The Du Lac Chronicles by Mary Anne Yarde is not normally a book I would pick up immediately. I am a history buff, but books about The Dark Ages in Britain are often focused on the legendary Arthurian period and have been well chronicled by many authors and well read by me. The Du Lac Chronicles, though, is slightly different in the respect its time-period is post-Arthurian (just) and introduces a wide cast of characters who immediately grabbed my interest and attention.
The skill of the author in not only grabbing my attention from the very beginning but holding it right to the end and making me thirst for more is what makes this book so enjoyable. I particularly liked the basic premise of the book, which was the idea of the hero (Alden Du Lac), running away with the daughter of his greatest enemy, Cerdic, The King of Wessex.
At its heart, this is a love story and a beautifully told love story at that. Both Alden and Annis have every reason to doubt each other's motives, but neither can deny the incredible attraction between them. One of the best aspects of the story was the familial relationships between the Du Lac children. I really enjoyed the animosity that sparked between Alden, Merton and Budic. The sparks were quick to fly between the brothers (incidentally all children of the legendary Sir Lancelot). The author had us constantly guessing at who would betray who next. I also kept awaiting the arrival of the missing brother, who hopefully would put even more strain on these brotherly bonds. Hopefully, that is still to come in the future episodes of The Du Lac Chronicles.
As an exercise in creating a world that would excite readers and set up a fascinating series, Yarde has done a tremendous job.
Yet again, I find myself discovering one more incredibly talented "indie" author and one more series I must read until the end. A fantastic story and I'm sure what is a wonderful series from Author Mary Anne Yarde. Of course, it is five stars from this reviewer.
The skill of the author in not only grabbing my attention from the very beginning but holding it right to the end and making me thirst for more is what makes this book so enjoyable. I particularly liked the basic premise of the book, which was the idea of the hero (Alden Du Lac), running away with the daughter of his greatest enemy, Cerdic, The King of Wessex.
At its heart, this is a love story and a beautifully told love story at that. Both Alden and Annis have every reason to doubt each other's motives, but neither can deny the incredible attraction between them. One of the best aspects of the story was the familial relationships between the Du Lac children. I really enjoyed the animosity that sparked between Alden, Merton and Budic. The sparks were quick to fly between the brothers (incidentally all children of the legendary Sir Lancelot). The author had us constantly guessing at who would betray who next. I also kept awaiting the arrival of the missing brother, who hopefully would put even more strain on these brotherly bonds. Hopefully, that is still to come in the future episodes of The Du Lac Chronicles.
As an exercise in creating a world that would excite readers and set up a fascinating series, Yarde has done a tremendous job.
Yet again, I find myself discovering one more incredibly talented "indie" author and one more series I must read until the end. A fantastic story and I'm sure what is a wonderful series from Author Mary Anne Yarde. Of course, it is five stars from this reviewer.
Do check out Mary Yarde's offerings, to date, on Amazon - I know I will be.
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