Resolution
The Dog Roses Book 2
by David H. Millar
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Sisters squabble. Queens go to war.
Ten summers ago, victory brought peace and prosperity to
Southern Ériu.
Danu and
Brighid were
celebrated as heroes and saviours. The queens scaled the heights, and there was
only one way to go.
One twin became overbearing, the other resentful. Pride dug a pit filled with
blackthorns between them. They became tyrants, and the kingdom was sundered.
The people were left bitter, divided and afraid, and the lush farmlands fell
barren. Stripped of their powers, the Dog Roses were no more.
Each blamed the other, and neither took responsibility.
Angry parents gave the twins’ brothers an army and tasked them to bring law to
the kingdom. An embittered veteran and a beautiful assassin accompany them.
Whose gold is in the assassin’s pouch, and what are her orders?
In the Halls of the Aes Sídhe, Draighean is
chastised and commanded to return to her wards. “Guide them, support them,
or kill them. Just finish what you started.”
An evil philosophy grows, and another army gathers. Can the sisters be
reconciled? The people need the Dog Roses, but can they forgive them? Yet, do
Danu and Brighid want the responsibility? Do they want their powers returned?
Being normal is very tempting.
The Dog Roses: Resolution contains scenes of sex, violence,
and language appropriate to the historical period (400 B.C.) and locations in
which the story is set. It is not recommended for those under 14 without
parental consent.
GUEST POST
Meet
some of the Main Characters:
Brighid
(28)
Hot-headed
and impulsive, Brighid (BREED) is twenty-eight years old and is the fire to
Danu’s (DAH-noo) ice. Disenchanted by her sister’s continual disregard for her
counsel, Brighid left their stronghold for a stone headland fort. Like a
younger version of her mother, Brighid has a dark streak and a talent for
terror. Thus, while Danu chose to rule by bedroom intrigue, Brighid chose
conquest, an iron fist and fear.
The
twins’ chosen path leads the demi-goddess and custodian, Draighean (DRYNE), to
strip them of their powers. For the first time, the Dog Roses are truly alone.
Like
Danu, Brighid has her mother's deep emerald eyes and her father's auburn hair
and is above-average height. Her body is swathed in swirling indigo-blue
designs on her face and arms. Born as the sun rose, Brighid’s long tresses have
highlights of summer gold.
Danu
(28)
Twenty-eight
years old, Danu (DAH-noo) is the twin daughter of Conall (KON-ul) and Mórrígan
(Moe-rig-gAHn) and is marginally the eldest. Danu is introverted and keeps her
thoughts to herself, but she is also domineering. She is a pragmatic, strategic
thinker, aloof, and prone to making decisions without consulting Brighid
(BREED). This ultimately causes friction between the sisters, leading to their
break-up and a divided kingdom. Danu rules her kingdom as a tyrant, using sex
to forge powerful alliances.
The
twins’ chosen path leads the demi-goddess and custodian, Draighean (DRYNE), to
strip them of their powers. For the first time, the Dog Roses are truly alone.
Danu
is above-average height; she has her mother's deep emerald eyes and her
father's auburn hair. Born before dawn, her long tresses have highlights of
silver blue. Danu’s body is swathed in swirling indigo-blue designs on her face
and arms, which are energised by the sun and appear in constant motion.
Draighean
(Ageless)
Draighean
(Blackthorn, DRYNE)) is a powerful demi-goddess of the Aes Sídhe (ASH SH-ee).
Her domain is the winter and, with it, snow, hail, ice, northerly winds, and
rain. She reluctantly assumes custody of Danu and Brighid. Their descent into
despotism appears to justify Draighean’s low opinion of humans. She is furious
with their behaviour and removes their Dog Roses’ powers. However, a more
powerful Sídhe chastises her for failing her wards and commands her to return.
Draighean
is ageless and a startling beauty, even for a demi-goddess. She is taller than
most men and women. Pale hands, with nails painted dark red. Long, thick
tresses of black rest over pale shoulders. Contrasting thin, auburn braids
accent her hair and are perfectly coordinated with maroon lips and fingernails.
In the rising sun, Draighean’s skin takes on an attractive, if faint, pink hue;
in the moonlight, her skin changes to a faint blue tone. No one can determine
her eye colour because it is so deep as to appear obsidian. Dark swirling
designs cover her body.
Tisiphone
(26)
Tisiphone’s
name means “voice of revenge” after one of the Greek Furies. Born in the Mediterranean
port of Massalia (Marseille), she is the outcome of the brief liaison of an
Etruscan sailor and a Greek whore. As a child, she never knew her father.
Likely, if he knew of her existence, he had no ambitions to accept the role.
Her mother was inattentive rather than neglectful.
At
fifteen summers, Tisiphone is the whore over whom men and women lusted. As an
adolescent, she becomes the assassin everyone fears. Yet she remains addicted
to the ephemeral desire in men’s eyes and never deserted whoring.
Age
increased Tisiphone’s sensual beauty. Brown eyes sit in a field of honey-almond
skin. Thick tresses of long, chestnut-brown hair tap her ass cheeks as they
rise and fall with the upward roll of her hips. She is taller than average, and
her voice holds a seductive huskiness or an edge of steel as sharp as the
blades she wielded.
Lonán
(50)
Plain-spoken
and unimaginative, Lonán (LUH-nawn) is a man of few words who does not suffer
fools. Once a trusted, battle-scarred veteran and efficient killing machine who
fought at Conall’s (KON-ul) side, he is bitter at being repeatedly passed over
for higher office due to his age. Injured at the battle for Rome, he needs a
staff to walk. His injury removed his ability to show his anger, making him furious.
Lonán
misinterprets, perhaps deliberately, Conall’s orders. He has no love for Danu
(DAH-noo) and Brighid (BREED) and is prepared to assume the burden for their
deaths.
