Da Vinci code meets Indiana jones? But gay?

I enjoyed this book very much. It’s kind of like the da Vinci code for lesbians. I wish it had gone into more depth in certain areas. It’s a good read nonetheless. Glad I read, but will not likely re read

It was full of wonderful adventure, not only chasing the clues and exploring history but also between the two main characters. The way, they explored possibility of loving each other.
I truly enjoyed this one. Not only the MC's but also the secondary characters are wonderful.
Family interactions are just priceless.
Great read.

I love all books by this author, can highly recommend. Just wonderful. The main characters are well developed and its so well written you feel personally involved in the journey.

Absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. As a big fan of adventure books with a hot archeologist type as the lead, I couldn't wait to get stuck in. The two main characters are interesting in their own right and the writer made sure to fill the book with a lot of intriguing supporting characters. The first part of the book could probably be shorter. The love scenes between Levi and the other women before Yasmine seemed unnecessary and could have just been mentioned in passing, we get it, she used to be a player. I enjoyed the build-up and very sweet romance between Levi and Yasmine. It may be a bit drawn out but it's necessary to make their love story more believable. It's quite clear that the author did a lot of research for this book and that ensures that the reader stays interested in the back story that can sometimes become confusing in this kind of book if you're not paying a lot of attention. They did find that treasure pretty easily in the end and for once I would like a book like this to NOT have the treasure in the first place they look. I would recommend this book and enjoyed it tremendously.

I love all books written by Ali Vali. When this one came out, I was so looking forward to reading it. There is always suspense and romance in Ms. Vali’s books and this one covered those bases. Readers will also find a story filled with history.

Dr. Levi Montbard loves to do research. After purchasing a scroll she acquires in an auction, Levi plans to sell it in her family’s Montbard Antiquities in New Orleans. What she does not realize at the time is that the scroll will lead her on a search from London to Morocco for information and proof of a female Templar Knight. During this time period she meets Dr. Yasmine Hassani, a professor and an expert on Templar Knights. Although Yasmine is initially skeptical of Levi’s hunt for more evidence about a female Templar Knight, she decides to help. Of course, there is chemistry between the two main characters but even this poses a problem.

Ms. Vali has done abundant research for this book. It is well written and quite complex. In all of her books you will find several subplots being woven together to tell the story. Character development is a strength that Ms. Vali displays in her storytelling. The pace of this book, however, was not smooth. Maybe it was the subject matter of Templar Knights that I did not find interesting, and all the facts just slowed down the normally fast-paced stories that Ms. Vali writes. The hunt for evidence certainly was the main focus and the romance between Levi and Yasmine seemed pushed upon readers.

Readers who enjoy stories about the Templar Knights will find this book interesting. However, I will have to say it is not for everyone. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never read a book by Ms. Vali that wasn't 5 stars, including this one. The history, the smart ambitious women, the bad guys all add up to a great storyline. Traveling with the characters around the world chasing Templar Knights artifacts was exciting! This book is a definite recommend! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As I expected, I couldn't put the book down. Ali just grabs you from the first page and keeps you interested until the end. It was fun, adventurous and a romance to boot. If you are looking for a book with a little intrigue, look no further.

Ali did it again. What a lovely title to read over the weekend. The characters were well developed and deeply engaging, the story was precisely what you expect yet it is so great it still feels like the unexpected is happening.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley.

I stopped reading books for fun during my most recent graduate school experience. When I picked books back up to read, I started with my favorite author Ali Vali, I have read every single book of hers, and I love the way she writes, how you can never figure out the mystery until the end. I wanted to like this book so much, but I couldn't get into it like other books. I will say that Levi or Yasmine has zero personality and zero chemistry together; it was like the withor wanted there to be a romance, so she writes one in, not thinking about how those characters fit. I did not see them fittings because the only thing you learn about Yasmine is that she is Muslim, pretty, dark-skinned, and a brilliant professor. All you know about Levi is that she likes to have sex with anyone, including her employee, and apparently, she is also genius-level smart.

The plot of this book wasn't great; I am still unsure why the religious guy was after them? I mean, couldn't he have just denied the allegations? It had been so many years. It seemed like there needed to be a bad guy, and so religion was the bad guy. Speaking of religion, I do not think someone would have up their religion and way of life for someone else after having only known them for three weeks. That was a bit of a stretch. Also, when they were having sex and Levi going on to state that Yasmine has never had sex with anyone. There is no way she could tell that by touching her. I just found this book, in particular, to have less of a plot and a really rushed love story. This was not my favorite Aloi Vali Book.

