Claimed by the Enemy
The Akkadian conquest of ancient Susa forms the unusual backdrop for Roberts’ latest historical novel, in which proud, haunted Crown Princess Nindalla, still scarred by the death of her parents at the hands of the Akkadian army, must now relive the nightmare when Akkadians turn their attentions to her new home, Susa, overthrow it, dispossess Nindalla, and threaten the children she loves more than anything. The price she pays for their safety is to be wed to the city’s new governor, a promoted Akkadian soldier named Ur-sag-enki, who knows the good he will be doing his own shaky position by marrying a royal princess, even a deposed one. Ur-sag-enki is surrounded by intriguing enemies even among his own people, and his bloody history with her own family makes it nearly impossible for Nindalla to trust him. Yet in Roberts’ ingenious plot they are forced to realize they may be each other’s most important ally – and, in the manner of historical romances, perhaps something more. Roberts is a veteran hand at keeping her plot moving smoothly along, although certain liberties are of course required to work twenty-first century romance into the third millennia BC. Enjoyable escapist fare.
