The Warriors of Wales

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This week saw the publication of book two in my Warriors of Wales series, namely Llywelyn's and Cristin's story.  These two were minor characters in the first book of the series, The Warrior's Reluctant Wife, and feature in a scene, early on in the book, when my heroine Rhianon's new husband, Peredur, is riding off to war. Her younger brother, Llywelyn, isn't riding with them, not because he's too young to fight but because his father considers him a coward. I knew as I wrote that line that Llywelyn was a fascinating character who needed a book of his own and that Rhianon's maid, Cristin, would be the perfect heroine for him. 

 

UK edition, published 23rd May 2024

 

In book one, Rhianon talks often of her favourite brother, and how, after the death of their elder brother Rhodri, he has had to renounce the life of a monk upon which he was set to take up the sword instead and fight for his prince, the Lord Rhys.   Even in these small snippits of information, I could see Llywelyn's character developing and as soon as the book was finished, I couldn't wait to get started on his story. 

The second book starts, however, with Cristin, who had featured more than Llywelyn in book one but whose character I hadn't really thought very deeply about. She was instantly one of those characters who writes themselves, and the relationship between the two was one of the easiest I've ever written. Perhaps that was because they were childhood sweethearts, even though they were born at the extreme ends of the medieval social scale, Llywelyn being a lord and Cristin a bondswoman to his family. 

There was a important and, for me, very interesting spiritual side to the story, inevitable of course given Llywelyn's thwarted vocation.  His vow to become a monk at the abbey of Ystrad Fflur (Strata Florida) introduced me to a very special place in west Wales, one I've been back to many times over the last year and a half.  Also, threading in material from the medieval Life of Saint Padarn, the legendary Cwn Annwn (the hounds of the underworld) and, on a lighter note, the Celtic-Christian mix of the May Day feast really helped me add colour to the story - as of course did Mwg!

 

West door of the ruined Cistercian monastery of Ystrad Fflur

 

All in all, of the four Wales-set books I've written to date, I think I've enjoyed writing this book the most.  And I hope those who are kind enough to buy and read The Warrior's Forbidden Maiden enjoy it too!

You can read the prologue to the book on my website: https://lissamorgan.com/prologue/

Available to buy from:

 Mills and Boon | Harlequin |  Amazon UK | Amazon US 


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