Priestess of the Nile by Veronica Scott

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Priestess of the Nile by Veronica Scott

Publisher: Carina Press

Published: January 23, 2012

Pages: 63 (novella)

Received: as part of blog tour (Bewitching Book Tours)

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Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile God is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. When he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

I really enjoyed this novella as it had such rich Egyptian history and information about the Gods and civilization. You can tell a lot of time was spent researching the details of the Gods and the area of Egypt that was to be explored. It did not feel too heavy with detail - it was just the right amount of historical information mixed with a love story. 

The love story was actually quiet nice - I've read that some felt that it was rushed due to the length of the novel, but I honestly think it was fine as it fit the flow of the story. I think with a novella I just accept that things will happen in a shorter time frame as the length of the story is short, but when I feel that a story could have been expanded upon I always make mention of it. I suppose it could have been expanded upon, but really what more do you need than a couple who fall in love and need each other almost more than air? I think it was written the way it was because you were to feel the rush that Merys and Bek felt when they were together. That magnetism that happens when you just know you've found the person you were meant to be with.

I liked the fact that Merys was a priestess for Sobek, the Crocodile God and when he happens upon her randomly along the shores of the Nile he sees a Cinderella-like young woman. She has been treated more like a slave than the daughter she really is. Her mother passed when she was young and once her father remarried and had more children, he let his new wife dictate how things would go. The thing about Merys is that she doesn't let it upset her and she goes about her daily life doing everything that is asked of her. During her free time she has always tended to the temple of Sobek and sang songs to honour him. And Sobek ends up falling deeply for her even though it's against the rules of the Gods. He would do anything for her and that made him endearing to me. There were a few emotional parts where I was so angry with what happens, but in the end things always have a way of working out for the best.