The Du Lac Devil #BookReview

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The Du Lac Devil: Book 2 of The Du Lac Chronicles

By Mary Yarde

War is coming to Saxon Briton.

As one kingdom after another falls to the savage might of the High King, Cerdic of Wessex, only one family dares to stand up to him — The Du Lacs.

Budic and Alden Du Lac are barely speaking to each other, and Merton is a mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. If Wessex hears of the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.

Fate brings Merton du Lac back to the ancestral lands of his forefathers, and he finds his country on the brink of civil war. But there is worse to come, for his father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court of Benwick. Now, more than ever, the Du Lac must come together to save the kingdom and themselves.

Can old rivalries and resentments be overcome in time to stop a war?

*******

Having only recently finished the first book of this series, which I enjoyed thoroughly; I was delighted to have the opportunity to voraciously dive right into the second.  I was not disappointed. Not only has Mary Yarde meticulously researched the history of the 6^th century in which the story takes place, allowing readers to experience how different life truly was so long ago, but she draws the reader deep into the mystery and intrigues of the plot.  She spins a web of romance, lust, violence, and the darkness of self-loathing.

Merton emerges as the dark anti-hero in this part of Yarde’s epic saga, and readers are hard pressed to not like him, in spite of so many things that might make him unlikeable.  I found myself aching because of his sorrows, yearning with him for something more, and hoping with him when love reaches out to touch him. The characters of Yarde’s tale are complex and bound together through dichotic and intense associations that twist the moment you think understand them!

Although there is enough backstory to make this a standalone, you would be cheating yourself if you did not start with the first books of the series.  Highly recommended and absolutely enjoyed, this reader is anxiously awaiting book three!

Undeniably 5 Stars!

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~Morgan~