Ghazal in the Moonlight

• Shameena is the daughter of a Lucknow nawab whose life changes when her father promises her in marriage to Nicholas Winthrop, a wealthy Englishman. Furious at being forced into an unwanted alliance, she escapes and takes on the identity of a courtesan.

  Her flight brings her into the path of Asef, a captivating and enigmatic bodyguard tasked with returning her to the palace. What begins as a pursuit soon develops into a dangerous attraction, complicated by questions of loyalty, power and the divide between East and West.

  The novel combines historical atmosphere, romance and sensual storytelling, drawing readers into the extravagant world of nawabs, palaces and forbidden relationships.

• Alessandra Shahbaz writes romance novels centred on passionate relationships, female desire and fantasy. Her author profile describes her as an admirer of romance fiction and an advocate of stories that allow women to acknowledge their desires and pursue their fantasies.

Ghazal in the Moonlight follows Shameena, a spirited young woman caught between family expectations and her own desire for freedom. When her father arranges her marriage to the wealthy Englishman Nicholas Winthrop, she refuses to accept her fate and escapes disguised as a courtesan.

Nicholas sends his mysterious bodyguard Asef to find her and bring her back. As Asef and Shameena become increasingly drawn to one another, their relationship develops against a backdrop of political and cultural tensions between the Indian aristocracy and the British presence in nineteenth-century India.

Their attraction forces Shameena to confront questions of love, independence and loyalty, while Asef must decide where his own allegiance lies. The result is a dramatic tale of romance, danger and forbidden desire set in the richly imagined world of Lucknow.