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Saved by Her Enemy Warrior
Entombed with her enemy…
Will her heart remain unscathed?
Left to die in the tomb of her beloved Pharaoh Tausret, royal adviser Aya would be silenced forever by those who seek power. But she is not alone! Egyptian soldier Intef is there to steal her mistress’s gold. Now they must work together to escape. This handsome warrior is Aya’s enemy, yet it’s passion not hatred that burns between them. Can their desire withstand the revelations that await them outside?
Will her heart remain unscathed?
Left to die in the tomb of her beloved Pharaoh Tausret, royal adviser Aya would be silenced forever by those who seek power. But she is not alone! Egyptian soldier Intef is there to steal her mistress’s gold. Now they must work together to escape. This handsome warrior is Aya’s enemy, yet it’s passion not hatred that burns between them. Can their desire withstand the revelations that await them outside?
288 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2020
2 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 26, 2020
"The priests of Thebes always said that women should not be pharaohs. But perhaps women make the best pharaohs of all," Intef mused.Another great read by Greta Gilbert. Ugh her attention to detail to the historical setting is insane. And that stunning cover makes me want to weep. Whoever is in charge of cover art in the HH division should get a raise. Seriously. Cause they be putting other big publishers who shall not be named to shame. That's *literally* Aya and Intef on the cover. And look at that, both of them are brown skinned/Middle Eastern looking. See? It's not impossible. #represent
"If a woman is a good pharaoh, it is not because she is a woman," said Aya. "It is because of who she is."
She was the most wondrous woman he had ever known: an arrow-shooting, tomb-chiselling, latrine-digging, life-saving wonder and he loved her beyond words.Gilbert's lyrical prose and sweeping stories are so beautiful. And I love that even in tension filled moments she still manages to punch humor into it. Intef cracked me up. I loved his squabbling with Aya while they were stuck together in the tomb. Gilbert's hand at humor is so natural, nothing about her writing feels forced. My only negative would be this did get a little heavy handed on the political talk, so much so it took a while for me to get into the story and stay engaged in the first half. That and the heavy focus on Pharaoh Tausret through out the story. Sorry but I'm never a big fan of a dead character taking up so much page time and focus. And I wasn't a big fan of the "twist" deployed here because it was obvious a mile away from the very beginning of the story and made Aya come off a little tstl when Intef confronted her on it. But all in all, GG's strength is in her characters. Looooove how she writes her couples, her heroines in particular. This is only my second read by her but I can see what she loves to focus on. She turns the tables where the heroine is the savior of the day. I love that. Aya's courage, intelligence and bravery is just as compelling as Intef's self-growth and humbling himself in realizing he's been wrong. I found the moral of the story really fitting and eerily true to our modern day political climate unfortunately. Political propaganda can sway people into believing anything and be the most dangerous weapon.
She was a kind of rainbow--so close to him, but totally beyond reach.
How thoroughly he had misjudged the woman who had sacrificed herself for the good of Egypt. It scared him to think of how credulous he had been of the news he had received all these years. Erroneous news, as it turned out. Lies. He had given over his life to the southern rebellion and now wondered how much of it was based on things that simply were not true.
October 26, 2020
He had grown so accustomed to the dark over the course of their entombment that it no longer felt like the dark at all to him, but instead a kind of alternate world. It was the place of fragrant lavender and bittersweet beer and Aya’s soft voice in the air. It was the strange abode in which he had chiselled through walls and touched invisible limbs and discovered the deepest pleasure he had ever known.
Very creative & unique—delightfully different from other category fic. Greta Gilbert is rapidly cornering the Harlequin market in Egyptian & Roman romance, & deservedly so; I really wish more authors would return to these exotic times & places, as opposed to the 50 million same-story Regencies that crowd current HR shelves.
Anyway. I digress.
