Ireland, 279 BC. A nation at war.
For two boys, it will be gruelling. For Ireland . . . it will be bloody.
When the first raiding skirmishes of a foreign army are crushed and Ireland mourns her dead, one king knows their newfound peace is destined to fail. As Overking of Ailigh, Keeper of the North, he calls for the boys of his Celtic tribes to train as formidable warriors under his command.
For Áed, it begins as a fantastical quest. For Rónán, it helps him escape a cruel chieftain. Together, they must train and grow in strength and might. And when the invading army returns, a nation goes to war, united under one banner.
Meanwhile, Áed's sister begins her training as a druid, learning the spiritual ways of the earth. And when the goddess Cáer speaks to her in her dreams, she knows that Ireland's future hangs in the balance.
With Áed skilled in close combat, and Rónán blessed with an archer's eye, they fight side by side, champions of the Celts. But death is close. And the tides of war are forever in flux.
The Irish Celts know one thing: if the warmongering foreigners aren't defeated, not even the druids can change the course of destiny.
Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong?
***
It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed.
Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out?
Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her?
Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires.
*This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.