“An evocative, timeless saga of love and betrayal” Tony Riches, author of The Tudor Trilogy.“It is dangerous to become attached to a du Lac. He will break your heart, and you will not recover.” So prophesies a wizened healer to Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex. If there is truth in the old crone’s words, they come far too late for Annis, who defies father, king, and country to save the … country to save the man she loves.
Alden du Lac, once king of Cerniw, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble, his fort razed to the ground and his brother Merton missing, presumably dead. He has only one possession left worth saving: his heart. And to the horror of his few remaining allies, he gives that to the daughter of his enemy. They see Annis, at best, as a bargaining chip to avoid war with her powerful father. At worst, they see a Saxon whore with her claws in a broken, wounded king.
Alden has one hope: When you war with one du Lac, you war with them all. His brother Budic, King of Brittany, could offer the deposed young king sanctuary—but whether he will offer the same courtesy to Annis is far less certain.
The Du Lac Chronicles from Mary Anne Yarde is a new story based on Arthurian Legend and the great historical/fantasy fiction tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley, Bernard Cornwall, C.M.Grey and Kim Headlee.
The Du Lac Chronicles has a recommend reading age of 15+
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You can get lost in this book. Stayed up way to late on several nights, telling myself just one more page.
A book not to be missed at any cost!
I’ll be honest. I wanted the Du Lac Chronicles, Book One, to go on forever, like a trusty friend. I found myself treasuring it and eking it out so it would last longer. The good news is that there are now five books in the series so plenty to look forward to.
The story gets off to a cracking pace and never falters. Ms Yarde knows exactly how to draw her readers in and hold them there until the very last sentence. We find ourselves in late fifth century Briton: an era I only really know from King Arthur and his knights. So it was a pleasure to delve deeper into an entirely different world. You couldn’t find a more compelling hero and heroine than Alden du Lac (son of the legendary Lancelot) and Annis of Wessex. The fact that the two families are implacable enemies is a plot twist that creates chaos for all those around them. It’s an exciting, colourful novel with plenty of adventure and would translate so well to the screen. I found myself idly wondering what it would be like to poach the lead actor from ‘The Last Kingdom’ who would make a perfect Alden.
If you like fast-paced action, plenty of romance, political intrigue, very well-drawn characters and stunning scenery, then this is the book for you. I’m off in search of Book Two….
I grew up loving the legend of Camelot. When I picked up the Du Lac Chronicles, I wasn’t disappointed, as Yarde’s fresh take on the legend lends her story a lot of room for sequals and imagination. It was impressive to see someone approach the story realistically and from the surprising point of view of Lancelot’s family. Who knew he even had one?
I say bravo to a well-crafted idea for a series that isn’t lacking in adventure or creativity. Yarde has a fascinating story starting in this first book!
I loved this book. The children of the knights of the round table have grown up and are fighting their own destinies is this marvelous story. Old world setting but with characters that are timeless and endearing.
Fast paced, well structured and beautifully told. What more can I say? I simply loved this story and can’t wait to read the next books.
4.5/5 stars: A well researched historical adventure set in post Arthurian times. Good atmosphere and attention to detail in period dialogue and descriptions. A gently unfolding romance, wrapped up in danger and action. This is told from multiple points of view (often changing rapidly from paragraph to paragraph) so the reader sees the action unfold from all angles, which can take some time to get used to at the beginning.
The Du Lac Chronicles incorporated an interesting take on Arthurian legend. I found myself eager to get back to the story between reading breaks. The protagonists, Alden and Annis, each had their own inner turmoil to deal with; their struggles were believable to me and I thought the development of Alden was exceptionally fine. Though not a main character, my favorite was Merton, Alden’s younger brother – I found myself giggling at some of his behavior. I’d rate this book higher than 5 stars if I could – I think the writing is eloquent and I look forward to continuing the journey.
After a war breaks out and Briton is torn into a land of feuding Kingdoms, King Cerdic is determined to become the only ruler and has just taken down his most recent King, Alden. Cerdic is ready to execute him when he suddenly disappears and Cerdic’s daughter is to thank.
I’m always a fan of strong heroines in a story, but I think the reason I loved this book so much was that the heroine was not strong. Annis was very uncertain of herself, uncertain of the situation she had gotten herself into, and yet she did it anyway because she felt it was right. I loved the very human-like feeling this created with her not to mention the fact that it was the girl rescuing the guy, another very interesting perspective that had me hooked within just the first few pages.
Full of action, adventure, history, and romance, this is a fantastic book to what I imagine will be a wonderful series. I was unfortunately pressed for time the first time I read through this book but I will definitely be ordering a paperback copy in order to do a more thorough read. It’s just that good!
Legend and Honor
A beautiful love story, honorable and courageous characters, epic story… what’s not to like? I fell for the author’s world building; I had a real sense of what it was to live in fifth century England. The tension and the action is entertaining and I enjoyed the conclusion. A very worthy read!