Starlark

by Cael Percy

"Outlander, with a gothic romance twist'' - Amazon Reviewer


On the morning of her wedding, Roma awakens to find that a 21st-century eclipse has swept her through time and space to medieval Ireland—a land bedevilled with strife, conflict and danger at every possible turn.

Soon caught up in an intricate spider’s web of political intrigue, Roma is forced to ally herself and marry a man she passionately hates—a cocky, rugged, silver-tongued Irish warrior—and the only man who can protect her from the dark forces at work on the Emerald Isle…

For under the rolling green hills of the ancient Irish countryside lies a powerful force that even today is only spoken of in hushed tones. And as the war deepens, Roma finds herself falling for the one man she swore that she never would—her husband, Fionn, whose fierce passion drives her crazy despite herself.

Roma’s a very long way from home—but her battle has only just begun, and now she needs Fionn’s help more than ever to succeed…and craves his touch more than ever to survive.

Rich in historical detail and spine-tingling, gothic suspense prepare to be swept back in time to the lush mythology, epic legends, mysterious, windswept moors and Celtic magic of STARLARK’s medieval Ireland—and the spellbinding gothic romance tale of a love so absolute it transcends time itself…

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Time Travel, Historical Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2016

About the author

Since writing her very first fairy tales at the tender age of 5, Cael Percy has long been a writer blessed with an over-active imagination that goes to places few other writers dare. Nowadays, Cael writes stories that explore the darker side of human desire—and the timelessness of love.

Part-dreamer and part-realist, Cael dreams up scenarios where primal instincts are awakened by forces far more powerful than the protagonists—and how they fight through them to live another day.

Whether writing about alpha males brought to their knees with heart-crushing desire or women desperately fighting unwanted, but irresistible, attractions, Cael’s books are electrifying page-turners from beginning to end.

www.caelpercy.com

Reviews

[Diana Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am at a complete loss on own to review this book. I thought according to the synopsis it was to be a time travel paranormal romance. The first 14 chapters take place in current times, in a Convent Home for abandoned children, which is actually a cult. Roma the central character has been raised there since birth. The "Father" of the Home is purported to be her biological father as well as the other children's " father". He ultimately wants to take Roma to wife, which is just not something I care to read about. Finally we get to the Lunar Eclipse that starts up the "paranormal " portion of the book, when the eclipse sends Roma back in time to the 900's Ireland. And still other than the time travel, nothing paranormal in nature has been seen other than the moon strengthening Roma when she is exposed to it. Chapters 24 & 25 make no sense to me at all, I think they are meant to be prophetic dreams, but it's never quite played out completely. She meets Fiona, and his brothers and they save her from slavery, agreeing to take her to their King, Roma dressed in her wedding finery looks like a princess to them, so she plays along to get away from the slavery. The end of the book comes after a battle with what I think is some type of Demon, the city is set afire and it seems Fiona is dead and possibly his brothers, but lots after behold the first true piece of paranormal occurs and they all are alive, even after fighting the demon and burning in the tavern. I honestly don't know what to call this book, and if your looking for paranormal romance, this is not it. It might be better set as a time travel genre. According to the epilogue, book 2 will have more paranormal and romance, I'm just not sure I'll be reading it as this one just jumped all over the place. It went from thriller cult, to flying through time, to demon attack, to being brought back from the dead. Read if that appeals to you. I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I'm giving it 2 ☆'s as the characters were decently written, but the rest of the story just didn't play out for me.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I literally feel cheated. The synopsis of this book is so kick ass and as soon as I started reading it I felt like someone had done a bait-and-switch on me. I wanted to like this book, I really wanted to like it but I simply couldn't. The beginning of this book takes place in England 2013 and badly details a cult with an abusive, controlling, incestuous father/leader. The writing is also not very good, everything feels very two dimensional and not fleshed out. They compare this book to Outlander but Diana Gabaldon's works easily blow this book out of the water. Outlander has depth and emotions, this book has none of that and I seriously wish with all my heart I could get the $1.06 I spent for the e-book back.

[Kristi Cheatham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible

I hate to leave bad reviews, but this was one of the poorest written stories that I have ever read. I had to force myself to finish it, hoping that at some point it would get better. The story idea itself (that I could understand) has great potential.......if you can get through the jumble of mess it's tangled up in. There were many parts that just rambled on and on and on.

[Barbara Buttillo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just horrible! It was painful to read.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in return for an honest review. I really had to struggle through the first part set in modern times. At times it was confusing & I'm just not into the incestuous stuff and even though there is nothing graphic or anything beyond the psychological impact, it is chilling and stomach churning, That said, once Roma is transported through time I thoroughly enjoyed it. The descriptions were so clear that I felt I was there. The characters are well developed & real. I loved the dialogue, with the sass & humor. Even with the fast pace the author sets the details are riveting and memorable. I loved the whole scene with the priest & also the 2 sisters and the chamber pot, the oatmeal and the accidental marriage. The tavern fire was devastating to read & I was ready to cry. In summary, this takes on a roller coaster of emotions. I don't think it is for everyone's taste, and I think it deserves it's own genre as it is definitely a new tale.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I received a copy of this eBook from the author, in return for an honest opinion. That said, I always base my reviews on my actual feelings about a book, good or bad. I deal in truth.

The book is well written, and the character development is there, it is definitely a well fleshed out piece and you can feel the author's passion in every sentence. It does have a couple typos but that doesn't detract from the story at all.

The story it's self is very very dark, and will probably not appeal to a lot of people, however it is written as tastefully as can be when dealing with such very delicate subject matter. I actually really enjoyed the story and I feel that if the author writes further into this story that it would make a very good series.

I personally can not wait to read the further adventures of Roma.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange, very strange. Yet also strangely compelling.