Fleur Mansouri has to leave her donkey when the bad road causes Ethan's car to crash. She gets him out and assesses his condition. Once he recovers, Ethan insists on going his way, saying that the doctor in the Totally Five Star Hotel in Marrakesh will take a look at him. He doesn't realise that Fleur is his hotel's doctor. He's naturally even more careful of his manners with a woman in this African country, but she turns out to be well travelled.

The luxury of the European-operated hotel overwhelms, with guest villas surrounding fountained courtyards, lots of water for showers, and hot and cold running staff. Here we see the beautiful and climate-adapted wealthy way of life. But Fleur also shows us the traditional lifestyle, of village grandmothers earning by weaving and selling classic carpets. When abroad I like to sample local foods, but Ethan seems more comfortable with a French menu.

I really dislike the way that Ethan finds the unknown woman sexually stimulating when he can see nothing but her eyes and a bundled cloak. He doesn't even know how old she is and he thinks she's an impoverished peasant. This may be a device to persuade us that the story will turn out to be sexy, but it says a lot about Ethan that I find unpleasant, and reinforces the argument used by some men who wish to banish woman indoors.

The romance turns out to be of the dominant and submissive variety, and some cashmere scarves from the souk are interestingly applied, in a series of erotic encounters, though Ethan's approach seems clinical. The divorced lady doesn't make a habit of sleeping with strangers, but she's not naive - Ethan's a traveller and she can't expect fidelity. Ethan can't believe his luck, though. Can their lives change to keep them together? Ashe Barker, who lives in Yorkshire, has created compelling characters and surroundings in this erotic fantasy, and if the lively CHAMELEON suits you, she has written several other erotic romances for your enjoyment.

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