For some books, you know within the first few pages as you sink into the story that it is going to be very good. Lara Temple’s books have that quality but especially this one. The Return of the Disappearing Duke is a deeply philosophical book — those scenes in the Egyptian desert rise almost to poetry.

Trust between two such wary strangers is prickly at first, and comes in fits and starts. If Temple had put just these two together on their journey from the Egyptian desert to rainy London, they would have never made it out of the desert. But having their camel herder and Rafe’s batman there helps ease some of the tension between them. Seeing how each of them is with other people makes them find the other more trustworthy, and thus trust slips in through the nooks and crannies of their closely guarded mistrust.

Just as trust is making its way into their heart, so is love. For two such emotionally cautious people who withhold acknowledging their emotions to even themselves, to then open up to sharing them with the other person is the emotional journey that spans this book.

The Disappearing Duke has all the hallmarks of a great book. The sensitive, nuanced writing allows for a myriad of emotions, sensorial details, and complex characterization to be expressed in a paucity of words. Most certainly, a book to treasure.

Full Review: https://frolic.media/book-of-the-week-the-return-of-the-disappearing-duke-by-lara-temple/