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The premise—a lad falls for a man in love with a woman, and the man’s doomed to disappoint both because he’s fated to be a monk—added up to Harey being a lot of fun to write. My first historical romance, from the beginning beside a waterfall in 612 AD to the happy ending, I loved immersing myself in the time period.
I learned about scotch verses whiskey, the color of wedding gowns, rabbits really do dance and all sorts of interesting facts.
Yet it wasn’t all fun, sex and love when writing about the man who gave rise to the Easter bunny. Nor is there much word count concerning hippity hops or painted eggs. When researching the origins of Easter, I came across an episode in Briton’s past that was quite shocking. I do hope I gave voice to the fallen, and those who read my story will think upon betrayal, massacres and true sacrifice, as well as love that defies all obstacles.
Harey by Arlene Webb
Gwas can outrun a horse, knows how to hide and steal, but is ignorant of the ways of men. The last thing he expects when he is rescued from a miserable existence by a blue-eyed, blond haired angel is to be promised as a Druidic sacrifice to Eostre. Unfortunately, the only direction Gwas wishes to flee is straight into the arms and knife of his savior, Gareth.
Maura knows Gareth is no angel, but she adores him with a passion that time and loneliness cannot dent. When he rides in carrying an injured lad who fears her on sight, she is drawn to open her heart to the abused orphan as well.
Gareth is caught between his liege lord and brother’s fist, and an emotional dilemma that grows harder and harder to deny with every passing season. If he must defy man and gods in order to embrace his heart’s desires, so be it.
When the clash of old and new religions puts lives in peril, ultimate sacrifice bears witness to enduring love. Winter gives way to spring, and the evolution of a colorful myth spreads across the land.
Excerpt: I am no angel. Gareth’s shoulders slammed into the ground. A heavy body covered him, and the adrenalin jolting through him made him feel like a powerful animal. But I am in heaven. He tugged his arms free, wrapped them around Harey and grasped the back of Harey’s head. And I do not care if adulterous sodomites go to hell. He jerked him upward and took his lips.
No time for tender exploration. He had to show Harey who he belonged to, and it was not some bloodthirsty deity, or the daughter of a mass murderer. What if Aethelfrith, the devil who had ordered one thousand, one hundred and sixty-five men killed so they could not pray against him, had still lived? Harey would have walked into his knife with a smile, a pet hare, and promises of painted eggs.
I will not let this man leave me again. Never. Not ever. He’s mine. Gareth fought back his moan anddeepened his kiss. Harey tasted so good, fresh and sweet like Maura, but firm and bony where she was all curvy softness. He intensified the pressure, relishing the feel of the lips he had desired for so long, and Harey yielded. Gareth rammed his tongue in, danced around, and then back out to repeat. He had never held a body to mirror his own like this, captive over him, and the sheer joy of not being gentle saturated him.
http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=622
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009BXO4TA
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-harey-944023-146.html
About me: Sci-fi, paranormal, thriller-mystery, indefinable, I’m an author who adds sweet and spicy layers of romance to any genre.
Born in upstate New York, land of cows, snow, drizzle and sometimes a ray of sun, I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on.
Early twenties, I headed for the Pacific. A stop off to visit a friend turned into years in Tucson, Arizona. I worked as a waitress, bartender, greenhouse worker, greyhound trainer, while swapping a psych major for one in plant sciences. Fired for skipping employee meetings at restaurants, employee gambling at the dogtrack, refusing to use live rabbits as bait, it fell to planting cacti and bartending to pay my way through college.
My late twenties found me running family owned greenhouses and florist shops. When the reality of retail life became too mundane to handle, I began an obsessive love of creating more interesting worlds.
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Thank you so much for hosting me here at Harlie’s Books.
Sincerely, Arlene
It wasn’t until I finished Harey that I finally got the Easter origin story. I’m a bit slow because I was completely fascinated with the history that Ms. Webb weaved into her story. Times were harsh back then and the clash between the pagans and Christians were brutal at best. What drew me into the story itself was Harey.
Harey is an abused man-child that had never known the touch of a man or woman without fear. When we first met Gareth and Harey it’s not a very pleasant experience for Harey but one that would change his life forever. But it was Harey’s innocence and purity that sets him apart of any historical/medieval character that I’ve read before. He had trust issues but when it came to Gareth, he trusted him from the beginning. Warming up to Maura took a little longer.
Don’t worry about the smexy times in the book. Sure there is m/m and m/f but the m/m is so tastefully done that its sweet in nature and not too graphic. Harey has an instant attraction to Gareth and feels like it’s a sin but if you go back in history, it was actually very common. His time with Maura is also sweet and Ms. Webb does a great job of writing their scenes together.
Gareth, oh my Gareth…He is a dream but conflicted as well. The scenes at the monastery are brilliantly written and the history of the early Briton wars with the Saxon were great. It made for a fascinating read and my realization that not everything is sugar-coated in history.
Do yourself a favor and pick up Harey. The history that Ms. Webb weaves with a sweet love story is not to be missed. Plus, it will definitely give you a better perspective on the Easter Bunny. Did I mention that there is a bunny in the story and its name is Bitty? Nope…will, you definitely need to read the book to found out. 😉
Thank you, so much, for hosting me and for a review that leaves me thrilled. I’m so glad you understood and took away from my story what I hoped a reader would and, again, I can’t thank you enough.
I loved Harey, Gareth and Maura! No worries! 😉
Harlie