Lady of the Two Lands by Elizabeth Delisi is a time travel romance set in ancient Egypt.

Hattie Williams is an artist whose latest job is to illustrate a book about Hatshepsut.  But she has hit a block in her work and cannot seem to get a feel for the face of the subject of her work.

Given the opportunity to view a necklace which is alleged to have belonged to Hatshepsut, Hattie is left alone in a backroom of the museum.  But she cannot shake off the feeling that there is someone there with her.

Hatshepsut has waited for centuries for a descendent to fulfil the task that she was unable to do.  When Hattie touches the necklace she finds herself face to face with Hatshepsut herself. Hatshepsut enlists Hattie's help and she tells her that until the task has been completed she will be unable to resume her own life.  Her task is to protect the heir to the throne of Egypt, Prince Tuthmosis, and unmask the ones who would see him dead, the same ones who killed her before she could stop them.

Although Hattie does not believe what she is hearing she cannot deny her own eyes when she awakens in ancient Egypt.  With the necklace vanished she has no idea how she has come to travel through time and no idea how to get back to the modern world.

Assisted by the tutor Senemut Hattie finds herself trapped in the ancient land where she is now the target of the murderers who Hatshepsut herself failed to stop.

Regretting that she does not know more about the land she is now in Hattie is also concerned about the position of power that she is in and worries about doing something that may alter the course of history.  But she cannot do nothing and finds herself seeking the advice of Senemut and using what little knowledge she does have of the time to act out her role as ruler.

Promoting Senemut to her advisor Hattie relies on him to guide her through things but in doing so inadvertently makes him a target too.

The closer they work together the more Hattie finds herself falling for Senemut.  She suspects that he feels the same way about her but the lie of who she really is stays between them and she knows that it would be unfair to begin a relationship with him when she knows she must return to her own time and leave him behind.

But the danger to the prince is ever present and Hattie finds herself Pharaoh in person in the hope that this will divert the danger away from the prince. 

Confiding the truth about herself with Senemut, Hattie is shocked by his reaction and feels she has now lost her one true friend in Egypt and the man she has grown to love.

But their love does withstand the tests life throws at them and together they work to uncover the identities of the traitors.

But forever shadowing their happiness is the knowledge that they are on borrowed time and as soon as her task is complete she will return to the modern world and leave behind the man she loves.

A touching and fast-paced romance novel. 

I also like the way the necklace was explained rather than just leaving that loose end as many other authors do with magical objects.

Ms Delisi brings to life an ancient land and although the time travel part of the story is fiction many of the people did exist and many of the events did take place as described through modern Hattie's eyes.  I just wish the book could have been a little longer as I did not want to leave behind the lives of Hattie and Senemut quite so quickly having been drawn into their world so expertly.

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