Physically,
Lonán is a mountain of a man whose body is built from granite and scar tissue.
His demeanour is that of a disgruntled, resentful man who has seen his plans
shatter and is not cunning enough to disguise his anger.
Calman
Mor (30)
At
thirty summers old, Calman (CAL-man) is a tyrant and the most successful raider
among the Mhór Midhe, a tribe he sees himself as its king. His demeanour is
almost Druid-like, yet all know his reputation for brutality is well-deserved.
He is an animal but like a wolf, not a boar. He is a monster who places no
value on human life and fears neither death nor the Goddess.
A
ruthless, dishonourable leader fond of violence, Calman is also astute and
observant. He delights in violence, and his goals are simple: accumulating
power, territory, and wealth. Like many despots, he is cruel and does not take
criticism kindly. Of average height and muscular, he sports a scruffy beard.
His cold, dark eyes seem devoid of humanity.
Aodán
(26)
voice
was quiet, but the iron it held was as good as a punch to the gut
chin
set in a remarkable semblance of his father
reddened
and his jaw set
blue
eyes
well-endowed
in one particular area
uncharacteristic
smidgen of anxiety, which did little to quell his younger brother’s rising
apprehension
Honest
Beard
smiled
disarmingly
saw a
glint of steel in Aodán’s blue eyes and watched his jaw stiffen.
Astute
Barra
(24)
cavalry
tactician and horseman; better tactician for mounted manoeuvres.
young
but not stupid
a
brawler
Barra
took after his adopted father, Torcán. Hence, he was a brawler
Humour
Impish
Manhood,
well-endowed in one particular area
Barra
had many admirable qualities, but subtlety could never be described as one
5-Star Editorial Review (Literary Titan)
The Dog Roses: Resolution is a bold, blood-soaked dive into a myth-soaked
world of ancient Ériu, dripping with power struggles, family betrayals, and
queens who rule with both sword and seduction. It’s the second book in
Millar’s Dog Roses series, and it doesn’t pull any punches. At the heart of it
are two sisters, Brighid and Danu, daughters of legendary rulers who were meant
to lead with wisdom but fell into tyranny and chaos. When their father sends
their brothers to clean up the mess, all hell breaks loose. You’ve got ancient
gods, cunning assassins, ruthless politics, and enough battle scenes to make a
Roman general blush.
If you’re into Celtic fantasy that doesn’t tiptoe around darkness, The Dog
Roses: Resolution will grip you and not let go. I’d recommend it to fans of
Bernard Cornwell, lovers of Irish mythology, or anyone craving epic family
drama with bite.
-- Literary Titan
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Book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/gGLSjZxRsV8
Na Feirdhriseacha
The Dog Roses Book 1
You have no weapons, striapach."
"I am the weapon, tuilí."
It is 400 B.C. The mist clears, and three triremes glide into the
calm waters of the bay in Southern Ériu. On a grass-topped dune, a young girl
dances gleefully at the Goddess's gift.
The warrior princesses, Brighid and Danu, leap
over the vessels' sides into the cold waters and look north towards their
ancestral home—the fort of Ráth Na Conall. The clash of weapons is
not a good omen.
From his throne in Caher Conri, the depraved Uallachán rages
at the sight of the red shield embellished with a swooping black raven and the
memories it provokes. He swears vengeance on the daughters of his old
adversary.
Draighean, a demi-goddess of the mystical Aes Sídhe, stands
alone on the mountain peak. She bites full maroon lips, unhappy at her mission.
Yet, does she have a choice? Evil must be confronted and defeated.
Uallachán's idea of peace is to crush all dissent, but is he no more than a
puppet of the powerful kings of the Connachta?
The twins know they must defeat the invasion and stop the enslavement of their
people. Still, even with the help of Draighean, the odds are daunting.
The Dog Roses contains scenes of sex and violence and
uses language appropriate to the period it is set in, i.e., 400 B.C. It is not
recommended for those under 14 without parental consent.
5- Star Editorial Review & Gold Book Award (Literary Titan)
David H. Millar’s The Dog Roses: Na Feirdhriseacha is an
exhilarating historical fantasy that plunges the reader into a world of ancient
Gaelic warfare, mysticism, and political intrigue. The novel follows
the twin sisters, Brighid and Danu, as they navigate their birthright, destiny,
and the brutal conflicts that define their world. From the stormy shores of
Ériu to the blood-soaked battlegrounds of their homeland, the sisters must
harness their strength, wit, and the mystical bond of the feirdhriseacha—the
dog roses—imprinted on their chests. Their journey is one of leadership,
betrayal, and resilience, all set against the backdrop of Celtic mythology and
the harsh realities of Iron Age survival.
The Dog Roses: Na Feirdhriseacha is a gripping read that will appeal to fans
of historical fantasy, especially those with an interest in Celtic mythology
and ancient warrior cultures. The depth of world-building, the complexity
of the characters, and the sheer intensity of the storytelling make this a
novel worth savoring. If you enjoy books like The Mists of Avalon or
The Last Kingdom, this one should be on your list.
-- Literary Titan
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Book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/7v7_n0yy7Jk
About the Author
Born
in Belfast, Northern Ireland, internationally published and award-winning
author David H. Millar is the founder, owner, and author-in-residence of A Wee
Publishing Company—a business formed to promote Celtic authors and literature.
David
is the author of the five-volume, ancient Celtic-based Conall series and
the spin-offs The Dog Roses, The Dog Roses: Resolution, The
Blood Queen and Brianag: A Blood Queen Novel.
David
resides in Houston, Texas, with his family and two recent family members,
tuxedos Beau and Stiletto.
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Giveaway
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