Book Blurb:
Bohemia 225 BC. A young warrior defied his father to follow his dream. Now, he faces a grim reality when he discovers a dead body on his workbench…
Born into the warrior elite, Jannon showed great promise as a fighter. But that life was not for him. Despite his father's intentions, he fostered with the Master Bronzesmith to learn that trade. When a dead man is found in the smithy, his father demands he return home.
In desperation, Jannon and his friend, Leuca, embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind the stranger's death. Amidst a web of motives and treachery, they unearth a series of events leading to a shocking betrayal that threatens their tribe.
Will their quest for justice expose the culprit in time, or is the village's fate sealed?
Before they were in Ireland and Scotland, Celtic tribes dominated Europe. Grab your copy of Betrayal on Beltane and escape into the mists of time. Discover these enigmatic warriors and ingenious artisans of a distant past in Book 1 of the Dùn Cael Mysteries.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/NDHT
Author Bio:
Author-Amateur Historian-Traveler-Celtic Enthusiast
History permeates almost everything Carol enjoys, whether it is travel or volunteer work. Just ask her family! She also enjoys gardening, especially learning about plants from the past and their culinary and medicinal uses.
Over the years, she has put her passion for history to good use, whether she was on a dig or volunteering as an interpreter. Her interests span different periods, from the Romans to the Middle Ages to the Revolutionary War. Carol believes we can learn a lot from the past and insists that history can be fun!
Recently, Carol and her husband, Dave, returned to the U. S. after 13 ½ years living in Europe in Italy, Greece, and Germany. The couple plans to retire to the foothills of western Virginia along with their two cats and Widgit, the History Hound, who joins them on their escapades.
Editorial Review:
Betrayal on Beltane is a historical fiction novel set in the village of Dun Cael, Bohemia in 225 BC. It is a rich, layered story, which grips the readers from the very first page. It starts with a murder and as the story unfolds the readers are taken on a tumultuous journey of red herrings and misleading clues until the mystery is finally resolved at the very end.
Jannon, the protagonist, is serving as an apprentice to Tinnus. He is learning to be a bronzesmith and has immense talent and promising skill. However, this apprenticeship causes tension between him and his family who are of the warrior class, which is considered superior during this time period. While his father, Segomaros, feels betrayed by his son, Jannon feels misunderstood. This feeling of alienation from his family is depicted in the following quote, “Jannon loved his parents; he knew that. But he was not like any others in his family. Though he looked like his father, with his long blonde hair and height, and his sky-blue eyes were his mother’s, he did not share his family’s obsession with battles and chariot races. Instead, he dreamed of new designs for brass jewelry and goblets. It wasn’t that he couldn’t fight; more often than not, he beat his older brother. Jannon simply had no interest in battles and bloodshed.” Jannon is an artisan, craftsman, and a dreamer. The story beautifully interweaves themes of being true to oneself and living authentically through Jannon’s personal struggles.
While village life is ticking along as per usual, there are undercurrents of tension. Leno, a bard and Jannon’s best friend, tests his divination skills by utilizing rune stones. Every time he does this, the runes tell him treachery and betrayal are imminent. Additionally, Duer and Cuinn, a father son duo, swear revenge against Brennos, the chieftain of the village, as they believe Cuinn would have made a better leader. While the villagers don’t take their empty threats seriously, powerful foreshadowing is used in the following quote after Duer is heard quarreling, “But this time seemed different. Duer kept saying he and his father had a plan, and soon they would right the wrongs done to them. That people would take them seriously. I know he always says that, but somehow, I had the feeling that this time they really were planning something.”
This tension culminates and reaches a peak when a dead man is found in the workshop where Jannon works. Although initially accused of being involved in murder, this claim is quickly dismissed. However, it does not end there. Beli, the village’s bitter silversmith, is plotting devious schemes of his own. His unscrupulous nature and the trouble he brings down upon Jannon is foreshadowed beautifully in Jannon’s thoughts about the man, “Though he admired the man’s work, he disliked the silversmith. Beli never seemed to be satisfied unless he was making someone’s life miserable. Jannon glanced at the table and had the fleeting thought that Beli knew more than he admitted. Though there was no way the scrawny little man could have placed the heavy body on the table. Jannon shook his head.” Jannon was right to believe that Beli was planning to wreak havoc. A ring Beli had made for Brennos turns up in the workshop. Jannon discovers it the moment Beli walks into the shop. Beli promptly accuses him of thievery and calls the Watch to have him arrested.
As all of these occurrences are going on, strange things are happening in the village. Several farmers’ cattle disappear and the smithy’s get robbed. This all occurs during the unusual visit of Caturix, Chieftain of the Carnutes. Suspicions, rumors, and gossip spread like wildfire throughout the village. Jannon faces the brunt of a great deal of rumors after his arrest for thievery as depicted in the following quote, “A warrior’s son being escorted by the chieftain’s brother and the Captain of the Watch was not an everyday occurrence in their village, and people here traded stories like gold.”
Despite the plot being thick with machinations, scheming, and petty grievances, the author integrates the mystical nature of the people back then and intertwines this with grace and beauty. There is a lovely description of the traditions of Beltane, a celebration for the arrival of spring, as depicted in the following quote, “Carata and Leuca were stringing bright spring flowers over the doors and windows. Jannon recognized primroses, cowslips, hawthorn blossoms, and bluebells. Braided into the bundles were Rowan leaves and delicate fronds of ferns. Each plant held a wish for health and happiness. Inside, birch branches hung from the crossbeams to freshen the air and chase away winter’s old, stale aroma.” These descriptive passages anchor in the beliefs and values of the time, truly transporting the reader to a completely different and magical world. Back then, they believed in multiple gods and prayed to different one’s for different things which is evident in a morning prayer Jannon and his sister, Manta recite, “As the sun set, they turned toward it, reciting the blessing for the new day. They thanked Belenus for this day and all it brought with it for the family and the earth. Manta asked him to protect them from harm and illness and see them through the dark until his chariot cross the sky again.”
Betrayal on Beltane was a beautiful read. The plot was well-paced and kept readers hooked. The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to, despite living in such a different era. One of the author’s many strengths was her ability to plant red herrings throughout the mystery portion of the plot to keep readers guessing until the very end. Despite the twists and turns the plot took, the author was able to tie everything up beautifully at the end, giving the readers a sense of closure.
Overall, we would highly recommend this to anyone, especially readers interested in Celtic traditions and history. The author provides such rich descriptors of the lifestyle, beliefs, judicial system, jobs, family, work, and overall structure of life back then that it truly gives the readers a cohesive and holistic understanding of what life was possibly like during that time where little was recorded, especially for the tribal Celts. Betrayal on Beltane was a pleasure to read from start to finish. The author crafted such an intricate tale interweaving so many different elements, from murder to mysticism, and is truly a magical reading experience.
*****
“Betrayal on Beltane” by Carol Amorosi receives five stars and the “Highly Recommended” award of excellence from The Historical Fiction Company
Award:
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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