Genre: Urban
Fantasy/Mythology/Multi-Cultural
Description:
“The reincarnated souls of King Arthur, Merlin, and an anxiety-ridden
priestess return to save Britain after a devastating nuclear attack, only to
find an old foe: Morgaine.”
Author:
Jacqueline Church Simonds describes herself as “an author and
publishing consultant living in Reno, Nevada” who loves “(in no particular
order) books, writing, reading, beagles, coffee, good bourbon, publishing, and
politics.”
To learn more please visit Ms. Simonds’ website.
Appraisal:
The
Midsummer Wife is an imaginative, well-written urban fantasy,
with a beautiful book cover, and flawed characters who must face their past and
come to terms with the truth. Lord Ron Steadbye – the heir to King Arthur, and
Duke Drunemeton – the heir of Merlin, who is known as The Harper. The Harper
was created to keep the Arthurian tale alive and preserve the artifacts which
would help prove they are who they say they are when the time of reckoning
comes. The High Priestess of the Sisterhood, Ava Cerdwen, is the heir of Mother
Anya. These three characters are challenged to live up to their mythical strengths
to heal Britain after a nuclear blast in the heart of London.
The story takes place in the not too distant future and is mainly told
through Ava the High Priestess’ eyes, who has flaws of her own to work through.
She is the pivotal character who guides Ron/King Author, and Harper/Merlin. Ava
will also lead the healing ceremony at the Summer Solstice with Ron and Harper
by her side, along with Druid Priests to lend power to the Celtic rite to heal
and cleanse the affected area. But is Ava strong enough to handle all this
power? Morgaine has had 1500 years to hone her dark magic and gather power. She
also has the cult of Hela tracking our three heroes who are on the attack to
divert the healing ceremony that is approaching quickly.
The
Midsummer Wife is enthralling, with captivating, complex
characters you want to succeed. Ava, as High Priestess, is also charged with
bringing about a new world order featuring spirituality at its core.
I was disappointed in the cliffhanger ending, it’s a cheap way to hook
the reader to want to read the next book in the series. I think the story and
characters are strong enough for readers to want to continue without tricks or
a cliffhanger. I was further soured by the way this book ended. Morgaine is a
thoroughly evil character, which I admit every story needs. I just hope our
heroes are not so blinded by their success as to not see the truth.
If you love Arthurian tales with strong characters and a captivating
plot, this is a good one where the story continues into the future. And did I
mention the eye-catching book cover? Sometimes it’s okay to judge a book by its
cover.
FYI:
The
Midsummer Wife is book one in Jacqueline Church Simonds’, THE
HEIRS OF CAMELOT series. Adult language—numerous F-bombs, and adult
situations—where sex is NOT behind closed doors. If you are sensitive to either
of these, this book may not be for you. There is also one whopper of a
cliffhanger.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A small number of proofing issues.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 80-85,000 words
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