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    City of Jasmine
    City of Jasmine
    City of Jasmine
    Audiobook11 hours

    City of Jasmine

    Written by Deanna Raybourn

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook


    Famed aviatrix Evangeline Starke never expected to see her husband, adventurer Gabriel Starke, ever again. They had been a golden couple, enjoying a whirlwind courtship amid the backdrop of a glittering social set in prewar London until his sudden death with the sinking of the Lusitania. Five years later, beginning to embrace life again, Evie embarks upon a flight around the world, collecting fame and admirers along the way. In the midst of her triumphant tour, she is shocked to receive a mysterious-and recent-photograph of Gabriel.
    With her eccentric aunt Dove in tow, Evie tracks the source of the photo to the ancient City of Jasmine, Damascus. There she discovers that nothing is as it seems. Danger lurks at every turn, and at stake is a priceless relic, an artifact once lost to time and so valuable that criminals will stop at nothing to acquire it-even murder. Leaving the jewelled city behind, Evie sets off across the punishing sands of the desert to unearth the truth of Gabriel's disappearance and retrieve a relic straight from the pages of history. Along the way, she must come to terms with the deception that parted her from Gabriel and the passion that will change her destiny forever.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 23, 2014
    ISBN9781494573652
    City of Jasmine
    Author

    Deanna Raybourn

    New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter and is hard at work on her next novel.

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    Reviews for City of Jasmine

    3.5/5

    76 ratings10 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I enjoyed her Veronica Speedwell books. However, I did not enjoy this one. I found her heroine to be very rude and entitled. ("Give me your camels and an armed escort! I want to leave now!"). I found the hero to be very rude and cruel. Both main leads were very unlikable people and rather toxic for each other. It made the romance seem like a disastrous idea as well as improbable. By Chapter 14, I really didn't care what happened to either of them.
    • 4/5
      There are a few things you can always count on with a Deanna Raybourn novel: a plucky heroine, stellar dialogue, wonderful descriptions, copious amounts of wit, a smouldering romance and a bit of history to ground it all in reality. City of Jasmine has all of that, as well as a textbook MacGuffin to keep the plot moving forward through the Syrian desert in 1920. Raybourne's greatest achievement might be always making me want to visit whatever setting she's selling. Since vacationing to Syria isn't an option right now, I'll just round up some friends and head to the hooka bar down the street.

      What I loved most about City of Jasmine, though, were the little connections to her Lady Julia Grey series, as well as her Africa novel, A Spear of Summer Grass. I can get easily bored by a series - the same characters doing the same thing over and over - but connecting her books through past characters (Tarquin March from Lady Julia, Ryder from A Spear of Summer Grass) gives readers the series they crave while keeping the characters, plots and settings fresh. Plus, sussing out all of the connections is like hunting for little Easter eggs. If I'm not much mistaken, Raybourn obliquely mentioned Nicholas Brisbane in the City of Jasmine denouement. These little tidbits make me want to go back and re-read her previous novels to see what other connections there might be. (It is also going to drive me crazy if I don't figure out how old Julia and Brisbane would be in 1920. Are they still alive? For someone who hates math, I am constantly trying to figure out ages and dates in novels. It makes my head hurt, but it weirdly makes me love a novel more.)

      If I had one complaint, and this is a complaint I have for almost all Historical Fiction novels: there wasn't a map! Publishers listen up: It should be the Golden Rule of Historical Fiction to include maps, especially in novels where there's a journey. Please?

      In short, if you are looking for a fun read with enjoyable characters doing adventurous things in lush settings, you can never go wrong with a Deanna Raybourn novel and City of Jasmine fits the bill nicely.

      (I received an Advanced Reader Copy of City of Jasmine through a contest on Raybourn's blog.)



