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. this is my second reading, and it did not measure up to my memory. 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