7/10*

Gay lara croft yES

Or so I thought. **

But -

Two powerful women with doctorates made for each other teaming up to crack a code f*CK YES

I had a problem with Vali’s other book (The Inheritance) which just bored and tired me so I stopped reading it at about 50% and even though I tried to skim through it till the end I just couldn’t finish that book. Because of that one I was very cautious with this book, too, but I really ended up enjoying the adventure.

Yes, this is an adventurous story with some mystery elements first (pretty dominantly), so, if you’re looking for a breezy light romance with a bit of mystery - this ain’t it. I liked it, though.

This is a bit random, to be honest, but personality wise Levi very frequently used to remind me of Anne Lister (from her diaries and the BBC/HBO show) so I somehow ended up imagining Levi as Suranne Jones’ Anne with all her quirks and gesticulation.***

Not really a big fan of Ali Vali’s writing flow because when I read it, I somehow always have a feeling like the book’s written wayyy before 2020. Especially since the characters act and talk that way, too.**** Tiring and forced if I dare say. It felt unnatural to me and it always has some weird aura of unbelieveableness because of it and it makes me sad/mad since it's stopping me from fully getting into the story.

I don't know if that's a recurring thing but this is a second book by Vali I read and also the second one that has the butch/femme pairing. So, if you're into that I'd recommend checking out her books.

The adventurous and mysterious part of this story is A1, honestly. But, if we're talking grades, the romantic aspect of this story barely gets a D.

I expected way more action so I was a bit disappointed with only these puzzle solving moments BUT
it's such an interesting kind of historic story about Andre and the Templars that you have to read it. I ended up reading the book only because of that, honestly. I'm not the one for an instantaneous love - it's just not believable. It's not real. It happens too fast and I liked the book better until that moment. The MCs know each other for only a bit but EVERYONE talks about Levi being the one for Yasmine***** so surely??

I always almost v*mit when someone says “You’re different”. I just think of all the guys always saying that same thing to all the girls they want. And, on the other hand, it's also very pick me, choose me. Levi, I'm disappointed - you could've done better. Lol

So, yes, I feel as if the book would've been SO MUCH BETTER only if they got together a lot closer to the end.

You can then watch, well, read, as their chemistry grows throughout the book and all the code breaking and adventures they have and not them actually miraculously ending up together in the beginning of the book and saying they love one another so frequantly to the point it gets annoying and I have to roll my eyes.

Definitely a book I'd recommend but I can't help but feel disappointed, as well, since this story had so much more potential. It was in Vali's grasp and I feel as if she could've easily done it but she let it go, instead.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

* Honestly, it's way more of a 6/10 (3 stars) because the romance part is so bad but the story itself was interesting and good so it just barely jumped to 4 stars. And I felt bad because I was giving so many ARCs bad reviews recently.

** Maybe I was finding so many similarities because I'd just finished Rise of the Tomb Raider. It definitely reminded me of this Lara Croft game. Though, it ended up not being as adventurous and high on action as I thought it'd be.

*** I love Anne. Can't wait for the Season 2. sksdkskjdsa
Should read all the Anne Lister books I bought first, though. I'm just scared I'll spoil it for
myself. Lol

**** Anne Lister vibes, again. Because of the setting this time - like they're living in the age of Industrial Revolution, as well.

***** And vice versa.

I loved this book-it was like a female led version of Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code all rolled up in one. I could not put the book down, started it at 8:00PM and finished it at 4:00 in the morning, it was that much of a page turner.

Levi Montbard is the adventurer looking for things for her families antiquities store, but she is so much more. She busts in on Yasmine Hassani, a visiting professor at a New Orleans university who is a history expert. Through in her sister and Levi's parents and grandparents and you will have quite the adventure-from New Orleans to the UK, to Marrakech. All of this surrounds the fine of Templar Knights artifacts and you have one hell of a story.

