The best-selling Du Lac Chronicles continues:War is coming to Saxon Briton.As one kingdom after another falls to the savage might of the High King, Cerdic of Wessex, only one family dares to stand up to him — The Du Lacs.Budic and Alden Du Lac are barely speaking to each other, and Merton is a mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. If Wessex hears of the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.… the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.
Fate brings Merton du Lac back to the ancestral lands of his forefathers, and he finds his country on the brink of civil war. But there is worse to come, for his father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court of Benwick. Now, more than ever, the Du Lac must come together to save the kingdom and themselves.
Can old rivalries and resentments be overcome in time to stop a war?
The Du Lac Devil has a recommend reading age of 16+
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The twists and turns with Arturian flare
The story starts five years after the first book and the beautiful story-telling is as captivating as in the first book. The reader is drawn into the story. There are scenes of violence but they are well-done and appropriate to the story. The romance conveys the right emotions and adds layers to the story. The large cast of characters is almost too much for me, but the story holds them well. A good story.
I can understand why this book has won so many awards. I mean, WOW! Talk about an action-packed story. This novel will quite literally break your heart, especially after you have fallen hopelessly in love with the protagonist, or perhaps anti-hero would be a better way to describe Merton Du Lac.
This novel was amazing from beginning to end and I cannot wait to get hold of book 2 to find out what happens next.
Talk about a dysfunctional family! It doesn’t get much worse than our Du Lac clan, whose love/hate relationships ultimately impact everyone they come into contact with. Our protagonist Merton is known to everyone as the devil, although the reader easily gets to see the gentle, considerate side of him; though his trail of broken hearts finally catches up with him. His horrible activities are mostly in the past, although his potential violence simmers just below the surface. He is very protective of his brother Alden, though sometimes his help proves more harm than good. The other brother King Budic seems to dislike all his kin, though he professes not to want to harm them. There’s a traitor—or two, or three—in their midst (as if they don’t make enough trouble between themselves) who wreak total havoc, binding the Du Lacs together in a rickety confederacy that is bound to fall apart. If they stay alive. The plot is full of twists and turns and “blasts from the past” that kept me turning the pages. It wasn’t a happy book, but it certainly was interesting.
The Du Lac Devil (Book 2 of The Du Lac Chronicles) by Mary Anne Yarde is a historical fiction based on Arthurian legends that takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany. Though I had not read Book 1 in the series, I could easily follow The Du Lac Devil as a stand-alone novel. The story focuses on Merton, the youngest son of the great Lancelot de Luc. A mercenary, Merton has the ill-repute of being a monstrous devil, yet in truth he has absolute loyalty to those he loves. The funeral of his older brother’s wife and son brings him back to Benwick Castle in Britanny. There he finds his brothers, Budic and Alden, in dispute and the kingdoms they rule in jeopardy of being overtaken by the High King, Cerdic of Wessex. Unbeknownst to them, their father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court and the Du Lac brothers must work together to save their kingdoms and themselves.
The tale takes on the legendary qualities of King Arthur and explores not only the political intrigue, but also the complex relationships between the characters who ultimately drive the story. The most fascinating aspect of this novel is the complex characterization of Merton who has been compelled to perform brutal acts due to unforeseen circumstances. Ultimately, he demonstrates utmost loyalty and honor to his brother Alden, to his infant son, and to the woman who has captured his heart. His story is tragic and heart-wrenching as he fights to protect those he loves with honorable intentions.
Mary Anne Yarde masterfully weaves the complex relationships between the brothers and the women they love into the political intrigue. The love triangles remind me of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon which weaves forbidden love, romance, and lust into the political twists. The story races to a satisfying climatic ending. One of the strengths of the story is that it realistically depicts the historical backdrop of the Dark Ages.
Though I loved the novel, I was occasionally taken out of the story because of some editorial issues, particularly punctuation in quoted dialogue followed by action, and the switch of point of view between characters in some of the scenes.
I don’t think there’s even one slow spot in this entire novel. A real page turner filled with palace intrigue, a love story more riveting than book #1, medieval brutality that made me wince, and a central character I absolutely loved, despite his flaws and checkered past. Merton Du Lac may be the black sheep of the Du Lac family, but he is the most fascinating. The author is a master of surprising twists and turns and escalating tension. So now I absolutely must read book #3 to find out how this enthralling story plays out, even though there are some editing issues that need fixing.