Gilbert takes some serious (by category standards) risks with this story. The setting, unusual on its own, is further narrowed by the first 60% being spent in a tomb with our MCs. They have some flashbacks, yes, but the here-and-now is entirely contained while they make their escape. She also pushes the envelope by making no excuses for Aya’s lack of hymen—she’s not promiscuous, but she’s had sex before, & neither she nor Intef find anything unusual about this. Indeed, their cultural mores would find it strange if she hadn’t had prior experience—such a pleasant shift from the smothering required purity of most Harleys.** The characters are also entirely of their time in terms of religious beliefs—demons in the air, the power of the Pharaoh, the required rituals of the tomb (or the nerve it takes to break them), etc. They feel Not Contemporary, which only adds to the atmosphere of the story.
My biggest quibble is that it takes a bit too long to escape from the tomb, which rushes the ending, particularly Aya’s escape from the palace. After observing Aya & Intef so confined, I wanted more time to see them breathe above-ground (both literal & metaphorical).
...But overall, a good read—typical of Gilbert’s quality storytelling. Solid 4 stars. :)
**I’ve noticed that Gilbert’s heroines tend to be very open & accepting of their sexual feelings or desires—even those that are still virgins. THANK YOU! It’s so nice to read neo-HR where the heroine doesn’t flog herself for admiring the hero’s shoulder or abdomen.
Very creative & unique—delightfully different from other category fic. Greta Gilbert is rapidly cornering the Harlequin market in Egyptian & Roman romance, & deservedly so; I really wish more authors would return to these exotic times & places, as opposed to the 50 million same-story Regencies that crowd current HR shelves.
Anyway. I digress.
Gilbert takes some serious (by category standards) risks with this story. The setting, unusual on its own, is further narrowed by the first 60% being spent in a tomb with our MCs. They have some flashbacks, yes, but the here-and-now is entirely contained while they make their escape. She also pushes the envelope by making no excuses for Aya’s lack of hymen—she’s not promiscuous, but she’s had sex before, & neither she nor Intef find anything unusual about this. Indeed, their cultural mores would find it strange if she hadn’t had prior experience—such a pleasant shift from the smothering required purity of most Harleys.** The characters are also entirely of their time in terms of religious beliefs—demons in the air, the power of the Pharaoh, the required rituals of the tomb (or the nerve it takes to break them), etc. They feel Not Contemporary, which only adds to the atmosphere of the story.
My biggest quibble is that it takes a bit too long to escape from the tomb, which rushes the ending, particularly Aya’s escape from the palace. After observing Aya & Intef so confined, I wanted more time to see them breathe above-ground (both literal & metaphorical).
...But overall, a good read—typical of Gilbert’s quality storytelling. Solid 4 stars. :)
**I’ve noticed that Gilbert’s heroines tend to be very open & accepting of their sexual feelings or desires—even those that are still virgins. THANK YOU! It’s so nice to read neo-HR where the heroine doesn’t flog herself for admiring the hero’s shoulder or abdomen.
February 2, 2020
You have Egypt as your backdrop but you spend around 60% of the book in one tomb?!
First, let's clear the air. I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review but a free book doesn't mean a glowing review. I will be honest, always.
Now, let's start. I'm a sucker for anything to do with Ancient Egypt. I love that period and often feel that I should've been born into that time. So when I saw this, you know I had to read it! The writing is great, the story is kinda cute and it was a very fast read! I thought it ended perfectly.
I just... all of stunning, beautiful, glorious Egypt and you set so much for your short novel in one freaking tomb! Wasted opportunity! I wanted more rich settings, give me the Nile, the palace. Just anything else besides one tomb for over half the book!
I think the book suffered a little from being trapped in the tomb for so long because the author threw so much backstory just to fill the pages. I think the story could've been better had they gotten out faster and we spent more time with her marriage. That part was so rushed... I just felt like it could've been changed a bit and the story would've been stronger.
So not a bad book, just dragged a lot in the beginning and went way too fast at the end.
First, let's clear the air. I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review but a free book doesn't mean a glowing review. I will be honest, always.
Now, let's start. I'm a sucker for anything to do with Ancient Egypt. I love that period and often feel that I should've been born into that time. So when I saw this, you know I had to read it! The writing is great, the story is kinda cute and it was a very fast read! I thought it ended perfectly.
I just... all of stunning, beautiful, glorious Egypt and you set so much for your short novel in one freaking tomb! Wasted opportunity! I wanted more rich settings, give me the Nile, the palace. Just anything else besides one tomb for over half the book!
