Title: Loyalty (Britannica Book 1)
Author: Carol Deeley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author: Carol Deeley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I would like to thank the author for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.
Loyalty is a historical fiction novel that is the beginning of a trilogy. There are druids, kings, queens, fearsome warriors, Romans, and some bad ass women. There are secrets, mystics, forbidden love, and loyalties. I am not going to go into a lot of the plot, because there is an extensive summary on Goodreads or Amazon, and I don't want to take away from your reading experience.
Overall, this is a great first book, I'm happy to say this book didn't have a lot of the first book problems many series have. I am also astounded that the author can seamlessly write multiple genres of work. If you have read any of Carol Deeley's other work, note that this is very different. I am amazed at her ability to write the story that she has regardless of the genre it might be set in. I am not a writer, but I have read other author's attempts to veer out of their genre and it did not go well. That is not the case for this author.
Here's what I like:
1. The amount of background work and historical facts integrated into the novel is very well done. It is clear that the author did a lot of research before and while writing the book.
2. The characters in this book develop well and there is a lot of growth.
3. It was a pretty fast paced read. I moved through the book quickly and there wasn't a lot of drag that I had to go through.
4. I am in love with Boudicca. She is fierce.
5. There are castles and mystical stuff...how can you not love that.
6. I love the diversity in the relationships that Deeley writes. They are amazing. Love is love is love.
7. The first half of the book spans many years, so we were able to see glimpses of the 'past' to put the second half of the book into context.
Here's what could have been better:
1. The editing. This was mostly in tenses and pluralities. I was able to move past it and became immune to it at some point in the novel.
2. As a personal preference there are times when the descriptions seem a little long winded, but I have this problem as a reader in many books by many different authors. So take that as you will, if you enjoy Koontz's writing style then this writing style is perfect for you.
If you enjoy historical fiction or have any interest in Briton, I would definitely recommend this book. I will be reading the next two at some point.
