Kathy Hamilton 
I almost didn’t buy this book. That’s not a good start is it? I mean, almost– it suggests there must have been something wrong with it. Or, if not wrong at least not right. It could so easily ended up on the never ending list of books I almost bought, or intended to read, but never did. It’s amazing how versatile the English language is though because the point is- I did buy it, and I’m really glad I did!
Isn’t that the best feeling?
In the wasteland of despair post “Mr Maybe” I really wasn’t even in the mood to read anything. Every book I picked up was a complete non-starter. I couldn’t even muster the enthusiasm to pick up any of my ‘ol’ reliables’- books that I never fail to enjoy re-reading! I know, I know, somewhere there’s a tiny violin playing just for me, but honestly it was a scary place for me; I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have at least one book on the go. Even more scary; I didn’t want to read. It’s like the set up for a book lovers’ horror film isn’t it?
Then, one day after about a week of the dismals I staged a personal intervention. Today was the day I was going to find a book! I felt enthused, I felt inspired, I marched into my local bookshop and I just felt, well…nothing. Have you ever had that before? A sense of disappointment when you try to find a book and then can’t? Enter “Jasmine
It was waiting patiently for me to notice it, and on the sale shelf SCORE! I uhmed and ahhed over it for ages though, then I decided to take it and read a bit in the bookshop’s cafe.
Best decision!
Whilst I was sipping my favourite hazelnut latte I opened the book and began reading. I was immediately intrigued. How often does a book introduce the protagonist through the eyes of the love interest? That’s what Julia Gregson does here. Dom is recovering from his burns in hospital- he’s feeling sorry for himself and he’s feeling guilty for surviving. But what was really clever is that whilst he is convalescing the hospital hold a morale boosting concert and the singer is Saba. I was really fascinated by how Gregson introduces Saba first the way Dom sees her. We view her from Dom’s perspective and are privy to all his thoughts about her. We see how he is enthralled by her stage presence, her exotic beauty and her air of beauty. We don’t know anything about her that Dom can’t see or hear. For me, that was pretty clever. So much of this book is dedicated to the compromises that Saba’s desire to sing forces her to make that it was really interesting to be first introduced to her as a performer.
What worked well about “Jasmine Nights” was how the setting wasn’t just tacked on and given a cursory mention every couple of chapters. Gregson described war-torn Egypt and Alexandria so well that you could almost feel the dust rolling off the page. I’ve never read much about how WWII was played out in Africa and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. It would have been so easy for Gregson to set this novel in the more familiar environment of WWII Europe, or even restrict it to the UK but choosing to set it in Egypt, amongst the faded grandeur of Alexandria felt really fresh and gave a new dimension to this much used time-period as well as sometimes feeling eerily evocative of current political events.
In addition I liked the dynamics of Saba and Dom’s relationship. It had a slow build which allowed both characters to really develop as individuals- which I enjoyed. It meant that when the circumstances finally did allow them time to be together it was very natural, and very romantic. Saying that, although this is marketed as a romance novel I wouldn’t personally class it as one in the traditional sense. So much more happens that it’s more like a story about WWII that happens to feature a well written romantic plotline. Part of my reasoning for this is that Saba and Dom spend most of the novel apart. It also raised questions about what war gives and takes away from people. For Saba it is an empowering experience, allowing her the opportunity to launch her career and break away from her strict family. On the other had Dom’s life is thrown into total disarray, changing him both physically and emotionally.
As I was reading “Jasmine Nights” I couldn’t help but think it would be a nice summer/beach read. It had enough weight to keep my attention but was light enough not to require too much concentration.
If you are looking for a book like this I’d definitely recommend you give “Jasmine Nights” a go!
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