A tale of timeless love, heroic courage . . . and a race to change the course of destiny itself. I couldn’t put it down. This is King Arthur as you’ve never seen him before. –Anna Elliott, author of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy.
By the autumn of 537 AD, all who are loyal to King Arthur have retreated to a small parcel of land in north Wales. They are surrounded on all sides, heavily outnumbered, and facing near certain defeat.
But Myrddin and Nell, two of the King’s companions, have a secret that neither has ever been able to face: each has seen that on a cold and snowy day in December, Saxon soldiers sent by Modred will ambush and kill King Arthur.
And together, they must decide what they are willing to do, and to sacrifice, to avert that fate.
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Review from Smashwords: “A great read with well realized characters. The quality of writing is superb, and the setting is intricately detailed. Kept me reading to the last page!”
One of my favorite books as a child was The Crystal Cave : Book One of the Arthurian Saga (The Arthurian Saga, Book 1), and I still fondly remember young Myrddin Emrys. I smiled when I saw that was the name of one of the main characters.
The other thing that made me smile was that this is a story for adults with adult heroes. Nell is- gasp!- all of 30 and Myrddin is 36. Of course that’s not old at all, but refreshing in a market where so many stories are targeted to young adults, even Arthurian stories.
While sex- and rape- are referenced here, it is not depicted; this has no graphic or explicit sexual content. However, violence and death do come up several times in a realistic way. It is not gory, but it is unsentimental. Again, an adult story for adults.
“The sight” plays a big role in this story, and I would be disappointed if it didn’t. Throughout the book, the characters- and the readers- constantly grapple with how much of the future can be changed. I think the reader will be satisfied with what the characters find.
I devoured this story and grew attached to the characters. I sincerely hope the author writes a sequel- I’d like to find out what else happens to Nell and Myrddin.
Review from Amazon UK:
King Arthur comes to life in this wonderfully authentic tale based entirely on Welsh mythology rather than the Anglo-French versions made fashionable by the needs of writers who lived years later, or by romance writers who follow this lead.
Arthur is under threat from a superior army of Saxons led by Mordred. The story builds around Myrddin, a knight, and Nell a nun, both dedicated to saving Arthur, and both able to foresee danger to him.
The story has a magical feel, but doesn’t dwell upon sentiment; its characters having a life of their own. It conveys a true feeling for Wales in the fifth and sixth centuries through warring factions seeking the approval of the High Church.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a thought provoking postscript.
Hi Ms. Woodbury……
Found your website while searching for information about bird deaths at wind farms. Added a bit of information at your discussion on wind farms.
Your panoramic photo at the top of this web page looks like Crescent Lake, here in Washington state on the Olympic Peninsula. What is the location of your picture?
My wife, Janie Olsen is an artist in acrylics, dealing with animals, both wild & domestic, & even some Narwhales, unicorns & a hippocampus(steeds of Neptune). Her website is ‘thestorybookstudio.com’ .
I’ll look around your website some more. Thank you for your attention.
litesong
Very good eye! It is Crescent Lake, a picture my husband took in January. We are planning a trip to Wales in 2012 and then I hope to have some comparable pictures of Wales, but I wanted one that was copyright free but not off Wikimedia
Cold My Heart is an excellent book. I was so engrossed, I read it in one day. Would absolutely love a sequel to see how the story of Myrddin and Nell goes forward. I am so impressed with your story lines and the ability to convey love and intimacy without unnecessary descriptions that often distract from the story being told. My plan is to march forward thru your list of books, so far I have been nothing but impressed and entertained.
I’m so glad! Thank you! And if you feel moved to leave a review saying exactly that, I would be most grateful
I am currently working on the sequel, too, so sometimes in 2013 …