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Stepping Across the Desert
Sold into slavery at seventeen, Rowena Brayemore has worked for five years as Fatia. For five years, she sees no hope of ever leaving until her master gives her away to an Englishman, Christophe Sutton. A staunch abolitionist, Sutton feels obligated to take her to Spanish Melilla and set her free, but along the way he finds himself beginning to care for her. Once in Melilla, before Sutton can find a solution for his feelings, Rowena disappears without saying a word.
Back in England, Rowena finds ignoring the hurts of her past is not easy. While she begins to relearn the customs of the culture, she realizes she is forever different from the other pampered, rich girls in London. When she and Sutton run into each other at a ball, Rowena realizes she is not the only who holds secrets.
As rumors, lies and prejudice threaten to run her out of England, Rowena must decide what is more important: being accepted by society through a lie, or embracing her past and the love that Sutton wishes to offer her.
Back in England, Rowena finds ignoring the hurts of her past is not easy. While she begins to relearn the customs of the culture, she realizes she is forever different from the other pampered, rich girls in London. When she and Sutton run into each other at a ball, Rowena realizes she is not the only who holds secrets.
As rumors, lies and prejudice threaten to run her out of England, Rowena must decide what is more important: being accepted by society through a lie, or embracing her past and the love that Sutton wishes to offer her.
ebook
Published January 1, 2017
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About the author
Kat Caldwell
12 books74 followersKat is a novelist and short story writer. She writes everyday and can’t seem to stick to a genre, having dabbled in historical fiction, contemporary family drama and romance, as well as speculative fiction. Kat is the creator of the Pencils&Lipstick podcast, a podcast for writers with author interviews, craft talk and insight into the publishing world. She is also an accredited Author Accelerator fiction book coach. In between conducting interviews for her podcast and writing, you can find Kat traveling the world, reading, or volunteering with her church—always with a cup of cold brew close by.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 22, 2023
A Touching Romance Across 2 Continents
A romance that mixes the exotic world of Africa and the social class system of London. Well written and filled with memorable scenes as the path of love faces several obstacles. Not my usual reading fare, but thoroughly enjoyable and I imagine a must for those who like their romance novels.
A romance that mixes the exotic world of Africa and the social class system of London. Well written and filled with memorable scenes as the path of love faces several obstacles. Not my usual reading fare, but thoroughly enjoyable and I imagine a must for those who like their romance novels.
February 14, 2021
Romance Spans the Empire!
Late Regency Era Romance where white slavery, ballroom intrigue and duplicitous, backstabbing relations manipulate our heroine and attempt to undercut her happiness.
After saving a local chief’s drowning son, the “second son” of English peerage is introduced to a young slave with an amazing, and seemingly well-trained voice, Fatia. He is gifted the frail girl by his host’s jealous wife and they chase across the desert together, avoiding an attempted rape and bringing his mercantile purchases to the port city. Over the course of their travels, they fall in love although their passions remain unrequited, and through sheer coincidence, she finds a way back home to England and rejoins her family as Rowena, her given name. Due to an untimely death of his elder brother, upon returning to London Christophe is made Marquess and so the two star-crossed lovers begin to navigate the deep and overly gossipy social waters of the pinnacle of English social society.
The author writes wonderfully descriptive passages and seems most at home in the Regency Era ballroom and sitting room sequences. The romance sections are steamy without being prurient and her style is lyrical. Fans of regency period romance will find this a refreshing twist on the usual tropes, although some characters are a bit flat in characterization and motivation, especially the stepfamily and the “evil for evil’s sake” cousin, John.
Fans of Bridgerton and the Austin novels will enjoy this a fast and fun read.
Late Regency Era Romance where white slavery, ballroom intrigue and duplicitous, backstabbing relations manipulate our heroine and attempt to undercut her happiness.