I think the book suffered a little from being trapped in the tomb for so long because the author threw so much backstory just to fill the pages. I think the story could've been better had they gotten out faster and we spent more time with her marriage. That part was so rushed... I just felt like it could've been changed a bit and the story would've been stronger.
So not a bad book, just dragged a lot in the beginning and went way too fast at the end.
Read
March 7, 2020Really unique and enjoyable.
November 16, 2020
💕 Positives:
* I really enjoyed the strong willed and cunning heroine. She was smart, beautiful and surprising at times.
* The depth of the characters really surprised me. Both of the main characters were really well developed for such a short book (277 pages).
* The romance was surprising yet sweet. The HEA at the end was perfect.
🚫 Negatives:
* There are some politics in this book, which I usually try to avoid.
* Egypt is such a beautiful and historic city yet 90% of this book takes place in a tomb.
⚡ Trigger Warning: a flashback with a rape scene on page 135. It's short and interrupted early on before anything can really take place. The rapist is killed in the end. It is integral to the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The history was well researched and the story contains many twists and turns. The tattoo was the most surprising part. The happily ever after made me tear up at the end.
I would read more by this author but her books are known for containing dark and triggering elements. It's a shame since this book was so good.
* I really enjoyed the strong willed and cunning heroine. She was smart, beautiful and surprising at times.
* The depth of the characters really surprised me. Both of the main characters were really well developed for such a short book (277 pages).
* The romance was surprising yet sweet. The HEA at the end was perfect.
🚫 Negatives:
* There are some politics in this book, which I usually try to avoid.
* Egypt is such a beautiful and historic city yet 90% of this book takes place in a tomb.
⚡ Trigger Warning: a flashback with a rape scene on page 135. It's short and interrupted early on before anything can really take place. The rapist is killed in the end. It is integral to the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The history was well researched and the story contains many twists and turns. The tattoo was the most surprising part. The happily ever after made me tear up at the end.
I would read more by this author but her books are known for containing dark and triggering elements. It's a shame since this book was so good.
December 10, 2020
Two people are trapped in a pharaoh's tomb; the diseased pharaoh's adviser and a rebel soldier...
This is one of my first Harlequin historical romances for a time period challenge. I found Saved by Her Enemy pretty unique altogether and it made me interested in Egyptian history again. Oh, worth mentioning that the twist took me by surprise! Includes the confined in close spaces trope. Reason for my 2-star rating is addressed here:
This is one of my first Harlequin historical romances for a time period challenge. I found Saved by Her Enemy pretty unique altogether and it made me interested in Egyptian history again. Oh, worth mentioning that the twist took me by surprise! Includes the confined in close spaces trope. Reason for my 2-star rating is addressed here:
April 21, 2020
I'm not a fan of historical books they just are not my thing. I'm not sure how I ended up with an ARC knowing this but I did and so I figured I'd give this book a fair shot. I did end up reading this and while everything that happens in the book was okay it just wasn't for me, I had a hard time getting into it. I couldn't connect to the characters enough to even enjoy them. I just find it hard to really get into historical books and this was unfortunately one I wasn't really into. I tried going into this book with an open mind and its just not for me.
January 30, 2024
Did I think I was going to be reading this book for the PLOT and the POLITICAL INTRIGUE? NO! But dangit all I did! I was expecting some steamy ancient Egyptian escapist goodness (Which I definitely got) but the story was so compelling and gripping. I power-read through this book and enjoyed every second.
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March 8, 2020dnf...
August 4, 2023
Honestly this writing sucked me in so much! The setting was rich and the characters were so well written. I loved the writing so much that it makes up more of the stars for me.
The romance was okay. I struggled a lot with the betrayal and forgiving what happened so I had a hard time with the ending. But the rest of the book was so solid and seriously fun to read.
Content warnings on StoryGraph.
The romance was okay. I struggled a lot with the betrayal and forgiving what happened so I had a hard time with the ending. But the rest of the book was so solid and seriously fun to read.
Content warnings on StoryGraph.
August 12, 2022
— dnf @51%
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews