My 4-Star review in entirety posted on Amazon for romance novel, 'The Professor and the Bird,' by Roberta Franklin:


It’s been a while since I’ve elected to read a novel in the genre of romance. To my delight, Roberta Franklin’s ‘The Professor and the Bird’ offers a welcome escape from reality with the added dimensions of cultural enrichment, history, intrigue, and danger. This is achieved through the setting of an archaeological dig in Turkey’s Anatolian Desert.

Sure, the characters are simply drawn, easily categorized, and lack credibility: Sally - a 27-year-old adventurous Pollyanna; Nikos – a 60-year old, naïve, antiquated professor. The two fall in love right away despite their age difference, and without complications. The dialogue between them is unconvincing—but, the details of their lovemaking are incredibly hot without trespassing on porn—one of the hallmarks of an eloquent romance novel.

Sally’s accidental find of a clay fragment dated from before 2000 BCE becomes the source of cloak-and-dagger and slapstick antics among stupid thieves. The lighthearted romp provides the page-turning charm of this novel.

The author often interjected Greek and Turkish expressions to authenticate the setting of her story. I enjoyed escaping with Sally and Nikos to Istanbul where I visited such wonders as Haig Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Great Bazaar, and the Pera Palace Hotel where Agatha Christie wrote ‘Murder on the Orient Express’.

I’m certainly glad I embarked on this romantic escape which didn’t cost me plane fare. It’s well worth the trip.