Of Water and Dragons

Of Water and Dragons
Kelley Heckart
Heatwave Romance
ISBN: 1-58749-545-7
Fiction, Historical Romance, Fantasy
Reviewed by Qetesh

If you love historical romance and fantasy you will be drawn into this book immediately. The characters are vivid, Nay-Moo is breathtakingly beautiful. The historical elements in the opening scene are so realistically described that you feel like you are standing in the middle of a battlefield. The book opens with a bloody battle scene where the Romans are trying to conquer a wild land they have named Caledonia. A soldier named Ambiorix is severely wounded in battle and gets separated from his men in the forest. He is disoriented and loses his way among the trees. He thinks that he hears laughter and wings overhead, then he believes that he sees the face of a goddess. He falls unconscious then later wakes to find himself being tended by a woman, shrouded in a gray cloak that is healing his wounds. He is enchanted by this haunting music that he hears upon awakening. She says that her name is Nay-Moo. He is shocked when he realizes that she is the “Goddess” that he thought he saw in the forest. She continues to tend his wounds and when his strength begins to return his curiosity gets the best of him. He wants to know more about this strange woman who is caring for him. He wonders how she was able to carry him down into the cave by herself. He begins to climb to the mouth of the cave that they are in and spy on her to see where she goes every day. To his shock and dismay, he sees her talking to Druids, Caledonians, which are his sworn enemy. He waits until she comes back, and is deep in slumber. He quietly creeps over to see why she always remains covered in a heavy cloak. He moves the fabric and is again astonished to see a pair of large white wings. Recoiling in horror because she is not human, he decides to leave. Nay-Moo knowing he is still too weak to travel makes him agree to allow her to guide him out of the forest safely. He tries to resist her but they both are drawn to one another. This Story is rich with Roman history and Celtic Lore. The author is a master storyteller that weaves and binds you in her spell of enchantment as you become engrossed in this tale of love and sacrifice.