The White Mare
Book One of the Dalriada Trilogy
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
In AD 79, the ruthless governor of Roman Britain turns his attention to his country's last unconquered territory: the land which will one day become Scotland. Rhiann, a courageous and beautiful Scottish princess and priestess scarred by her violent past, is doomed by her noble blood to a forced marriage that aims to protect the freedom of her people. But with war and chaos looming, and the arrival of an enigmatic Irish prince who seeks an alliance to regain his throne, Rhiann is drawn into an unexpected journey of the spirit and heart, and will learn the true purpose of her life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Australian author Watson deftly blends fact and fancy, action and romance in her splendid historical fantasy debut, set in first-century A.D. Alba (aka Scotland). On the death of Brude, king of the Epidii tribe (aka the People of the Horse), the duty falls on Brude's priestess sister, Rhiann, as the Mother of the Land, to continue the royal line. The sudden arrival during the king's funeral of Eremon, an exiled Irish prince of Dalriada who yearns to reclaim his throne, is taken as a good omen, and the Epidii offer Rhiann as a bride in exchange for help in defeating the encroaching Romans. Eremon quickly accepts, but their emotionally complicated "marriage" creates problems that are just as discouraging as the conflicts among Alba's warring tribes and with Agricola, governor of the Roman province of Britannia. In addition to an appealing love story, well-researched settings and an interesting take on goddess worship rooted in Neolithic times, Watson provides some mystical moments that confirm that "istory can turn on many things. On a word. On a sword blade. On a girl, running up a mountain path, amber hair flying in the wind."
