Audiobook Review: Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict
Daughter of Egypt
Author: Marie Benedict
Narrators:
Bessie Carter
Suehyla El-Attar
Published: March 24, 2026
Audiobook: 11 hours 47 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened: September 7-19, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
1920’s London was enthralled by the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Filled with priceless statues, jewels, and the gold-encased mummy of the boy Pharaoh himself, the burial site unleashed a fascination with the ancient world and revolutionized the world of archeology.
The discovery was made by Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle and his associate, famed archeologist Howard Carter. What no one knows is that without the pioneering spirit of Lady Evelyn Herbert, Carnarvon’s daughter, the tomb might never have been found. As a young woman, Evelyn was fascinated by the story of Hatshepsut, a woman who had to assume the guise of a man in order to rule Egypt. Although she brought peace and prosperity to Egypt, her male successors ruthlessly and thoroughly erased her name from history.
Lady Evelyn’s ambition to find the tomb of Egypt’s first woman ruler exposes her to life-threatening danger and pits her against archeologists who refuse to believe the tomb can be found―and certainly not by a woman. Refusing to give up, Evelyn is on the verge of success when she is suddenly forced to make an agonizing choice between loyalty to her beloved father and Carter and realizing the dream of a lifetime.
Jessica’s Review:
This was a fun book and it helped me to remember my trip to Egypt in January of 2006. It’s crazy to think about how long it has been since I have been there! **After my review I will include some of those pictures!**
We have two timelines: England in the 1920s with Evelyn, who is determined to find the tomb of Hatshepsut. Evelyn eventually goes with her Father and Howard Carter to the Valley of the Kings. (And I have been there!) This is not a spoiler, as it is history, but the book features our cast of characters finding the tomb of King Tut himself! We also have the time of Ancient Egypt and Hatshepsut’s story. We experience her side of her story and her struggle with becoming a female pharaoh, who history ultimately tries to erase from history. BUT SHE WAS THERE!
Even though they are separated by thousands of years there are similarities with Hatshepsut and Evelyn. They are both strong and independent women struggling in male dominated careers.
We have two narrators who narrate the novel and I had no issues with either narration. Some people have issues with the narrator who gave us Hatshepsut’s narration, but her narration worked for me. She came off as regal and yes, a female pharaoh!
If you enjoy anything about Egypt, you will enjoy this novel! If you enjoy Historical Fiction with strong female characters this will be a novel for you to read.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
This was a dream come true for me! Egypt was on my list of places I wanted to go to and my uncle who had cancer made it happen for our family! He went with us even with suffering through his cancer. Sadly, he passed away a couple of months later.
Look at me: All young and skinny. In front of the Great Sphinx!
Me, my sister and mom with a local guide. We are on one of the wife’s pyramids next to the Great Pyramids of Giza!
My sister and I at Abu Simbel Temple!
On my second camel ride!
My uncle, aunt, mom, myself, and my sister all at the entrance to King Tut’s tomb!
Can’t you tell that we are all related: Such a family resemblance!
We also went to the temple of Hatshepsut!
Audiobook Review: Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson
Dire Bound
Series: The Wolves of Ruin #1
Author: Sable Sorenson
Narrators:
Avery Caris
Gabriel Michael
Published: February 26, 2025
Audiobook: 21 hours 54 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened: October 11-22, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in this spicy, page-turning romantasy where humans and direwolves forge unbreakable bonds and fight for survival at all costs.
Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them.
Meryn Cooper has always hated the Bonded, elite warriors who form mental links with the massive, vicious direwolves they ride. While they live in luxury, Meryn struggles to keep her family out of poverty. When her little sister, Saela, is kidnapped—stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting—Meryn’s world falls apart.
Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army and is thrown into the deadly Bonding Trials, where any mistake will cost her life.
Now Meryn must survive four months of training at the castle. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is eager to punish any weakness.
Everything is a competition, and everyone is out to get her—everyone except the dangerously handsome crown prince, whose attention adds another target to her back. In the castle, every smile hides a knife…and the halls hide dark secrets.
It’s bond or bleed. Duel or die. Failure is ruin.
**Dire Bound contains mature content including depictions of graphic violence, and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author’s website.
Jessica’s Review:
Sable Sorenson, it looks like Dire Bound may have turned me onto the Romantasy genre! I did listen to Fourth Wing and enjoyed it (I admit, the dragons are what made me want to read it, and I adore those dragons), but Dire Bound completely pulled me in from the beginning with its story. And we have wolves too! There is a lot of everything in this book: Action, extreme violence, romance, spice, betrayals, trials and training. What pulled me in from the beginning was the story: What we have at the heart of the novel is a story about sisters and sisterly love.
If you have followed my reviews for a while, then you know I don’t need all the spicy details, and I admit I did skip over the spicy parts after listening to the first one. There are only about five spicy scenes in the novel, which is a long one at 22 hours/ 600+ pages, which is not too bad.
I really liked Meryn, and from the beginning we see she is badass, and you know she is going to make it through these training trials. But the growth we see from her, I can’t wait to see what else happens in the other books in series. I have always enjoyed strong female characters, and she also had a vulnerability to her. We want to see her get her sister back.
