Roses & Thorns

Roses & Thorns

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

The Arcadia Series, Books One & Three by Kelley Heckart @CelticChick #Romance #Fantasy #GreekMythology



Blurbs:

The Bear Goddess, Book One

Romance, fantasy and magic in Bronze Age Arcadia (Greece)

Forbidden love… Broken vows… Betrayal…

Callisto, the daughter of the great Arcadian King Lycaon and the nymph Maia, has studied all her life to attain the high position of Bear Goddess among the nymphs of Artemis, taking a sacred vow of purity. But when she meets a mysterious man, her life changes forever.

Kasin is a prince among the fierce centaurs and one of few who can take human shape. A follower of Zeus, he is mystified to save a nymph’s life and even worse, to fall in love with an enemy of the centaurs. He is torn between his duty to his people and his love for Callisto.

When the nymphs capture Kasin for their next sacrifice, Callisto cannot allow him to die, but before she can help him escape, they are caught together and their secret connection exposed. Surrounded by armed guards, they manage a daring escape. On the run from the nymphs, danger and betrayal follow Kasin and Callisto. To survive, they must evade a god obsessed with having Callisto for himself as well as others who also want to keep them apart. Will their love for each other be enough to save them?

The Crow Maiden, Book Three

She betrayed her goddess for him…
He betrayed her.
Plotting her revenge is her only solace. Until now.

Nahla is the Crow Maiden, an Arcadian, and once a priestess of Artemis. Now she is a captive, a being who lives in the shadows until her vile master the sorcerer-king Aramon summons her. Another releases her from the Shadowlands, and while he might be the champion she has waited for, the gods must be playing a cruel joke. Her champion is crippled.

An Achaean lord who once ruled a great city, Balin is a broken man. He has lost everything—his kingdom and his family. Revenge consumes him. Although wary of the mysterious, cold-eyed female who appears and claims he summoned her, she may be his only hope to exact vengeance on the king who ruined him, the same man Nahla seeks to destroy.

They are bound by revenge, and soon, both learn they are bound by much more, but the secrets she hides might tear them apart and ruin their only opportunity for vengeance—and their chance to love again.


About the Author:

Multi-published author Kelley Heckart writes romances with fantasy/paranormal elements set in ancient and medieval time periods. Her stories reflect her passion for ancient history, storytelling, and the supernatural. She is drawn in particular to the ancient Celts who are shrouded in mystery and associated with the otherworldly realm of the Fae. With her pen and paper, she recreates long ago places filled with fierce warriors, bold women, otherworldly creatures, magic, and romance.

Two of her favorite things are sunrises and men in kilts. When not writing or editing, she enjoys practicing target archery. She can be found online at www.kelleyheckart.com.

Review:

The Bear Goddess is Book One and The Crow Maiden is Book Three of the Arcadia Trilogy, each book of which stands alone. However, the books are tied together by the fact that they take place in and around Arcadia, and the crossover appearances of various characters among the three books. I reviewed Book Two, The Wolf Queen, last year, and missed nothing reading them out of order.

I greatly admire Ms. Heckert’s knowledge of Greek mythology and the way she weaves it into her fictional world along with the paranormal. Her characters are deeply drawn and engaging, and the plots are fast-paced and draw the reader in on page one.

But, as has been happening so much lately, there were editing issues that drove me nuts. When editors tell their authors not to use too many adverbs, they don’t mean the authors should substitute adjectives. Yet I see this happening over and over again. I even hear it in dialog on TV, and find myself yelling “LY!” at the screen, as I do to my Kindle. I yelled it at my Kindle throughout the entire Arcadia Trilogy. Please be sparing with your adverbs, but do NOT substitute adjectives for them. Use a stronger verb. But if you can’t find a stronger verb, go ahead and enhance it with an adverb. Use your “ly.”

Thanks for letting me rant. Aside from the adjective problem, The Arcadia Series was a good read. You might want to start with The Bear Goddess, then The Wolf Queen, and end with The Crow Maiden, but it’s not necessary.

Author Website:  www.kelleyheckart.com
Heat Ratings (Both):  R
Lengths: 
The Bear Goddess:  285 Pages
The Crow Maiden:  269 Pages
Prices (Both):
Print:  $11.99
Digital:  $2.99

Buy Links:

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