The Aegean Vault

The Artifact Guardians #3

by Cate M. Turner

Secrets lead to lies. Lies lead to betrayal.

A bombing at the Egyptian Museum rips archaeologist Leila Sterling’s mother from her again. The murderous illegal artifact dealer, Faris Al-Rashid, claims her mother is safe but demands Leila complete a task for him if she ever wants to see her again: bring him the terrifyingly dangerous Scrolls of Lysias. If Leila fails, Faris promises to destroy both her and the man she loves.

But not everything is as it seems when Leila sets out on her quest for truth and justice. Even Xander, her fiancé, has been keeping secrets. Secrets that may be the death of both of them.

In this gripping adventure, we follow Leila and Xander from the heart-pounding dangers of Cairo to the teeming backstreets of Athens, from the dark tunnels of Egyptian tombs to the glittering waters of the Aegean Sea.

Can Leila survive the ultimate betrayal? Can she still save those she loves before time runs out?

The Aegean Vault, the third book in the Artifact Guardians Series, is a high-speed hurtle, full of suspense and adventure with a dose of clean romance. It features a fiery and determined heroine and a swoon-worthy British rogue who must work together to stop a ruthless villain--and save their future. Preorder now and continue the adventure August 17, 2022!

392 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 17, 2022

About the author

Cate M. Turner is an author from the heart of Ohio who’s fueled by tea, wanderlust, and a passion for all things historical and linguistic. When she's not plotting her next story, you’ll find her poring over dusty archives, dreaming up her next travel adventure, or researching yet another language. Whether uncovering untold stories from the past or creating new worlds, she loves weaving together threads of mystery, archaeology, and romance. Join Cate on this adventure—she promises it’ll be steeped in intrigue and brewed to perfection!

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Reviews

[Virginia Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received an ARC from the author, and this is my honest, unbiased review. ***

So much to unload in this intensely suspenseful novel. For starters, I want to make it clear that in order to fully appreciate this and have the proper context, you must read The Stolen Papyrus and The Lost Sepulcher (in that order) first. There's also a prequel, The Lakota Shrine, you can read for free by subscribing to Cate's newsletter. I purposely restarted the series just so I could be current and I'm so glad I did because I understood all the references and characters from the previous installments. Anyway, onto the review! Contains hidden spoilers!

Firstly, the cover is amazing! I think this one is my favorite out of all three books.

If you followed along with my reading updates, then you know I suffered a lot by the hands of this book. Unexpected sudden deaths that left me stunned and brutal betrayals that stung worse than a scorpion. What can I say? I was shooketh for some of most of the majority of this book. At one point while reading I literally started shouting "red flag, red flag!" Right from chapter one, there's danger and mayhem and the momentum continues through the entire story even if there's no "action" per say, there's plenty of suspense and conflict and pain. Lots of pain. Revenge was a huge theme. The plot was constantly moving and building. There was only one part that lagged for me and that was near the end when Leila was navigating the island and that's only because I was anxious to find out what would happen next. The action was very fast-paced. The kind where readers aren't given all the wherefores and whys and they just watch things unfold.

Characters. I detest Aisha. I'm sorry but no. Others may think she's an innocent victim, but I have to disagree. She brought so much on herself, and I felt no pity for her. The Medjay are jerks. Self-righteous, narrow-minded jerks. Drake was...uh, I was never a fan of her. I mean she was very important to the story but meh. Leila and Xander. Such drama! Honestly, Xander was very unfair toward Leila. If we really wanna compare lies, Xander did nothing but lie, trick and betray Liela from book one. He had no right to pout and throw a hissy fit. Was Liela in the right? No. She should have never joined that Medjay group but if you think about, she was basically forced to at the end of book 2. I mean what choice did she have? "You know about us now and all outsiders who find out about us must die" So it really wasn't fair for her. None of book 2 was fair for her. She was even done dirty in book 1. The amount of heart ache and physical abuse Leila took in this was crazy! I felt her reactions and emotions were very realistic. I missed Emma!!! Some comic relief would have been nice. The only real breaks from the action were food breaks. And ping pong. Jones was a creepy creep and Soliman was an unexpected surprise I say surprise like it was no big deal. It was a BIG deal!

The romance between Leila and Xander was again kept clean. Some kissing but less than the other books in the series. Their relationship was very much strained which made for a will they, won't they kinda thing.

I only had a couple qualms. I missed the archeological digs very much. There were some artifacts and history, but I would have liked more of those elements. This was focused mostly on action, survival and life on the run from basically everyone. Toward the end there was some language (very mild). The ending wrapped up most of the lose threads but there were one or two things that weren't explained. the medjay at the end specifically. So, is Leila still in the group? What of Xander?

All in all, this was very enjoyable in a rip your heart out kind of way. Literally, I was shocked at some of the things the author put these characters through. Super exciting, suspenseful and thrilling. If you enjoy high-stakes and emotional character death this is one to check out!

[✨ Helena ✨]

I received this complimentary ARC, courtesy of Cate M. Turner (who was also kind enough to provide me with a bonus prologue), in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the feels! What an epic end to The Artifact Guardians trilogy. There were so many twists and turns in this novel, I don't know where to start without spoiling it. So, I won't.

