Between Silk and Sand

by Marissa Doyle

The best-laid plans, even of princesses, can go awry...very, very awry.

Seventeen-year-old Saraid of Thekla is on her way to marry the ruler of far-off Mauburni. But she’s not sobbing into her silk-curtained litter at the thought of leaving home, because she has plans—and The Book. She’s studied this ancient treatise on the art of kingship for months to make herself the ideal queen for her adopted country. Once her new husband sees that, he’ll fall madly in love with her. It will all be perfect. She knows it.

But The Book is silent on what to do when one’s journey across a cursed desert wasteland is halted by a mysterious young warlord. Cadel has plans of his own—plans that don’t include her going to Mauburni. As she begins to unravel his secrets, Saraid will have to lay aside The Book and trust her own wisdom—and her heart—to navigate the treacherous shoals of politics and power and become the queen she yearns to be.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

I try to write the kinds of stories I most enjoy reading...which means stories with heroines finding out who they are, their strengths and purposes, and where they belong in the world...and usually saving the day in the process (no damsels in distress here!) It means romance, but not with a capital "R". It means a lighter tone because I write what I like to read and I'm not really into cathartic reading...so you might want to think twice before picking up my books if you like dark and angsty reads as I might not be your cup of tea. I want to write mini-vacations for readers--give you stories that are fun and satisfying and put you into a good mood for when you close my books, smile, and step back out into the real world.

So there you go.

Oh, and for my bio--married mom of three young adults, life-long New Englander, passionate about history and research and anything from the past, and devoted to my adorable pet bunnies, whose photos I tend to paste all over Facebook. I don't review books much here on GR, but I have catalogued my library on LibraryThing and enjoy talking about books both there and here, so don't be afraid to say hello. And if you want an occasional newsletter with info on upcoming books, freebies, and more, visit http://eepurl.com/bVDwlf

Reviews

[Danielle's · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight! Loved it. Between Silk and Sand for me has the right amount of everything like the perfect ice-cream Sundae; not too sweet, lots of sprinkles and a little surprise in the centre.

Saraid is a travelling princess. She has left her family home and going to her intended. She is the youngest daughter of the king and is travelling to her future husband. She is doing her duty to help join two nations and bring more prosperity to her people. She even has a book to aid her becoming a perfect wife.

She is travelling across the desert with a small team. A captain, her maid and a small number of soldiers. Unfortunately, the captain doesn't know the land as well as he thought. Luckily they manage to find a guide, a young man by the name of Kayn. Princess Saraid is drawn to him and can't help but get close. He finds her interesting and she likes the attention. Of course, she doesn't tell him who she really is but neither does he.

Saraid's character starts as a naive girl and what she becomes is so much more. She uncovers truths that are both right and wrong. She begins to see colour in a world she saw as black and white.

Kayn is such a loveable character. When Saraid first meets him she sees this, but because of his half-truths, it takes longer for her to see the good in him. There are also some great side characters in this book and even though it's a full story there is potential for more.

I'll be honest when I first read the synopsis and title for this book I thought it was going to be a predictable, easy read with a sweet ending. To an extent it was but it was also so much more. I cared about the characters. I couldn't put the book down and the romance had me swooning. Between silk and sand is well written and has a great storyline.

Highly recommended. 5 stars out of 5. Sign me up for the next one!

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm lucky enough to have spoken to the author and have scheduled something special for the release date 31/07/2018 on my blog.

http://chaptersthroughlife.blogspot.c...

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty darn good!
Saraid is the youngest princess of Thekla who must Journey to the far-off land of Mauburni to marry her betrothed Lord Commander. She is excited for the journey and has packed her most valuable possession... The Book which she has studied since adolescence on how to become the proper queen for her new husband. But the journey through the desert is long and throught with danger. Cadel is a warlord set on kidnapping the princess. When he does so, things start to get very complicated for Saraid and she must make a choice. Will she make the right choice for her new country and herself?
I feel like the story has been told before in so many different cultures with so many different players. however with that fact in mind I also think that this story was very well written. The banter between Saraid and Cadel is both humorous and awesome. Not as sweet & fuzzy as a lifetime film but definitely along those lines.
From the moment you start reading this book you dive into the world of this book which always makes for a really good story. The author writes in such a way that it pulls you right in from the very beginning and holds your attention until the end.
I enjoyed reading this story even though I felt like I had heard it being told before. It is a great tale and you always wonder about the choice to be made at the end.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a quick and easy read in the romance department 💕

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read. I loved it!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I started this book, I fell into its world. I didn't feel that awkward strain that occurs when writers are trying to craft a new world and feel the need to pull an uncoordinated Tolkien and invent a messy language or something. I similarly immediately understood the heroine. Saraid is thinking through the tough decisions of adult life while still a bit of a child, and that is wonderful to see done well. The story itself isn't wholly novel: there's a lost king, a princess betrothed to a stranger, and an impending trade war. That did not stop this story from being exciting and captivating.

