Book Review and #Giveaway: Song of the Nile, by Stephanie Dray

I love novels based on real people in history, and one of my favorite books in this genre is Lily of the Nile, by Stephanie Dray. (CLICK HERE to see my review.) It’s the little-known story of Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. After Cleopatra kills herself, her children -- twins Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, and their younger brother Ptolemy Philadelphus -- are forcefully taken into the household of the Roman emperor, Octavian. By the end of the book, Selene is poised to marry her tutor, Juba, and they are declared the King and Queen of Mauretania!

Selene’s story continues in the brand-new book, Song of the Nile. Although Selene has an envious position as a queen and is loved by the people of Mauretania, she never stops yearning to reclaim the throne of Egypt for her family. Meanwhile, she is still under the control of Octavian, a ruthless man who keeps slaves, rapes virgins, and stops at nothing to subdue his enemies. Can Selene take her mother’s place as Queen of Egypt and restore her country’s autonomy? Or is a different fate in store for her?

Often, sequels fail to entertain as much as the book that precedes them, but I loved Song of the Nile just as much as Lily of the Nile! Although there were some disturbing (but not graphic) themes in the book, such as incest and rape, they were crucial in depicting the customs and events during Selene’s lifetime. I learned so much about the Roman Empire, the Fall of Egypt, the worship of Isis, and more. And I was also absorbed by Selene’s story and how she rose to power during a time when women were usually seen as no more than child bearers. It’s a remarkable story of the struggle for power, treachery, and ultimately triumph. Song of the Nile debuts on October 4, but you can reserve your copy now on Amazon!

LINKS

Author website: www.stephaniedray.com
Author’s blog: www.stephaniedray.com/blog/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Dray-Author-of-Historical-Fiction/166699210013192
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/stephaniehdray

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will receive the paperback novel, Song of the Nile, by Stephanie Dray. To enter, leave a message on this post with the name of another historic figure who has always fascinated you! You must do this to enter the giveaway.

After fulfilling the mandatory entry above, you can earn optional, additional entries if you:

- Follow @stephaniehdray and @ParentingAuthor on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You may tweet up to 3x a day. (Please space them at least an hour apart.) Leave a separate comment with the URL of each tweet. (1 entry per tweet) Tweet

- Like Stephanie Dray on Facebook. (1 entry)

- Like Susan Heim on Parenting on Facebook and/or follow on Networked Blogs. (1 entry for each)

- Subscribe to Susan Heim on Parenting via email, RSS, Google Friend Connect and/or Kindle (see sign-up options on sidebars). Leave a comment for each subscription method. (1 entry for each subscription method for up to 4 entries)

- Place a button for Susan Heim on Parenting on your blog and/or a text link on your blog roll. Post a comment with your blog’s URL. (1 entry for button; 1 entry for text link)

- Enter another current giveaway on Susan Heim on Parenting. (1 entry per giveaway entered)

One winner will be randomly selected from the qualified comments received by Friday, September 30, 2011, at 11:59 PM ET. Please leave an email address on one of your comments if it’s not available on your Blogger profile. Winner must respond within 72 hours or another winner will be drawn. Contest is open to US residents only.

CONTEST CLOSED. Congratulations to the winner: Anonymous (felecia@twinoaksfl.org).