Let me just say that Leila and Xander are back and they are adorable together, but they have some explaining to do—BOTH OF THEM. Also, I had so much hope for Aisha and was excited to see how Leila and her mother would reconcile in this final book, but… no spoilers.

The many twists at the end blew my mind and I had to put the book down for a moment to soak it all in, but there were hints in the first and second books, so I shouldn't have been that surpised (but I was).

[Debbie Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

nce again we are with Xander Harrison and Leila Sterling and yes you do need to read the previous two books to get the full story These two have a checkered past but are finally on the same page or are they It appears Xander has been keeping secrets and now Leila is been black mailed to hand over the scrolls of Lysias if she ever wants to see her mother again. Like the preceding books this is a breakneck ride that is the perfect mix of suspense and drama that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can

[Verity Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Aegean Vault, conclusion to the Artifact Guardians series, pulls no punches and delivers a fine conclusion to a saga of archaeology shenanigans, gunfights, and complicated relationships.

I deeply appreciated Leia's arc. For all her mysterious undercover job, and a certain loss of naivete, when book three kicks off she has still not shed her propensity, when confronted with a threatening dilemma, to choose self-preservation first and regret later. I don't begrudge her that character trait, because I can see myself in it as I'm sure many of us would in her shoes. And self-preservation has its place. But it was high time she had to confront her root selfishness for what it was, and the story allowed her to do that in a way that blew me out of the water.

Xander has always been more of a challenge for me to get in the head of -- his reactions sometimes seeming over the top, his emotions difficult to access and predict. The Aegean Vault answered my "WHY ARE YOU THE WAY THAT YOU ARE" craving with some much-appreciated exposition for his deeper psychological motivations. Absolutely loved the references to his dad/family life and how they drove his own arc.

Leia and Xander's romance, while it gets its due drama and payoff, is offset appropriately by Leia's immediate family dynamics, which are just as knotty if not more so than the double-life mess Leia and Xander are juggling. From the first scene with Aisha in the museum cafe to the final confrontation between her, Leia, and Faris, that particular thread was so well set up and so satisfying to see play out to its finish.

I could say so much more. The setting? Vivid as always. The epilogue? A lovely touch. And as usual, Turner's handling of pacing EXCELS.

This book was my favorite out of the three, with both writing and characterization continually improving over the course of the trilogy. Turner has really come into her own as a writer of suspense/adventure and I look forward to seeing future titles from her pen (a new project has been alluded to in recent newsletters... *anticipatory eyebrow raise*).

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Aegean Vault” begins with a blast (literally) and keeps on raising the stakes and they both are walking the line between confiding in their ‘to-be’ and keeping their own secrets to protect each others. And of course Leila’s long believed lost mother is again in the picture, but just as Leila was starting to mend their relationship - even if that would mean to surrender the whole wedding preparation to her – an explosion at the Museum marks the start of a new threat, as Al-Rashid uses coerces Leila into surrender the highly dangerous Scroll of Lysias in exchange for her mother and fiancé lives.

This is the second full-instalment in Cate M. Turner’s “The Artifact Guardians”, an archeological adventure series set in Egypt with an underlying romantic plot, that offers captivating mix of Egyptology, archeological background, adventure, suspense, thriller, and very realistic and well-crafted romantic plot. Cate M Turner has a compelling, fresh, and modern writing style that suits the adventure portion of the tale, while bringing easily across the archeological specifics of the story any layperson, and still meet the specifications of those acquainted with the field, while refraining from including any nonsensical clichés so often used by inferior authors.

The story is a real page-turner, very fast-paced adventure, whose romantic clean subplot, is not compelling but fully realistic, which makes the characters relatable at all times: Leila and Xander feel real, even when dealing with extraordinary situations, and the weight of having to keep their own secrets.

Cate M. Turner has successfully won her place in Elizabeth Peters often challenged and never before reached throne, thus making Xander & Leilas the rightful - and much more modern 😉 - heirs to Amelia Peabody and Emerson.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an early version of this book, and let me tell you...it was a thrilling ride. the pace is breakneck in the best way and as soon as you come up for air, something else happens to pull you deeper into the plot. I've made no secret about how much I love Cate's writing and her MCs, and Leila continues to demonstrate why she's one of my favorite MCs ever in this novel. Another element Cate excels at is writing immersive worlds, and I could get lost in her archeological storytelling for dayyyssss. Each book takes us somewhere fresh, and VAULT explores archeology and history from the greater Antiquity Era rather than Egypt as the first and second books did, and while I thought this would throw me off from the vibes of the series, as a whole, it didn't. Cate blends the Greco-Roman and Egyptian histories into a truly Antiquity-inspired archeological drama that had me googling left and right to see learn more about history. This (and all of the series) are so much fun for history-lovers!
Another thing I loved most about this book was the twist at the ending and the foreshadowing throughout the book that still, somehow, leaves you in cardiac arrest at the end. I loved how Cate wove in so many details seamlessly throughout the three books and delivered a satisfying ending.
I hope this isn't the end for Leila and Xander! Can't get enough of these books. I'd love to read this series as long as Cate has ideas to write for it! ...If you don't, Cate, message me, and we'll talk;)

Cate M. Turner