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Lady Rexana Villeaux is desperate to find the parchment that brands her brother a traitor to the King - before the new High Sheriff can persecute him. There's just one problem, the damning parchment is in the High Sheriff's care, and to get it, Rexana must sneak inside Tangston, where the sheriff resides. Fate intervenes in the form of a sickly dancer, and Rexana borrows her costume to gain entrance to Tangston. She must dance for the barbaric Sheriff to create enough distraction for her people to search his private quarters for the document.
Swirling and swaying to the foreign music, garbed in the gauzy, flimsy costume of a desert courtesan, Rexana dances with every ounce of pent-up frustration that she feels - and in doing so, catches the eye of the Sheriff a little too well. The High Sheriff, captivated by her wild dance, wishes her to remain after the dance - for his private pleasure.
Fane Linford, has been appointed High Sheriff of Warringham by his king - an honor he gained after being mercilessly tortured as an infidel's prisoner. His service, while imprisoned, had saved countless lives, and earned him a grudging respect by his peers. However, though they may respect him, they still fear his barbaric tendencies. Rumors abound about his liaison with a Saracen courtesan, and the horrible tortures he had endured in Gazir's dungeon. Fane pays the rumors no heed, determined to do what he had always done, honor his king and country. As the new sheriff, his task is to catch the traitors of Warringham before they stir up a rebellion.
Distraction arrives in the form of a wildly seductive dancer, a woman who speaks to his very soul with her tempestuous spirit. Even after learning of the dancer's true identity, and her deception, he finds her utterly enchanting. Deciding he must have her, he offers her marriage - knowing that she cannot refuse if she wants to save her brother from being branded a traitor.
DANCE OF DESIRE sizzles with romantic tension, dragging readers along on a sensual ride through the lives of the two main characters. Skillfully written, with intriguing twists, exotic flair and a fast-paced plot fascinating enough to keep readers turning the pages in an all-night reading binge, DANCE OF DESIRE is a Medieval treasure. Author Catherine Kean writes with a fine-edged elegance, spinning a tale of tension and intrigue that readers of historical fiction won't want to miss.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
October 16, 2005
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