Ms. Vali has such a rich way of bring New Orleans to life in her writing but as we travel across the world, and she brings us to so many other places and cultures in this story, she bring it all to us in beautiful imagery I feel like I am traveling with our adventures. As per all Ms. Vali's books we have strong female characters that you just fall in love with right from the start. I kind of hope there will be more from Levi and Yasmine and perhaps they run into Kendal and Piper for a new adventure together <smile>. Also bringing up a bit of Poppy has me digging out my Carly's Sound book to re-read <smile>

I have put this book in my must read again pile, and would buy the next chapter in their lives in a heart beat. If you love adventure stories, some traveling and 2 beautiful wlw characters, you will love this book.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-I want to travel with you again

This was the first book I’ve read from this author and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. Ali wove the characters into the scenes so beautifully that I could actually picture everything as if I was right there! A great read! Highly recommended

A cracking lesbian adventure story about uncovering ancient scrolls which relate to the origins of the church and the Templars. Levi is good at finding buried treasure and when she bids on scrolls at an auction it sets off a dangerous treasure hunt from the swamps of Louisiana to Morocco, via France. Along the way she enlists the help of Yasmine and Zara two muslim sisters experts translators of ancient language and symbols. Levi and Yasmine are drawn to each other and each have much to lose. An exciting story told well, although I have to admit I enjoyed the treasure hunt more than the romance, although that was also well written. Ali Vali is at her best when writing globe trotting adventures. It was a pleasant change to have a central muslim characters though, gets an extra star for that, wish that wasn't so unusual in LGBT fiction.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a very entertaining read. This is like the sapphic version of The Da Vinci Code. If you enjoyed that book, chances are really high you will enjoy this. Vali was able to do what Brown did and weave fact and fiction together to make a historic tale that the characters, and us readers, could believe really happened. This story was a lot of fun and pretty romantic too.

I always love the setting Vali puts us in. New Orleans, is one of my favorite places in the world and I love how Vali’s books live and breathe that city. What was really nice is in this book is we get whisked off to England, France, and even the Sahara. I felt really immersed in the whole book and it seemed like I was right there with the characters.

I was surprised that this book had a little less action then I expected. There is still some action, but I found the book to be more adventure, than action packed. A big part of the book was very romance focused, and it actually has a main romance and a baby historic romance that was fun to read about too. Vali mentioned, on a webinar, that she is working on putting more feelings and emotions into her books and I noticed it in this romance. I did feel the romance was a little quick to get serious and a bit too insta-lovely for my tastes, but Vali put the work in on this one. Once I tried to ignore that things were happening quickly, I could see how much chemistry was there and what a cute couple they made.

Since this book is pretty heavy on romance, and has less action then expected, I have a feeling that a wide range of WLW fans will enjoy this. It’s less action and more puzzle solving and falling in love. There is enough to keep you turning the pages and some sweet swoon worthy moments too. This would not be a bad first book to try if you are new to Vali or if you are a Vali fan already, this book should be an obvious read. This was fun and I would easily read these characters again if Vali turns this into a series.

‘A Woman to Treasure’ is a cracker of a story. It’s an adventure, a mystery and a love story all rolled into one. Levi Montbard has loved history her whole life, and goes all over the world in search of antiquities. Her fascination with the Templars is particularly important, and when some writings come into her possession, the adventure really begins. Yasmine Hassani is a university professor, with a special interest in women’s studies. She’s an unusual woman in her culture, as she has so far resisted the expected marriage and children route. When she becomes aware of Levi’s quest she has to decide to take a leap, in more ways than one.

Ali Vali has written a wonderful mystery, with well-researched historical detail and a heart-warming romance at its core. It has beautiful settings in various parts of the world, with a fantastic group of characters. I particularly loved Louisiana and Morocco, and getting to know Levi and Yasmine’s families there. The story was brilliantly plotted, with stories and revelations that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. The romance was sweet and endearing and gave me such feelings of joy when they as much as held hands. It was lovely to see the characters grow and change as they got to know each other, becoming who they were meant to be. An excellent book and one I can highly recommend.

I was given this ARC to review.

Ali Vali is in a class by herself when it comes to writing a strong, sensitive, smart, family-oriented butch. Levi Montbard is the latest in a long line of characters we all wish we knew. And she's definitely met her match in Yasmine Hassani, a 31-year-old virgin who just didn't want the life her parents tried to set her up with. This is a romantic intrigue/suspense story, and I was riveted the entire time by the chase for the treasure. It's the kind of book that demands a re-read, in order to pick up what I'm sure are many things I missed or didn't understand the first time around. It's a little longer than most books, but there's not a wasted or unnecessary word. The stunning imagery just adds to the mystery.

The more I read Ali Vali the more I put her in my top 20 list of authors who always have solid books. A Woman to Treasure did not disappoint me. It was a very intriguing Story with lots of twists and turns that keep you reading and keep you at the edge of your seat.

The mains here are Levi Montbard and Yasmine Hassani, Both women are educated, smart and attractive. They come from different parts of the world but both have a love of history. Levi is on a quest to put together the pieces of the Templars Knights and acquires anything she can dealing with that lost society. Yasmine is a professor in Morocco who enjoys teaching women's studies but dreads the fact she will have to marry a man. When Yasmine comes to America to teach a summer course her and Levi have a difficult first encounter but quickly begin to spend time together and begin a journey to figure out the secret of the Templar Knights.

The entire time I read this book, I couldn't take myself away from it. The book does focus on one character romancing the other. Yasmine is Muslim and is to marry a man one day even though she desires to remain single. Yasmine hasn't allowed herself to accept she is a lesbian, so there is no courting of characters. Instead they focus on the adventure and in the meantime the mains get to know one another and eventually fall in love. It was a great approach. There is still chemistry so you will not miss that and there is the angst that I like - mystery/suspense. It was just a good read and I recommend.

4.5 stars

This book is kind of the Divinci Code crossed with a librarian’s version of Indiana Jones (some action and being chased by baddies after uncovering ancient artefact, but mainly lots of research on books and scrolls attempting to break codes). Superb! Loved the plot. Good inclusion of a Muslim lead too. Bit rushed at the end. I would have liked more involvement of the mother and grandmother in Morocco. However, given that the mother’s acceptance would never happen a swift moving on felt right. The grandmother seemed worthy of more interest though. Perhaps she can feature in a sequel as there’s definitely scope for more adventures.

I’ve read a couple of adventure/treasure hunting books over the last couple of months, but this book was again totally different than the others I read and I found it highly entertaining.

This is an adventure book about treasure hunting, so I expected it to be action packed and this was actually less the case than I expected. That’s not meant as a negative remark, just an observation. There is still plenty of adventure, travels all over the world and some bad guys, but the action is mainly packed into the last part of the book. The largest part of the book I would classify romance, and I know that not everybody will agree with me on that, but compared to the adventure books that I have read in the past, which often have a bit of romance in the background, this book focusses much more on the romance. Therefore, I think that readers that are not hardcore action or adventure fans will also enjoy this book.

The mains in this butch/femme romance are Levi and Yasmine. Levi lives in New Orleans and her passion is treasure hunting and she comes from an influential family. She has a status as a player, but she’s also very honorable and loyal. Her family consists of multiple prominent historians in the academic world and even has connections to the government and secret intelligence. Yes, this is a bit much to be fully believable, but it adds to the fun factor. Yasmine lives in Morocco and teaches women’s studies at the university, but she has also a history in translating old Arabic languages for the government. Her family, especially her mother, is very traditional and makes Yasmine feel suffocated by their expectations to marry and start a family. When she receives an invitation for a guest teaching spot at Tulane University she immediately grabs the chance and travels to New Orleans with her sister Zara.

So, long story short, the player falls in love with the “straight” woman, who in turn figures out she is not so straight. This doesn’t do the story justice though, as I really liked the transitions they go through, it was a delightful slow burn. Levi is not immediately converted from a player to a family woman and Yasmine first has to accept that she likes Levi more than as a friend and then she is faced with some serious choices that will affect the rest of her life. I also liked the fact that Yasmin is a Muslim character, which is something you don’t see too often in wlw. Furthermore, there is sometimes a lot of self-hatred in accepting oneself stemming from religion with can weigh on the reading experience, but I was happy to see that that was not the underlying reason of Yasmine’s hesitance. In fact, the general acceptance was higher than I would have thought, so this was a pretty light read.

The treasure hunt was so much fun, it starts small but ends with a bang and I loved how the story they puzzle together shows some nice parallels to their own story. It’s about a templar and his extraordinary history. They end up in some nasty situations, but I never really worried, it seemed that help was always nearby, so this book is mainly about fun. I enjoyed Zara and Levi’s colorful family members as secondary characters as well.

An easy and fun romantic adventure, I don’t know if this will be a series, but I hope so!

Dr. Yasmine Hassani, professor and Knights Templar expert. She also has other talents related to antiquities and language. Dr. Levi Montbard, historian with an adventurous spirit. Zara Hassani, sister of Yasmine also a lover of history and interested in growing into her own person. It took me awhile to get into the read as various good and not so good guys were introduced. I understand this might be the start of an adventure/intrigue/romance series which invites the need for diversity of plot and characters.

My oh my is the stage set. Female Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones, and the Da Vinci Code all wrapped up in one. The settings are described beautifully and the involvement of family and friends is fantastic. It is a wild ride with plenty of intrigue and mystery. I hope it is a series because Yasmine, Levi, Zara and family members are so very interesting and deserving.