And Stark….Ok, I am totally crushing on him…For the entire novel! I’m ready for those spicy scenes in book two! I may not skip over them…
The narrators are Avery Caris and Gabriel Michael and they really brought the characters to life. I was glad to see they returned as narrators for the second in the series.
Dire Bound ends with big twists and I am hating having to wait for my turn for the audiobook at the library. But the wait between the second and third will be much longer as the final book in the trilogy comes out next July. My short wait for book two is nothing in comparison!
It’s obvious that I really enjoyed Dire Bound as I gave it five stars! This is a big deal as I am selective with what I give five stars too and Romance/ Fantasy is far from my usual read let alone Romantasy!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING BLOG TOUR: When Women Talk Volume 3: Notes From The Future
Today I am taking part of the blog tour for When Women Talk Volume 3. This is a book co-written by ten women giving heartfelt advice to their younger selves. The author featured on this blog tour is Elle Mott. I will be sharing an extract today and this book was just released on October 6th! This extract takes place during Halloween, which was just a few days ago.
Book Description:
Do you ever wish you could call your younger self and say, “It’s going to be okay”?
In When Women Talk: Notes From the Future, ten incredibly diverse women look back and do just that.
This isn’t an “I told you so” lecture; this book gathers honest, heartfelt stories from women across generations, reaching back to tell their younger selves what truly matters. From messy breakups to career wins, these stories offer a roadmap for your own journey. It’s not about quick fixes; it’s about the timeless wisdom of resilience, self-worth, and trust. You need to read this because it feels like a long coffee date with your future, much wiser best friend.
“While a single voice can make an impact, many voices can make change. We all have a purpose and a story to tell; there is someone who needs to hear it, and by showing up we can make a difference in someone’s life, career, or business.” — Cathy Kuzel, curator.
“We don’t have to bring ill-emotions from an unsettling childhood event into our adulthood. And yet if we do, there is hope for renewal. After all, it takes what it takes to get us to where we are today in life. Sometimes the journey from nightfall to sunrise is not an overnight matter.” — Elle Mott, co-author.
Buy Your Copy Here:
When Women Talk Bookstore
Amazon
My Journey From Nightfall to Sunrise
A year earlier, we had fit in with this crowd of kids. This year was different. It was the year we should have stayed home or perhaps done Halloween differently. At twelve years old, we were a bit too old for trick-or-treating. And yet, we pushed ahead as little kids tried to keep up. After hitting the whole neighbourhood, stuffing our bags with candy, we arrived back at my friend’s house. Her mom met us at the front door. Stretching out her arm to point in the direction of my house, she asked, “Can I give you a ride home?” Ice cubes clinked in her glass.
“No, thank you,” I said.
“Are you sure? You really shouldn’t walk home alone.”
“Yes, I’m sure, Claudia. I’ll be fine.” With other friends, I addressed their moms respectfully with a Mrs. This mom was different in a carefree sort of way.
I had two reasons to decline her ride home. One was that she had been drinking cocktails again. When she drank, which was often, she would suddenly fall asleep. I didn’t want that to happen with me in the car. Also, I wanted seconds on candy from the houses between hers and mine.
“Okay, you be safe, and you two will see each other come tomorrow morning.”
In that moment, I paid no real mind to what she said, and as I turned my back, she seemed to wave goodbye. It was a safe neighbourhood where kids could run free, without any worries to be had.
I didn’t see my friend the next morning. What happened next left me too ashamed to pull the covers off my head come the next day. I was allowed to stay home in a sick day from school. Sometimes the journey from nightfall to sunrise is not an overnight matter. But that’s getting ahead of my story.
I had only a short way to go, so I proceeded with my trick-or-treating, skipping houses with lights off. Street lights, too, were far and few between.
My walk took me past a few houses to reach the end of my friend’s block on Dogwood, which put me catty-corner to my street, Camellia Drive. I paused, reasoning that I could get even more candy if I took the long way home. So, I kept going and turned down the next street, Balsam Drive. I would take the alley that cut through the middle of this block to Camellia Drive. No cars drove that alley. It was a dirt path we kids took as a shortcut, and my house sat one over from that alley. I didn’t see any other kids around, and for a quick second I questioned myself as I wondered whether going the long way was the right choice.
About Elle Mott, one of the Co-Authors:
Elle Mott writes creative nonfiction focused on resiliency, empowerment, and advocacy. She is a featured co-author in the new book, When Women Talk Volume 3 (The Connected Woman, 2026). Elle toured with WOW! earlier this year for the historical biography, “Marie Conner, A Leading Lady” (Luminare Press, 2026). She is also the author of “Out of Chaos, A Memoir” (Boyle & Dalton, 2018), and “People Helping People” (2020). Her shorter pieces are widely featured in ezines, literary journals, national news magazines, and regional collections. Elle works at the public library in downtown Cincinnati and dedicates her free time to her passion for writing. She lives in nearby northern Kentucky with two cats and several pet birds.
Contact Elle:
Website
LinkedIn
AllAuthor
Ko-Fi
See The Entire Blog Tour:
