This was a fun story! I loved the mystery and intrigue that all happened in Egypt. I loved the characters for the most part. Aida was..... very naive. I struggled with her because she was very impulsive and placed herself in the most stupid situations. It was a blessing from the gods that she had Phares to solve her problems. His character was perfect for her. He loved with all his heart, he put Aida in her place, and he solved the mystery of who framed Aida's father. The whodunit I never saw coming.

Hannah Fielding in “Song of The Nile,” writes about a woman’s journey of rediscovery in the homeland she loves and with a man she has never forgotten.

Aida El Masri was raised in Karawan House, a large estate in Luxor, Upper Egypt. Her mother, an Englishwoman, died when Aida was a child. Her father, an Egyptian, died when she was 18 and left her the estate. Grief stricken, she left for England where she trained as a nurse and worked during the war. Now, in 1946, she returns home to Luxor to clear her father’s name and bring the real criminal to justice.

The Egypt of 1946 is not a welcome place for strong, independent and determined women. The culture has some ingrained customs and beliefs about the role of women in their society and it’s considered scandalous for Aida to consider running the estate alone. Her property borders on the Pharaony property and there’s pressure for her to marry the Pharaony heir and unite the land. Headstrong Aida is certain that she will not have a marriage of convenience and is willing to hold out for love.

Phares Pharaony is a handsome, educated bachelor with a medical degree. He’s a respected surgeon in his own hospital in Luxor. A hospital he set up to help the poor. Understanding the need to consolidate land, he agrees to an arranged marriage with the neighbour’s daughter. However, when she returns from England, she’s infuriatingly gorgeous and independent. He has his work cut out for him in attempting to convince her to marry.

A year ago, we had the best holiday of our life, a month in Egypt, and I left a piece of my heart there. I was so excited to read about the people, food, land and history that had captivated me. I knew within a few pages that the author must have been Egyptian and smiled when Google confirmed it. Each page is stuffed with the beauty of that land; language, sights, and sounds. It’s as if I was transported back to Egypt. I liked the strong female character and loved her even more when her layers were peeled back and her vulnerability was revealed. The sense of mystery and intrigue regarding the antiquities was continued throughout, making this more than just a historical fiction/romance novel. The places we’d visited on our holiday were highlighted in the book and I could imagine exactly what the characters were experiencing. My only disappointment was that the passion and sex scenes detracted from the amazing potential this novel held. It had the potential to be different and offer something that not many authors can do; historical fiction set in Egypt written by an Egyptian.

Thank you to Hannah Fielding, London Wall Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Published February 14, 2021.