The Panther and the Pyramid now on KINDLE

Graham Tristan has been tormented too long. He is physically strong: during his childhood exile, he rode with the Khamsin - Egyptian Warriors of the Wind. He has learned their code, is called The Panther. Now he has returned to his rightful place as the Duke of Caldwell. And there is a new face - that of a woman - that haunts his dreams.

Hair the color of blood. Eyes the color of emeralds. The memory threatens to consume him. In his dreams, this woman threatens all he seeks to protect, all he thinks to hide. She is more perilous even than the ancient treasure that draws him back to Egypt. This woman will uncover his heart.

Click here to buy on Amazon Kindle.

In other news, I've accepted an offer to write two more Nocturne Cravings, which hopefully will be out next year, and my evil twin Blair will be publishing another erotic romance with Ellora's Cave. I'm very grateful to both my editors for being so understanding with the recent illness and death of my beloved father-in-law, Frank. It's been a very emotional time for my husband and myself, but we are slowly healing. Thank you everyone who sent condolences and expressed sympathy.

The Tiger and the Tomb now available on KINDLE!

Click here to order.

Next up is THE SWORD AND THE SHEATH. This is the love story between Jabari's son, Tarik, and Ramses' daughter, Fatima.

Hoping to format and upload THE COBRA AND THE CONCUBINE by the time I leave for Haiti next week.

The Lady and the Libertine now on Kindle

The seventh book in my Khamsin Warriors of the Wind series is now on Kindle! Click here.

My next project is to upload the other five books onto Kindle, and to upload all seven of the books onto Smashwords.

My goal is to do this by RWA the end of June.

Excerpt to THE FALCON AND THE DOVE

The Falcon and the Dove, copyright 2002 by Bonnie Vanak

Egypt, 1892

Across the flat plain she saw a distant bustle of activity at the dig site, like black ants crawling over white frosted cake. She frowned. Black ants? Workers usually wore white . . . not black . . . and the sounds coming from the site echoed with frantic screams, not the singsong rhythm of picks and axes.

What in the name of heaven was going on? At the dig's perimeter, Elizabeth jerked the reins, bringing her slow progress to a complete halt. Her jaw dropped at the chaos erupting before her. Dozens of indigo-robed men yelling blood-curdling cries trampled over the site.

Veils draped across their faces, they overturned wheelbarrows of dirt and tables holding artifacts. A paraffin lamp slid to the ground, splotching the tawny sand with oozing fuel. One warrior brandishing a long sword hacked at earthenware jars, sending precious quarts of fresh water gushing out. Stunned archaeologists scrambled out of their determined paths. Terrified diggers ran screaming from the fierce
desert warriors. "Run for your lives," one yelled. "The Khamsin!"

Her mouth went dry as she wildly surveyed the scene, looking for Uncle Nahid. Nervous fingers twisted stray locks that escaped the loosely pinned chignon at the nape of her neck. Earth flew up in miniature sand tornadoes, dogging her nostrils and making her sneeze. And then she saw it and her heart stilled. The palace floor.

The delicate plaster Flinders had preserved flew in a dusty cloud as a warrior pulverized it with his horse's flaying hooves. A shorter man watching from horseback twirled a long scimitar in the air, hooting with glee as he did the same.

This deliberate, malicious destruction infuriated her. How dare they? They were destroying history! Useless now to sketch it for nothing remained. The one chance she had to prove herself to Flinders disappeared under the pounding hooves. This last thought made her kick the donkey into action. It gave a protesting bray, but trotted toward the taller raider. Elizabeth stopped short of the pavement, sliding off the donkey and running up to the warrior with white-knuckled anger.

"Stop!" she screamed in Arabic "What in the name of Allah are you doing? You are destroying the pavement! Oh, stop!"

The indigo-robed man whirled his mount around to face her. Probably he never had anyone, let alone a woman, tell him what to do before. Good! It's about time someone did!

The indigo veil hid all but his eyes, black as the desert night. Elizabeth recoiled, flustered. She had never seen such intense, penetrating eyes before. For a minute she stared into them and felt as if she glimpsed a mirror into her own soul.

Then she saw the destroyed floor. Deep gouges scarred the beautiful design. Elizabeth sank to her knees with a loud wail. "Oh, look! It is all ruined! Ruined!" She sifted through the crumbled plaster.

The sword-wielding warrior leaned over his saddle, pointing, his long, wicked blade at her. "Jabari, what do you want with this woman? Shall I take her captive? Or at least gag her mouth shut?" The man sounded bewildered yet menacing.

"No, Nazim, leave her be." His deep, sensual tones caressed her.

Elizabeth shivered at the raw power and command in that husky voice. The leader. Which made him responsible for this barbaric act. Her temper sailed out of control.

"How can you do this? Stupid, senseless destruction! Weeks of work, ruined! Haven't you a brain in your head? Don't you realize this is your past?" Arabic tumbled out of her mouth in a steady stream.

Then with a loud curse, she broke Uncle Nahid's Rule Number Four. The leader's dark eyes widened. Finely arched black brows rose as if her words bemused him.

"Jabari, did she just call you a donkey?" the one called Nazim asked in a wondering voice.

"No, I called him an ass!" she said in English. Elizabeth recoiled as Jabari fixed her with a steely look. Several warriors rode up, surrounding her like wolves salivating for a fresh kill. Suddenly she felt very small and very alone.

Then she looked at the ruined floor. Elizabeth picked up fragments of plaster. Hot tears stung her eyes. "How could you do this? You have no right invade and destroy this find," she whispered, cradling the shards in her palms.

"No, my lady, you are wrong. We have every right, for this is our ancestors' sacred city. You are the invaders." Jabari stated with quiet dignity.

She looked up at him, frustrated grief mixing with a mystical sense of awe. There was something about the proud way he sat upon his horse, his long ebony hair spilling almost halfway down his back—as if he once ruled the sacred city with a firm hand. And the archaeological team was a horde picking everything clean like vultures tearing apart carrion. His erect posture reminded her of a powerful king capable of destroying enemies with one uttered command to his men.

Piqued by her odd reaction, Elizabeth stood and flung the plaster at him. It sprayed a white cloud over his blue robe. She lifted her chin skyward, daring him to react.
His piercing black eyes narrowed, but he snapped an order to his, men and they whirled their horses around, racing away. The leader's mount snorted and danced with impatience.

Elizabeth's courage wavered as he withdrew his sword. He twirled it gracefully, then lowered it to her. Sharp steel kissed the air near her face. She stood motionless, not daring to breathe as the blade's dull edge stroked her throat. Then he drew his sword back and rumbled in a low threat. "Beware. You have not seen the last of us. I, Jabari bin Tarik Hassid, sheikh of the great Khamsin warriors of the wind, leave you with this warning. Leave our holy city now, or you will suffer the consequences. This I promise."

Elizabeth watched him ride off into a cloud of dust, then vanish, like a hot, dry desert wind.

Click here to purchase The Falcon and the Dove on Kindle!

The Falcon and the Dove now available on KINDLE!

Success! The Falcon and the Dove is now for sale at the low price of $2.99 on Kindle. Click here.

This was a year-end goal to upload my first Egyptian historical onto Kindle and I'm so glad I accomplished it. Thanks to friends who helped out a great deal!

The process made me return and re-read some of those original Egyptian historicals I wrote, and I got a hankering to write ONE more... to wrap up the series. I always felt The Lady and the Libertine would not complete the series.

Instead, I wanted to write a love story between Nadia from The Sword and the Sheath, and Kareem from The Lady and the Libertine.

And that is my plan for 2011, after I finish with my latest Nocturne deadline. I'm going to write The Lover and the Legend, an Egyptian historical set in 1923 that surrounds a mysterious golden dagger, reincarnation of two tormented lovers, and Kareem the sheikh abducting Nadia, Jabari's beloved daughter and Tarik's sister.

The story revolves around the historic opening of King Tut's tomb... and the finding of a golden dagger that has not seen the light of day in thousands of years.

I'll keep you posted!

The Falcon & the Dove on Kindle!

Coming soon! Hopefully this week, when I upload THE FALCON AND THE DOVE to Kindle! Here is the cover.

Email me at bonnievanak@aol.com to let me know what you think. I wanted a sexy cover to show off Jabari's great bod. I think it works!