Sannah

An ancient historical romance by Miriam Newman

Barely more than a girl, Sannah is taken by a man who is both warrior and shaman in a winter raid on her Stone Age camp. But Memmet believes the spirits have given her to him and he will keep her at any cost.

Two strong people must find the reason they have been brought together, because lives depend upon it.

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Excerpt

Stumbling through snow, she looked up at the man above her, trying to deduce what sort of monster had taken her. Not much was visible amid the hooded bearskin except the craggy profile of a man not as young as their young hunters but much younger than Jodiah. There were two diagonal scars beneath his eyes, too symmetrical to have been caused by injury, and a strip of thumb printed blue paint in a line from the bridge of his nose to his hairline. Unlike the men of her clan, he had no beard, though shaggy dark hair stuck out at places beneath his hood. He looked savage and alien.

He was more sun-browned than her men—not one of the fair mountain tribes. Those tribes did not often stray from their mountain camps, anyway, and had no horses. This rider was something different. His language was not far removed from hers, since she had been able to understand him. But he didn’t say a word or look at her except to slow his horse slightly when she stumbled.

That was a more frequent occurrence as biting cold sliced through her hide shoes, even though the fur had been turned to the inside. Her feet grew cold, then burning hot, then numb as she faltered beside the horse down the slope that led to the lowlands. Her hands quickly lost all feeling and her breath came hard, then in panting gasps, and apparently he finally heard that.

He stopped his horse, calling to the others, who did the same, granting their captives a precious moment of respite. Sannah stood, ribs heaving, starting in terror as he dropped down from his horse. He would cut her throat if she could not keep up, and though perhaps in a way it was a better, she had the instinctive fear of death and jumped back from him.

“No,” he said—just that. Short, sharp, an unmistakable command. She froze and he reached for her, one hand gripping the back of her wrap, the other around her leg. Lifting her easily, he pushed her on top of the horse and forward, almost over its shoulders. “Move.”

Feeling like she would topple off at any moment, she did her best to comply as he mounted behind her. Reaching around, pinning her with his arms, he picked up the reins, clucking to the horse. She gasped in alarm and clutched its mane as best she could as it began to walk, but there was nowhere she could go. She would not fall as long as he held her.

Her feet hung down along the warmth of the heavy-coated horse just as her hands rested on its neck, and eventually she regained some feeling there, but the rest of her was frozen. As the horse plodded solidly on, followed by the others, the man behind her opened his bearskin, wrapping it around her, sharing its heat. But he was an enemy. He might speak to her or not, might kill her or not, might rape her or not. Silently, trying not to let him hear, she sobbed in despair.

He lifted one hand from his reins, pushing it inside her hood, his hand cupping her face.

“Be quiet,” he said. “No one will hurt you.”

She was too shocked to move, but she did stop crying because tears were freezing on her cheeks.

Saying nothing more, he rode on.

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Review

I enjoy romances that are set in times/places where I don’t often see romance books set. This was a fascinating, as well as emotionally satisfying read. There’s also plenty of adult scenes for those wanting to see our leading couple in action. The characters are many and varied. They, along with the setting, felt real. I felt like I could step into the pages and onto the grounds of history.

I believe in reading books outside one’s own culture. Doing so helps us learn. It’s amazing to me what was considered permissible, even good, way back “in the day.” The same would be frowned upon in so many ways today, but in the time of this story, “wrong” things were a matter of basic survival. Something to consider even when thinking across cultures today. Are things “wrong?” Or just a different way of thinking?

There’s some violence (nothing graphic) and scenes which may be problematic for those sensitive to stillbirths. Otherwise, I encourage you to give this a read. It’s a well-drawn story with many aspects, romance and otherwise.

About Miriam Newman

Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a “motley crew” of rescue animals. You can see my books at miriamnewman.com.
Find her online:
–website
–thedarkcastlelords.net
–Miriam’s blog
–The Celtic Rose Blog
-Email: mrmireland@aol.com
–Facebook
–Twitter
–Bookbub Author Page
–Goodreads Author Page
–Amazon Author Page

Giveaway

Miriam Newman will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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