Journeys:
the Archers of Saint Sebastian
by
Jeanne Roland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:
Young adult crossover historical romance and adventure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A
barracks full of beautiful boys. A girl in disguise, living among
them.
It’s
the 14th century, and the longbow is king. But in the northern
European principality of Ardennes, archery isn’t just the nation’s
defense. It’s the national obsession.
MEET
THE JOURNEYS
12
young Journeyman archers, the best in the country
2
years of public competitions, in which looks count almost as much as
ability
6
will win a coveted membership in the Archers’ Guild of St.
Sebastian
1
will become the prince’s new Guardsman
MEET
MARIEKE
15-year-old
Marieke is as obsessed with St. Sebastian’s as everyone else in
Ardennes. Only it’s the middle ages, and girls just don’t become
elite archers. Except Marieke's prospects as a girl aren't promising
either, after a well-timed kick from a mule has left her with a face
that’s badly scarred and ruined for marriage. But when
circumstances force her to leave her old life behind and flee to the
guild for refuge, there are only two things Marieke really knows
about the place. One is that a mysterious accident ended her own
father’s time as a Journey. The other?
There
are no women allowed inside St. Sebastian’s.
Marieke
knows disguising herself as a boy and infiltrating the guild means
embarking on a dangerous deception. But it may be her only chance to
find out the truth about her father’s past and to stop a murderous
plot from coming to fruition. When the dashing young Journeyman
Tristan takes her under his wing as his squire, she’s got to stay –
at least long enough to help him beat out his brutal arch-rival to
win the competitions.
Keeping
her identity a secret will be hard. Living in close quarters with a
pack of gorgeous boys? That will be harder still. But the hardest
thing of all will be keeping the vow she makes for herself: to see
Tristan become the next Guardsman, without ever letting him find out
she’s a girl - a girl, who loves him.
Part
Robin Hood and part Princess Bride, with a pinch of Mulan and a dash
of Cyrano de Bergerac in the mix, The Archers of St. Sebastian I:
Journeys is a humorous action and adventure saga inspired by late
medieval/early Renaissance Belgium and packed with romance, wit, and
longbow archery. Perfect for young adults looking for an immersive
read and for adults who love young adult themes, Journeys is an
escape into the past that reads more like romantic historical fantasy
than pure historical fiction.
Unrequited
love? Ugly heroines who stay ugly? Friendship, coming of age,
romance, adventure, and plenty of archery competitions? A unique
setting inspired by the glorious city of Bruges, with a richly
imagined world set within the walls of a male-only archers' guild?
Journeys: The Archers of Saint Sebastian has it all, so if you're
looking for a great escape, don your disguise and join Marieke as she
enters the forbidden world of Saint Sebastian's, and prepare to fall
in love with the Journeys - that is, the twelve best and most
beautiful archers in all of Ardennes, the Journeyman archers of St.
Sebastian's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
(Context:
15-year-old Marieke is disguised as Marek, and she’s serving as a
squire to the Journeyman archer Tristan at the archers’ guild of
Saint Sebastian. She’s in love with him, but she’s sworn an oath
never to let him find out she’s a girl. In this scene, she fishes
for information on Tristan from his aristocratic friend Gilles, one
of the other Journeys competing for permanent membership in the
guild).
“Would
it be safe to say, then,” I continue, trying even harder to sound
casual, and making sure to exclude Gilles himself from my remarks,
“that the Journeys, as a group, might not have as much experience,
then, as they let on?”
“Gentlemen,
Marek,” Gilles says, looking at me reprovingly over his dagger, “do
not discuss their sexual exploits.”
I wait.
Gilles loves to hear himself talk, and if you just wait him out,
he’ll usually talk about anything. It works. After a minute, he
laughs. “Well, we all know now there’s at least one with
absolutely no experience at all!” He chuckles, remembering Taran’s
embarrassment, but I don’t care about him.
“But
the others?” I press.
“Well,
if you’re asking me to speculate,” he muses, and I give him an
encouraging look meant to tell him that I’m doing just that, so he
continues in a gossipy voice. “I’d say it’s probably a mixed
bag. At least a few have probably been around the pasture once or
twice, if you know what I mean. We’re a pretty appealing bunch,
after all. There’s the matter of Jurian, of course,” he says
sternly, and I have no idea what he means, “but for most,
opportunity is rather a problem. Not everyone has had the advantage
of growing up in a manor, with rather obliging servants. Girls,
Marek, as you may know, have an unfortunate habit of having so many
fathers and brothers. And then, there’s just no accounting for
sensibilities. I’d have thought Falko, for example, was a terrible
slut. But according to him, he’s sworn a vow of chastity to some
unattainable lady, so there you have it. I rather suspect this is a
convenient way of explaining his spectacular lack of success, but if
Falko can be chaste, then anything’s possible. Speculation is
meaningless.”
“A
chivalrous oath to an unrequited love. Sounds more in Tristan’s
line,” I say leadingly, hoping to turn the conversation to my real
objective before the others get back. But mocking Falko’s vow makes
me uncomfortable. In a way, I suppose what I did this morning in the
chapel could be interpreted as the exact same thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Roland
hails from Davis, California, where she spent most of her youth
lounging at the pool, soaking up the sun, and daydreaming. She had a
key ring that read 'I’m running away to join the circus,' and her
favorite moment of the day was when the local movie theater went
dark, and the slogan 'escape to the movies' appeared on the screen.
As an adult, her passions include all things melodramatic and
beautiful — everything from classic movies, British romantic
poetry, ancient tragedy and epic, to Italian opera. She is now a
professor of Classics in a small midwestern town, where she lives
with her Greek husband, her fraternal twins, and a Bernese mountain
dog named Franco Corelli.
Amazon
purchase link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L6KZ8D7
Author
website:
www.jeanneroland.com
Other
websites:
I blog
as the Allegorical Traveler about Greek mythology at
www.nepenthepress.com
I’m
not a big social media person; the best ways to reach me are via my
website, or Facebook
Twitter:
@booksbyJeanneR
Instagram:
@jeannerolandwrites
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jeannerolandwrites
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