Emma Merritt’s MASQUE of JADE – Love and Spies During the War of 1812 in New Orleans!

Set in 1813 in New Orleans when America was at war with England, this is the story of Laura Talbot-Harrow, who left her family’s estate in England for America nine years earlier when her mother disgraced the family by having an affair with another man, which caused Laura’s fiancé to break their engagement. Since then, Laura has wanted no relationship with any man, but instead finds her joy in running her stepmother’s plantation. That is, until she meets the wealthy gambler Clay Sutherland from Virginia who ruthlessly pursues her.

 

Laura’s father and stepmother want her to marry a certain nobleman from a Creole French family. Laura doesn’t love him; she loves Clay. But she would not marry Clay because he is not acceptable to her Creole society.

 

You had to love Clay, the honorable Virginian with a mysterious past…a past that has caught up with him, just like the war that’s coming to New Orleans.

 

There is a lot of action in this one as Napoleon and his supporters engage in stealth to establish New Orleans as a second base of operations; spies and treachery abound. There’s also a sultry voodoo queen who sees Laura as competition for Clay’s affections and will stop at nothing to see Laura dead. Laura’s sister Judith, who was left in England long ago, travels to New Orleans and joins the family, bringing more tension into Laura’s life.

 

I enjoyed this romp through the War of 1812 from the perspective of the English, Americans and Creole French living in New Orleans. I think you will, too.

 

The sequel to this story, MASQUE OF SAPPHIRE, is foreshadowed in JADE and tells the story of Laura’s sister, Judith. It was written by Emma Merritt’s sister, Deana James

Emma Merritt’s VIKING CAPTIVE – Engaging though sometimes Unlikely Viking Tale

Though no date is given, this story is likely set in the early 11^th century when the Norse made voyages to the new world (the author’s note seemed to confirm this).

Kelda, Viking woman of the Norse and adopted daughter of Thoruald, one of their jarls, leads a mission to the new world to find her chief’s child, born nearly thirty years ago to an Iroquois woman Thoruald married and left behind when he sailed for home. (A half Norse boy, recently taken by the Vikings in a raid upon the new world, wears an armband Thoruald gave his Indian wife and the Norse jarl believes the boy is his grandson, hence Kelda’s mission.) Upon their arrival, Kelda and her warriors are seized by the Iroquois who want vengeance for the last Viking raid two years ago.

Thoruald’s son, now Chief Brander of the Iroquois, wants nothing to do with his Nordic father or the Norsemen who killed his Iroquois wife and daughters before stealing his young son, but he will take the Viking woman Kelda as his slave for vengeance.

Merritt portrayed well the two cultures warring within Brander causing him great angst even as his Iroquois mother pleaded for him to embrace who he was. The heroine, however, was somewhat confusing. She could be smart and brave one minute and turn to mush the next.

Effectively raped by her captor (a forced seduction), our Viking heroine nevertheless decides Brander has captured her heart. While Kelda occasionally gets angry, those incidents seemed like minor fits compared to her overwhelming physical attraction for Brander. Still, she manages to hatch a plot that will bring all her warriors and Brander back to Norway.

Merritt has obviously done considerable research into the Viking way of life and did a great job of showing us the culture and travel on a Viking dragon ship. And the story was intriguing…a Viking encounter with the Iroquois Indians of the new world. All that was to the good.

Despite a few negatives, I found the story engaging, and for fans of Merritt, the detractions may be insignificant. I am a fan of her work and she can certainly tell a good story.

Emma Merritt’s LORD OF FIRE - Love in 7th Century Scotland

Emma Merritt wrote some wonderful historical romances. This is one of the few set in the Highlands. It’s the year 625 when Norsemen, Picts and Gaels vied for control of Scotland.

It tells the story of a half-Pict chieftain, Malcolm mac Duncan, whose heart's desire is to unite all of the Highlands. To make peace with the Southerlanders living at the top of Scotland, Malcolm took a bride. But that wife committed suicide, so he wants another from the Southerlanders. And the one he wants--the one he claims--is a beautiful young woman named Jarvia who is educated in the Gaelic tongue and is now the Law Speaker for her people. Malcolm wants an heir; Jarvia wants to save the girl they would have given to Malcolm, so she agrees to wed him.

There's treachery from many camps here and lots of action to keep you reading. Duncan proves a worthy hero and Jarvia his perfect mate. At the end, Merritt leaves some threads loose to come back to in the second book, Lord of Thunder, the story of Norseman Michael Langssonn, Malcolm’s long lost twin. If you are a fan of Merritt, and I am, I think you'll enjoy it.