Diana by the Moon
Tracy Cooper-PoseyHistorical romance
Available from Cerridwen Press
ISBN: 9781419923791
April 2010
| DIANA BY THE MOON takes place back in the late fourth century in Britain. We have Romans and Celts living there, both besieged by the Saxon raids. To say they didn�t get along well, is putting it mildly. Diana is Roman. Her household is typically Roman as well. She is the second daughter, and as such, has no value whatsoever. Her elder sister is married and has two little boys. Her younger sister Minna is their father�s favorite. Diana is usually invisible to the rest of her family, with the exception of her older brother, Verus. Verus has just returned from fighting with Arthur. Her father can�t believe that a son of his is actually fighting for a Celt. Verus is known as Bedivere to Arthur and is planning on returning to him.
Later that same evening, Diana is awoken by her elder sister. She is to gather her younger siblings and take them to the dining hall. The Saxons are at the gate! It appears Verus has taken all the men with him when he returned to Arthur, leaving the villa unprotected. As her father is putting on his armor, he clutches his chest and falls over dead. Her older sister and mother kill themselves. There is no one left but Diana to deal with the Saxons! There is now nothing but women and children left at the villa. Diana has taken charge and is running the villa now. A man shows up. A Celt and he wants to use the hill for a beacon fire. Diana won�t allow it. He comes back later and tells her he is going to be staying at the Villa. Diana knows according to Roman law, a woman cannot hold any property. She agrees, with the condition the running of the Villa is left in her hands. Alaric agrees. Now what is Diana to do? She barely has enough provisions for her own people, much less a troop of men. Will Alaric abide by the agreement and leave the Villa in her hands? Or will he try to take control of it? Diana can�t lose control after the Saxon raid. Tracy Cooper-Posey has put a bit of a different twist to the Arthurian legend. This tale takes place before the Knights of the Round Table existed and tells of how Arthur began to control the Kingdom of Britain by battling the Saxons. Even though Arthur is not present in this story until the very end of it, he is very much felt by Verus� and Alaric�s loyalty to him. This is rather a story of Diana and Alaric, a Roman and a Celt and how they came to see each other as a man and woman. DIANA BY THE MOON gives us a look into the society of the times, with Celts and Romans despising each other. If you have an interest in Arthurian lore, DIANA BY THE MOON is a must.
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Reviewer: Chere |