After saving a local chief’s drowning son, the “second son” of English peerage is introduced to a young slave with an amazing, and seemingly well-trained voice, Fatia. He is gifted the frail girl by his host’s jealous wife and they chase across the desert together, avoiding an attempted rape and bringing his mercantile purchases to the port city. Over the course of their travels, they fall in love although their passions remain unrequited, and through sheer coincidence, she finds a way back home to England and rejoins her family as Rowena, her given name. Due to an untimely death of his elder brother, upon returning to London Christophe is made Marquess and so the two star-crossed lovers begin to navigate the deep and overly gossipy social waters of the pinnacle of English social society.
The author writes wonderfully descriptive passages and seems most at home in the Regency Era ballroom and sitting room sequences. The romance sections are steamy without being prurient and her style is lyrical. Fans of regency period romance will find this a refreshing twist on the usual tropes, although some characters are a bit flat in characterization and motivation, especially the stepfamily and the “evil for evil’s sake” cousin, John.
Fans of Bridgerton and the Austin novels will enjoy this a fast and fun read.
November 14, 2022
Thank you to GoodReads Giveaways for a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I'm a historical fiction fan, but not really a romance fan, however, I flew through this book. With a strong female protagonist who escaped from slavery and her honorable love interest who fought for their love, you can't help but route for them.
I also enjoyed the historical aspect of learning about English society & culture, the war in Algeria, and slavery. It's a very niche time to write about and found it to be interesting. With such heavy topics adding romance to the narrative was very smart.
I'm a historical fiction fan, but not really a romance fan, however, I flew through this book. With a strong female protagonist who escaped from slavery and her honorable love interest who fought for their love, you can't help but route for them.
I also enjoyed the historical aspect of learning about English society & culture, the war in Algeria, and slavery. It's a very niche time to write about and found it to be interesting. With such heavy topics adding romance to the narrative was very smart.
July 18, 2025
A great read! Rowena more than survived a brutal life as a young woman kidnapped and sold into slavery by wicked greedy woman. Follow her as she returns to England and survives through social battles instigated by her original captors to best them all.
July 18, 2022
I LOVED Stepping Across the Desert. I am thrilled when a story has me sneaking reading time in the morning, mid-day, late, eager to see the next development. The romance and chemistry between Rowena and Christophe is delightfully palpable but each of the characters has depth. The dynamics of the gender expectations is classic but is definitely bent by Rowena. Caldwell gives insight into the Barbary Pirates and the human trafficking of the early 1800s. However, she goes beyond telling about the practice to exploring the personal and cultural perspectives along with the responses across classes of people and different countries. I absolutely recommend Stepping Across the Desert.
April 2, 2018
Great Quick Read
Highly Recommend!
No dislikes.
So engaging and I really enjoyed all the twists in the story along with the history the story encompassed.
Highly Recommend!
No dislikes.
So engaging and I really enjoyed all the twists in the story along with the history the story encompassed.
September 10, 2018
Stepping Across the Desert is a debut novel by a new author and unfortunately the author makes many first time writer's mistakes. I found the constant POV shifts (AKA head hopping) or in some scenes complete lack of POV, quite disconcerting. The author attempts to move the story along with the societal posturings of the "Ton" in the early part of the nineteenth century but unfortunately the fluff did nothing but drag an already sagging, and terribly predictable, story down. There were several writing missteps during the saga such as a pair of horses that appear from a wooded area and thunder across a clearing. The problem is the horses had riders atop them which the reader doesn't discover until several sentences later. Another example is when the main character is escorted to a cabin on a ship, a ship or a cabin that she's never seen before. She sees the bucket on the wall when she should have seen a bucket on the wall. The implies that she knew it was there. A denotes the fact that she witnessed it. Throughout the story the author forgets that the reader is not inside her head seeing what she imagines. It was as if the author assumed we would figure things out. We would have had to have the wizardry and skills of Julis Jancig to make it through the story without confusion. Although not my genre of books I had high hopes for this story. Unfortunately it was not written well enough to hold my interest.
