Promotional Information

A captivating WW2 love story from the bestselling author of EAST OF THE SUN, a Richard & Judy selection.

About the Author

Julia Gregson is the prize-winning, bestselling author of EAST OF THE SUN, chosen for the Richard & Judy TV Book Club and a Sunday Times bestseller. It won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award and the Prince Maurice Prize and has since been translated into more than 20 languages. Previously a journalist for, among others, The Times and Rolling Stone in the USA, she is married and lives in Wales.

Reviews

Exotic, decadent, dangerous and terrific storytelling
*Fanny Blake, WOMAN & HOME*

A tenderly told and wonderfully evocative story
*DAILY EXPRESS*

A captivating love story set in an extraordinary world
*WESTERN MAIL*

Steamy, sweeping ... Saba is a modern woman struggling with old-fashioned ideas and Dom is a surprisingly complex hero. Seen through their eyes, the wartime Middle East is a heady, intoxicating place and readers will be swept away by the lush prose
*PUBLISHERS WEEKLY*

For romance and intrigue, with the conflict providing the perfect excuse to set a story in exotic locals like Cairo, Gregson delivers in spades .... believable and completely engrossing
*BOOKLIST (US)*

Romance may be the theme, but Gregson shines in her descriptions of the life of the rich, poor and combatant in Cairo and Alexandria, the sights of Gize and the Bosphorus, and the chaotic World War II milieu where women no longer tolerated 'boys making all the rules'. Saba and Dom love, face perils, triumph and intermittently reunite. Spare of any serious, distracting anachronisms, the story flows at a stately pace to a conclusion both satisfying and open-ended. Fans will want a sequel. Historical fiction as personal journeys through love and loss and war's havoc
*KIRKUS REVIEWS*

Julia Gregson's Jasmine Nights has all the makings of the perfect beach read: adventure, danger, international locale, historical sweep, steamy romance ... utterly delicious
*CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER (US)*

I love war novels set in the Middle Eastern theatre of war and this one does not disappoint, with its terrific descriptions of the seedy glamour of Cairo and Alexandria, not to mention Istanbul
*GOOD BOOK GUIDE*

Gregson, the author of East of the Sun, brings a wealth of detail to this unconventional love story, ranging from World Warr II history to rich cultural lore to the pop-music standards of the era. With numerous and well-drawn characters, evocative prose and a commanding story, the former journalist and foreign correspondent again proves that she is also a master of historical fiction. And smoke might not be the only thing that gets in your eyes in this moving novel
*RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH (US)*

Amid the chaos of World War II, young Saba Tarcan, a talented singer performing for the troops in Africa, embarks upon a journey of newfound freedom, first love, and adventure. She falls for a charming RAF pilot, Dom, with whom she learns the ups and downs of war, separation, and anxiety. Saba soon realizes that entertaining the troops and her lover won't be her only mission. Will she follow her British commanders' orders or her heart? Loosely based on stories of female entertainers being turned into unofficial spies, Gregson's (East of the Sun) latest does a masterly job of weaving intrigue, adventure, and Middle Eastern culture into a powerful tale. Julia Franklin does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. Verdict Recommended for fans of historical fiction and romance. ["Take Gregson's third novel.to the beach for a leisurely read and let the warmth of the sun, plus the heat of the setting, transport you to a nostalgic romance of the past," read the review of the Touchstone: S. & S. hc, LJ 5/1/12.-Ed.]-Erin Cataldi, Franklin Coll. Lib., IN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.