I was a bit worried about the main love interest at first. I found him a little emotionally manipulative, and I don't know that his reticence to explain himself was ever satisfactorily answered. But I just don't care. Much like Saraid, I ended up liking him and rooting for the two to finally sort out their priorities and see that they needed to be together. The book has just enough heat for teens to relate but not enough to see it banned from middle school libraries, and those scenes didn't suffer from awkward, contrived sexiness that bears no likeness to something that would happen in real life.

I really like how the big climax (funny word given my last sentence) focused on Saraid sorting out how to balance what she wanted and thought was right with being a good leader. It's convenient (and narratively oh-so-satisfying) that the unselfish choice led to her also getting what she wanted, but her thought process definitely showed how she weighed her decision and demonstrated her development as a human and a royal.

If you like stories like "Ella Enchanted," this will absolutely tickle the same fancy. It's also fairly short and not in a series, which is refreshing for this genre!

[Finger Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betraying Season is one of my all time favorite books, so when Marissa Doyle announced she would do another young adult book I was cautiously thrilled. Between Silk and Sand blew my expectation away, I think it actually might have surpassed TBS for me. The heroine Saraid is young and idealistic, yet native in so many ways, following the teachings of a long ago Lord Regent who wrote "The Book". The plot line had a great pace for me and as always the world that Doyle created was vibrant and alive for every page turn. I really enjoyed this ebook as the line between characters was blurred friend/ foe, hero/ villain, princess/ victim. I was only sad when I had finished it and I would be very interested to see if Doyle will do a follow up book as it ended with a strong story left to tell, but not a cliff hanger- everything was answered I just felt like I wanted to know more, see what the next adventure was. Or at least maybe a novella or bonus chapter somewhere. There was a lot of build up throughout the book and it was a rather abrupt ending for me- I wanted to continue on with the journey- regardless I loved it. Saraid's adventure will appeal to everyone and I couldn't help but writing down many of "The Book" quotes for inspiration for everyday life :) 5 Stars and please write a sequel Ms. Doyle!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.


Saraid is the youngest daughter of the King of Thekla. She has spent her life studying the Book to become the perfect Queen of her future husband's land. Now her moment has come, she is off to Mauburni to marry the Lord Protector. But in order to reach her new home she must first cross a dangerous desert full of warlords and raiders. During the journey she is captured by the "king" of these people, Cadel. Cadel will allow Saraid to travel anywhere but Mauburni. As she gets to know Cadel and learns more about him and her future husband she is forced to make a choice in order to help her people and become the Queen she was meant to be.

I could not put this book down! It was a quick and easy read. In the beginning I was unsure if I liked the characters or not and found some of the plot to be unrealistic but as I read on the characters and plot drew me in. Overall it is one of the better books I have read recently and would recommend it to anyone who like young adult books with a but of mystery.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book so much. I loved Saraid and Cadel, and secondary characters were believable as well. The world building is really well-done, and I found myself completely immersed.

How immersed? I did the bulk of the reading in three different airports on the 21st—I had a _lot_ of waiting to do—and on two planes. I didn’t read solidly—I did sleep some since I was up from 3am after an hour and a half of sleep. But in the times I was reading until I was picked up at 11pm that evening, I wasn’t in an airport or on a plane. I was in the desert with Saraid and Cadel, muttering at their stubbornness, or wanting to bop Belet on the head, or ruffle Kursa’s curls.

It was a breathless and truly satisfying journey, one that I am very happy to have taken. I’m looking forward to reading more of Marissa Doyle’s books!

I won a copy of this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s program, and my opinion is entirely my own.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw, I loved this book. Sometimes you read a book and you're always aware of the mechanics and how it's put together. And sometimes you read a book and you just fall straight into it and forget that it's a book. That's how this one was for me. The characters are just LIKABLE. The world feels real, and the story is easy to invest yourself in. Saraid was always a smart character, but seeing her grow and understand the world around her more was really satisfying. The relationships among the difference characters developed in organic and believable ways. How can you not like Saraid and Caden and the others?

I'd recommend this book in particular to people who like Sherwood Smith and also Robin McKinley, who just want to sink into a world and be lost in it for a while. We need more books like this!

[Deena Lipomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Saraid of Thekla travels far from home to marry the ruler of another land in a hope to unify their interests, but when she is kidnapped by the leader of the desert and told she can go home but not forward, she learns more about her betrothed and about what she wants to do as a queen. Saraid is a strong, vocal woman in a fully realized land, and Cadel is rakish and endearing. A little more of the banter between Saraid and Cadel when they first met would've helped solidify her feelings for him, but that is a small quibble with a solid fantasy novel that is ripe for a sequel.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hopefully, this book is part of a continuing series, since it ends just before the climax. Set in an alternate reality kind of Saudi Arabia with vast desert surrounded by different nations, the protagonists include a Bedouin-like desert prince and a princess who are set up to be enemies, but....
The adventure story is fairly engaging, but the story is somewhat predictable, and the book ends before the climactic conflict. The novel is clean, though violent.

[Kim Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant

I’m so glad the author persisted with this beautifully written novel. The characters are three dimensional, the plot twists and turns, and the hero and heroine are resourceful, funny, and altogether delightful. What a joy to discover a new author. The ending is most touching. Highly recommended.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

What an exciting journey this story turns out to be!

Read full review in the 2018 July Aug issue of InD'tale Magazine.