A Band of Roses

A Band of Roses

Book One in The Band of Roses Trilogy

A Novel by Pat McDermott

Genre: Alternate Historical Action Adventure Romance

Tags: A Band of Roses, Action Adventure, Alternate History, Battle of Clontarf, Brian Boru, Castle, Dalcassian, Desert Nomads, Emerald Isle, Fargan, Fianna, Finn MacCool, Helicopter, High King, Ireland, Irish Kings, Royal Family, History, Fantasy, Japan, Kincora, Morrigan, North Atlantic, Novel, Offshore Oil, Pat McDermott, Portal, Princess Talty, Romance, Samurai, Science Fiction, Shanachie, Stories about Ireland, Talty Boru, Time Travel, Vikings

Release: May 11. 2012

Editor: Lea Schizas

Line Editor: Christine I. Speakman

Cover Designer: Nika Dixon

Words: 132240

Pages: 372

ISBN: 978-1-77127-048-9

Price: $5.95

Back Cover:

Ancient Irish traditions remain strong in a world where High King Brian Boru survived the Battle of Clontarf and established a dynasty that rules Ireland to this day.  When greed for oil prompts England’s Regent to claim an Irish island in the North Atlantic, Ireland’s Crown Princess Talty becomes a pawn in a murderous plot to seize the throne of England.

From Japan to California to an eleventh century Ireland preparing for the Battle of Clontarf, Talty must hide her true identity, though she can’t hide her ingrained training as a member of the Fianna: the warriors who guard the Kingdom of Ireland.  She brings home a discovery worth more than any oil well, yet all she wants is to return to her family and Neil Boru, the adoptive cousin she secretly loves and cannot have—or so she thinks.  Neil has a secret of his own, one that emerges as the Boru clan works with MI6 to thwart an invasion of Ireland and bring Talty home.

Excerpt:

“Ready, Neil?” Talty marched in from the lockers dressed in padded workout clothes, as he was. She hefted a six-foot bata from a rack on the wall.

A pretty enough girl, he thought, though thin to the point of being wiry. Her ivory skin and auburn hair proclaimed her Boru heritage. Neil’s own blue-black hair and azure eyes were constant reminders, at least to him, that he only bore his royal surname through the kindness of the man who’d married his mother shortly before Neil’s birth.

He stepped toward Talty. “I’m ready. You’re not.”

“What do you mean?”

Neil loved her tiny pout, the last vestige of the little girl who’d grown up with him and become one of his closest friends. “I mean this.” He tugged her hair, a ritual he’d performed since their first training class, after a fellow Fian student had tried to defend himself against Talty by grabbing her chestnut locks and yanking too hard.

Pulling something from her pocket, she shook her head and ensnared her dark red tresses in a ponytail. “All right. Let’s go.”

She banged her bata three times on the floor, the signal to start. Neil approached her as he always did: with caution. His father’s voice whispered in his ear: A pretty little girl can kill you just as dead as a big, ugly man.

Talty never began a training bout the same way twice. Today she started pacing. Neil concentrated, tried to sense her battle spirit—and just managed to parry a lightning-fast shot to his chest. She jabbed her bata at his head. He had a split second to decide whether to ward a strike that might be a feint, or wait and parry the real attack.

Thwack! The blow might have broken his thigh if he hadn’t deflected it. He darted behind her. She whirled to protect her back.

Sudden fury blazed in her chestnut eyes. Neil decided he’d better find out what was going on before he got hurt. “What’s up, Tal? Uncle Brian got you flustered again? Taking it out on me again?”

“Nothing’s up!” With a furious swing, she cracked her bata against his.

He barely countered the assault. Talty would be a fine addition to the Banfianna, as the female Fianna were called. She might be lagging behind Neil—her royal duties had cut into her training time—but she knew her moves and possessed a strength that belied her slender form.

Thwack! Thwack!

Neil danced back, his bata raised before him in defense. “All right, Tal, what’s wrong? Tell me before you kill me so I can die happy.”

Thwack! “Nothing’s wrong.”

Her glistening eyes said otherwise. Neil flung his bata down, twisted hers from her hands, and slammed his thigh behind her knees.

She crumpled in outrage to the shock-absorbent floor. “You big dope!”

Turning so she wouldn’t see him grin, he sauntered to a nearby alcove and drew two bottles of mineral water from the mini-fridge. “You should learn the Fian motto, Tal.”

“I know it as well as anyone!” She rolled to her feet and stomped after him. “‘Truth in our Hearts, Strength in our Arms, Dedication to our Promise!’”

He plunked himself down on the bench against the wall. “All right. Let’s start with truth in your heart.” With two quick twists, he removed the bottle caps and pitched them into a nearby wastebasket. He raised one bottle in a gesture of truce.

She accepted it and sat beside him. A swig of water seemed to calm her down. “Thanks, Neily. You’re always looking after me.”

“It’s my duty to look after you. I’m your Shivail.”

“An honorary title you take far too seriously. I can look after myself.”

“My father’s always taught me to protect you. ‘As long as you live, neither for gold nor for any other reward in the world abandon one you are pledged to protect.’”

“You’re full of Fian mottoes today. How about this? ‘A pig’s arse, and that’s pork.’”

He pretended to be shocked. “That’s not a Fian motto.”

She drew the bottle to her smiling lips and chugged. “Get a life, Neil. You have more to do than baby-sit me. You’re going to be the best pilot the Air Corps ever had.” The pride in her voice pleased him. “And then there’s the girls.”

“What girls?” He tried but failed to keep from grinning.

“Truth in our hearts, Neily. I’ve heard how you and our rascally cousin Aidan have the girls swooning all over Ireland.” She poked his shoulder. “Strength in our arms.”

“How about you, Lady Princess, off on a ship full of randy sailors?”

Her cheeks blazed. That such a strong young woman could blush so easily had always amused Neil. “I’m not interested in such things, Neil Boru. Anyway, it wouldn’t matter if I had tons of lovers. I’m to marry Thomas Wessex.”

Neil froze, unsure that he’d heard correctly. “Thomas Wessex? He’s the King of England.”

“Aren’t you a feckin’ genius.” She drank until her bottle was empty.

“I don’t believe it. You can’t marry Thomas Wessex. He’s...he’s not well.”

“That means nothing in the grand scheme of world politics.” She swatted a tear away.

Unsure what to do, he leaned toward her. “Don’t cry, Tal.”

“I am not crying!”

“No.” A gulp of water hid another smile. “That would be ridiculous. Can’t you refuse?”

Breathing deeply, she quickly regained her composure. “I could have, but I didn’t. I wanted to do it. If I marry Thomas, I won’t be Crown Princess anymore.”

“What? How can you not be Crown Princess anymore?”

Talty explained the treaties, and how Geoffrey Wessex had insisted she relinquish her title to her brother Liam. Her declaration that she hated her “king lessons” and despised sitting about like a delicate doll while everyone else had all the fun astonished him.

“So I agreed,” she said. “But as I thought about it, I felt like a cow being sold at the fair. I love my father, but sometimes I wish I were someone else’s daughter.”

She was afraid, though she’d never admit it. Neil set his water down and squeezed her hands. “Your father would never hurt you, and no one’s going to harm you while I’m around.”

With a sigh, she slipped her hands from his. “This politics stuff is all codology.”

“Arranged marriages between England and Ireland are nothing new. My father was supposed to marry Claudia Wessex, remember?”

Talty’s quicksilver temperament cast its spell. Like sunshine bursting from behind a dark cloud, a smile lit her face—and Neil’s heart.

“But he didn’t.” She pecked his cheek. “The smartest thing your father ever did was marry your mother and adopt you the day you were born.”

REVIEWS:

Pat McDermott writes very well. She also has her Irish history down pat (haha). The story line is intriguing and the characters well-drawn. Ms. McDermott shows she's a great researcher, and her visits to Ireland added so much to the texture of the story. -Marva Dasef, multi-published author...READ FULL REVIEW

About the Author:

Born and educated in Boston, Massachusetts, Pat grew up in a family full of music and myths that have found their way into her stories. She is a member of The New Hampshire Writers' Project, Seacoast Writers' Association, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. A frequent visitor to Ireland, she lives and writes in New Hampshire.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended. See my review on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Band-Roses-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0083NVFRI/

The pace is fast. The plot is intricate and well conceived. The characters are immensely likeable, and the villains are despicable. Above all, the writing is excellent in its control and freshness. My kind of book!rn

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