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Cover art of Nemu by Ruth Bochte
REVIEWS
5 Angels! Kelley Heckart embraces romance,
battles, and fairies in Of Water and Dragons that
make this delightful story a precious treasure to read.
She instills a great plot, intriguing dialogue and a
well-rounded cast of secondary characters that keep
the story flowing creatively and gives good meaning
to absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Reviewed by: Linda L. at Fallen Angel Reviews

The next morning the rain had stopped, but a light gray curtain of mist fell
and both he and Conare were coated with fine droplets.  They rode in
silence.  Ambiorix was still thinking about the conversation with Cavarinus the
day before.  He was trying to figure out a way to bring a peaceful ending to
all of the recent unrest and he wasn’t paying much attention to his
surroundings until his senses brought him around.

The air was heavy with the smell of smoke, which wasn’t too unusual
because everyone burned fires this time of year, but this smell was
particularly strong mixed with an acrid scent.  A strange feeling of danger
washed over him and he stayed alert, wary of every sound.

When the trees parted, it appeared something was smoldering in the
distance, but it was hard to tell because of the low overcast skies.  Ambiorix
tried to mentally gage how close they were to his home and his eyes
widened in disbelief.

“Conare!  Hurry!”  Ambiorix spurred his horse on.  The horse’s hooves
pounded the wet earth sending up sprays of mud that pelted Ambiorix’s back.

Ignoring the cold wet air that slapped painfully at his face, he urged the
horse to go faster through patches of woodland and over green pastures.  
The familiar clearing came into view and with it the sickening sight of his
house smoldering, gutted and destroyed.  His first thought was to call out for
his wife, but the soldier in him bade him to be silent in case renegade Celtic
tribes were responsible for the destruction and they were still nearby.

Movement behind the smoldering house caught his eye and he halted his
horse, motioning for Conare to do the same.  The boy was unarmed and
Ambiorix didn’t wish to put him in danger.

“Stay here,” he instructed the boy.  Pulling his sword from the sheath at his
side, he guided the horse through the trees, into the clearing and into the
unknown.

It was much too quiet.  Even the birds were silent.  The pounding inside his
head roared along with the rapid beating of his heart.  The remains of his
ruined house still smoldered from the ravaging fire.  A light rain began to fall
and the still hot embers emitted a resounding hiss.

Ambiorix cautiously dismounted, scanning the area for any sign of people.  
He wanted to call out for his wife, but hesitated, still not sure what had
caused the fire.  It was possible the bathhouse caught on fire, as they were
notorious for starting fires, but something didn’t feel right to him.  He prayed
to the gods that Valeria made it out of the house before it burned.

Near the burnt out ruins, he found the bodies of two Roman soldiers; their
headless bodies coated with white ash like the first dusting of winter
snowfall.  The evidence confirmed his fears of an attack and an icy hand
gripped his heart, squeezing the air out of his lungs.

‘Where was Valeria?’  The thought echoed wildly inside his head.

He whirled around at the sudden sound of a snapping twig.  His sword
narrowly missed taking off Fiona’s head.  She didn’t seem to notice that she
almost lost her head, her eyes were wide with shock and she stumbled about
as if drunk on spirits.

“Fiona, what happened?”  He held on to her arm to keep her from falling
down.

She shook her head, her long wet braid swinging from shoulder to shoulder,
spraying droplets of water.  “Ah…Ah…they blended into the forest like f-
faery f-folk.”

He took her by the shoulders, shaking her.  “Where is Valeria?”

“Valeria?”  Her eyes were wide, vacant.

“Where is my wife?”  He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but couldn’t
help it.

“Ambiorix!”  Taran appeared from around what was left of the house.

“How could this happen, Taran?  Where are all the soldiers?”

“It happened just before dawn.  I was in the stables.  Most of the soldiers
were called away to a neighboring villa.”  He paused, catching his breath.  “I
heard screams coming from the house and then… flames.  There was
nothing I could do.”

Ambiorix felt his heart rise inside his chest, choking him.  “Valeria?”

“I…I’m sorry.  She didn’t make it out of the house.”  Taran shifted his gaze,
looking down at the ground.

The world seemed to spin and the vision of the burnt, blackened house
loomed before him like a wide black maw.  Behind him, Fiona started
screaming.
“The poor babe!  The poor babe all burned up, too!”

He lost all control.  “Speak to me, woman!  What babe?  What are you
talking about?”  He shook her hard and slapped her cheek, the loud crack
piercing the thick mist and rain.

Her eyes cleared and she looked up at him.  “Why, your babe, sir.  Valeria,
she was with child.”

