Mediterranean Sunset by Yvette Canoura is a romance novel about two star-crossed lovers. Fatima is a second-generation immigrant living in Washington, D.C., whose life turns upside down when her father, Gaffar Abdul Aziz, an ambassador from Antarah, arranges her marriage with a high-ranking military official named Fouad Mustafa. Trapped in a loveless marriage with an adulterous husband, Fatima is left with no choice but to trick her husband into allowing her to join the local hospital as a social worker. At the hospital, she inadvertently starts developing feelings for a doctor named Ibrahim Al-Kateb, and the two begin a dangerous affair. Meanwhile, Fouad continues to conspire alongside his old flame Esmaa and maintains his meteoric rise through the military, but his toxic ambition might lead the country into a civil war.

A tale of forbidden love and revenge, Mediterranean Sunset is an intoxicating brew that you can't get enough of. Heartfelt and seductive in equal measure, Yvette Canoura's absorbing tale pulls you in with a blend of romance and political intrigue and just refuses to let go. The pacing of the narrative suits its plot that is riddled with unexpected twists and turns. Yvette Canoura masterfully portrays the angst and loneliness felt by jilted lovers and keeps the reader thoroughly engaged. The characters felt likable, and their arcs satisfactorily resolved themselves. I found plenty of emotional payoff in the dramatic scenes, and I think they will be readily appreciated by lovers of romance novels. They should definitely check this one out.

Mediterranean Sunset by Yvette Canoura is a suspenseful romance with nuanced characters and an intriguing plot. Fatima grew up in a rich neighborhood in Washington D.C., the daughter of an ambassador. But she never could have imagined her father forcing her into an arranged marriage to someone at the other end of the globe. Her husband happens to be a military man with bad blood running through his veins. But there is nothing Fatima can do about it — she is resigned to her fate, alone in a foreign country, with no family members or friends. When she meets a handsome man, all of that changes. Can there be any future for them and what about her relentless and domineering husband? Will she resign herself to her fate as “mapped out by Allah,” or pursue true love?

This is a beautiful story that is poignantly told and I enjoyed the way Yvette Canoura writes the characters. The book asks the question: Why on earth should one marry someone one does not love? The irrationality of the situation blows the protagonist’s mind and the reader’s as well. But in this culture, women are supposed to accept their fate as destined by God, no matter how involved the men are in designing that fate, and this theme is skillfully developed. The story is filled with dramatic moments and scenes like the first time Fatima finds herself alone with Fouad on the very day the couple is supposed to consummate their marriage. She feels violated by the sheer manner in which he looks at her. She likens the coldness of the house to the way she feels about the man. The descriptions are terrific and the author has an uncanny ability to make the emotions and thoughts of the characters real, making readers feel as though they sat in the same room or walked the same street with them. The images are vivid, the psychological depth of the conflict explored with unusual finesse, and the drama accentuated by skillfully crafted dialogues. Mediterranean Sunset is an enthralling tale with sophisticated characters and a gripping plot.