The Lady of the Cliffs
~ Book Two of The Bury Down Chronicles ~
Long ago, before this cusp of land was known as Cornwall,
there dwelt in a cave at the foot of a cliff on Kernow’s rugged coast a healer.
“You know them, don’t you, Megge of Bury Down?” asks a voice that is silk over silk.
“These cliffs of Kernow.”
Cornwall, 1285 CE
Now nearly seventeen, Megge and Brighida must endure another brutal loss. And as they perform the rites of transition that precede a burial, Megge accepts a daunting new charge that carries consequences not even her cousin the seer can predict. It brings visions. Dreams. And voices that come to her as she goes about her work.
A silken voice beckons her back to the cliffs of Kernow, which she has seen only in dreams. A commanding voice orders her back. And the menacing voice she’s heard since she was a girl is now ever at her ear, bringing new a haunting meaning to her grandmother’s words, “You’re never alone.”
But only when the tales of an old woman, a stranger to Bury Down, echo those voices and conjure those cliffs does Megge embark on a journey that leads to a secluded cove they call The Sorrows and a destiny none of the women of Bury Down could have foreseen.
Book Title: The Lady Of The Cliffs
Series: The Bury Down Chronicles, Book 2
Author: Rebecca Kightlinger
Publisher: Rowan Moon
Publication Date: November 1, 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Purchase links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1734316837
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lady-of-the-cliffs-rebecca-s-kightlinger/1137740724
Oh my stars. (Yes, I’ve been saying that a lot, lately. But you guys, I have been reading some seriously brilliant authors these last few months! Rebecca Kightlinger being chief among them.)
I first became familiar with Ms. Kightlinger’s work when I dove headfirst into her novel, Megge of Bury Down, book one in “The Bury Down Chronicles.” What I found there was a delightfully created world of magic, healers, seers, herbs, weaving, ancient ways and a colorful cast of characters. I adored the young Megge, and loved the women in her life, walking the hilly paths with her as she came into her own. And when the book ended (and I had eaten all of the chocolate in my entire house), I began counting the days and months until her story could continue.
Enter The Lady of the Cliffs. (Also enter my squeals at pitches that only dogs can hear.)
The plot picks up right where the first book left off, with Megge and her cousin Brighida coming to terms with another loss and an unknown future. And once again, the author transports us into Megge’s world, with challenges, foes and friends, both new and old. Getting to see Brighida and Megge again was like meeting up at the coffee shop with dear friends after a long absence. Megge’s determination, bravery and curiosity; Brighida’s stoicism, quiet nature and wise heart. It was too fun to journey with them once again, to be with them as they explored their gifts, and to be on the sidelines cheering them on. (And again, eating all of the chocolate in my house.) (Have you ever read an author that can blend a beautiful story line with moments that make you forget to breathe? Chocolate helps.) Rebecca Kightlinger creates characters that are raw, human and ethereal, living their lives in a world that is remarkably fantastical and authentic.
Bottom Line: Come walk the cliffs with Megge.
Rebecca Kightlinger holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. A fulltime writer and literary critic, she divides her workday between researching and writing the Bury Down Chronicles, reviewing novels for the Historical Novel Society, and reading fiction submissions for New England Review. She travels to Cornwall to carry out on-site research for each book of the Bury Down series.
In her twenty years of medical practice as an obstetrician gynecologist, she had the privilege of caring for the women of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Guyana, South America. A lifetime Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a member of the American Association for the History of Medicine, she also studies ancient medicine, medieval midwifery, the history of Cornwall, and the manuscripts and arts of the mystical healer.
She and her husband live in Pennsylvania.
Links:
https://www.BuryDownChronicles.com
https://www.rebeccakightlinger.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BuryDownChronicles/
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