A captivating WW2 love story from the bestselling author of EAST OF THE SUN, a Richard & Judy selection.
1942 and the world is at war. It is a war that has already shattered families and devastated countries. But for some, it will also mean the greatest of adventures.
In a burns hospital in Sussex, a beautiful young singer performs to a ward full of injured soldiers. Saba is captivating and one pilot, Dom, shudders as her gaze turns his way. He can''t bear her to see his scars but resolves to write to her once they have healed.
The world is on the brink of enormous change. Saba''s journey as a singer with ENSA takes her to the fading glamour of Alexandria and the heat and decadence of Turkey. On the glamorous Middle Eastern social circuit, Saba rubs shoulders with double agents and diplomats, movie stars and smugglers. Some want her voice, some her friendship, and some the secrets she is perfectly placed to discover...
JASMINE NIGHTS is a tale of decadence and destruction, of love and of danger. It is the captivating love story set in an extraordinary world.
Industry Reviews
Exotic, decadent, dangerous and terrific storytelling -- Fanny Blake, WOMAN & HOME
A tenderly told and wonderfully evocative story * DAILY EXPRESS *
A captivating love story set in an extraordinary world * WESTERN MAIL *
Steamy, sweeping ... Saba is a modern woman struggling with old-fashioned ideas and Dom is a surprisingly complex hero. Seen through their eyes, the wartime Middle East is a heady, intoxicating place and readers will be swept away by the lush prose * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *
For romance and intrigue, with the conflict providing the perfect excuse to set a story in exotic locals like Cairo, Gregson delivers in spades .... believable and completely engrossing * BOOKLIST (US) *
Romance may be the theme, but Gregson shines in her descriptions of the life of the rich, poor and combatant in Cairo and Alexandria, the sights of Gize and the Bosphorus, and the chaotic World War II milieu where women no longer tolerated 'boys making all the rules'. Saba and Dom love, face perils, triumph and intermittently reunite. Spare of any serious, distracting anachronisms, the story flows at a stately pace to a conclusion both satisfying and open-ended. Fans will want a sequel. Historical fiction as personal journeys through love and loss and war's havoc * KIRKUS REVIEWS *
Julia Gregson's Jasmine Nights has all the makings of the perfect beach read: adventure, danger, international locale, historical sweep, steamy romance ... utterly delicious * CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER (US) *
I love war novels set in the Middle Eastern theatre of war and this one does not disappoint, with its terrific descriptions of the seedy glamour of Cairo and Alexandria, not to mention Istanbul * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *
Gregson, the author of East of the Sun, brings a wealth of detail to this unconventional love story, ranging from World Warr II history to rich cultural lore to the pop-music standards of the era. With numerous and well-drawn characters, evocative prose and a commanding story, the former journalist and foreign correspondent again proves that she is also a master of historical fiction. And smoke might not be the only thing that gets in your eyes in this moving novel * RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH (US) *
