Sary and the Maharajah's Emeralds

This is the first book I’ve read by Sharon Shipley - I was caught by both the blurb and the cover - both appealed to me as they reminded me of old Sunday afternoon matinee films. I soon realised this is, I think, the third book in a series telling of the adventures of Sary. Nevertheless, this did not detract from the story and was easily read as a stand-alone novel.

While part of a travelling troupe in India, Sary catches the eye of the evil and repugnant Maharajah. She is captured and, suffering from memory loss, Sary has no idea who she is or how she came to be there. She tries to escape several times, and is saved from certain death from crocodiles and tigers by the handsome rajah, the maharajah’s brother, with whom she falls in love.

This novel is set in India in the early 1900s and is perhaps the reason for the rather idiosyncratic dialogue, in particular Sary’s dialogue, which I found a little grating. Nevertheless, Sary is a feisty and engaging heroine, and the Rajah a gorgeous hero - their passionate relationship felt very real, as did the wonderfully described setting - really allowing you to feel what it might be like to live in the Maharajah’s palace.

While not my usual type of book, and the slightly jarring (for me) dialogue, this book didn’t disappoint in terms of reminding me of those wonderful matinee adventure stories, and I read it in two days.