Saturday, October 27, 2012 – Satin Sheets Romance Reviews- The Beltane Choice by Nancy Jardine
Author: Nancy Jardine
Genre: Historical
Romance
Length: 158 pages
Find It On:
Amazon and Smashwords
AD 71.
Banished from the nemeton, becoming a priestess is no longer
the future for Nara, a princess of the Selgovae tribe. Now charged with
choosing a suitable mate before Beltane, her plan is thwarted by Lorcan, an
enemy Brigante prince, who captures her and takes her to his hill fort. Despite
their tribes fighting each other, Nara feels drawn to her captor, but time runs
out for her secret quest.
As armies of the Roman Empire march relentlessly northwards,
Lorcan intends to use Nara as a marriage bargain, knowing all Celtic tribes
must unite to be strong enough to repel imminent Roman attack. Nara’s father,
Callan, agrees to a marriage alliance between Selgovae and Brigante, but has impossible
stipulations. Lorcan is torn between loyalty to his tribe and growing love for
Nara.
When danger and death arrive in the form of the mighty Roman
forces, will Nara be able to choose her Beltane lover?
Angela’s Review:
The Beltane Choice sets us
in Ancient Alba or modern day northern Scotland during the 1st
Century. The
Picts of the north are facing the threat of a Roman invasion as the story
begins, as well as the threat of enemy tribes.
I have read a lot of Scottish
Romances and I am a lover of historical romance. I had to say, I was a bit intimidated about
heading to 1st Century Scotland, and for a romance! With so little known about the Picts, I
wondered if the details of history would be too difficult to follow, as well as
being able to keep up with the actual storyline. I was so wrong! Ms. Jardine does an amazing job with
historical accuracy, while making a strong connection between Lorcan and Nara
from the very first page.
Lorcan
is a sexy, fierce warrior with a heart, though it may take you to the end of
chapter one to realize it. I love the fact that Lorcan isn’t all
brawn. The author is able to show you a
different side to this Celtic warrior, as he not only can defend his tribe with
his strength, but his intelligence as well.
Nara’s plight for self-worth
touched my heart from the very beginning.
I love how Nancy gave us small bits and pieces of Nara’s past to chew
on, and it kept my curiosity well-fed. It
seemed that Nara had been through it all, but still remained steadfast with her
loyalty to her tribe. The only thing I
like better than a hero with a sword is a heroine that owns a weapon and knows
how to use it. Nara did not disappoint on this level! She was every bit a warrior, as Lorcan.
My favorite scene in the book was
when Lorcan has to tell his father how he came upon Nara in the first
place. Lorcan retells the story of Nara
in a tree, all the while chuckling and smiling the entire time. When his father admonished him for his
misplaced humor, all I could picture was this hulking warrior being cowed by an
old man. It had me laughing out loud.
The connection between Lorcan and
Nara was rocky in the beginning, and it was apparent that Lorcan’s guard came
down first. In Nara’s case, Jardine
only allowed small fragments of the wall around Nara’s heart fall away, and
that kept me turning the pages. By the end of the book, I was moved by the not
only the strong connection, Jardine was able to create between Lorcan and Nara,
but of the growing parental relationship between Tully and Nara.
The Beltane Choice brought to mind
the works of Susan King and Michele Willingham.
If you’re looking for a historical romance that oozes sexual tension, has a detailed and
compelling historical storyline, intense fighting scenes that keeps you on
the edge of your seat, then you don’t want to miss out on reading The Beltane
Choice.
4 Satin Pillows!
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The Beltane Choice
Sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the Review of The Beltane Choice! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading it, and have written lovely comments. It was a pleasure to write, and my intention is that readers find different things to enjoy about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Krystal. If you do pick up a copy I'd love to know what you think of it, too.