February 24, 2020
I LOVE this book! I’ve always been partial to historical themes between diverse cultures and this one has a twisty play to it. An English girl, Rowena, is kidnapped through tragic circumstances in North Africa (Algeria, 1832) and becomes a slave (she is renamed Fatia) to the first wife in a harem. She remains untouched for several reasons. However, an English foreigner, Christophe, saves a son of the master of the harem and out of a debt of gratitude, Rowena becomes a gift to this European trader/smuggler. She joins Christophe’s perilous journey across the country and beyond, hoping to return to England and her former life. This only becomes more complicated as intrigue, social, and emotional turns swirl around Rowena and her new master in increasingly dangerous situations. Intriguing and unexpected events unfold…who can Rowena trust? And, in the end, what does she really want for her life?
September 13, 2022
Stepping Across the Desert by Kat Caldwell is more than a Christian historical romance. The story addresses how to come to terms with your past so that you can have a future.
It is 1832, and Rowena Brayemore is a slave in Algeria when the story opens. She is called Fatia and struggles to remain pure and avoid the whips of her taskmaster. Her past and how she came to be a slave is revealed slowly throughout the story. Even as she finds a way to return home to England, she is haunted by her past.
Christophe Sutton is haunted by a different past, a past he feels totally responsible for. When he is awarded Fatia for saving the son of Saed, Fatia’s master, he becomes protective of her. Yet he can’t see his way into loving her and taking her back to England to be his wife.
Caldwell creates three-dimensional characters with deep pasts. Even Caldwell’s villains have reasons for their actions. As a romance, we have two protagonists. However, I would say that Rowena is the main protagonist. It is she who changes her world when all of London society spread rumors about her past and try to discredit her. It is Rowena who helps Christophe come to terms with his past.
I don’t like to give away the plot. There are deep themes in Stepping Across the Desert by Kat Caldwell. If you’re looking for a rich read in Christian romance, then this is the novel for you.
It is 1832, and Rowena Brayemore is a slave in Algeria when the story opens. She is called Fatia and struggles to remain pure and avoid the whips of her taskmaster. Her past and how she came to be a slave is revealed slowly throughout the story. Even as she finds a way to return home to England, she is haunted by her past.
Christophe Sutton is haunted by a different past, a past he feels totally responsible for. When he is awarded Fatia for saving the son of Saed, Fatia’s master, he becomes protective of her. Yet he can’t see his way into loving her and taking her back to England to be his wife.
Caldwell creates three-dimensional characters with deep pasts. Even Caldwell’s villains have reasons for their actions. As a romance, we have two protagonists. However, I would say that Rowena is the main protagonist. It is she who changes her world when all of London society spread rumors about her past and try to discredit her. It is Rowena who helps Christophe come to terms with his past.
I don’t like to give away the plot. There are deep themes in Stepping Across the Desert by Kat Caldwell. If you’re looking for a rich read in Christian romance, then this is the novel for you.
April 27, 2025
Amazing story
. “There, there, Rowena. If you are going to weather the storm, you can’t make your own rain.”
Rowena has a past the Ton would never believe. When she first meets Lord Christophe Candor she is Fatia a white slave in Algeria. But she is also Rowena the daughter of an Earl in London. Quite a story evolves as Rowena returns and Christophe searches for her around rumors and innuendo.
It's quite hard to share how I felt about this book without spoiling it except to say I loved the story, the characters are compelling and I never wanted it to end. Highly Recommended 5/5
. “There, there, Rowena. If you are going to weather the storm, you can’t make your own rain.”
Rowena has a past the Ton would never believe. When she first meets Lord Christophe Candor she is Fatia a white slave in Algeria. But she is also Rowena the daughter of an Earl in London. Quite a story evolves as Rowena returns and Christophe searches for her around rumors and innuendo.
It's quite hard to share how I felt about this book without spoiling it except to say I loved the story, the characters are compelling and I never wanted it to end. Highly Recommended 5/5
June 12, 2025
Step back in time
I received a digital ARC of Across the English Channel and when I discovered it was book two in a series, I decided I needed to read book one first, so I bought this one. It is set in the 1800’s and there are a lot of characters to keep straight, but once you can get them sorted out, you will want to go along for this roller coaster ride of emotions for Rowena’s story. And although it is fiction, it is a story that could have happened during those times. This is my first time reading this author, and she definitely held my attention. I’m off to read book two in the series.
