Marius Gabriel was accused by Cosmopolitan magazine of 'keeping you reading while your dinner burns'. He served his author apprenticeship as a student at Newcastle University, Britain, where, to finance his postgraduate research, he wrote thirty-three steamy romances under a pseudonym. Gabriel is the author of twelve historical novels, including the bestsellers The Designer, The Ocean Liner and The Parisians. Born in South Africa, he has travelled and worked in many countries, and now lives in Lincolnshire. He has three grown-up children.