Note: Portions of this post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record…
Cover by Fiona Jayde
Is ancient Egypt having a moment? This probably seems like a strange question for a scifi romance author to ask but I also write paranormal romances set in ancient Egypt. In fact my first published book was Priestess of the Nile and I now have eleven titles in the connected series. Piece of trivia: that book is the closest I’ve come to having a movie made from one of my books (yet). But then the person who was going to option it got a big part in a major network series and there went my shot at a movie. My story revolves around the crocodile god Sobek falling in love with one of his priestesses since he’s a shifter and can take on human form. Isis, queen of the gods, takes exception to his romance. In the rest of the series, which can be read as standalones, the gods are involved in the plots and daily life the way the Egyptians thought them to be, but aren’t the romantic partners. Unlike the Greeks, their myths didn’t run to romantic relations with humans.
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Egypt has had its time in the spotlight before of course, starting with the discovery of King Tut’s fabulous tomb in the 1920’s and each time a selection of the treasures goes on a world tour. The late 1950’s through the early 1960’s also saw a surge in Egyptiana, as I call it, with movies like ‘The Ten Commandments’ and ‘Cleopatra’ raising public interest. This was also the era which saw the release of Mara, Daughter of the Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, which was my personal gateway book into ancient Egypt. And can we talk about the 1999 Brendan Fraser classic version of ‘The Mummy’? One of my all time favorites even if it didn’t occur in ancient Egypt, aside from a few glorious flashbacks.
Those of us who are fascinated with the era persevere though, writing variations on the mythology. Many romance authors choose to bring the gods forward into contemporary times, although I personally prefer to take my readers back to ancient Egypt. Laura Greenwood has two series in this subgenre. Apprentice Of The Dead (The Apprentice Of Anubis Book 1) begins an ongoing 18 book series with this premise: “A modern urban fantasy series set in an alternative world where the Egyptian empire still rules. It follows a new priestess of Anubis, Ani, as she navigates temple politics and uncovers something she can’t ignore.” The author also writes The Forgotten Gods Series, which stands at 21 books. As one reviewer summed it up: “It is an intriguing concept with ancient Egyptian gods still existing in the modern world, but faded and forgotten over time, their powers waning. The old traditions, power imbalances and conflicts are still very much in play though. It is a shadow world in our world.” Amazon
Author Alessa Thorn has created The Gods Universe series and does mini series within the over arching title. Her Gods of the Duat trilogy deals with the ancient Egyptian gods Set, Thoth and Anubis respectively. As the author describes the books: “SET is the first book in the ‘Gods of the Duat’ that centers around the Egyptian gods of war, magic and the dead. This series is perfect for readers who love their heroes dark and dirty, and their heroines strong and feisty.” The gods in question are existing in contemporary times. Set has become a mercenary, Thoth is a librarian and keeper of magic books, and Anubis spent 5000 years trapped in jackal form but now is posing as a rich investor. He’s in search of a missing piece of his soul. AmazonKU AB
Echo in Time: An Egyptian Mythology Time Travel Romance (Echo Trilogy Book 1) by Lindsey Sparks uses time travel to catapult the reader into ancient Egypt and its marvels. The trope is fairly common but the author adds some fresh twists to the way the plot unfolds. Here’s the logline for the story: “The past clashes with the present in this paranormal saga of ancient prophecies and warring gods. If you like Egyptian mythology, steamy romance, time-bending mysteries, and complex characters, then you’ll love this sprawling time travel adventure.” Readers enjoyed the fast pace and the overall world building. AmazonKU AB
This author also has a spin-off series The Kat DuBois Mysteries. Readers strongly recommend reading the Echo Trilogy first. Additionally she has The Fateless Series which combines Egyptian mythology and time travel for a trilogy of adventures with romance.
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I would be remiss not to mention The Mummy or Ramses the Damned: A Novel by the late Anne Rice, which is a classic of the genre. Here’s how the blurb sets up the situation: “Ramses the Great lives! But having drunk the elixer of live, he is now Ramses the Damned, doomed forever to wander the earth, desperate to quell hungers that can never be satisfied—for food, for wine, for women.” Apparently the immortal pharaoh still pines for Cleopatra and as part of the book’s plot he tries to resurrect her, although there’s a ‘modern’ woman (Victorian era) right there who he could be happily paired with. I won’t do spoilers but the author’s son Christopher Rice collaborated with her on two more books in the series prior to her death. Cleopatra is still lingering around, there’s a new immortal to deal with and more adventure to be had. In the third book Ramses and his human beloved tackle paranormal threats which could affect the looming World War. AmazonKU AB
In the multi author series Speed Dating with the Denizens of the Underworld, there are several novellas featuring ancient Egyptian gods: Bastet, Seth, Horus and Kuaket, by the previously mentioned Laura Greenwood and Osiris by A. L. Kessler. The series premise is that an exclusive speed dating event is held at the DeLux Café and once a Denizen meets a compatible human woman of course the complications and plot twists commence as the couple heads for a Happy Ever After ending. Amazon
Whether you stay in this time period or journey to ancient Egypt, happy reading!
VS Note: The following are books which recently released or which I found after doing the column for the newspaper:
RA: THE SCARAB PROPHECY by Sandra R Neeley
The first thing you must realize about the primordial goddess Neith is that she has a wry sense of humor, and very little patience. When the gods and goddesses created by Ra, and even Ra himself, made it a habit of dragging Neith into their petty arguments, causing her to wish she’d never given Ra the power to create any of them, she locked them away in the Temple of Ra. She’s breathed easy ever since — no stress! The gods, however… lot of stress. Feeling guilty about basically freezing them in time, she decided to give them a second chance at life. That chance comes in the form of The Scarab Prophecy. Scarabs are Representative of life, death, rebirth, transformation, and quests. This prophecy has all that and more. According to Neith, this prophecy has certain conditions that must be met before any of the gods get their freedom back. Firstly, Ra, the sun god and creator of all life and order in the universe, must be the first to be resurrected. Secondly, he must receive the heart of the female destined to free him, willingly, with no manipulation from him. Thirdly, if he fails to secure her heart, and successfully take his place among the living, he will be returned to the Tomb of Ra, locked away with all the others for eternity. But that wasn’t enough for Neith. She felt…( a LOT more blurb ob ebook seller’s page) AmazonKU
EGYPTIAN HEART by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Maggie Owen is a beautiful, spirited Egyptologist…but lonely. Even being in Egypt on a grant from the college she teaches at to search for an undiscovered necropolis she’s certain lies below the sands beyond the pyramids of Gizah doesn’t give her the happiness she had hoped it would. There has always been and is something missing. Love. Then her workmen uncover Ramose Nakh-Min’s ancient tomb and an amulet from his sarcophagus hurls her back to 1340 B.C – where she falls hopelessly in love with the man she was destined to be with, noble Ramose, who faithfully serves the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaton and his beautiful queen Nefertiti. She’s fallen into perilous times with civil war threatening Egypt. She’s been mistaken for one of Ramose’s runaway slaves and with her blond hair, jinn green eyes and fair skin she doesn’t fit in. Some say she’s magical and evil. Ramose’s favorite, devious Makere, attempts to have her killed. The people, angry the pharaoh Akhenaton has set his queen Nefertiti aside and he’s forced them to worship his god, Aton (instead of their many Egyptian gods), are rising up against him. Maggie’s caught in the middle of it in a dangerous land and time she doesn’t belong in. In the end, desperately in love with Ramose, will she find a way to stay alive and with him in ancient Egypt–and to make a difference in his world and history? Because Maggie has finally found love. Amazon AB
CLOCKWORK CAIRO: STEAMPUNK TALES OF EGYPT by Various
VS note: Not all of these involve ancient Egypt, nor are they romances,,,but if you like steampunk…
Clockwork mummies, thieving deities, airship pirates, psychic queens, mechanical scarabs, unrepentant scoundrels, mysterious museums, trickster djinns, suspicious werewolves, abducted scientists, fearless spies, and vengeful gods… All this and more wait inside the pages of Clockwork Cairo. Featuring stories from: George Mann, Gail Carriger, Nisi Shawl, Tee Morris & Pip Ballantine, David Barnett, Rod Duncan, Tiffany Trent, P. Djeli Clark, Jonathan Green, E. Catherine Tobler, Chaz Brenchley, K. Tempest Bradford, Benjanun Sriduangkaew and others. Amazon
LILY OF THE NILE (NOVEL OF CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER) by Stphanie Dray
VS note: Not as much ancient Egypt since this trilogy is set in Roman times…
With both of her parents dead, Princess Selene and her two surviving brothers are left at the mercy of their captors, taken from Egypt and put on display as war trophies in Rome. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene struggles for survival in a court of intrigue. She can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother’s dreams and succeed where she failed. But there’s no telling what success will cost her in a treacherous political game where the only rule is win or die. Amazon AB
THE ANUBIS’S MASSAGE: GAY MM PNR SHIFTER ROMANCE (BATHHOUSE BEASTS BOOK TWO) by Blake R Wolfe
VS Note: Listed in Gay Erotica.
Chris thought he had it all figured out—work hard, act tough, don’t ask questions. But when a breakup and months of frustration leave him restless and aching, a mysterious listing for a downtown bathhouse catches his eye. No phones. No rules. No limits. Inside, he finds more than just release. He finds creatures. Beasts. Monsters with powerful bodies, dark eyes, and promises of pleasure whispered in the steam. And when an Anubis named Khemet lays hands on him—offering a massage that starts with tension relief and ends in complete surrender—Chris’s world cracks open. The heat between them is undeniable. Khemet’s hands are magic, his voice hypnotic, and his touch awakens parts of Chris he’s never dared explore. What begins as curiosity spirals into obsession—oil-slicked muscles, whispered confessions, slow touches that build to something primal and unstoppable.
NEFERTITI: A NOVEL (EGYPTIAN ROYALS COLLECTION BOOK ONE) by Michelle Moran
VS note: Reviewers state there is “some romance”…
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods. From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people, but she fails to see that powerful forces are plotting against her husband’s reign. The only person brave enough to warn the queen is her younger sister, yet remaining loyal to Nefertiti will force Mutnodjmet into a dangerous political game—one that could cost her everything she holds dear. Amazon AB
ETERNITY’S CHILD (GOLDEN LOTUS SERIES BOOK ONE) by Wren St Clair
Half-Nubian, lotus-house girl Maati, is an unwitting pawn in a growing battle between the worshippers of Rerek God of Chaos and Egypt’s Crown. An unexpected tragedy thrusts Maati into the arms of sexy wine trader Rane, and neither expect the explosive passion that erupts between them. When Maati’s destiny threatens to destroy their fragile relationship, Rane must put everything on the line for her. But will it be enough? Eternity’s Child is the first in a series about the inhabitants of a house of pleasure, the Golden Lotus. Set in the Pyramid Age of Ancient Egypt, the series follows the fortunes of Maati and her housemates as each finds love in unexpected ways while an epic battle for control of Egypt is fought in the shadows of the temples and the corridors of the palace. AmazonKU
