Set in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was, this unique fantasy blends adventure, intrigue, and romance, as a newlywed couple embark on a dangerous quest—and, in the process, discover their own heart’s desires.

On a luxury magic carpetship in 1889, an English couple travel to Cairo for their honeymoon. Except for a brush with a dragon, the voyage is uneventful. But for Nigel Oldhall and his beautiful Indian-born bride, Emily, the holiday hides another purpose. Within hours of arriving in the teeming city, they are plunged into an extraordinary struggle among demons, murderers, and magic.

In Cairo, Nigel can no longer hide his secret from his wife: he is on a mission to rescue a ruby that will ensure Queen Victoria’s hold on Africa forever. But the search has already swallowed up Nigel’s older brother—and now it has put his own Emily in mortal danger. But is she the innocent Nigel imagines? Soon, separately and apart, the two will set off for the heart of the continent among conspirators and traitors, all seeking the ruby and the gifts and curses it offers them—and all of humankind.…

Sarah Hoyt was born in Portugal during the Cuban Missile Crisis. To make life more interesting, she was born severely premature, at the height of winter in an unheated stone house. She survived, and is glad to report that she's still surviving. She now lives in Colorado with one husband, two children and four cats. She likes dogs but can't afford to adopt eight of them.

She writes science fiction and fantasy for a living. She has published books from her Shifter series (Draw One in the Dark), her Musketeers Mysteries series as Sarah D'Almeida (Death of a Musketeer, The Musketeer's Seamstress) and her Shakespearean Fantasy series (Ill Met by Moonlight). She is currently working on her Magical British Empire series, which includes Heart of Light, Soul of Fire and Heart and Soul, to be published by Bantam Spectra.