Skull's Vengeance (Curse of Clansmen and Kings Book 4)

This is the fourth book in a series about Catrin and Marcellus, star-crossed lovers whose backgrounds as royalty forbade them from coming together. I have read all four in the series, and, once again, had trouble putting this book down. This author's ability to bring characters alive is extraordinary. Her research into the world of Celts and Romans is superb.Catrin is fighting her half-brother, Marrock, to become queen of her country. She has married Marcellus, who's a Roman patrician. Marcellus's father has betrothed him to a young girl, whom he wants Marcellus to marry for political reasons. Marcellus's brother, Brutius, hates Marcellus and begins scheming against him. Meanwhile, Marrock has sent an assassin to kill Catrin. The intrigue builds and builds, as Catrin attempts to gather an army to fight against Marcellus. Her efforts are complicated by the fact that she becomes pregnant by Marcellus.I won't give readers any more details; however, the way the author establishes intrigue and weaves magic and backdoor deals to complicate what might have been a relatively easy situation is masterful. She portrays the cruelty and horrible way slaves were treated at the time, and, through her characters, demonstrates either humanity toward slaves or utter disrespect for them. A reader will be able to determine how a character acts based on how he or she treats slaves.I recommend this book highly; however, I think that it makes sense for anyone who wishes to read this to begin with the first book and read all four. I am anxious to read the next book. Prior to this series, I would never had thought to read this genre. Because of this author's skill, her characters, and the way everything is presented, my mind has been opened to another genre. I am grateful for that.

SKULL'S VENGEANCE is the fourth book in the series CURSE OF CLANSMEN AND KINGSIt is Historical Fiction combined with fantasy and paranormal elements and presented with a great plot.The title mirrors what happens in the story. Written in a time when the Roman Empire dominated the world, we get a good look at a smaller nation, the Celtics, who are determined to break Rome's rule. Thus, Skull's Vengeance depicts the continuing conflict between the Romans and the Celtics, the hatred and enslavement of people, and the love of a Celtic woman for a Roman soldier who was the father of her dead baby daughter. Will they reunite again? That you must read.The romance came too short for me, but I understand why. Wars and vengeance demand their tribute.Filled with dark magic, "the Other World," the ancient druids, and shape-shifters, each paragraph builds upon the other, and I kept turning the pages, desiring to know what would happen next.The intertwined plot raises the tension throughout the story as the mixture of fantasy, brutality, visions, dreams, undying love, and intrigue transforms and changes the characters. IBy the time the story ended, I wanted more, so I look forward to reading book five of this series.

An historical fiction story set in the early years of the 1st millennia AD, when Rome ruled with an iron fist and sought to strengthen control over Celtic Britain. The story continues with Catrin freed and seeking a way to return home and reclaim her rightful place as queen. Her supernatural Druidic powers are dampened by her pregnancy, she is vulnerable until the birth of her son. Will she be strong enough to fulfil the prophecy that she will defeat her evil half-brother? I can’t wait to find out!

We follow the life of Catrin, the true heir to the Cantiaci tribe, and her love for Marcellus, a Roman aristocrat and commander of a Roman legion. Their love for each is strong but can it overcome the battle of their familial destinies, that are set to drive them apart?The love between the two main characters is evident on every page, yet there is the underlying threat of Marrock, Catrin’s half-brother, who tried to rape her when she was a young girl, and Marcellus’s father, who is determined to expunge the taint of Marc Antony’s legacy and romance with Cleopatra, and in his mind who ruined the family’s reputation. Catrin is determined to unite the Cantiaci tribe but her brother has the backing of Roman forces, who is intent on becoming the king of all the Celts, and uses dark magic to destroy his opponents, and eliminate Catrin. From the Roman side, Marcellus’ father Lucius Antonius, has arranged for his son to marry a twelve-year-old girl, daughter of a senator to gain a political stronghold in the Roman senate. Marcellus tries to refuse, but is bound to follow his father’s orders in spite of his devotion and love for Catrin.The historical backdrop is well-written and woven into the storyline masterfully, creating a dramatic and high-action intrigue to the forbidden romance between ‘a barbarian’ and a Roman citizen. Catrin’s growth into a leader with responsibilities to her tribe come through, yet her love for Marcellus makes her vulnerable and she makes decisions based on those feelings, which may be her undoing. Equally, Marcellus convinces Emperor Tiberius into giving him his own command of a legion in Britain to secretly assist Catrin conquer Marrock, may see him being tried for treason, not to mention what his father would do to him! The tension as opposing forces strengthen, is heightened: Marrock against the other Celtic tribes, Catrin and her devout clansmen with the help of Rhan and Myrddin, druidess and druid (think Merlin) building an army against Marrock and the Romans; and then there’s Marcellus whose memory had been wiped by Rhan in Book 3, and is torn between his duty to his father, Rome legion and Catrin.What I enjoyed the most about the story was the detail of research that has gone into the story to make the period come alive. It was a visceral and vicarious experience into ancient Britain and the attention to the supernatural elements that stem back to the magic of the druids, a mystical group who haven’t left a great deal of historical information, was exciting to read. The siblings, Catrin and Marrock, who can shape shift into animals, adds to the mystique of the story and adds an extra punch to the storyline. I have to admit I’m feeling a little sorry for Marrock in this book … only a by a smidge.Highly recommended for readers who enjoy ancient historical stories steeped in mythology.Though I received an ARC for review, opinions are my own.