ParaNormalRomance.org

"terrific addition to the epic saga"

In AD 57 Britannia, Breaca of Mona agrees with what others including the Roman Standard Bearer Vindex have said that fighting alone means eventual defeat. However, uniting the tribes against the brutal outsiders seems impossible especially since her potentially best ally her brother Ban the Valerius lingers in prison. Ironically in spite of her sibling switching sides several times betraying his people and the Romans, he remains her only hope to help her unite the still bickering clans even after fourteen years of occupation by Emperor Claudius' legions.

Over the next couple of years Breaca remains steadfast feeling strongly that she must continue to take the fight to the Romans. That is why she kills Vindex and leads the rescue of Caradoc. Her success brings hope to her and her Eceni people who now call Breaca the Boudica, "Bringer of Victory". She wonders if perhaps her new husband Prasutagos could expedite the removal of the Romans from Eceni. However, the Romans also have heard of the legendary warrior woman and plan to attack the island of Mona where she is allegedly leading the insurgency.

The third Warrior Queen historical tale (see BOUDICA: DREAMING THE EAGLE and BOUDICA: DREAMING THE BULL) is an exciting look back at Ancient Britannia during a two-three year period in which Boudica tries to rally forces against the Romans. Manda Scott enables her audience to see much deeper inside her key protagonists so that motives are apparent especially Ban, who's hard to fathom his honor system from a modern day perspective. Though the story line at times feels padded and subsequently slows down, for the most part this is a terrific addition to the epic saga; fans of the series will appreciate this entry while newcomers should read the previous two thrillers first.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 24, 2006

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 25, 2007

A Novel of the Warrior Queen

AD 57: Caradoc is lost for ever, betrayed to Rome and exiled in Gaul, leaving Boudica bereft, to lead the tribes of the west in an increasingly bloody resistance against Roman occupation. Only if she can drive Rome from the land will she find the peace she needs and to do that, she must raise once again the tribes of the east. Her people, the Eceni, languish in the shadow of the Legions, led by a man who proclaims himself King and yet allows slavers to trade freely in his lands. Too notorious to reclaim her own birthright, Boudica strives instead to return her daughters to their heritage. Across the sea, Boudica's half-brother has been named traitor by both sides. He too, seeks peace on a journey that takes him from the dreaming tombs of the ancestors to the cave of a god he no longer serves. Only if these two meet, can their people -and all of Britannia - be saved. But the new Governor has been ordered to subdue the tribes or die in the attempt, and he has twenty thousand legionaries ready to stop anyone, however determined, from bringing Britain to the edge of revolt. Written with uncompromising mastery, this is fiction that captivates the heart, challenges the mind and offers us an utterly enthralling experience of history in the flesh and blood of it is making. This novel was published in Spring 2005 in the UK and Canada and will be published in early 2006 in the US. Boudica IV, Dreaming the Serpent Spear, should be available in Spring 2006 in the UK and Canada, sometime after that in the US.