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Fear Familiar #16
Familiar Oasis
Fear Familiar - Uncover long-buried secrets in this special Desert Mysteries companion series.
DESERT CAPTIVE
Amelia Corbet rushed into the desert to save her sister and wound up a captive! But not for long. First a strange black cat appeared, followed by a dark rescuer with the eyes of a hawk and a fierce embrace that stirred her deepest longings. But was Harad Dukhan's intent to save her - or to capture Amelia for himself?
The city-bred beauty was a thorn in Harad's side - until he held her in his arms. Now he couldn't let her go. Amelia was a pawn in a deadly plot against his family. If keeping her near would save her life, this desert captive might yet become his desert bride!
251 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Burnes
67 books44 followersAlso writes as Carolyn Haines
Caroline Burnes started her writing career as a photojournalist for Southern newspapers at the age of 12. She came from a "newspapering" family and as a child was teased because of her writing ambitions.
"That girl’s got ink in her blood," the back-shop printers at the George County Times, the weekly newspaper in her hometown, would say as she stood on a bucket and helped lock up the old pages of type set on a linotype machine.
Growing up in the small town of Lucedale, Mississippi, Ms. Burnes found refuge in reading. The magic of the written word, particularly the strange and wonderful worlds of fiction, was rivaled only by her love of horses.
"If I could have had a chance to be a cowgirl, I might never have written a word," Ms. Burnes said. "As it was, a typewriter was a lot easier to come by than a horse, especially since both of my parents were journalists."
Ms. Burnes earned her B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi and began a career of covering politics, features and hard news across the South. A love of short fiction led her to write short stories, several of which received critical praise and attention. In 1988 Ms. Burnes took a career shift and began writing romantic mysteries for Harlequin Intrigue under the pseudonym Caroline Burnes.
In 1988 A Deadly Breed, a mystery involving horse racing in Mississippi, was published by Harlequin Intrigue, and since then she has published nearly 30 books with Harlequin Intrigue, which have been translated into nine languages.
"So many of my books feature animals," Ms. Burnes said. "Creating fictional animal characters gives me a chance to share my love of animals with my readers."
Ms. Burnes came to writing as a reader. "Since I began to write seriously about 15 years ago, I haven’t been able to read as much as I’d like. I’ve also become a much harder reader. A writer has to really work to pull me into the story and out of my very demanding life. If I had one wish, it would be for more hours in each day, more time to read and write and to ride my horses.
"I’m not a cowgirl by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have three fabulous horses who give me tremendous pleasure. I mostly ride English and do a little backyard jumping, but lately I’ve started team penning. Once again, the problem is that the cows are smarter than I am!
"I just have to be careful when I fall to land on something soft and not my hands," she said. "Brain damage is unlikely, but I need my fingers to be able to write." Ms. Burnes lives on a five-acre farm with her three horses, Miss Scrapiron, Mirage and Cogar; three dogs, Corky, Sweetie Pie and Maybelline; and five cats, Poe, Miss Vesta, Gumbo, Maggie the Cat, and Chester.
Caroline Burnes started her writing career as a photojournalist for Southern newspapers at the age of 12. She came from a "newspapering" family and as a child was teased because of her writing ambitions.
"That girl’s got ink in her blood," the back-shop printers at the George County Times, the weekly newspaper in her hometown, would say as she stood on a bucket and helped lock up the old pages of type set on a linotype machine.
Growing up in the small town of Lucedale, Mississippi, Ms. Burnes found refuge in reading. The magic of the written word, particularly the strange and wonderful worlds of fiction, was rivaled only by her love of horses.
"If I could have had a chance to be a cowgirl, I might never have written a word," Ms. Burnes said. "As it was, a typewriter was a lot easier to come by than a horse, especially since both of my parents were journalists."
Ms. Burnes earned her B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi and began a career of covering politics, features and hard news across the South. A love of short fiction led her to write short stories, several of which received critical praise and attention. In 1988 Ms. Burnes took a career shift and began writing romantic mysteries for Harlequin Intrigue under the pseudonym Caroline Burnes.
In 1988 A Deadly Breed, a mystery involving horse racing in Mississippi, was published by Harlequin Intrigue, and since then she has published nearly 30 books with Harlequin Intrigue, which have been translated into nine languages.
"So many of my books feature animals," Ms. Burnes said. "Creating fictional animal characters gives me a chance to share my love of animals with my readers."
Ms. Burnes came to writing as a reader. "Since I began to write seriously about 15 years ago, I haven’t been able to read as much as I’d like. I’ve also become a much harder reader. A writer has to really work to pull me into the story and out of my very demanding life. If I had one wish, it would be for more hours in each day, more time to read and write and to ride my horses.
"I’m not a cowgirl by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have three fabulous horses who give me tremendous pleasure. I mostly ride English and do a little backyard jumping, but lately I’ve started team penning. Once again, the problem is that the cows are smarter than I am!