He turned away, his legs buckling beneath him, and was violently ill.  
Shaking, he turned his face upward, letting the rain cleanse his invisible
wounds.  They had killed his wife and unborn child, but it was the unborn
child that reached out to him from the smoldering ashes.  He imagined the
tiny fingers grasping onto his large, callused hand.  Cursing, he pounded the
earth with his fist, the vision fading into a black abyss; and with it any hope of
peace.

copyright 2005 by Kelley Heckart
"The characters and the story have heavy Arthurian
legends, or even the Badon Hill version of historical
Arthur.  This does make for a surprising ending,
which is good, and lays the groundwork for future
novels following on from this one."
Reviewed by PaganNews.com  
and preserved history. Although not meant to be
myths alive at the time. The mystic dragon and the
Druid abilities make this an interesting setting. The
characters are very well drawn, with some out of the
ordinary people mixed in. A colourful but harsh life for
most, although freedom wasn’t something most
people had. Slavery was rife and shown as
demeaning and something most fought to avoid. The
ceremonies and battle scenes are vividly brought to
life on the pages.

The author has tied the story in with well-known and
still not understood happenings in history.  This tale
is filled with well-written prose, some great dialogue
and descriptions. The characters are well drawn and
true to the time frame. It also brought the land and
the tribal outlook to life in a new way as the historical
background rolled forward.

If you like unusual fantasy and can suspend belief for
a while, you will enjoy this trip back in time.
Reviewed by Pam
November 2005
© Love Romances, 2001-2005. All Rights Reserved
historically correct, it relies on the suspicions and
myths alive at the time. The mystic dragon and the
Druid abilities make this an interesting setting. The
characters are very well drawn, with some out of the
ordinary people mixed in. A colourful but harsh life for
most, although freedom wasn’t something most
people had. Slavery was rife and shown as
demeaning and something most fought to avoid. The
ceremonies and battle scenes are vividly brought to
life on the pages.

The author has tied the story in with well-known and
still not understood happenings in history.  This tale
is filled with well-written prose, some great dialogue
and descriptions. The characters are well drawn and
true to the time frame. It also brought the land and
the tribal outlook to life in a new way as the historical
background rolled forward.

If you like unusual fantasy and can suspend belief for
a while, you will enjoy this trip back in time.
Reviewed by Pam
November 2005
© Love Romances, 2001-2005. All Rights Reserved
4 Cups! This tales speaks of another time. A time of
faeries, soldiers, druids, and magic. Ms. Heckart with
her words, making them believe for just a little while
that they too can call on dragons or control armies.
For the time it takes to read this book, we just might
have the power to control the universe. Of Water and
Dragons is a romance to make you believe again.
Karen Magill
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
"OF WATER AND DRAGONS is an inviting story.  
Readers will like Nemu and Ambriorix.  Themes of
destiny and fate are threaded throughout the book,
and the secondary characters add to these themes,
helping to neatly tie up the story.  Yet for all the
coincidences that Ms. Heckart offers readers, there
are a few surprises...OF WATER AND DRAGONS is a
solid read; if you are interested in a story filled with
information about Celtic religion and Roman
history,...OF WATER AND DRAGONS is for you."
Reviewed by Nickole Yarbrough of Romance Reviews
Today
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4
Both Nemu and Ambiorix are well drawn out and I
cared a lot what happened to them, so much so I had
trouble putting this book down.

The ancient world they lived in is vivid and very
realistic. Their love story is a fascinating mix of
Roman history, Celtic lore, fantasy elements and a
strong desire for one another.
Reviewed by Romance Junkies Reviewer Michelle
FREE sample chapter copy upon
request.  Simply contact the author
with "sample chapter request" in the
subject line and the sample chapter will
be e-mailed to you.
The author spins a fine tale...The characters are
three-dimensional and easily captured my interest.
The plot weaves seamlessly through a complicated
time in history, taking advantage of ambiguities to
insert an otherworldly mystique. I truly enjoyed this
story and look forward to reading more from this
author.
Reviewed by Debra Rodensky for Historical Novels Online
Of Water and Dragons is now available at the following
stores:

New Age Concepts, 55836 29 Palms Hwy., Yucca Valley,
CA 92284  For store hours please call 760-365-9284.

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928-680-7272.

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928-453-4773

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Havasu City, AZ 86406. For store hours, call
928-854-7926.
storyteller that weaves and binds you in her spell of
enchantment as you become engrossed in this tale of
love and sacrifice.
Reviewed by Qetesh at TCM Reviews
The story was good, the plot moved along fairly
quickly and was unique in both plot and delivery.
Reviewed by Astraea at Enchanted Ramblings
This is an incredibly well written book with a good plot
that moves along fast enough so you find yourself
having to keep reading.
Reviewed by Morgaine at The Pagan Review
INTERVIEWS
bass guitar and wrote songs in an all
female hard rock band called Driven Steel.
My roots in writing started with this band.
Metal Maidens revisits the past with an
interview with Driven Steel. Click on the
link below to read this interview and to see
pictures of Driven Steel.
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