Of Water and Dragons by Kelley Heckart


Of Water and Dragons

He’s a Roman soldier. She’s an enemy of Rome.
The Romans call the land they want to conquer Caledonia. Nemu calls it home.
The half-human, half-water faery has a second chance to save the Celtic people
from the Roman legions, but the cost might be too high.
Ambiorix is torn between his duty to Rome and his growing affection for a
mystical Caledonian woman. He questions everything he’s been taught about the
barbaric Celtic tribes.
Their worlds collide in a fury of fire, blood, and darkness.


˃˃˃ Of Water and Dragons combines the Roman history and Celtic lore of
ancient Britain and Scotland, creating an unforgettable story of love and
sacrifice.

This is a revised 2nd edition.

Genre: Historical fiction fantasy romance

Tropes: Opposites Attract, Love Triangle, Secrets, Magic,
Fated, Different Worlds

Available in Kindle, Print, and Kindle Unlimited

Amazon Buy Link

EXCERPT:

Ambiorix had a lot of time to think while she was gone. He was determined to find out who this strange woman was and why she always wore a cloak. What is she hiding?

Later, when she returned to the cave, he pretended to be sleeping. He watched her lay down on the other side of the room. After waiting for her slow, slumbering breaths, he crept over to her.

Nemu slept peacefully, her goddess-like face looking so innocent. The cloak was wrapped tightly around her body. Holding a candle, Ambiorix gently lifted the garment to see what was underneath.

Large white wings protruded from just below her shoulder blades. He gasped and stumbled back, the candle teetering in his hand.

She must have seen the shock and disgust on his face because she looked down as if ashamed.

He slowly backed away from her. “Y-You are not human!”

“My father was a human!” she threw back at him.

Wide-eyed and trembling, he continued to stare at her.

“Stay away from me.” He grabbed his sword belt and armor, backing away toward the entrance.

She held up her hands, palms facing him. “Wait! At least let me guide you out of the forest.”

“No! I can make it on my own.”

“I know this forest. You need me if you want to make it out of here alive. You might fall into one of the deep valleys, and there are beings in this forest that wouldn’t treat you as nicely as I have.” She compressed her lips and thrust out her chin in determination. “We have to wait until twilight so Calgacus’s warriors can’t see us. You should get some more rest.”

He sighed, slumping his shoulders in defeat. She was right. He had no idea how to get back to the Roman camp. Ambiorix lay down, but he didn’t sleep, and he kept his sword close to him.

Review Quote

“Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.” CTR

About the Author


With nearly 20 years of writing and editing experience, Kelley Heckart’s writing focus is steamy, paranormal romance novels. The author of 14 full-length novels, Kelley cleverly plays on the page using fantasy and paranormal elements throughout ancient, medieval, and contemporary timelines. And she fills her romance novels with history, mythology, and mysticism. Her bold characters tell stories through the eyes of fierce warriors, powerful women, gods and goddesses, faeries and vampires, and beyond. These characters are intertwined with one another through captivating, sensual storytelling, and she thrives when using her gift of fantasy and romance.

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The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels

The Prince's Bride (Hidden Royals, #2)The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Hidden Royals, #2

Release Date: May 21, 2024

Years ago, when they were just infants, Lady Marianne “Ryan” Daventry & Prince Gabriel d’Orleans were betrothed by their parents and they grew up understanding their obligation. But then the revolution swept through France and Gabriel and his sisters were smuggled out of France, hidden away and the betrothal forgotten. Ryan never really thought of her betrothed and while she had fond memories of Gabriel, she has been much too busy taking care of Winscombe, her family’s estate on the Channel Island of Guernsey to wonder about him. But that was before his cousin Maurice shows up claiming Gabriel is dead and that he is the new Prince and demands that Ryan honor the betrothal by marrying him and turning over control of the estate to him. The only way to thwart him is to find her true betrothed and bring him back to confront Maurice. But she has not seen or heard from Gabriel in 9 years and her only clue to his location is a letter he sent her before he disappeared for good. That is how Ryan ended up being held up by a highwayman in the Savernake Forest and saved by a strange man, who may or may not be her long-lost fiancé and who flat out refuses to help her.

Prince Gabriel d’Orleans has been living in seclusion as Gabriel Rien in the Savernake Forest for the last 9 years and has gained a reputation as an exceptional horse trainer. He avoids contact with others, including his sister Elise, who has tried without success to reunite with him, so when he hears a woman screaming, his first instinct is to ignore her, but he can’t and to his complete shock the woman he rescues is his betrothed. He refuses to help her, but he can’t seem to let her go and slowly he ventures out of his sanctuary. Going as far as to reunite with his sister and her family and asking them to help Ryan. And even as he falls in love with her, he is still adamant that he cannot be the man she needs him to be. So why is it so hard to let her walk away?

I loved this story, Ryan and Gabriel are such wonderful characters and truly have a beautiful connection. I loved watching them battle their demons and heal as they began to fall in love. The story is filled with emotion, personal doubts, a greedy relative, warm love scenes, adorable nieces, a hypochondriacal nanny, a match-making former rake, an almost grown-up Bartholomew, a stunning confrontation and a very sweet ending. This was such a great story, and I would happily recommend this story to my fellow HR readers. This is the second book in the series and while it could be standalone, I would highly recommend reading the books in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *