The Girl on the Midway Stage — DeAnna Cameron

A scandal that shocks a nation... A passion that transforms a woman... Young bride Dora Chambers can't wait to begin her new life in Chicago. It's an exciting time, with the 1893 World's Fair putting a kaleidoscope of new inventions, new cultures, and new ideas on display. Unfortunately, those aren't the only things on display. The Egyptian belly dancers' performances are stirring up a scandal, and the distasteful task of enforcing proper conduct on them has fallen to Dora as part of her initiation into the Fair's prestigious Board of Lady Managers. Dora's sensibilities, however, are not so easily flustered by the dancers. She finds herself captivated by these exotic women, and by their enigmatic manager, Hossam Farouk, who makes his mistrust of her known-although his lingering glances hint at something else. As Dora's eyes are opened to the world beyond her own, she finds the courage to break free of her life of social expectations and self-imposed bondage, and discovers the truth about the desire and passion in her heart. *** This title was formerly published by Berkley/Penguin Random House as THE BELLY DANCER ***