Two young people dare to love even when the whole world is against them in this skillful re-telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Tucked inside the dazzling, ancient desert city of Noor are two fabulously wealthy families: The House of Al-Salim and the House of Ibn Rashid. Both have ties to the Sultan. But the two houses have been bitter rivals for generations, “Locked in a feud as ancient as the city itself.” (Hello, Capulets and Montagues.)

But when seventeen year-old Julana Al-Salim stumbles into Rumi ibn Rashid at a festival, their hearts collide. And a storm starts brewing, the kind that will shake the foundations of both Houses.

Julana’s father has made it clear that her future involves a marriage of alliance, not love. She’s not exactly turning handsprings at the prospect. Her mind drifts back to the kind young man she met at the festival. What if…?

Meanwhile, Rumi can’t get the beautiful, graceful girl from the festival out of his mind. Like Julana, Rumi feels that his lavish, opulent lifestyle is little more than a plush prison. And he’s not exactly turning cartwheels over his scripted future, either.

Rumi's shocked to learn that the girl at the festival was an Al-Salim.

When Rumi’s father plots to prevent the Al-Salim wedding and ruin Julana in order to derail a powerful alliance, Rumi decides he can’t allow it. But can he really save Julana from a hopeless future and carve out a future of their own?

Fleeing Julana's father, the two young people are soon running through an unforgiving desert as they're relentlessly hunted. They've left their families, homes, identities, and their scripted futures. All for love. There’s no turning back. For either of them.

But in the loss of everything, Julana realizes she’s found something more valuable: her freedom. Together, she and Rumi will build a new life. A life not dictated by power or politics, but by love and by choice.

But then the two lovers hear hoofbeats…

Solid writing and skillful pacing propel this story like wind through the desert. There’s enough detail about the feuding families, principal and secondary characters, time, place and setting to provide a sturdy backdrop and set the stage for plenty of action and adventure. But not so much that we get bogged down or bored. Rumi and Julana moves like a desert scirocco from scene to scene and page to page.

Speaking of scenes, keep an eye out for Yasmin the desert innkeeper’s wife. She’s a scene stealer.

Attempting to retell a classic tragedy originally penned by no lesser glittering star in the literary firmament than Shakespeare is no mean feat. It’s not for the fainthearted. But this author pulls it off. The essential elements remain true to the original while the setting and action are as fresh as spring sunshine. Additionally, the author expertly conveys a wide range of emotion such as hope, despair, determination and loss as we follow two star-crossed lovers across the desert into eternity.

Intense, poignant, and heartfelt, Rumi and Julana is a lithe and limber read. I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting.

So if “Shakespeare” makes you or a young adult jump up and run screaming from the room, consider Rumi and Julana. It just might change your mind.