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A Maiden’s Honor is my first published work. If I’ve learned anything from writing this book is that it’s not in me to write a simple story. The characters from A Maiden’s Honor are human, and the plot is filled with logical twists and turns. You won’t see the ending coming. I have many other stories like A Maiden’s Honor to tell.
I’m also a passionate historian who thrives on digging in and learning about the people and cultures from long ago. An avid traveler, I’ve been fortunate to visit many of the places in my stories. Exploring magnificent places like the Alhambra and the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul have helped me to bring my settings to life.
When I’m not writing or traveling, I live a quiet life with my husband. I also enjoy cycling and scuba diving.
Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite
A Maiden's Honor: Book 1, The Woman from Eden series is a debut historical fiction novel by Josanna Thompson. The year is 1814. It’s a violent and deadly time as Westerners are captured by pirates off the Barbary Coast and sold into slavery, despite the protests and payment of bribes by their governments. A fearsome corsair named Hassan Aziz captures a French ship and encounters an exotic and innocent young woman named Sarah, of European blood but raised in the Polynesian culture, who was destined by her captors for sexual slavery in the harem of the Dey of Algiers, or perhaps of the Ottoman Sultan himself.
Refusing to send a European woman into slavery, Aziz withholds Sarah from the clutches of the powerful Dey. He sends the French crew to the slave market with hope that this will be the lure to trap another French captain; one who, years before, defeated the English Captain Nathan Selby (now disguised as Aziz) and sent him into slavery. Will Selby capture his former opponent, or be captured himself? What becomes of Sarah, to whom Selby is drawn and the brutal Dey is determined to possess? And will the Dey remain in power as his behavior towards foreign captives in his harem incites intrigue, opposition, and murder in his own household?
On its surface, A Maiden's Honor is an action-packed and fast-paced complex tale of swashbuckling conflict on the sea, intrigue in the harem, and true love stumbling through one obstacle after another. But, look deeper. Thompson also gives us a story of endurance and forgiveness through the transformative power of faith. “My mother used to say that bad things happen to good people,” notes Cora, an American slave subjected to repeated abuse at the Dey’s hands. “How we react is our choice. All people, regardless of their race or nationality, can be noble, kind, compassionate.” I really enjoyed the introduction of Polynesian culture into the setting.
