The Call of the Sea

 

The Call of the Sea

By Sian Ann Bessey

Covenant Communications, 2022. 252 pages. Romance

On the eve of her betrothal to a nobleman she's never met, Rhiannon seeks comfort on the shores of the sea she loves so well. But instead of offering peace to her uneasy heart, the ocean heralds doom with the arrival of dreaded Viking ships. A vicious raid leads to the death of her beloved father and leaves Rhiannon's life in tatters. Heartbroken, she travels to Ynys M̥on, where she takes up residence at the royal court of Owain Gwynedd. Leif loves voyaging on the open water. As the son of a Viking chief, he's accustomed to his people's practice of plundering and looting. But when one of his companions ruthlessly kills an old man in front of the man's beautiful daughter, Leif is haunted by the memory. Desperate to find forgiveness for the atrocity he allowed to occur, he's offered a chance at redemption through the kindly teachings of an Irish priest and the unexpected arrival of a royal fugitive. Suddenly thrust into the midst of the Cymry's political turmoil, Leif is reunited with the dead man's daughter--Rhiannon. Forced to work side by side to uncover the truth behind the turmoil, they come to discover that love can grow from even the most tragic of beginnings. But with such incompatible backgrounds, surely a future together can never be theirs.

This book was really interesting for a number of reasons. I loved the Welsh names and terms, and Rhiannon was both compelling and kind as a character. I loved her constant urge to be by the sea. Even though I've studied Celtic British history, this is an era that I wasn't as familiar with, and the author ties real characters seamlessly into the story with her fictional characters. This book is published by an Latter Day Saint author and publisher, and although this story (12th century) clearly takes place before Mormon history, there are religious elements to the story that are interesting and plausible. 

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Summer of the Danes

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Mysterious Press, 1991. 251 pages. Mystery

This story takes place at the same time as The Call of the Sea, and involves many of the same characters. In the Summer of 1144, a strange calm has settled over England. The armies of King Stephen and Empress Maud, the two royal cousins contending for the throne, have temporarily exhausted each other. On the whole, Brother Cadfael considers peace a blessing. Still a little excitement never comes amiss to a former soldier, and Cadfael is delighted to accompany his young friend, Brother Mark, on a mission of church diplomacy to his native Wales. But shortly after their arrival, the two monks are caught up in yet another royal feud. The Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd has banished his brother Cadwaladi, accusing him of the treacherous murder of an ally. The reckless Cadwaladi has retaliated by landing an army of Danish mercenaries, poised to invade Wales and retake his lost lands. As the two armies teeter on the brink of bloody civil war, Cadfael is captured by the Danes. His fellow prisoner is a headstrong young woman fleeing an arranged marriage-or perhaps her involvement in a murder.

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Here Be Dragons

By Sharon Kay Penman

Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985. 704 pages. Fiction

Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king's beloved, illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Reluctant to wed her father's bitter enemy, Joanna slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband who dreams of uniting Wales. But as John's attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales--and Llewelyn--Joanna must decide to which of these powerful men she owes her loyalty and love.A sweeping novel of power and passion, loyalty and lives, this is the book that began the trilogy that includes FALLS THE SHADOW and THE RECKONING.

MGB