“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” -Charles Dickens
Royal Beauty by Tracy Higley
Published by Stonewater Press on May 29, 2015
Pages: 109
An epic quest across the sands of Arabia In the exotic lands of the east, a secret sect of Persian magicians study the night sky for generations. When the stars announce a strange royal birth, Misha, a first-level mage, is ready to prove himself by chasing down this new world leader. But then an ancient document surfaces, whispering of an artifact of immense power. The temptation to seize power is too great to resist. And Misha is not alone in his quest. The king’s general Reza seeks power to fulfill his mysterious destiny, and both he and Misha have their eye set on the Egyptian princess Kamillah, who will do anything to gain the artifact that could break her bondage to the sorcerer Zahir. The soldier, the mage and the princess each has a secret to protect. But if they are going to survive the dark forces warring for their prize, they must learn to trust each other-in what will surely be the journey of a lifetime. “Print version contains Books 1 – 3: Star of Wonder, Star of Night and Royal Beauty”
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Christian
ASEL Rating: mild violence (though no detailed description)
Suggested Age: 15+
Royal Beauty is book #3 in The Incense Road series by Tracy Higley. Other books in the series include Star of Wonder (#1) and Star of Wonder (#2)
I mentioned this is my review of the first two novellas in this series, if you’re reading these as novellas—don’t. I feel like I need to reread all three as a single book rather than breaking them up as they were originally released.
This series has an Indiana Jones feel that I found appealing and refreshing for the Biblical genre. I’ve often wondered why authors didn’t add the adventurerous flare because the Bible has a lot of exciting stories!
I loved the characters in this story. I wanted to know Misha and the magi better though. I felt that character development was rushed throughout all three novellas and I don’t know the cast as well as I’d like.
The winning part of this series for me was when Kamillah and Misha met Jesus. This particular meeting and conversion were touching and I couldn’t help but tear up. I would have loved to feel that kind of connection to the characters throughout the series.
I rated every novella in this series a three-star. It’s not the best that I’ve read by Tracy but I can’t help but wonder if it’s due to the fact that I read this as a novella series. I think when I clear some time up on my calendar, I’ll go back and read this series as a single novel.
What do you think? Have you read these novellas? Will I get more out of it if I read it from cover to cover? Sound off in the comments below!
About Tracy Higley
I’ve been writing adventure stories since the time I first picked up a pencil. I still have my first “real” novel–the story I began at the age of eight during a family trip to New York City.
Through my childhood I wrote short stories, plays for my friends to perform (sometimes I had to bribe them), and even started a school newspaper (OK, I was the editor, journalist and photographer since no one took that bribe to join me). Then there were the “drama years” of junior high, when I filled a blank journal with romance and poetry. Sigh.
In my adult years I finally got serious about publishing suspense fiction, and have since authored twelve novels in twelve years.
When I’m not writing, life is full of other adventures–running a business, raising kids, and my favorite pastime: traveling the world.
I started traveling to research my novels and fell in love with experiencing other cultures. It’s my greatest hope that you’ll feel like you’ve gotten to travel to the settings of my books, through the sights, sounds, smells, colors, and textures I try to bring back from my travels and weave into my stories.
To experience my travel journals and see the romantic settings of my books, I hope you’ll visit my website at TracyHigley.com or meet up with me on Facebook at facebook.com/tracyhigley.
Great review ❤