Bullied by his brother and disregarded by his father, young prince Amenhotep seeks to belong.
Not expected to live as a babe, Amenhotep beats the odds only to find a life always in his brother's shadow and cast out from his father's glory.
Does Amenhotep succumb to the shadows of his father's great palace or does he rise above the ridicule to forge his own path?
Egypt's Second Born is the fifth and final prequel of Lauren Lee Merewether's debut series, The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles, a resurrection of an erased time that follows the five kings of Egypt who were lost to history for over three millennia. The series begins with book one, Salvation in the Sun.
LAUREN LEE MEREWETHER writes multi-genre romantic sagas inspired by ancient places, legends, and myths. She loves to delve into the shadows of the past, spinning slow-burn, closed door romantic narratives that merge the timeless passions of history with the mysteries of ancient mythologies. Her award-winning novels invite readers to explore the thrilling depths of legends, emotions, and humanity, spanning high-seas adventures to the splendors of ancient empires.
In her free time, Lauren loves to daydream about times long past while sipping green tea and watching the experts on Discovery unearth our ancestors' civilizations.
Go behind the scenes, say hello, and stay current with Lauren’s latest releases at www.LaurenLeeMerewether.com.
"Merewether’s up-close and empathetic narrative style is combined with the many sensations, family conflicts, and political struggles of an exciting plotline, making for an unstoppable read." - K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
This is the fifth book of the “A Lost Pharaoh Chronicles Prequel” series by Lauren Lee Merewether. She published five books in the series so far and perhaps two more are planned. This series is followed by a four-book series “The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles” by the same author. In the books of the “A Lost Pharaoh Chronicles Prequel” series, the author is introducing and developing the main characters which she uses in her next series books.
The story backdrop is during the reign of powerful New Kingdom 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep-III (1390-1352 BC). The reign of Amenhotep-III was followed by Akhenaten (1353-1349 BC) during which Egypt went through a religious turmoil. In this book Lauren introduces Akhenaten whose birth name was Amenhotep-IV and described his early years.
Amenhotep-IV was the second born male child of Amenhotep-III, his elder son and would be Pharaoh was Thutmose, he is Royal wife and Queen was Tiye, his other three daughters were Sitamun, Iset and Nebetah. Thutmose was healthy, energetic, loved son and always encouraged by Pharaoh. While young Amenhotep was a sickly child with some congenital disease since birth, as he grow up Pharaoh thinks him as a shame to his family and always treats him badly as the poor child struggles to compete in every activity with Thutmose and keeps failing and starves for fathers love. He is bullied by friends in class, by elder brother Thutmose, by the sisters. He finds only solace in the love of his mother and another girl Kasmut, the daughter of second priest of Amun and elder brother of Tiye. As he grows, he starts loving her, but his mother knows he can never marry Kasmut as the Pharaoh is in a power struggle with the Amun priesthood. Thutmose loves the most beautiful girl Nefertiti, the daughter of Aye, the younger brother of Tiye.
Tiye keeps talking with Pharaoh to change his attitude to young Amenhotep but fails and strains her relationship with Pharaoh. But he succeeds at least in changing the attitude of Thutmose, which gives much needed comfort to Amenhotep.
In this fictionized book on ancient Egypt Lauren has beautifully captured the Pharaoh’s family life and the pain of a child who is discriminated by his father, which we see often in day to day life also. In enjoyed reading the book, she kept it brief and interesting. Only think I will request her to keep the Egyptian months names in her Glossary as she used Kahera in the book, though she has talked about it in the last chapter. I will recommend this book to every lover of Ancient Egypt.
Once again with “ Egypt's Second Born “ Lauren Merewether transports us to the fascinating ancient civilization lost to history for three millennia. She enthralls us eloquently with family drama, society and politics of the distant past. She superbly weaves compelling stories around this amazing civilization and it’s people. This entire series is a must-read for those with a fascination for ancient history. The story of Amenhotep and his rise to power will hold your attention to the very end. Having done her research and with an uncanny ability the author brings the characters to life beautifully showing both their strengths and flaws as they forge their paths.
Thank you so much Ms. Merewether for such an exciting reading experience and this amazing look into such a mesmerizing time.
This latest prequel by the author is set at the apex of ancient Egyptian society, focusing on the royal family. Amenhotep, second son to the Pharaoh of the same name, finds himself at a disadvantage compared with his more accomplished older brother, Thutmose.
Ostensibly this book is about Amenhotep's repeated attempts to win his father's love. But ultimately, it is the painful journey to self-respect that is the more compelling.
As with this author's previous works, her deep love for and knowledge of Egypt during the Pharaohs shines through. This adds a level of authenticity to the book, and acts as a convincing backdrop to the story itself, which deals with very human and relatable issues.
This is the last book in the prequel series and surely did not disappoint. Amenhotep's life from birth was always set up for disappointment and shame in the eyes of his royal family. He was the outcast due to physical hardships and not being the strong dominant and obedient young almost man that the males in his family were. Amenhotep spends his life trying to please his father and get the respect he deserved but faces so many setbacks and trials from almost everyone. We experience reading throughout the book the difficulties he faces which was really hard to read. His father was incredibly stubborn and cold towards his own son and wife which drove me crazy. I throughly enjoyed this book and all of ms. Merewether's work, I'm looking forward to her next series due out very soon!
This is a prequel in a series of books on Ancient Egypt. If you like the history of Ancient Egypt, you will love this series. This book deals with the possible relationship between Amenhotep IV and his older brother Thutmose. There is some mystery as to why Amenhotep IV was left out of some of the hieroglyphics of his family on the walls, and this is one thought. The author describes some of the theories regarding this family.
Amenhotep! A fascinating man of the ages. He learns a lot in life and actually touches my heart trying to win his father's love, as I, in real life, tried to win my mother's love. I love Mrs Merewether's books. You never know what to expect as you read on. Your emotions run high, actually in both directions. My kind of books. She's good!
I loved the book. Ms. Merewether's historical fiction about Egypt is outstanding. This book like her others before is a compelling read. I enjoy Ms. Merewether's writing style so very much. The Lost Pharoah Chronicles series and the Prequel Collection are well worth spending the time to read.
I've read so many works by this author, but this one really warms my heart. I always appreciate a trope where estranged siblings were forced to see each other as who they really are.
I enjoyed this the most of the prequels I’ve read so far. The sons of Pharaoh Amenhotep III are well characterized, and the power struggles within the Royal family and within the powerful priesthood of Amen-Ra show the beginnings of the struggles to come.
This is my 3rd prequel so far and the best. I appreciated the author's giving us the viewpoint from the character's perspective. It was also very interesting to see how much research she has done and how she incorporated it into the story. I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
I kept putting this one down and picking it up again (actually when I was in the car and had forgotten to download another). I'm very glad I did. It does sow down from time to time but it was worth my perseverance.
An ancient tale that rings true today, this is a story of a dysfunctional family. It takes us on a ride through ridicule, jealousy, yearning, and the fight for self-respect. It’s both poignant and heartwarming, and I read it in one sitting.