I wanted to read something set in Eire or thereabouts and decided on The King's Druidess by Sky Purington. This is a short story or novelette prelude to Sky Purington’s MacLomain series (Fate’s Monolith, Destiny’s Denial and Sylvan Mist). Purington also has written other series.
This novelette begins with a sensual scene of Chiomara (a druidess/diviner of the goddess Brigit) meeting King Erc for a mystical coupling in the circle of the stones before his forthcoming marriage. The king is very taken with her and Chiomara herself has had feelings for Erc for a long time; however, their destiny may not allow them to be together. Despite this, they will have a predestined child.
There are many Celtic elements to this short read that are interesting and overall it’s a nice story. Because it’s so short (listed at 48 pages), there isn’t time to develop things. For example, Chiomara is a druidess and while we see her pray to her patron, Brigit, the goddess of divination and that she blesses the bread of some of King Erc’s subjects, there is no other detail about her druid practices and what she’s capable of.
The time-travel element which comes in right at the end brings the reader up to speed for the next book but is written very quickly and I found it useful but not satisfying.
If you've enjoyed reading the MacLomain series and want a bit more (especially about birth origins), this is a nice tidbit but I’d wait for a free Amazon day to download it. Nice cover.
