Title: The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven
Author: Jennifer Ivy Walker
Genre: Paranormal fantasy medieval romance
Book Blurb:
In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom.
Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.
Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?
Excerpt:
The Thrum of Power
One day, Maiwenn led Issylte along the stream to a sheltered grove where an abundance of beautiful purple and white wildflowers grew amidst ivy-entwined evergreen shrubs and yew trees. The fairy witch motioned for Issylte to kneel at her side among the flowers. Her luminous brown eyes twinkled in the filtered sunlight.
“Every tree, plant, flower and herb has an essence. A spirit. A life force.” She gestured to the verdant forest all around.
Issylte raised her eyes to the lush canopy of trees overhead, the blue sky peeking through the fluffy clouds. She inhaled deeply, the green notes of pine mingling with the rich scent of earth and the tangy fragrance of blossoms in the early summer breeze.
“The essence of the forest can be beneficial. Benevolent. Essential for healing.” She picked up a sprig of red clover and handed it to Issylte with a knowing smile. “Yet others are harmful and deadly.” Maiwenn gestured to the alluring deep purple flowers before them.
Issylte’s breath caught in wonder. She sensed an aura. A tingle in her veins.
Maiwenn’s chestnut eyes bore deeply into hers. “Have you ever felt the thrum of the forest in your veins?”
Issylte nodded, her eyes wide with discovery and delight. She held Maiwenn’s gaze, nearly breathless with anticipation.
“That, Églantine, is power.” Maiwenn’s eyes were deep brown, like the nourishing earth of the Hazelwood Forest.
“You, my dear princess, are a forest fairy. Like me.”
With a quick intake of breath, Issylte placed her hands over her mouth in wonder.
“The Goddess has blessed us both with a divine gift. The ability to sense the essence of a plant. To wield its power. The warm, soothing aura of a beneficial herb. The icy sting of a poison.”
Maiwenn gestured to the field of flowers. “Use your gift. Tell me which flowers are harmful.”
Issylte stood, straightening her brown homespun frock. She stepped cautiously among the flowers. A pervasive sense of dread and doom engulfed her as she neared the deep purple blossoms. She turned to Maiwenn. “These flowers are poisonous. I can sense death.”
Maiwenn nodded proudly, her eyes glowing in the dappled sunlight. “Wolfsbane. Deadly poison.” She wobbled to her feet, rubbing her hip with a gnarled hand, and crept towards Issylte. “Wolfsbane slows—then stops—a beating heart.” She took hold of Issylte’s hand and led her to the deep pink flowers growing nearby. “And these?”
Issylte sensed the sting of danger, tempered with a wave of hope. “These…can be fatal in large doses. But beneficial in small amounts.” She reached out with her gift, probing the nuances of the aura surrounding the flowers. “This plant affects the heart also. Is it used to prevent death from wolfsbane?”
Maiwenn’s wrinkled cheeks puckered in a grin of delight. “Yes. This deep pink flower is foxglove. It can accelerate and strengthen the heart. If someone has been poisoned with wolfsbane, it can prevent death.”
The fairy witch pointed to the white flowers. “What about those?”
There were two very similar types of blossoms. Both very pretty, like delicate lace, but one flower had a repulsive odor and purple splotches on the stems. An icy cold permeated her veins, warning of danger.
“This one is deadly. What is it?”
“Irish hemlock. Very deadly indeed. And the other?”
Issylte sensed a wave of peace and calm. “It is harmless. Am I right?”
“Yes. Cow parsley. Well done, Églantine. Come, I will teach you so much more.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
My main protagonist, Issylte. She is a forest fairy with verdant magic, a Warrior Priestess of the Goddess Tribe Dana and Guérisseuse (Healer) of Avalon
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
It’s an escape into a world of medieval French fantasy, with otherworldly elements such as forest fairies, Druids, a dark wizard, a wicked witch, diabolical dwarves and the Earth Goddess Dana.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US or Canada) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to be eligible.
Runs October 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on November 1.
Author Biography:
Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French. As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, "Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête"--an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of "Tristan et Yseult" and the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch. Her debut novel, "The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven"--the first of a trilogy-- is a blend of her love for medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of "Tristan et Yseult", interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldly elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic. Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy
Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22671046.Jennifer_Ivy_Walker