Fantastic HNS Review for Before Beltane

Good Morning!

It's definitely proving to be a great weekend for me and I hope similarly for you. Yesterday, I had an excellent lunch with some of my RNA Scottish Chapter fellow authors in Perth, Scotland (Romantic Novelists Association). That meant a 2-hour-drive to get to the venue, and the same return journey, but it was so worth it to meet up in person and to get caught up with what everybody is doing in their current writing journeys. 

When I returned home last night, I opened an email that made my smile even wider. It had come from J. Lynn Else, a reviewer at the Historical Novel Society of which I'm also a member. The email told me that a review for Before Beltane had been published in the February 2023 Edition of the HNS magazine. It's an extremely encouraging review which pleased me no end since the reviewer has highlighted many of the important issues I wanted to address in the Prequel to the Celtic Fervour Series. 

You can read the full review HERE . 

There are some great comments that I can use in my promotional material, in fact almost all sentences below are perfect! 

"Before Beltane is an immersive trip into the Iron Age of Britannia. From new archaeological discoveries to the writings of Ptolemy’s mapmaker, Jardine’s comprehensive research and intuitive contextual choices bring the story to life in plausible and nuanced ways. Subtle touches of Gaelic in the dialogue, along with well-detailed social hierarchies, enrich the story. Tensions are rising for the indigenous people while Lorcan’s and Nara’s stories draw closer together. The book is packed with more character development and world building than I typically see from prequel novels. I am impressed and would definitely read more from this author and the Celtic Fervour series."

My thanks, again, go to the reviewer J. Lynn Else, and the whole Historical Novel Society team of organisers.

Happy reading!

Slàinte!