    • 3/5
      A surprising disappointment! I can't believe I'm saying this about one of Raybourn's books because she is one of my favorite authors and I've really liked everything she has written but this one really didn't do a whole lot for me. I felt like the storyline was all over the place. It's like she couldn't decide what the main plot should be so she just threw all of her ideas in there together; from searching for Evangeline Starke's missing husband, to locating a missing artifact and to top it off, leading a group of Bedouins to fight off rebels etc. etc. Don't get me wrong, I do like a lot of action in my stories but a little cohesiveness goes a long way and this one was lacking in it. I also didn't care for Evangeline's personality. She came across as rude and childish most of the time I thought. The story wasn't completely terrible but it definitely wasn't Raybourn's best writing either.
    • 4/5
      City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn is a 2014 MIRA publication. This book has a very long 'wait' list with my library so I've had to cool my heels waiting with much anticipation to read this book. Finally, this week, it became available to me after being 'on hold' for what seemed like an eternity. So, once I got it downloaded, I dropped everything else and dived into this book immediately. This is a unique novel for this author, best known for her 'Lady Julia' historical mystery series. Set in the 1920's the adventuresome aviatrix Evangeline Starke, a woman well ahead of her time, is preparing for a whirlwind tour in her aeroplane, but takes a detour when a bombshell revelation takes her to Damascus in search of a long lost love and maybe even a priceless artifact. I love historical adventures and the author does an amazing job of creating the atmosphere of the decade, with very vivid details of the surroundings, and introducing us to some very colorful characters, some of whom were terrible villains and some that I simply loved. This story is all about intrigue, the hunt and fight for a priceless artifact, and the adventures Evangeline and Gabriel have while trying to retrieve the artifact and stay alive. This is also a love story, but it's very unconventional and I dare say some may balk at the outcome. It was a little hard to swallow sometimes and I admit, Gabriel was a tough nut to crack, and I never quite knew how to take him. Still, I couldn't help but forgive him in the end. I really enjoyed going along on this adventure with Evangeline and Gabriel and this wonderfully zany and offbeat cast of characters. This is a satisfying and enjoyable historical mystery and romance.
    • 4/5
      Famed aviatrix Evangeline Starke married her wildchild husband after knowing him just one night, and though it was a relationship full of passion they were on the verge of divorce when he died suddenly in the sinking of the Lusitania. Or did he? Five years later Evie discovers he just may be alive, which sets her off on a crazy quest to find him and get some answers. With lovely sensory-rich writing and a charming cast of international characters, including Evie’s Aunt Dove who in her younger days had been one of those forward-thinking, world-traveling Victorian women, City of Jasmine is an entertaining escape, though I missed Aunt Dove when Evie takes off across the desert without her. Part romance and part a fast-paced Indiana Jones type adventure it manages to include both Peter Pan themes and post-WWI Mideast politics.
    • 4/5
      I have always liked Deanna Raybourn books and this is no exception. A well-written adventure with a female heroine in an unlikely occupation during the 1920s. As I read along I kept thinkung that "this would make an excellent movie". There was nonstop action and adventure with just the right amount of angst between the characters. Will be interested to see if Ms. Raybourn writes any sequels to this with the same two main characters - Evie and Gabriel.
    • 4/5
      I have been a long time fan of this author's. I really love her Julia Grey series. So I was curious what the author could do aside for that series. First off the world that Mrs. Raybourn built in the 1920s, the ancient City of Jasmine, and the desert was wonderful. Then there was the adventure. There was plenty of action happening in this book and the characters were great that it made reading this book a breeze. I enjoyed Gabriel being a man of many disguises as it added some mystery to him and made him intriguing. However my personal favorite person was Evangeline. She was full of spunk. I do agree with another reader that this book had the Indiana Jones feel to it but I thought it also had undertones of Tomb Raider and The Mummy but minus the mummy. More of the love story and adventure aspect from The Mummy. So my final conclusion after reading this book is that Deanna Raybourn has the magical touch of gold. City of Jasmine is a treasure of a read!
    • 4/5
      This was my first novel by Deanna Raybourn and certainly will not be my last. This was such a fun, adventurous book!We begin the story with aviatrix, Evie Starke, preparing to leave on the last part of her tour (with adorable Aunt Dove and her funny little parrot in tow). Her plans are interrupted, however, when a bit of evidence suggests that her dead husband may actually be alive and in Damascus. So off to Damascus they go!I highly enjoyed Raybourn's descriptions of Damascus, the desert, and all the historical and cultural details that she throws in. The many eclectic and quirky characters also play a huge role in making this a very enjoyable story. It takes (what felt like) quite a while to get to Evie and Gabriel together, but once they do it is worth the wait. I loved the interaction between these two and their scenes together were my favorite. I decided to label this historical fiction though, rather than historical romance, because I felt like any romance really took a backseat to a primarily adventure story. I love my romance, and I really don't non-love-story books, but I didn't miss it here. This book still really worked for me.There is also a prequel novella called Whispers of Jasmine which I highly recommend if you enjoy City of Jasmine. It is my strong suggestion that you read the prequel AFTER the main novel. It gives a lot of mystery information away. The prequel really adds to the romance between Evie and Gabriel, however, if you read it second.
    • 4/5
      Others have summarized the plot, so you're already acquainted with aviatrix Evie Starke and her missing (but very sexy) husband Gabriel. I'll therefore simply offer five things a potential reader should know about Deanna Raybourn's 'City of Jasmine.'1. Don't judge the book by the cover. (It has one of worst - simplistic and not character appropriate - covers I've seen in years, but the book is far better than the cover.)2. Raybourn can and does deliver satisfying romances 'a cut above' average for the genre. Yes, it's a romance, so odds are it's going to unfold along traditional romance genre story lines, but the kick-ass heroine and strong setting keep the story afloat.3. Raybourn writes well-constructed, thoughtful romances, but she does write romances. It's not a 'novel.' It's a story aimed at those who want to relax and enjoy a measure of certainty about what they're reading.4. While the outcome may never be in question, it's the trip that matters. It's a pleasant, easy read. It's simple, not intricate or deftly plotted. But it's satisify enough. (I wish I'd read it on a long flight to Paris. But then, I wish I'd gone to Paris. Period.)5. Yes, if your local library volunteers a copy, you may want to take them up on it. It's a fun read, but, at least for me, once will be enough.(A review copy was provided by the publisher.)
    • 4/5
      A light entertaining read with a dollop of intrigue, romance and madcap adventure set in the changing times of the 1920s. I had read the prequel, Whisper of Jasmine, and was fascinated by the attraction between Evangeline and the rakish Gabriel Starke and how their marriage would fare. I was so glad to learn at the beginning that the “widow” Evangeline was now a famous aviatrix, enjoying great adventures with her eccentric Aunt Dove (everyone needs an Aunt Dove to let them explore being all that they can be). As it turns, Gabriel is alive and kicking In Damascus, and to apologize for all that he has put her through by passing on to her a “priceless relic.” Thus the chaotic adventure begins brimming with danger, betrayals, and drama. The witty banter and antics between Evangeline and Gabriel reminded me of the Nick and Nora Charles movies and at times some of proposed actions by Gabriel had a James Bond feel. But most intriguing for me was the interweaving of the history and politics of the time in budding nation of Syria and often this had me overlooking some of the muddling that slowed down the pace and plot of the story.This is my first Deanna Raybourn read and I look forward to reading more about this loosely connected group of friends.Overall fans of Downton Abbey and the 1920s will relish this tale set in a British colonial outpost as the WWI gives rise to nationalism and women earn rights.