REVIEW: A Band of Roses by Pat McDermott



Title: A Band of Roses
Author: Pat McDermott
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Publish Date: 2008
Genre: Romance / Time Travel / Historical/ alternative history
Length: 667pgs
ISBN: 978-1-60435-292-4 
Format: eBook
Reviewer: Sassy Brit

Alternative-Read.com

Geoffrey Wessex has set up home on a uninhabited island, Fargan, in order to claim it as his and England's. But he has no thoughts of keeping it, Wessex only wants to use it as a bargaining tool to get Ireland's King Brian's feisty daughter, Princess Tailte - "Talty" - to marry England's aging King Thomas and gain a few offshore oil wells in the form of her dowry in the process.

Agreeing to her father's wishes, Talty marries to save the seized part of Ireland's crown territory in order to benefit both countries. However, this means that she will no longer be in line for the throne, and her bookworm brother, Liam, will become crown prince and soon accede to the throne. But danger lurks around every corner and things take a terrible turn on Talty's wedding day. Something happens to leave her not only fighting for her life, but forced to flee to Scotland to recover from the reconstructive surgery required for her face. She must live as an outcast until she is sure it is safe to come back, but when she does (as a member of the International Security Forces' top secret Peregrine project), the people who have crossed her had better beware!

In this twist of history, Brian Boru, and his heirs have survived the Battle of Clontarf from which A Band of Roses draws upon, and Ireland is now a very different place. I really enjoyed this, although I can't understand why there was a shift of P.O.V in chapter seven where we see inside Talty's mind, for one chapter only. Despite this oddity, A Band of Roses is a story of love and loyalty between friends, and the wanting of stark, cold revenge, for an unjust incident Talty has to live with for the rest of her life, and it was a lot of fun. I followed the story eagerly and read fast for a conclusion. Set with a historical background, Pat McDermott, has crafted a romance that includes so much more than I expected. A Band of Roses, refers to Talty's closest circle of friends, and it is this connection, along with the time travelling aspect of this romance, which drives the story, and makes the book worth a read.

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3 comments:

  1. Natalie W4:05 am

    Sounds like a very interesting book! I love books like this. I'll have to check this one out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blodeuedd7:12 am

    I am very confused when it really happens and how. But I so wanna read it :D
    Thanks for this review, I am very very interested. I love alternate history

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jenny Girl9:54 pm

    Sounds interesting, but am confused about the time period of the book. Is it now or back in history? Or is it an alternative universe type thing? I'll check it out regardless.

    ReplyDelete

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