On this day in History: King Tut, Historical Romance, and Downton Abbey

On this day in 1922, Howard Carter's excavation group uncovered the steps to Tutankhamen's tomb outside Thebes. Since it was the best preserved burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings, Carter's discovery gave an unprecedented look at a Pharaoh's life in Ancient Egypt.

Most tombs in the Valley of Kings had been opened, raided, and even visited by tourists from other ancient civilizations. From the Theban Mapping Project (link),

The Valley of the Kings was another frequently visited site in Graeco-Roman times. Over two thousand Greek and Roman graffiti can be found in ten royal tombs. KV 9 attracted the most visitors, probably because Rameses VI's cartouchestrongly resembles the one of Amenhetep III and might have been a reminder of their hero Memnon. Around one thousand graffiti were noted in this tomb alone.

Fast forward to 1799 when the Napoleon arrived in Egypt and began to excavate the ancient tombs. The English, Italians, and even an American joined the hunt in Egyptian antiquities, leading up to Carter's discovery.

Napeoleon Bonaparte before the great Sphinx 

by Jean-Leon Gerome

Egyptology has always fascinated me as a child when King Tut and his artifacts toured the US from 1976 - 1979.  I finally met my "hero" in December 2004 when I hopped on board a Nile cruise with teachers from our NATO assignment in the Netherlands.  We took the overnight train from Aswan to Cairo, where we indulged in a trip to the The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.  King Tut was all that I expected him to be.

I have enjoyed two historical romance set in Egypt, including Loretta Chase's MR IMPOSSIBLE (Book 2 of the Carsington Brothers Series):

Impossible...
Rupert Carsington, fourth son of the Earl of Hargate, is his aristocratic family's favorite disaster. He is irresistibly handsome, shockingly masculine, and irretrievably reckless, and wherever he goes, trouble follows. Still, Rupert's never met an entanglement--emotional or other--he couldn't escape. Until now.

Outrageous...
Now he's in Egypt, stranded in the depths of Cairo's most infamous prison, and his only way out is accepting a beautiful widow's dangerous proposal. Scholar Daphne Pembroke wants him to rescue her brother, who's been kidnapped by a rival seeking a fabled treasure. Their partnership is strictly business: She'll provide the brains, he, the brawn. Simple enough in theory.

Inevitable...
Blame it on the sun or the blazing desert heat, but as tensions flare and inhibitions melt, the most disciplined of women and the most reckless of men are about to clash in the most impossibly irresistible way.

and Anne Cleeland's DAUGHTER OF THE GOD-KING (Regency No. 2):

Hattie Blackhouse is the only child of famous Egyptologists, and when they go missing, she travels to their latest excavation in ancient Thebes only to discover that she is attracting interest from the French, the British, and the Egyptians, who believe her the reincarnation of a long-dead princess.

In the second book in the Regency series, the heroine finds herself in the crosshairs of factions who are vying to support or thwart Napoleon’s latest attempt at world domination—and she unknowingly holds the key.

Check out my review on Goodreads at this link.

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash. To enter the giveaway.

1. Leave a comment about books set in Egypt - can you recommend a title from any genre?

2. Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is open to US residents only.  But comments are welcome from all readers.

3. Comments are open through Sunday, November 6, 10 pm in Baltimore. I'll post the winner on Monday, November 7, here at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Bonus Trivia - Carter's expedition was funded by George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon.  His family seat is Highclere Castle, the film location of Downton Abbey. 

Aloha to Megan Mulry's IN LOVE AGAIN

The day after Thanksgiving may be Black Friday to savvy shoppers, but it will be Release Day for Megan Multry's IN LOVE AGAIN, Book Three in her Unruly Royals series (link),

SECOND CHANCE...The Marchioness of Wick is about to get a second chance at life...whether she wants it or not. After twenty years in a loveless marriage to a duplicitous British aristocrat, Claire Heyworth Barnes finds herself broke and alone. Encouraged by her dynamic American sisters-in-law, the shy royal decides to start over in New York City. When she lands a job with a famous interior designer, Claire accidentally reconnects with the first—and only—man she ever loved.

FIRST LOVE...Benjamin Hayek has never forgiven Claire for the heartless way she left him when they were teenagers in the south of France. And even if he could, Claire's not sure she has the courage to contend with how he makes her feel. Can they build a new love from an old flame? Or will a bitter history and a complicated future stand in their way?

To celebrate IN LOVE AGAIN, let's play Six Degrees of Separation:

1.  On this day in 1922, Pharaoh Tutankhamum's tomb is opened for the first time in 3000 years by archaeologist Howard Carter and his sponsor Lord Carnarvon.

2.  Lord Carnarvon's ancestral home is Highclere Castle, a 1000 estate in Hampshire, England.

3.  Highclere Castle has an alter ego - Downton Abbey on PBS's popular Edwardian series of the same name.

Highclere Castle
Image by JB + UK_Planet (link)
Creative Commons Attribution (link)

4.  Downton Abbey follows the aristocratic antics of the Earl of Grantham and his family.

5.  The Earl is married to an American heiress; the show details their family's dance around "class" with their peers and their servants.

6.  Megan Mulry's Unruly Royals features a contemporary "class" conflict - an aristocrat romances an American  businesswoman in A ROYAL PAIN, his younger brother romances an American heiress in THE SHOE FITS, and his younger sister will be romanced by an American businessmen in R IS FOR REBEL (coming February 2014).

IN LOVE AGAIN is the story of the older sister ... demonstrating that love transcends class and oceans.   I am giving away an ecopy of IN LOVE AGAIN.   To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Downton Abbey - are you a fan?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Megan and her books, check out her website at meganmulry.com.