I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Serena, has a strong desire to travel through time to the land of Ancient Egypt, to find out about the existence of Samu Aqaru and gets more than what she’s bargained for. She travels back to 2361 BC. Unfortunately, her cliff jumping time traveling has her injured by a crocodile in the Nile River and rescued by two hotties in a loincloth. That is when her adventure begins…

When May Nicole Abbey asked if I’d like to review The Scholar, I jumped at the chance. I loved Dreamer and couldn’t wait to see where they would take me this time. This book certainly doesn’t disappoint! There’s lots of action, suspense, adventure and even a love triangle. The descriptions were excellent, I felt as if I was right there with Serena, seeing what she saw. This was quite the page turner and well worth the wait. If you enjoyed The Dreamer, you’ll love The Scholar!
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This was a book I received through Library Thing. The book kind of started out slow, and I hadn't read the first one, so I was lost, and didn't have a lot of spare time to read it, so it took me a while to get through it, but I just couldn't stop reading it. The story of Serena, Shep & Pepi drew me, and towards the end, I just couldn't put it down. Having read the whole thing, I have gone back & started reading it again, and now some of the beginning makes more sense. I really loved this book, and the teaser at the end for the 3rd book really made me want to read the continuing story & see how Serena's plan plays out. Can't wait to read that one as well! ( )

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, through Library Thing, as an early reviewer in exchange for my honest review.

I tend to be stingy with stars: I reserve four stars for the highest quality writing, and rarely give five stars, so a three-star rating is a very respectable one from me. I requested this book through Library Thing because I think time travel and ancient civilizations can be interesting literary devices. While the authors did a respectable job portraying ancient Egypt, it was their handling of dialog that, in my opinion, made the book interesting. I also appreciated that the romantic attraction was believably conveyed without gratuitous sex. If I was disappointed about anything, it was the failure to provide much understanding of who Serena was before she "flew" to Egypt, and an explanation for the time travel.

The sister-authors seem to be a winning combination. It is the first time I've read a co-authored book that seemed to have one voice. I'm looking forward to reading other books in the series. ( )

I received this book through a LibraryThing giveaway.

Generally when it comes to a book series I find that I never like a sequel as much as the original. This is one of those rare instances when I enjoyed the sequel much more than the first book in the series. 'The Scholar' sucked me right into its storyline and kept me reading further into the night than I should have been. I have to credit some of this to the setting of the book. I find Egypt fascinating and May Nicole Abbey did a wonderful job of transporting us there and making ancient Egypt live again through her writing.

The story itself was more intriguing to me and the characters more compelling and likeable than those in 'The Dreamer.' In 'The Dreamer' I constantly found myself getting frustrated with Rachel and her singlemindedness that led her to be almost willfully blind to life lessons in her adventure and the love she had found. In 'The Scholar,' although Serena is focused on her goal of finding the Samu Aqara and proving herself, she learns more quickly from her mistakes than Rachel, and chooses a life with love rather than ambition earlier.

And just on a bit of a girly note, I have to say that I loved Sheskepsaf and his relationship with Serena.

Thank you May Nicole Abbey for the fun read! ( )

Review by Jessica Atha

The Scholar by May Nicole Abbey is a historical fiction/time travel fantasy complete with romance, royal intrigue, treachery, and death. The fascinating ancient Egyptian culture comes alive in Abbey’s richly sensuous style, including a masterfully handled language barrier.

The heroine, Serena, makes the leap through time in search of a legendary mystic stone in order to prove its existence, and her own worth, to her modern-day Egyptologist colleagues. She time travelled knowingly, saving us from the cliché moment-of-realization and inevitably passive characterization that follows. Abbey leaves us instead with an intelligent, independent, and determined woman.

However, in order to find the relic of the ancient pharaohs, she needs the help of a pharaoh. Serena has to choose between Shep, an “Adonis” playboy who’s soft at heart, and Pepi, the striking, ambitious man with the drive to pursue all that he desires. These royal cousins are both placed in position to vie for the throne in a vicious familial and political struggle, and Serena gets swept up in a conflict with the fate of Egypt at stake. This love triangle is sparked not only by the passion these two men carry for the heroine, but also by their own complicated relationship, which brings these characters vividly to life. The Egyptian people believe that Serena is a goddess in the flesh because of an act made possible by her past in the modern world. The reader is left with the message that love is about bravery and being true to one's own heart.

The power of the stone is never adequately confirmed or described, which makes Serena’s initial motivation to risk her life by time traveling a little weak. It’s left to the reader to guess that the stone’s existence was verified to Serena in her visions of her deceased mother. And that relationship which is so vital to Serena’s character is also not fully explored. I would assume that some of this was addressed in book one, The Dreamer, but it features a different heroine in a different time travel adventure altogether. It’s definitely on my list to read either way.

From crocodiles and kidnappings to ancient artifacts and changing history, Serena’s quest captures the imagination as she learns what remains truly most important in matters of the heart, no matter one’s place in time and space. ( )