Genre: Fantasy, Action-Adventure, Historical
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
An ancient Egyptian priest created a love spell, one that would keep his lover close for all eternity. The sands of time have spread that spell far and wide, bringing love to some unexpected places….
Hugh’s cousin is in trouble, and he’s asked Hugh for a favor: retrieve a stolen icon and return it to Alexandria. Except the icon is in the possession of a priest who might not be wholly human, and that priest is on a steamship headed to England.
And the icon is being guarded by a vampire.
Hugh hates vampires.
But Aharon hasn’t been a vampire for long, and he doesn’t have a lot of love for the priest.
Hugh, however, is just his type….despite the man’s apparent aversion to his nature.
It doesn’t take much to convince Aharon to help retrieve the icon, though fighting the demon priest is a much bigger challenge. That’s nothing compared with convincing Hugh to return Aharon’s affection, even with the help of a figurine from an ancient tomb.
The Review
It’s the year 1855. Dr. Hugh St. John has traveled to Alexandria. He left London for South Hampton, and spent two grueling weeks on a steamship. He now finds himself in Place El Mansheya. He received a letter of instruction to send a message to an unfamiliar person, and then waited at the corner of the square closest to the water, wearing a red carnation.
Randall MacKinley, Hugh’s cousin, has made all the important plans for this trip. As boys, he and Randall were very close. They, got into all types of situations and kept secrets. This was all very mysterious, as Hugh no longer played spy. He’s now a doctor and a scientist, and he’s not sure what Randall’s profession is. It’s been a long time since he heard from him.
Hugh should have just stayed in London and not played Randall’s game.
Eventually, someone shows up, using the code word. He follows the man along the Mediterranean shore. Will’s his name, and he’s Randall’s secretary. He advises Hugh not to be terrified, but with Randall you never really know what he has planned.
Walking through the old city streets of Alexandria, Hugh is overcome by the sense of age, mystery and ghosts of the past. There were alsp too many people for such a small space.
Arriving at Randall’s, it’s immediately apparent to Hugh that he is not well – he’s leaning on a cane with strained voice, baggy clothes and very little bravado. But with his smile and sparkle in his eyes, he’s still Hugh’s cousin.
He explains of the importance of the trip – it has to do with religious matters and missing Egyptian artifacts. There is a man who claims to be a priest who has been visiting for the last few months. He’s leaving on the Haddington, and Randall has made the arrangements for Will and Hugh to be aboard as well. He’s carrying artifacts, including the image of the Black Madonna. If the icon leaves Alexandria, it might start a religious war. Hugh needs to recover the Black Madonna and bring it back to Alexandria.
Finding the icon will cause a mysterious reaction, and will also bring Hugh face to face with Aharon Davies, who will bring back the memory of a horror that he and Randall faced. What is Davies’ connection to Father Dominic Mancini and his monks? Will Aharon have to face his end, like Galan Hassan? Will Aharon, Hugh and Will be able to join forces to prevent a Religious war?
Rancourt’s novella The Icon Thief is the second book in the shared “The Pharaoh’s Promise” series. The book is packed with suspense, excitement, danger, surprises and just a touch of double romance.
Aharon has many things to discover. Will Carrington reveals a secret. And Hugh, being the ships doctor, deals with a strange illness. Rancourt leaves some areas to the readers imagination. The story is well written, with interesting ideas and room for a continuing story.
Well done, Liv Rancourt.
I also highly recommend The Icon Thief from “The Pharaoh’s Promise” series. There are five books in the series, and all are standalones.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.