title: The Tiger Prince: A Novel
author:  Iris Johansen 
description: Johansen offers sex but precious little romance in this adventure tale set in late-19th-century India and Scotland. Jane Barnaby and her guardian, Patrick Reilly, are on the subcontinent building a railroad. Jane has hidden John Kartauk, a brilliant goldsmith who has crossed Prince Abdar, the local maharaja's son. Abdar (who is no more than a generic villain) strikes a deal with Ruel MacClaren and his half-brother, Ian, a pair of Scottish adventurers, to seek out Jane and John. Ruel soon suspects that he'll do better casting his lot with his quarry, and he's right: when he agrees to help Jane get John out of Abdar's clutches, John hands Ruel the secret to dealing with the maharaja. Unfortunately the escape plan goes awry in a horrible accident. Ruel blames Jane for the fiasco, and Johansen devotes much of the rest of this book to Ruel's efforts to make her pay--efforts that reach their nadir in his two-day "orgy of sexual indulgences," designed to debase and humiliate the woman he loves. It's hard to believe this is the same author who displayed such a splendid, light touch in The Wind Dancer. <br />Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  The Tiger Prince
  
  
  
  
  
  Iris Johansen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _  
  _
  
  
  
  
  
  _The
  
  
  Mask
  
  _
  
  
  
  
  
  He rose to his feet and moved
  
  
  over to the table by the door and was surrounded by the pool of light cast by
  
  
  the oil lamp. She tried not to look at him, but to no avail. Dear heaven, he
  
  
  was as beautifully exotic as a jungle animal and just as free from shame.
  
  
  
  
  
  A faint smile touched his lips.
  
  
  "This must have been meant for you."
  
  
  
  
  
  On the table was an extravagant
  
  
  feathered mask of brown, black, and turquoise peacock feathers. "Pretty
  
  
  thing. I'd like to see you in it." He held up the mask to his own eyes.
  
  
  "Would you care to oblige me?"
  
  
  
  
  
  The exotic feathered mask
  
  
  covered the entire top of his face and a spray of sable peacock feathers
  jutted
  
  
  out on either side. His blue eyes shimmered through the almond-shaped holes
  and
  
  
  the close fit of the mask enhanced the beautiful molding of his cheekbones.
  
  
  
  
  
  He looked wild, wicked, and
  
  
  completely male, a rare, splendid creature fro