If you’re a fan of Arthurian legend, check out Legend of the Emerald Rose. After the deaths of Arthur and Guenevere, the remaining knights of the round table and Merlin protect and hide the identity of a young child, Emerald Rose Rayn, from everyone, including herself. She’s been raised as Lancelot’s daughter and Galahad’s sister, but that’s not her real self.
Shadoe un Hollo Tors is the illegitimate son of Merlin and one of the le Fey sisters, Niamh. He was only a boy of twelve when he failed to save Guenevere from assassination, then was tortured by Mordred before escaping off the Isle of Briton. He makes his return seventeen years later to fulfill the single task left to him by his father Merlin: delivering the medallion of the Emerald Rose to its rightful owner, thus proclaiming the true heir to the throne.
The problem? He’s both instantly enthralled by the enchanting Rayn, and repelled by her wild and willful ways. This novel is an nontraditional love story between Shadoe and Rayn as they are pushed together and pulled apart by the violence of their times (late AD 400s) and the clash between good and evil, between the Pendragon dynasty and Morgause le Fey and her minions.
Story plusses? There’s never a dull moment when Rayn and Shadoe are in the same location. Sparks fly: sparks of passion, sparks of fury. Story minuses: Mostly items of craft, which the nonwriter will be unlikely to notice.
Biased by her Celtic heritage, some of author Linda Wichman’s fondest memories were spent in imaginary worlds behind the covers of a book.
The creative seeds for this novel were planted in her when she read The Stone and the Sword by T.H. White at age 10. She then veraciously consumed everything on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Yet it took about thirty-five years before she ventured to answer the question few authors have successfully pursued:What happened to Camelot after King Arthur died?
Legend of the Emerald Rose, a historical fantasy romance, is her first published novel and won an ACFW Book of the Year award in 2005.
This novel was given to me by its author for the purposes of a review. Opinions are mine alone.
