"Absolutely beautiful love story"

Epona knows that the times are turning darker, at least to followers of the Goddess, as Christianity begins to sweep away the old religion that she still practices. She also realizes that her "gift" is beginning to fade and she must quickly mate with the right man to pass on her gift to her daughter just like her mother did to her. However, Pony as she is known, fears she will evanesce just like her mom so has delayed the inevitable for a decade, but the catastrophe her mother predicted seems imminent and time has run out for Pony.

When Pony meets Saxon King Alfred she thinks this noble liege must be the one, but then she encounters Viking Valgar the Beast and wonders if he is the chosen. As Pony struggles to make up her mind by choosing one and leaving the other behind, her selection will impact England. She knows that even with her full of loving for one of the men, her choice must be what is best for her people and not necessarily her heart.

Fans of Dark Ages mystical romances will appreciate Susan Squires' latest magical tale. The key to the exhilarating plot is the lead female character that seems so believable whether she talks with the animals or struggles with her fears, doubts, and uncertainties. As the author did with the delightful DANEGELD, Ms. Squires provides a strong historical romance that adds to her growing reputation for enchanting, unique stories.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted February 15, 2003

She waits under the sign of the White Horse for the man who will father her girl-child. Will it be Saxon king or Danish outcast? Her choice will change the world. In Viking fire burns her destiny.

Epona waits beneath the sign of the White Horse, last of those who worship the Great Mother, for the man who will fulfill her destiny and give her a girl-child. Her gift is a connection to the natural world. Yet as the battle between Saxon and Viking sweeps across her land, it brings two men. One will become Alfred the Great. One is an outcast Viking warrior. The future of England hangs on Pony's choice. Even the nature of her gift is changing and she must embrace the very thing she fears to save it.

Summary

Out of Darkness, light. War swept England, and the dark ages grew darker as Vikings put Saxon strongholds to the torch and promised new rule. The horde found Epona, Daughter of the Goddess, on the hill beneath the Sign of the White Horse. There she had lived, awaiting the man who was fated to give her a child. In Viking fires burned her destiny.