the rare bald headed ibis since ibises have long been both her speciality and favorite bird.
Full of exotic locations and bird lore this is a perfect vacation book. Eliza’s soul searching makes it more substantial than a beach read, but it’s a transporting book suitable for actual or virtual/armchair travel.
Full of exotic locations and bird lore this is a perfect vacation book. Eliza’s soul searching makes it more substantial than a beach read, but it’s a transporting book suitable for actual or virtual/armchair travel.
January 4, 2015
Not a bad story, especially as it combines two of my favorite things--a Moroccan setting and lots of birds--as an aloof ornithologist goes in search of the bald ibis after a career disappointment. Along the way, she learns a lot about herself and meets a hot guy. It was a fun, quick read but ended up a bit too much of a romance for my tastes.
March 25, 2015
Had to read this novel for a writing class. For me, this story was more about self discovery than romance. I enjoyed the writing style and loved all the information the author included about birding. I've always been interested in watching birds, and definitely learned quite a bit about them through the eyes of Elize, the main character.
May 21, 2013
Very much enjoyed. Unusual to read about an ornithologist. Great setting and sense of place. Looking forward to the next one.
October 1, 2014
Beautifully written, touching story about self discovery.
August 3, 2014
Fate, reincarnation, karma, mysterious stranger, romance...
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews