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The Lord and the Scorpion
In a time when their love is forbidden, two people will join together and find a passion unlike any other. Sauda Mauri is a trained assassin. She has been a slave and an assassin for many years and now she has a chance at a new life as a free woman if she can complete her final mission. Running from her Japanese master she is traveling under the guise as Lady Francis’s nursemaid so she can get her assignments from the head of the Queen’s Secret Service. She does not need any complications and Lord Ethan Clare is more than determined to be just that. When she is hurt protecting the Queen, she awakens to find Ethan at her bedside. He has been asked to help her uncover who the culprits are behind the attempt on the Queen’s life. Their union changes the destiny of many and attracts the attention of a madman who is determined to get the Blackamoor woman out of their lives forever.
390 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2006
20 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Shiree McCarver
28 books119 followersAlabama native Shiree McCarver is a freelance writer, poet and singer-lyricist. Writer of Interracial tales of romance in historical and contemporary settings, Ms. McCarver has written over eight novels. Her scope ranges from the Elizabethan period to modern day Tokyo. Ms. McCarver is quickly becoming best known for utilizing Asian males in romantic leading roles along with realistic less then perfect heroines. Her stories rips and repairs your heart like no other.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 16, 2009
I can definitively say I have never read a romance novel quite like this. Ms. McCarver really accomplished something with this wonderful story. Sauda is a heroine that you will come to admire, will laugh with, and will cry with. Her journey is unforgettable. Ethan is a hero that will steal your heart away. What I really loved about this story was how three-dimensional Sauda and Ethan are. Their love is tangible and poignant. It reaches off the page and into your mind and heart. It doesn't matter that Ethan shouldn't fall in love with a Blackamoor assassin who is clearly not a suitable wife. It doesn't matter that Sauda is a foreigner whose freedom is not her own, and thus shouldn't even consider falling for the golden, beautiful lord. It happens anyway. And the development of this affair is incredible to read. At times, I felt like I would be overwhelmed with despair, knowing in my heart that this couldn't end well, but hoping that Ms. McCarver would manage to pull off the happy ending I craved. Well, we do get our happy ending, but you should read it to see how it unfolds.
Prejudice is an ugly thing. This story shows how a worthy, incredible individual can be judged and maligned for the simple characteristics of being of another faith, dark skin color, and having hair that is curly instead of straight, despite traits that show her to be an excellent person. Her good heart and her sense of honor mean nothing when someone cannot look past what is so different. The great thing about this story is that from the first moment, Ethan looks at the outside and the inside and has a moment of clarity that this is the woman that he loves. His heart had been broken by the loss of his young wife in childbirth and his subsequent slavery in a Turkish prison, in which unspeakable things were done to him. Life means little to him, other than the freedom of sailing the seas, although he knows he will have to eventually marry to ensure his family's earldom secure. When he sees Sauda, it's like he comes alive again. From that point on, he is very focused on having her, in any way he can.
Sauda sees the beautiful Englishman and knows he's not for her. Her life has been nothing but death and discipline. She is a very skilled assassin who has had to seduce men to get close enough to kill. Her heart is merely an organ that pumps blood through her body. Love does not enter into the equation for her life. But love finds her, and a passion that she had never known.
This is a very raw and earthy romance, but at the same time, sublimely beautiful. Set during the Elizabethan period, you are privy to the very raunchy natures of Elizabethans, and not spared some of the less pleasanter aspects of living in the 16th century, but it works very well. It felt so authentic, and Ms. McCarver does a great job with the language and the terminology for this period. It is more than clear that she has done careful research and has a love for this period. As a lifelong reader of historical romances and a woman of color, It was great to see a heroine of color living and finding love within this time period. I was drawn into this story and I felt like I was right there in the late 1500s during Queen Elizabeth's reign.
The love scenes were tender yet vivid and very raw. The powerful chemistry between Sauda and Ethan really blazes in their private moments. There is an element of time slipping away from the starcrossed lovers as Ethan will have to marry soon and Sauda must leave to stay one step ahead of the hunters who want to take her back to her owner. I hated that aspect, but it brought dramatic tension and poignancy to the storyline. I wanted them to run away into the sunset together, but I could see how that would be a selfish thing and not feasible for either of them.
Sauda is very convincing as a formidable female warrior and assassin. She shows the discipline and skill of a woman who was heartlessly trained from the young age of eight to kill and to kill effortlessly. She has no moments that cause a lapse in her credibility as a warrior woman. Yet at the same time, she shows a humanity and a capacity for love that gives her the depth that I want to see in a romance heroine.
She is definitely a great heroine for those readers who like to see a woman who can handle herself.
Although Ethan's friend Lucian annoyed me with his narrow-mindedness for some time in this story, I began to see why he was so fixated on his view of what was good for Ethan (and thinking that Sauda wasn't it). He got my attention and make me anxious to read his story and see him conquered by love in the most unlikely of packages. I also enjoyed seeing the interactions with Thomas, Ethan's younger brother, as well as Sir Nichols, and Mary, Ethan's former nursemaid.
This book took me away and seduced my senses. It kept me guessing, as I truly didn't know how things would end. There was a complexity to this plot that really did challenge my thought processes to see where things would go. The action scenes were well done, mixing swordfighting and martial arts. I loved that you did get to see Sauda show her abilities. Yet you also see that Ethan is a warrior in his own right. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see this beautiful love story unfold between two people that are so very different, yet are soulmates in every way. Bravo, Ms. McCarver.
Prejudice is an ugly thing. This story shows how a worthy, incredible individual can be judged and maligned for the simple characteristics of being of another faith, dark skin color, and having hair that is curly instead of straight, despite traits that show her to be an excellent person. Her good heart and her sense of honor mean nothing when someone cannot look past what is so different. The great thing about this story is that from the first moment, Ethan looks at the outside and the inside and has a moment of clarity that this is the woman that he loves. His heart had been broken by the loss of his young wife in childbirth and his subsequent slavery in a Turkish prison, in which unspeakable things were done to him. Life means little to him, other than the freedom of sailing the seas, although he knows he will have to eventually marry to ensure his family's earldom secure. When he sees Sauda, it's like he comes alive again. From that point on, he is very focused on having her, in any way he can.
Sauda sees the beautiful Englishman and knows he's not for her. Her life has been nothing but death and discipline. She is a very skilled assassin who has had to seduce men to get close enough to kill. Her heart is merely an organ that pumps blood through her body. Love does not enter into the equation for her life. But love finds her, and a passion that she had never known.
This is a very raw and earthy romance, but at the same time, sublimely beautiful. Set during the Elizabethan period, you are privy to the very raunchy natures of Elizabethans, and not spared some of the less pleasanter aspects of living in the 16th century, but it works very well. It felt so authentic, and Ms. McCarver does a great job with the language and the terminology for this period. It is more than clear that she has done careful research and has a love for this period. As a lifelong reader of historical romances and a woman of color, It was great to see a heroine of color living and finding love within this time period. I was drawn into this story and I felt like I was right there in the late 1500s during Queen Elizabeth's reign.
The love scenes were tender yet vivid and very raw. The powerful chemistry between Sauda and Ethan really blazes in their private moments. There is an element of time slipping away from the starcrossed lovers as Ethan will have to marry soon and Sauda must leave to stay one step ahead of the hunters who want to take her back to her owner. I hated that aspect, but it brought dramatic tension and poignancy to the storyline. I wanted them to run away into the sunset together, but I could see how that would be a selfish thing and not feasible for either of them.
Sauda is very convincing as a formidable female warrior and assassin. She shows the discipline and skill of a woman who was heartlessly trained from the young age of eight to kill and to kill effortlessly. She has no moments that cause a lapse in her credibility as a warrior woman. Yet at the same time, she shows a humanity and a capacity for love that gives her the depth that I want to see in a romance heroine.
She is definitely a great heroine for those readers who like to see a woman who can handle herself.
Although Ethan's friend Lucian annoyed me with his narrow-mindedness for some time in this story, I began to see why he was so fixated on his view of what was good for Ethan (and thinking that Sauda wasn't it). He got my attention and make me anxious to read his story and see him conquered by love in the most unlikely of packages. I also enjoyed seeing the interactions with Thomas, Ethan's younger brother, as well as Sir Nichols, and Mary, Ethan's former nursemaid.
This book took me away and seduced my senses. It kept me guessing, as I truly didn't know how things would end. There was a complexity to this plot that really did challenge my thought processes to see where things would go. The action scenes were well done, mixing swordfighting and martial arts. I loved that you did get to see Sauda show her abilities. Yet you also see that Ethan is a warrior in his own right. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see this beautiful love story unfold between two people that are so very different, yet are soulmates in every way. Bravo, Ms. McCarver.
May 6, 2013
*Solid 5 Stars*
This book is excellent! Highly Highly recommend this read. Whether you are a fan of interracial romance or not you must read this book. I have never been a big fan of romances or supense set in the 16th-18th century. But I loved this story. Ms McCarver did an excellent job on the setting, the language, the time period these people are in. You get a true reality of the way things were back in this time and the racial divide amongst the people involved.
But this is a heart wrenching story about unexpected love, betrayal, violence, loyalty, faith , hope, & forgiveness.
I cried so much reading this one & laughed alot!
Lord Ethan Clare and Ms Sauda Mauri, **shaking my head**
THIS IS AN AWESOME STORY!
This book is excellent! Highly Highly recommend this read. Whether you are a fan of interracial romance or not you must read this book. I have never been a big fan of romances or supense set in the 16th-18th century. But I loved this story. Ms McCarver did an excellent job on the setting, the language, the time period these people are in. You get a true reality of the way things were back in this time and the racial divide amongst the people involved.
But this is a heart wrenching story about unexpected love, betrayal, violence, loyalty, faith , hope, & forgiveness.
I cried so much reading this one & laughed alot!
Lord Ethan Clare and Ms Sauda Mauri, **shaking my head**
THIS IS AN AWESOME STORY!
March 25, 2009
I haven't read many historical romances but I have read this one and I highly recommend it. It's about an English Lord (WM) and an highly skilled assasin (BW) and he won't stop until he conquers her heart. I'm waiting for more historical IR stories from Ms. McCarver.
July 31, 2022
This book was outstanding! The only drawback was the poor editing.
🔥🔥🔥🔥
🔥🔥🔥🔥
February 6, 2009
she has alot of books out right now but they arent here. so will update later
July 8, 2016
This book came up on my feed as being read by a Goodreads author that I follow!! The cover is absolutely ridiculous and stupid but the story wasn't. This was my first historical romance and it wasn't all bad. The story it's self was good the characters were well developed and likable too. Ethan and Sauda were great and watch their relationship grow was the best part about them!! Some things got lengthy and repetitive and hard to keep having to read over and over. The amount of grammatical errors got in the way of making it an easy read, so that was frustrating as well, but I overall liked the story.
January 6, 2020
I was so happy to have found another bwwm historical novel and it didn’t disappoint. I would’ve given it 5 stars if not for the typos, misused words, and grammatical errors. I’m usually not a stickler for stuff like that (it’s annoying but I get over it), but some of the errors distracted from the story. I’d def still recommend though.
August 25, 2022
Really loved the historical romance. The story was interesting and unique linking the skills of the scorpion and her later presence in England. The strength of the female lead was refreshing to see in this tale of an alpha female of her time. Nice work!
October 3, 2023
Great read. Needs better editing but I enjoyed this historical romance with a twist!
April 7, 2025
Pretty good
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews