Currently reading - Shalimar by Rebecca Ryman

Earlier this year, I read Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman. It was a book that had been recommended to me as being good for anyone who enjoyed reading historical fiction set in India, particularly during the days of the English Raj. I really enjoyed the book but was disappointed to find that the sequel, Veil of Illusion, was not available through my Inter Library Loan system. I have been told though that the sequel is disappointing compared to the first one though, so maybe it wasn't a bad thing that I couldn't get it.

What was available through ILL was Rebecca Ryman's only other book - Shalimar. Once again, we visit the exotic locales of India, and I have to say I am enjoying it very much, particularly the interactions between the two main characters, Emma and Damian.

Set in the late nineteenth century in the remote northern outreaches of the British Indian empire, Shalimar is an epic love story that unfolds among the lush Kashmir mountains and the intrigue of the Great Game - the diplomatic and military struggle between Britain and other nations for control of lucrative trade and territory.

Emma Wyncliffe is a disaffected, twenty-three-year-old British woman living with her family in Dehli. She is fiercely independent, willful, and intelligent. But it is not until her younger brother, a soldier in the Northern forces, suffers heavy gambling debts, that Emma is forced into a marriage to Damien Granville, a man with dangerous secrets who is rumored to be a spy.

It is Emma's search for the truth, and love, that drives the narrative of this grand novel set along India's fabled Silk Road -- the trade route between the West and China.

Readers of historical fiction will be captivated by this sweeping tale of love, strength, and deception.

Some time ago Alex compiled a list of books with this fabulous setting which included this book. You can find Alex's post Why I Love Historical Fiction Set in India by clicking on the link.