I received a digital ARC of Across the English Channel and when I discovered it was book two in a series, I decided I needed to read book one first, so I bought this one. It is set in the 1800’s and there are a lot of characters to keep straight, but once you can get them sorted out, you will want to go along for this roller coaster ride of emotions for Rowena’s story. And although it is fiction, it is a story that could have happened during those times. This is my first time reading this author, and she definitely held my attention. I’m off to read book two in the series.
August 13, 2021
With an enticing blend of history and an intriguing storyline, Stepping Across the Desert delivers an enjoyable read. Set in the 1830’s the novel begins during British-born Rowena’s enslavement in Algeria. Upon her return to England, where a young woman’s life choices are stringently dictated by society, she confronts a different kind of oppression. The romance aspect will not disappoint lovers of the genre, but the adherence to the historical tone, reminding the reader of societal pressure of the day, is Austen-esque and makes this novel worthy of note.
April 1, 2018
This book got me hooked! I am known to start a book and give up if it doesn’t grab me or even stop mid-way through if a book has lost me, but not this one! I was pulled in from the beginning with Fatia and Sutton in the desert. And I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen with Romena and Lord Candor! The author does a great job switching between perspectives of different characters too! A good read with romance, adventure, and London society woven together.
February 4, 2020
Kidnapped as a young lady and working as a slave for cruel masters changed Rowena’s life forever, but made her a better person. When rescued by an unwilling stranger and brought back to London, she must adapt to being in civilisation and being a lady again. I was captivated by this story from the start and just could not put it down. The suspense, angst, terror and every cruel word that Rowena experienced could be felt. Great emotional but romantic read. Loved it!
February 28, 2022
Good Read, some mistakes
Stepping Across the Desert by Kat Caldwell is a good, historical romance. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. The changes in POV, or headhopping, was disconcerting enough to throw me out of the story a few times. I gave the rating based on its merits, not its problems. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romances. I also recommend it to writers to analyze it for its errors.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Stepping Across the Desert by Kat Caldwell is a good, historical romance. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. The changes in POV, or headhopping, was disconcerting enough to throw me out of the story a few times. I gave the rating based on its merits, not its problems. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romances. I also recommend it to writers to analyze it for its errors.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
June 12, 2022
This is quite a fascinating read which takes one from Algeria to England in such a way that the reader must go on to find out what will happen next. Fatia is an Englishwoman sold into salvery who is then gifted to Sutton who has no idea what to do with her. Once she is able Fatia/Rowena sets off to return to her family in England. Both Rowena and Lord Candor /Sutton have to face many trials and misunderstandings before they can finally resolve their differences.
May 5, 2025
Very hard to put this book down, as the reader I became absorbed into this life of Rowena’s. She is an extraordinary women who has had many challenges during her life. The supporting characters are well developed with me loving some and despising others. I am not a history expert but the general ideas are consistent. A romantic book with a happy ending. Look forward to reading more from this author.
January 29, 2021
Such a great story! I love historical books and this didn't let me down.
From the slave markets of Algeria to the echelons of England's aristocracy, this story sweeps you up into the time and constraints of both worlds.
This is a wonderful story of finding love when it's least expected.
A must read!
From the slave markets of Algeria to the echelons of England's aristocracy, this story sweeps you up into the time and constraints of both worlds.
This is a wonderful story of finding love when it's least expected.
A must read!
January 13, 2025
STEPPING ACROSS THE DESERT began with promise. Unfortunately, about a third of the way into the story it devolved into every tired, predictable, Regency romance trope I can think of. I could not finish this book.
July 28, 2022
a very exciting, interesting and romantic Story !
Read
September 23, 2024I just couldn't get into this story or the characters, so didn't finish it.
January 28, 2026
I DNF'd the book. It just bored me. Am sorry. I only got a few chapters in but it felt too ...fake.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews