KATHE ROBIN, ROMANTIC TIMES MAGAZINE -

Hillary Fields' powerful, colorful and dynamic depiction of Egypt helps her bring intriguing, fresh, strong characters to life...Marrying Jezebel is so emotionally powerful and sensual that readers will be entranced!






ASTRID KINN, ROMANCE REVIEWS TODAY -
Rafe Sunderland, the Duke of Ravenhurst and one of the wealthiest, most attractive catches in England, cannot believe what he is hearing from his solicitor. It seems that the earl of Clifton, a man whom Rafe only vaguely remembers and with whom he shared a brief acquaintance years earlier, has passed away in Egypt. Apparently the earl's memory of Rafe was less vague, however, as he bequeathed Rafe the guardianship of his dear niece, Jezebel, until she reaches the age of twenty-five or marries. Although having a ward would interfere with his bachelor lifestyle, Rafe is unquestionably a man of honor, who always lives up to his word.

Confident that he can find a suitable gentleman for Jezebel to marry post-haste, he sets off to London Harbor to await his ward and fulfill his duty. More inconvenience awaits Rafe, though, when he learns that Jezebel has not arrived from Egypt. Uncertain what fate might have befallen his ward, he sets off on the next ship to Cairo, intent on locating Jezebel and bringing her back to London.

Jezebel Montclair, Egyptologist, outraged at being anyone's ward, much less an unknown duke in England, deliberately fails to board the ship in Cairo, choosing instead to finish her dear uncle's work and prove his preliminary theories. Having been raised by her uncle in a man's world, Jezebel is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and knows she could never fit in with the ton in England, her inheritance be damned.

When Rafe arrives in Cairo, he finds that Jezebel is a woman of uncommon beauty, intelligence and determination. Rather than haul her over his shoulder and board the next ship to England, he decides to give Jezebel a few extra weeks in Egypt and talks her into a wager of sorts. He bets Jezebel that she will not be able to prove to him that she can live autonomously, without a guardian. If she wins, Jezebel will be free from Rafe, and free to collect her inheritance without further strings. Jezebel accepts this somewhat subjective wager, but adds a twist of her own - if at any time Rafe proves to be less than a "suitable" guardian, he will immediately relinquish his duties and disappear from Jezebel's life.

So begins this intriguing romance between two fiercely stubborn and spirited individuals as they embark on a wildly exciting, sometimes treacherous adventure through Egypt, and later England. Marrying Jezebel is filled with characters of depth and substance whose lives are lived as if every day is their last. Although the chemistry between Rafe and Jezebel burns a hole through the pages, there is much more to their relationship than physical attraction, and it is a treat to see how they bond emotionally and intellectually as well. The reader will also be captivated with the beautiful settings and vivid imagery Ms. Fields took such pains to create. A well-crafted adventure that sizzles with romance and passion, Marrying Jezebel is entertainment at its best! Donna Newman, Reader To Reader Reviews -
A Modern-Day Cleopatra With Her Besotted Marc Antony... Raphael 'Rafe' Sunderland, the Duke of Ravenhurst, has his perfectly enjoyable life of running his estates and taking his pleasures in London interrupted by news that he has been named as guardian to a friend's 20-year-old niece, Jezebel. Rafe had learned to take responsibility at an early age but, unlike his father, who worked himself to death, Rafe has learned to balance the duty with pleasure. He has close friends with whom he hunts and goes in search of willing ladies; they assiduously avoid going near marriage-minded mamas with their trembling virginal daughters in hand.

But despite his frivolous side, Rafe takes his responsibilities seriously, and knows he must take Jezebel in. He and his friend, Damien Marksley, marquis of Rutledge, hatch a scheme to meet Jezebel's ship from Egypt (where she had lived with her uncle), spruce her up a bit (they imagine she must be a socially inept, unattractive bluestocking) under the tutelage of Rafe's widowed aunt, Lady Allison Mayhew, and pawn her off on an eligible but worthy bachelor on the marriage mart. In their alcohol-soaked brains, they figure that this tedious but necessary task should take a few weeks, tops.

But Rafe quickly finds out that Jezebel is completely unpredictable. His first inkling comes when he watches the ship passengers embark and discovers Jezebel is not there. He quickly arranges passage to Egypt, worrying that the silly and witless Jezebel has gotten herself abducted or worse. But within an hour of embarking in Cairo, he catches his first glimpse of Jezebel--dressed in men's garb, smoking from a hookah and besting a local trader trying to sell her cheap goods in the bar where they are drinking. He's livid; he's also stunned to find that Jezebel is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He soon finds that there is much more to Jezebel than simple good looks. When he introduces himself and asks her, '...let us see if that stunningly quick mind of yours can guess what I am doing here,' she replies cheekily, 'You've come to tour the pyramids?' Later, he can laugh at her outrageousness, but at the moment he only wants to throttle her.

They finally reach an uneasy truce and agree to a wager wherein she will take him to see her world and show him she is competent enough to stay on her own in Egypt; if, at the end of that time, he agrees, he will leave her and arrange for her to gain her inheritance. Otherwise, they will both return to England, where he will put her on the marriage mart. Of course, Rafe has no intention of leaving her, not believing for a moment a young woman of her attributes will be safe in that sometimes uncivilized and volatile country. But he plays along, as she takes him to tour the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, and other sites that totally intrigue Rafe, who has never had much opportunity to travel.

She has a secret agenda, however. Before her uncle died, he was spouting an unpopular theory about the ancient pharoahs. Since his death, she has continued his studies and is very near to proving his theory. Her plan is to take Rafe to the place where she needs to go in the course of their travels, and once she is able to prove her uncle's theory and no longer needs to stay in Egypt, disappear to another country and blessed freedom and anonymity. Unfortunately, there is instant sexual attraction between Rafe and Jezebel. He's torn by his need to be a responsible guardian, and his more powerful need to have her. Jezebel is just as mesmerized by him, having never met a man before who stirred her blood with a sideways glance or the sound of his voice.

This is the complication that wreaks havoc on everything....it brings them together and tears them apart at the same time, as they each deal with the ghosts of their pasts. I loved Rafe--sexy, witty and capable at everything he attempts (well, there was that little contretemps with an unruly camel). But the true hero is the beautiful and complex Jezebel, who wants to find the home she has never really had but fears the madness that ruled her mother. Marrying Jezebel is the second by Hillary Fields, and just as exciting as MAIDEN'S REVENGE. This book, for me, doesn't bring images of tender romance, so much as unrelenting sexual magnetism. Ms. Fields does a stellar job with the sensual byplay--the way Rafe and Jezebel devour each other whenever they come together almost made me spontaneously combust.

A 'modern day' Cleopatra with her besotted Marc Antony, this story never lets up, using Egypt and London as backdrops to a tale that intrigues, titillates, teases and completely satisfies from start to finish.

SUZANNE COLEBURN, THE BELLES AND BEAUX OF ROMANCE -

An adventure of the heart and mind... Hillary Fields has the same freshness and sensual sparks in Marrying Jezebel as she did in her pirate adventure The Maiden's Revenge. I enjoyed every moment of my adventure in Cairo and London in 1817-1818 with Jezebel and Rafe, two larger than life characters that make the pages sizzle with romance. Jezebel Montclair's uncle, an archeologist in Egypt, has died and made arrangements in his will for Raphael Sunderland, the duke of Ravenhurst, to be her guardian, something he had agreed to years ago and had forgotten all about.

When Jezebel doesn't show up on the packet from Cairo, Rafe is worried, thinking anything could have happened to a young girl left on her own in Egypt. The duke, being the kind of man who is very responsible and a man of his word, sets off to see if she has run into any harm. Imagine his surprise when Jezebel is pointed out to him in a hotel bar conversing with two men, dressed in male garb. He is shocked beyond all, and at the same time he sees the most beautiful woman in the world when he approaches her table and she turns her gaze on him. She in turn sees a commanding figure of a man well over six feet tall, with glorious golden curls and very penetrating eyes. He demands that she go back to England with him and she refuses saying she has work of her uncle's to complete.

As it turns out they can't get passage back to London for a while so Jezebel takes Rafe on a tour of the favorite spots so she can investigate some of the tombs and search out the information she needed. Jezebel is a very unusual woman and she leads the magnificent Rafe a merry chase. It's not too long before the attraction between Jezebel and Rafe turns into a burning desire and watch out for the fire! The two are always butting heads and there is a lot of misunderstanding between them between some periods of intense desire. Getting Jezebel out of Egypt is a lot harder than Rafe ever dreamed, and Marrying Jezebel is almost impossible! I loved this story and want to read it again since I flew through it so fast the first time, and there are so many choice passages that I want to savor once again. The dialogue is snappy and fast-paced and the scenes in Cairo are magical. Rafe and Jezebel are strong characters who light up the pages of the book with fire and humor. The secondary cast is clever and entertaining. I'd especially like to see a book for Rafe's best friend, Damien, Lord Marksley, a man who will make an excellent hero! All in all, this is an adventure of the heart and mind. Suzanne 'Wishing I Could Travel to Egypt and go Exploring with Jezebel and Rafe' Coleburn 'Hillary Fields is an author to watch! Her characters are golden and shiny bright, just like her writing. Don't miss this author.'

CHARLENE HESS, THE OLD BOOK BARN GAZETTE -

"Although I have never had the privilege to read this author, I am quite willing to say that I was hooked from the start. This story reaches out and grabs your attention from the beginning and holds it deliciously through to the end. The characters have great depth and emotional reality, which made it very hard to set the book down. Here's the major idea The duke of Ravenhurst has inherited an unwanted ward. He expects a reclusive, simpering ninny and instead comes face to face with a firebrand (Jezebel), who doesn't want anything to do with anyone who would clip her wings. The pair have quite a few wonderful confrontations written so well, I couldn't decide who to root for! I finally decided to just ride out the wave. From the anguish of love unrequited, to the joy of love realized, the book did not disappoint in the least! If this is an example of Ms. Fields' writing style, I'd better make more room on my bookshelf!"

TINA ST. JOHN, AUTHOR OF LADY OF VALOR -

"Fresh, fun, and romantic! Marrying Jezebel is an irresistible blend of passion and adventure - a reader's delight! Hillary Fields is fantastic!"

KINLEY MCGREGOR, AUTHOR OF MASTER OR SEDUCTION -

"Hillary Fields delivers a humorous tale of adventure and mayhem. Beautifully written and sinfully clever. In short, simply wonderful."

REBECCA WADE, AUTHOR OF AN UNLIKELY OUTLAW -
"Hillary Fields delves deep into the inner lives of her characters, evocatively exposing their thoughts, hopes, and fears. The heroines of her stories are fiercely driven, fervent women. The heroes are gloriously handsome, tough, yet tender. Together her characters strike erotic fireworks that are magic to behold. Hillary Fields writes with flair and emotion, effectively surrounding her reader in a beautifully painted and detailed historical world. Ms. Fields' second novel features a powerful duke paired with a tempestuous archeologist! What could be better? Marrying Jezebel is a love story brimming with passion, determination, and fiery desire. The richly drawn settings provide a glorious tapestry for adventure and the attraction between the hero and heroine fairly crackles. Don't miss this battle of wills and of hearts!"