About the Book

Book: Secrets of the Desert Rose

Author: Marilyn Turk

Genre: Dual Timeline

Release Date: February 24, 2026

Three Women. Two generations. Their friendship survived the war. Their secret survived even longer.

Monique and Audrey, one French and one British, grow up in French Algiers on the coast of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Best friends, they keep each other’s secrets into adulthood when World War II changes their world and Algiers sides with the Hitler-based Vichy government. Audrey joins Charles DeGaulle’s resistance army, the French Foreign Legion, while Monique stays to work in the underground resistance aiding the Allied invasion of North Africa.

In present day, American born great-granddaughter Nicole, a graduate student in archaeology, goes to North Africa for an internship. The now centenarian Monique (Mimi), debilitated by a stroke, urges her to find the Desert Rose. Nicole finds different types of desert roses, but none are the right one until she stumbles onto information that hints the desert rose might not be a flower after all. While Sami, her instructor in Algiers, helps her find the desert rose, he also has to protect her from people who want the heirloom ring Nicole wears which has its own secret.

Will Nicole find the secret before it’s too late?

 

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

Algiers is a unique place and so full of history. I’ve only studied about it in my French classes. Marilyn Turk brings the country to life through the lives of Monique, Audrey, and Nicole. I always want to learn something when I read a novel. The author lends her knowledge and research to the pages in a dramatic fashion.

I’m drawn to the split time writing to solve this mystery stemming back to the 1940s and World War II. History books barely touch on the role of Algiers in the war. Monique and Audrey gave their young adult lives to the cause on the side of the Allies. The topic of bravery arises early in the novel. What do you consider bravery? I can come in many forms. Find out how Monique and Audrey—almost sisters—face the war, love, and family with different facets of bravery.

Bravo, Marilyn! Thanks for letting me read your fascinating story.

About the Author

Award-winning author Marilyn Turk has written over twenty historical and contemporary novels and novellas laced with suspense and romance. She especially likes writing World War II era books, and loves to discover information not widely known for her stories. In addition to fiction, Marilyn is also an annual contributor to Guideposts’ Walking in Grace and other Guideposts anthologies.

Marilyn enjoys helping other writers and founded the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers, AWSA, Word Weavers International and the United States Lighthouse Society.

Marilyn’s most recent books have been Secrets of the Desert Rose, The Escape Game set in World War II, and a novella, The Gilding of Minnie Tucker, set in The Gilded Age..

She and her husband Chuck have a blended family of four sons, one daughter and four grandsons whom they enjoy spending time with.  Marilyn and Chuck are lighthouse enthusiasts and have visited over 100 lighthouses in the United States and other countries. They also served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine. As a result of her interest in lighthouses, Marilyn wrote Lighthouse Devotions, 52 Inspiring Lighthouse Stories.

More from Marilyn

Why did I write Secrets of the Desert Rose by Marilyn Turk

Because I enjoy reading novels set during World War II, I also enjoy writing them. Most of the novels I’ve read are set in Europe – England, France, and surrounding countries. But we know the war impacted the whole world, so I look for stories set in places we don’t know much about.

Why did I set this book in North Africa? My sister-in-law’s mother was French and was born and lived in Algiers until sometime during World War II. Unfortunately, I waited too long to ask her about it, even though she lived to the age of 94. However, she left journals which gave insight into her life in Algiers and opened my eyes to what happened there before and during World War II. Monique is modeled on her stories.

While researching Algiers though, I came across another woman who was British and also played a role in North Africa during the war. Her name was Susan Travers, and her autobiography provided more interesting information. Although the two real women may have never met, her life was the basis for Audrey’s character.

I always find historical surprises when I research a novel and discovering the story of Cleopatra Selene was fascinating to me, so I had to include her in the book as well. And since there was so much secrecy involved in the true stories, I thought my characters needed secrets of their own, and my present-day character, Nicole, would have to discover them.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 11

Sylvan Musings, September 12

Simple Harvest Reads, September 13 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, September 14

Artistic Nobody, September 15 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 16

Guild Master, September 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 17

For Him and My Family, September 18

Fiction Book Lover, September 19 (Author Interview)

Life on Chickadee Lane, September 20

The Bookish Ledger, September 21 (Author Interview)

Connie’s History Classroom, September 21

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, September 22

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 23 (Author Interview)

Lily’s Corner, September 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Marilyn is giving away the grand prize of a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/nuBqc/secrets-of-the-desert-rose-celebration-tour-giveaway