Celtic Tempest

by Ria Cantrell

Sometimes when the idea of love is shunned because of preconceived notions, pain and suffering ensue, taking the lovers down pathways that ultimately still lead them to each other.

In Fourteenth Century England, landless knights are forced to obey the ruthless monarch without question. Sir Andrew Brandham, knight of the Realm and captain of the Elite Guard of Ragnorsen Keep is called to do just that. When his best friend, Sir Erik Ragnorsen is commanded to nullify his marriage to the beautiful Rhianna Du Montefort because they have yet to produce an heir, Sir Andrew accompanies him to do battle with the will of the king. Erik is being forced to marry the daughter of a Scottish Laird in order to form a tenuous Peace between the Highlanders and England. The idea of divorcing his beloved wife to marry a loathsome Scot is beyond Erik’s vow of obedience and honor. He is imprisoned for his impulsive disobedience and Drew is left to form a scheme to save his friend. When he sees the Scottish lass who has been chosen for Sir Erik, he is instantly drawn to her and while his plan unfolds to aid Erik, Drew forms a friendship with Bronwyn, daughter of the Laird and High Chief of the Clan MacCollum.

Bronwyn MacCollum was raised in the Highlands, where the past is steeped in traditions of the “Old Ways”. A long time ago, Bronwyn had a vision of her intended, but realizing he was an Englishman, she vowed to change her destiny. The English were always the enemies of her people and she would not bring danger to her beloved clan. Only, she becomes a pawn in the sadistic game of the King of England and Robert the Bruce and is being forced to marry an English knight after all. Upon seeing the man she is betrothed to, she knew her vision had been false because he looked nothing like the man who had invaded her dreams since childhood. With vehement disregard for the king’s decree, she declares her hatred for Sir Erik Ragnorsen and would rather risk war than to marry him. Only, when she meets Sir Erik’s personal guard, Bronwyn realizes that sometimes you cannot fight what is destined from the start. Sir Andrew Brandham was familiar; more than familiar. He was the man of her visions and nothing she could do could make her deny it.

Bronwyn and Drew are filled with distrust and betrayal seeps into both of their hearts. They suffer through many storms that batter their hearts and souls like rocks at the edge of the tempestuous sea. Can their love survive the lies and heartache they are each guilty of? Can Bronwyn escape the Destiny and the pull of the Old Ways and create a path without Drew or will love help them both to embrace the course Destiny has chosen?

Genres: Historical Romance, Medieval, Romance

303 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2013

About the author

Ria Cantrell lives with her English rock star husband on the sunny shores of Southwest Florida. When she is not writing, Ria is busy singing and performing with her husband in local venues. She is a classically trained vocalist with a specialty in baroque and early music, but she can “rock” out with the best of them. Her dreams came true when she met her husband Paul in 2010 after speaking to him via internet for nearly three years. They married in May, 2012. Ria would say that their love story was as good as the fictional ones you read and in fact, she may tell it in one of her upcoming books. Ria has always been drawn to the distant past and so it seemed only fitting that Celtic Fury was set on a medieval stage. She began writing at a very young age and one would rarely find her without her trusted notebook scribbling her romantic musings.

She hopes you enjoy the Celtic Saga with the Clan MacCollum at the forefront. Look for her prequel, Celtic Tempest, which should be completed by February. Celtic Traveler, is already in the works where the present, past and future collide.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. The characters are believable and you get drawn in to their story, their romance, their passion and their pitfalls. At times, I kept thinking that they would not be able to overcome the obstacles set in place. I think those trials and tribulations were what made their story so believable. I even hated the nemesis, Daria. She was someone you loved to hate and with good cause. This story had lots of passion, and tenderness. The ties to family, clan and country were undeniable. One could sympathize with both Drew and Bronwyn's plight. Their human qualities were not unlike ones we all experience. Even the hero and heroine had their faults. By their imperfections, one could relate to them in a realistic way.

I loved the sense of Ancient Ritual and Old Ways. There was an air of the unknown and a sprinkling of magic, too.

As for the "sultry" parts...Phew, they got my heart racing.

Loved loved loved Celtic Tempest.

[Moonshadow · Rating 2 out of 5]

female lead very annoying

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like this in series. I love visiting old characters while meeting new ones. The love stories are a bit too fast but it leads to what everyone wants: great sex.

[Jane Verzi-prow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undying Love

Well written story.

Looking forward to the next one

I have always had a weakness for the Highland Clans!
Great book!

[Lisa C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the time period in which this was set and the characters were engaging, I think it fell short in several ways. It dragged on a couple of times and I had to force myself not to look ahead to see what was going to happen next. There was too much modern language sprinkled in. Too many misunderstandings that almost made it comical and finally, too many bedroom scenes. You get the idea early on they are deep in love but it went from one encounter to the next.

Either through her naivete or ignorance, Bronwynn failed to see how much Drew cared for her.

The secondary characters were well written and very entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed Bronwynn's brothers and Rhianna but Daria was too predictable.

[Kimi Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun ride on the emotional roller coaster with Ria and her wonderful writing. I loved this book. Seems with every book she gets better and better. She did it again, brought out my anger with the characters, my laughter, and my excitement. The love between Bronwyn MacCollum and Sir Andrew Brandham, was sweet. The turmoil they go through just to love one another is almost heart breaking and at times you just want the others to leave them be. Then they have their own demons to fight which does not make things easier.
I suggest reading this one before Celtic Fury. As you will see it starts where this book leaves off. Do not worry, this book has an ending and is also able to be a stand alone.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in the Celtic Storm series was a good followup to the first, Knight Storm. I recommend reading Knight Storm first as this book continues that story and has many of the same characters. We had already met and fallen in love with Drew, so it was fun to find out what direction his life would take. The plot was exciting and loaded with action and adventure from start to finish. Ria Cantrell is good at making her villains very evil and easy to hate. She excels at some of the hottest love scenes I've read in historical romance novels. You really feel the chemistry and connection between the characters. This was a fun and entertaining read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of difficulty getting into this one. Andrew and Bronwyn, for characters that are supposed to be destined to be together, work at cross purposes a lot in this one. In addition, I found there was just too much focus on the sex in this one - again, characters that are destined to be together should have more to build their relationship on. The book did start to pull me in later and I was glad that I persevered and finished it. it wrapped up nicely and gave us a glimpse of the main character in the next volume of the series.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stuck with it for 75% of the book and then I just had to stop. It was too aggravating and painful. I rarely add a book to my "dnf" shelf; however, reading for me is supposed to be enjoyable and transport me to a place far and away from my everyday reality. There were just too many things about this book that annoyed me.

[Ann Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. In the beginning I liked the characters. of course, Drew was likable in book one. As the story progresses, Drew is a lovesick fool and Bronwyn is hell bent on believing the worst and ruining their relationship. I just felt she went from being intelligent young woman to acting like a selfish child. The plot and story as a whole was all very interesting and entertaining.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this story so very much. It has emotion, sorrow, desire, regret, loss, forgiveness, healing, and love. I didn't find any errors what so ever.

I hope she writes more about those rugged Knights. If you love paranormal you will love this.

[Tracy music · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book,strong characters

Good storyline, strong characters. Enjoyable ups and downs of love. Good follow to book one but also strong enuff to stand on its own. Very good read

[Peggy Salkill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Story line was strong as well as the strong connection between the characters. Look forward to reading more of this author!