"I just have to be careful when I fall to land on something soft and not my hands," she said. "Brain damage is unlikely, but I need my fingers to be able to write." Ms. Burnes lives on a five-acre farm with her three horses, Miss Scrapiron, Mirage and Cogar; three dogs, Corky, Sweetie Pie and Maybelline; and five cats, Poe, Miss Vesta, Gumbo, Maggie the Cat, and Chester.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 18, 2018
Familiar Oasis
September 11, 2002
Familiar's Egyptian adventures continue in the sequel to last month's "Familiar Mirage," "Familiar Oasis." Amelia Corbet has come to Egypt after learning her sister Beth is in danger. She instantly finds herself in conflict with Harad Dukhan, who tries to warn her against rushing into a dangerous situation she doesn't understand. When Amelia is captured in the desert after coming to her sister's rescue, it is the darkly handsome Harad who comes to save her. Can Amelia resist this powerful man as danger tracks them through the desert?
"Familiar Oasis" is good companion to "Familiar Mirage," the rare sequel that is just as good as the original. Readers who liked book one should like this one too. I do think anyone who hasn't read the first book should read it first, since it follows what happened in "Familiar Mirage" and the events and characters of that book are all an important part of the story. The books don't really stand on their own. They're like two parts of one whole.
"Familiar Oasis" is not without flaws. Amelia and Harad seem to go from dislike to love in about a page, there are so few supporting characters the villain is far too obvious, and Familiar doesn't have much to do this time around for most of the book, which may disappoint some diehard fans of the feline detective. For the most part, he's just tagging along on Amelia and Harad's adventures.
"Familiar Oasis" is still so much fun readers may not notice. It has all of Burnes's characteristic touches, with a tough, strong-willed heroine and a fast-moving, action-packed storyline. The author does a good job of placing Amelia in situations where she needs her desert rescuer without making her seem like any less of a strong woman who knows her own mind. Harad is a compelling hero, a good combination of modern businessman and desert sheikh. Interestingly enough, I found him more believable than most romance novel sheikh-types, despite the obvious fantasy elements of the plot. There's not a dull moment to be found in this larger-than-life adventure.
For fun and passion under the desert sun, "Familiar Mirage" and "Familiar Oasis" can't be beat.
September 11, 2002
Familiar's Egyptian adventures continue in the sequel to last month's "Familiar Mirage," "Familiar Oasis." Amelia Corbet has come to Egypt after learning her sister Beth is in danger. She instantly finds herself in conflict with Harad Dukhan, who tries to warn her against rushing into a dangerous situation she doesn't understand. When Amelia is captured in the desert after coming to her sister's rescue, it is the darkly handsome Harad who comes to save her. Can Amelia resist this powerful man as danger tracks them through the desert?
"Familiar Oasis" is good companion to "Familiar Mirage," the rare sequel that is just as good as the original. Readers who liked book one should like this one too. I do think anyone who hasn't read the first book should read it first, since it follows what happened in "Familiar Mirage" and the events and characters of that book are all an important part of the story. The books don't really stand on their own. They're like two parts of one whole.
"Familiar Oasis" is not without flaws. Amelia and Harad seem to go from dislike to love in about a page, there are so few supporting characters the villain is far too obvious, and Familiar doesn't have much to do this time around for most of the book, which may disappoint some diehard fans of the feline detective. For the most part, he's just tagging along on Amelia and Harad's adventures.
"Familiar Oasis" is still so much fun readers may not notice. It has all of Burnes's characteristic touches, with a tough, strong-willed heroine and a fast-moving, action-packed storyline. The author does a good job of placing Amelia in situations where she needs her desert rescuer without making her seem like any less of a strong woman who knows her own mind. Harad is a compelling hero, a good combination of modern businessman and desert sheikh. Interestingly enough, I found him more believable than most romance novel sheikh-types, despite the obvious fantasy elements of the plot. There's not a dull moment to be found in this larger-than-life adventure.
For fun and passion under the desert sun, "Familiar Mirage" and "Familiar Oasis" can't be beat.
July 22, 2017
The cat was cool! Ther heroine was slightly obnoxious!
September 30, 2021
love how much this cat gets around, escapism at its best without getting too sappy, wish my life was as exciting as this cats. Made me laugh which feels good after the pressure at work.
January 20, 2014
Need I say how much I actually loved reading this book? Who doesn't love a black cat detective? As a cat lover, I enjoyed this book for Familiar, as a bookworm, I enjoyed this book as a delightful mystery and watching as we humans tried to figure out said mystery (with the help of a certain black cat detective). A must-have and a must-read for cat lovers (especially black cat lovers!) and mystery lovers alike!
Read
January 30, 2009complicated..
but i enjoy it
but i enjoy it
May 16, 2010
I love Familiar's stories, they are great for a dose of funny and danger!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews