by Patricia Veryan

This one has more angst than a typical novel by this author. A giant misunderstanding between the two principals, leads to a lot of heartbreak and pain. The hero, Kit, is really mean to the heroine. Luckily this is resolved a good bit before the end of the book. As always, there are a lot of humorous scenes interspersed throughout the sadness and near-disasters and dangers. I read this book long ago, and couldn’t remember exactly what Leonie was hiding from Kit, and I admit that when the full secret was revealed, I was surprised. I remembered part of it but there were so many questions in my mind that demanded answers, I actually had to skip ahead because I couldn’t read fast enough, and found myself not able to concentrate the immediate aspects of the story. This second prequel to the Golden Chronicles is vital to a full appreciation of Veryan’s art. It introduces a mysterious elderly gentleman who will save the day for the hero of a book written 6 years later and is an important character in another. The portraits of Kit and Leonie are hanging in the home of a character in The Sanguinet saga which takes place 60 to 70 years later. Her planning and subtle interweaving of characters across books, series, and generations is mindboggling.**3 stars out of 5**

January 18, 2017