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Sannah
by Miriam Newman
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GENRE: Ancient Times Historical Romance
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BLURB:
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 ONE:
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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MY BOOK REVIEW:
This book is intriguing, stimulating, surprising, educational, and satisfying!!
This book is an enjoyable, quick read at only 161 eBook pages!!
This book not only transports you to another time period, but it drops you in an authentic, mysterious land with structured world-building and realistic characters that are not only convincing, but persuasive. I would definitely do what these characters say!!!
I often get asked what my favorite book genres are, and if you know me, my heart probably jumps to the crime/mystery novel with a contemporary/sports romance close behind, and of course, anything with cute little furbabies in it, I’m sold. However, I refuse to just limit it there. There are way too many interesting, intriguing, and important books out there to be read. If becoming a book blogger has taught me anything – it’s that a book can’t be defined by just one category; you really can’t judge a book by its cover; and even when a book you might not have gravitated to, but agreed to read, could easily become your new favorite book. Why am I telling you all this?? Well, I have been a fan of Miriam Newman and enjoyed featuring her on my blog over the years promoting her books and having her stop by for guest posts, but for some reason I haven’t had the chance to read and review any of her books. So, when the opportunity presented, I jumped at the chance. However, I have to admit after reading the book blurb I was a bit unsure as this book sounded very different from the somewhat typical books that cross my desk. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good historical romance, but this book seemed like a very unique take on the topic and ventured further back in ancient times – a time period that I was very unfamiliar with. Nevertheless, I read the book, and I must say, I was very surprised to find myself not only enjoying the book, but at times even fully engaged and hanging on every word. Again, like I said, you really cannot judge a book by its cover, or its assigned genre.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was Miriam’s writing style and the way she drew the reader in. Miriam’s use of such strongly detailed settings and intricate character dialogue created powerful scenes that kept this reader on the edge of her seat.
This book was truly a refreshing take on a historical romance as it featured more of the ancient stone age times – a time that seems to rarely be represented. I am quite (embarrassingly!!) unknowledgeable about this era, but thankfully the author included enough details and background information that she cleverly dispersed throughout the book to help provide a better understanding to the unique culture and customs of this time period.
I really enjoyed the in-depth amount of research the author did while constructing this book that is strongly featured throughout the story. That plus her love and passion of all things historical is clearly evident from page one.
As for the characters, I felt Miriam did an excellent job creating the genuine articles for that time period. I have to say while finding these characters truly authentic, I did not find most of them personable, relatable, or easy to connect with. Perhaps that’s due the time difference, but I’d honestly say it’s more about the culture, mannerisms, and the acceptable barbaric customs that is practiced there. However, I absolutely felt for Sannah with every fiber of my being!! I just wanted to hug her tightly and tell her everything was going to be okay, but knowing the situation she was in, that would be a lie. I understand why Memmet took Sannah and the whole bigger picture and how times were wayyyy different back then – but that beginning scene when Memmet and his clan arrive at Sannah’s camp and just brutally and disgustingly overtake the land and it’s people I was fuming!! Not just over the poor defenseless guard dogs being slaughtered, but the attack on the people, the treatment of the women and children – Sannah’s robe being ripped open exposing her naked body so the men could “evaluate,” it and verify she was a fully developed women, not child, as she is on the smaller side, before deciding she was “acceptable,” to be taken. With the raid concluding, Sannah looked around only to see other young women like her and some of the stronger built children from her clan tied up to also be taken. Upon further searching Sannah sees that all the camp’s men seem to be dead and only the elderly women and young babies are being left at the camp to starve and die off. As a dv survivor reading some of these passages definitely tested my temper lol, but a book that can get you all riled up and completely immersed in the story is worth reading – regardless of what side you’re rooting for – or shouting at lol!!!
I liked that Sannah was such a happy, free-spirited young woman, who was just coming of age, discovering herself, getting ready for the next big step in her life. She was so excited to get paired off and have a forever mating partner. Definitely a different time to be so young and have that as your dream/most important life goal!!! Although enter MTV’s Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant – perhaps things haven’t really changed too much lol!!! Anywho, I’m not quite sure I completely connected with Sannah, but I at least sympathized with her and hoped this horrible guy that just came and kidnapped her would somehow have a higher purpose and work out in the long run. NOT that I would EVER condone kidnapping or approve of what he did!!! But for the sake of this book, the time period, and the likely direction it seemed the author was taking this book in, that seemed like the only positive outcome for Sannah.
Like I said, I probably would not have picked this book up at a bookstore and that would have been a mistake. Even with some of the “enraging,” scenes and the, “I am so happy to not live in that kind of culture or time period,” moments this book was overall entertaining!! And I think that says a lot about Miriam’s writing as she can take a reader who was somewhat hesitant and resistant reading about the cultural time period norms that she finds disconcerting and unsettling and turn that reader into a fan that actually enjoyed reading the book!!
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
At this time, it does not appear that this book is part of a book series. Therefore, this book can be read as a standalone.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all ancient times fans and historical romance readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R7SZ41RPZF8WC
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AUTHOR BIO:
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 www.miriamnewman.com.
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CONNECT WITH MIRIAM:
Website:
Website:
Blog:
Blog:
http://thecelticroseblog.blogspot.com
Email:
mrmireland@aol.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMiriamNewman
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/miriamnewman
BookBub Author Page:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miriam-newman-cf7ca8bf-caab-4b7e-a6f2-7db5490d9215
BookBub Book Page:
https://www.bookbub.com/books/sannah-by-miriam-newman
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3146550.Miriam_Newman
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55349739-sannah
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Paperback:
Apple Books eBook:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/sannah/id1523183044
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sannah-miriam-newman/1137327833
Kobo eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sannah
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Miriam ~ Good morning! Welcome back! It is always a pleasure to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting and for your very kind review. Yes, I knew this book was different and wasn't sure how it would be received, but so far people seem to be enjoying it and that's what it's all about! I always love visiting Fabulous and Brunette.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed following the tour for Sannah and can't wait to check it out - thanks for sharing all of the great posts along the way!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks, everybody. I did not have to think consciously about this book. It came full blown. If you have triggers, it may not be the book for you and I want to be honest with readers about that. But I think Ally nailed it--if you have a fascination with history and an ability to put yourself into the story, I hope you'll enjoy it. As I went on, I did myself find the characters more relatable: a man who is still half barbarian and thinks the spirits speak to him, yet is capable of love and duty. A woman who, while she may be young, has foresight and a view of the future. Tribal elders and a "political" agitator whose behavior ultimately has to be circumscribed by the tribe. We may wear better clothes, but are we so very different today? I wonder.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a lot of us aren't well read on the stone age! Glad I'm not the only one :) It was nice to get a glimpse into the ancient past with this one!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking time to share your book with us and it's always a pleasure in our family to learn about a new one.
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks very enchanting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book, Ally.
ReplyDelete