Passion, treason, and bloodshed color the pages of this historical novel, as does duty, loyalty and devotion. Set in mid-19th Century India, at a time when the British had their fingers in a lot of pots around the world, and decided that it was going to commandeer this entire exotic Eastern jewel, kingdom by kingdom. What makes a historical (war) novel memorable is the way the writing draws the reader in mentally and emotionally, and this one puts one right in the front lines -- right in the midst of the maharani's entourage of protective detail. The reader, cannot but help, to be exquisitely invested and intimately woven into the story.
