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Top Pick —
4.5 Stars
“A strong
storyline, engaging characters and seductive love scenes
make this a must-read.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“With sexual
tension as scorching as the desert the novel is set in,
MIRAGE is the kind of historical romantic adventure I
cut my teeth on and have been missing for years. Ms.
Burns has written a cinematic, compelling, and highly
recommended treat!”
—
Sylvia Day,
nationally bestselling author
Recommended Read
The love
scenes are emotion-filled and wonderfully erotic and
Altair’s responses are enough to make your toes
curl...her descriptions of the sight, sound and smell of
Egypt transports the reader there, masterfully conveying
the beauty of the culture and its people. I adored
Mirage
from beginning to end. (Read
Review)
― Two Lips Reviews
"Elegant prose, believable dialogue,
and a suspenseful plot that will hold you spellbound
make Mirage
a jewel of the first order. If you are a fan of
tortured, heroic male leads, independent heroines
and exotic places...don't miss this one by the
talented Ms. Burns."
Emma Wildes
2007 Eppie winner
#1 bestselling author at Fictionwise
"Mirage kept
me up half the night as I raced to the finish of this
action-adventure romance... If you’re a fan...[of]
authors like Betina Krahn, you’ll enjoy Mirage."
(Read
Review)
― Romance Reader At Heart
"Altair is an
unforgettable hero...Alex is a strong and vibrant
heroine who brings out the best in Altair...[he] is the
romantic hero many women would love to call their
own...[Their] explosive passion has all the earmarks of
what Ms. Burns is famous for, erotic love scenes that
leave readers clamoring for more. Ms. Burns, has shown
that not only can she write romance, but she makes it
memorable as well." (Read
Review)
― Coffee Time Romance
The plot (though with only one logical conclusion) kept
me wondering if that was indeed what was going to
happen. I kept turning the pages to see what actually
was going to take place. (Read
Review)
― Romance Reader Connection
This is an author who really knows how to ignite the
pages with some very explicit sexual content! Wonderful
details kept the quest in tune with the budding passion
and sensuality that Ms. Burns is so noted for.
(Read
Review)
― ck2s
Kwips and Kritiques
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She'd just finished
dressing when an authoritarian knock sounded on her door. Startled, she
jerked her head toward the noise. Her heart instantly skipped a beat. It
was a distinctive knock. She visualized Altair on the other side of the
wooden barrier. When she hesitated, the knock came again. Insistent and
impatient. It was him.
Crossing the room, she
threw open the door to see his tall figure filling the doorway. She
fought to keep breathing. There was only one word to describe him.
Magnificent. Unable to take her eyes off him, she struggled to calm her
erratic heart beat. Somewhere in the back of her mind, curiosity made
her question why he was dressed like one of the natives. The thought was
a fleeting one as she fought to keep her senses from responding to his
commanding presence.
Dressed in the dark blue,
flowing garment of the Mazir, he looked as if he had been born to wear
the desert clothing. No longer the English lord, he was as lean and
predatory as a leopard. A utility belt filled with rifle cartridges
crossed his chest, while a pistol was tucked into a belt around his
waist.
His entire appearance
emanated a sense of danger and excitement. Beneath his eyes, Mazir
tribal symbols stained his brown cheeks. His wavy brown hair, no longer
restrained by a ribbon, tumbled down over his shoulders. The image of
spiking her fingers through the dark, glossy curls sent a stream of
liquid fire through her.
Good lord, she barely
knew the man, and yet here she was ready to offer herself to him. She
drew in a sharp breath, as she looked up into the warmth of his brown
eyes.
“Good morning,” he
murmured. The deep notes danced across her skin with a potency that set
off alarm bells in her head. If she were to open her mouth, she was
certain more than a dozen butterflies would flee their captivity in her
stomach.
“Good…morning.” The
breathless quality of her voice dismayed her. Oh God, she sounded as
flustered as she felt. The sudden glint of satisfaction in his eyes made
the fluttering wings in her stomach stir restlessly. Her voice had
revealed far too much about the effect he had on her. Desperate to
regain control of her senses, she swallowed the sensual urges
threatening to take control.
“I…you…you
look so different. Not like yourself at all.”
“And how do
you think I should look, Alex?” His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied
her intently.
The dark, disturbing
expression in his gaze sent her heart slamming into her chest. Tiny
frissons caressed her skin as his gaze slid over her. Aroused by the
mysteriously hungry look in his eyes, she shook her head as if doing so
would help clear her thoughts as well as the desire curling inside her.
“It’s
just that you surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to see you dressed like a
Mazir.”
“I
find the gambaz cooler and more comfortable than my English
clothes.”
She nodded at his
explanation. Oddly enough, he did look comfortable. Far more so than
when he was wearing the starched shirt and tie he usually wore. Relaxed
and at ease in the gambaz, the flowing garment enhanced the dangerous
edge of his darkly handsome features.
Did the man have any
idea how devastating he was dressed like a Bedouin? There was a wicked
savagery about him that tantalized her senses and made her breath hitch.
Trying to suppress the urge to reach out and touch him, she inhaled a
deep breath.
“Is
something wrong, Alex?” The gleam in his eye made the palms of her hands
damp.
“No,
not all,” she forced the words past her lips, alarmed by the need
building inside her.
A brown finger traced the
outline of her lips as he leaned toward her. Cedarwood and sweet fennel
tempted her senses. “Liar,” he whispered, as a smile of satisfaction
curved his mouth. “Your heart is beating like you were a jerboa caught
in the claws of a leopard.”
The similarity to her
earlier impression of him as a leopard was ironic given how she was
feeling just like a mouse trapped beneath his masterful gaze. The dark
brown eyes holding her gaze hostage glittered with a dangerous light.
Drinking in the masculine scent of him, her lungs tugged in a sharp
breath of need. She wanted him to kiss her. Appalled she tried to find a
footing on the slippery path she was treading. Diversion. That’s what
was called for—a diversion.
“I…I…why do you wear the Mazir marks on your cheeks?” She almost blew
out a whoosh of air as she asked the question with great relief. That
would help lessen this tension between them.
“They reflect the
sunlight and protect my eyes. But they’re also a sign of my respect for
the Mazir.” He arched an eyebrow at her as his finger trailed along the
edge of her jaw in a slow, seductive stroke. The touch singed every
nerve in his path. “But that’s not what you really wanted to ask me, is
it?”
“I
don’t know what you’re talking about.” She took a quick step back from
him.
“Ah, so you didn’t want to ask when we
were to visit the Pyramids. As you wish.” As he turned away from her,
she sprang forward. The man was tormenting her by making her think he
wouldn’t take her to the Pyramids. Determined to halt his departure, her
hand clutched at his arm. How soft the material of his robe was beneath
her fingers.
“Don’t you
dare tease me like that!”
A quick flame came to life in his dark
eyes as he turned and looked down into her face. The slight curl tilting
his firm lips upward made her heart slam into her chest wall, and her
breathing hitched. The man was far too attractive for his own good.
“How would
you like me tease you Alex?”
She took a quick step
backward at the surprising question. With an abrupt shake of her head,
she pressed her hand against his chest as he followed her.
“I don’t…I
meant… I want to visit the Pyramids.”
“I see. So
you weren’t hoping I’d find some other way to tease you?”
“I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” she spluttered.
His dark hand reached out to caress her
cheek. No. If he kissed her again, she wouldn’t be able to control the
desire shooting through every part of her body. She took another step
back. Once again, he followed her. Now the space between them was almost
nonexistent. He lowered his head. The heady aroma of cedarwood and sweet
fennel smelled so good. It tormented her senses. A shiver pulsed through
her as the warmth of his breath stirred the wisps of hair at her ear.
“Don’t you?
That’s disappointing because I’m finding it increasingly difficult to
get the image of your full, lush body out of my head.”
She
gasped at the seductive heat of his words. He nipped at her ear lobe and
reason slipped out of her head.
“Do
you know what I dreamed about last night, Alex? I dreamed I was sucking
on those beautiful, dusky nipples of yours.”
“Oh,
God,” she whispered, unable to say anything else.
“Can
you imagine what else I dreamed about? Shall I tell you?”
Don’t
moan, Alex. Whatever you do, don’t moan. She swayed into him, her
fingers splayed across the upper part of his chest.
No.
No. This wasn’t good at
all. Looking up at him, she knew he was going to kiss her. She wanted
him to. The shivers of delight skimming through her told her just how
eager her body really was for him to kiss her. She should have been
shocked. Instead, she simply offered her mouth for the taking.
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