The Rise of Synne
Destiny’s Embrace Book 1
by LP O’Bryan
1066: While England reels from invasion, one young woman rises.
In the chaotic aftermath of the Battle of Hastings, Synne, an orphan healer, chooses a dangerous path. She has royal blood in her veins, but can she survive long enough to even rescue her sisters?
Soon she becomes entangled with Magnus, the disturbingly arrogant son of the fallen King Harold. He offers her a dangerous mission.
Driven by a fiery determination to rescue her sisters from slavers, Synne agrees and becomes a spy in the enemy’s camp. Her inherited seer’s gift lies untapped, a powerful force waiting to be unleashed.
Captured by the man destined to be King of England, William the Conqueror, Synne finds herself before the assembled nobility at William’s coronation feast, branded a traitor.
In a world where alliances are shifting sands, Synne must fight for her life. But why does her accuser want her dead, and what has her involvement with Magnus got to do with it?
Dive into a rich saga where history and destiny collide.
If you enjoy the novels of Elizabeth Chadwick, Philippa Gregory or Anne O’Brien, you will love this.
REVIEW
5 out of 5
This was well-researched, with a fiery FMC, and descriptions that draw you right into the center of the story. O’Bryan did an excellent job of bringing the historical setting to life, and I felt like I’d stepped back in time and traveled across the world at the same time. I adore Synne’s inner fire and determination to find and rescue her sisters, although I know in reality it might’ve gotten her into much more trouble than it actually did. She makes some missteps along the way, but it just makes her feel more real. There’s plenty of danger, intrigue, allies, backstabbing, and a little romance woven throughout the whole story, and more than just a few secrets. That said, I can’t wait to dive into book two!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Who is Laurence O’Bryan?
I am a survivor. I grew up in Ireland. My roots go back to my grandfathers’ farm deep in the Mountains of Mourne, near the Silent Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland.
I went to school in Dublin, drank way too much, studied English and history, then business, then IT at Oxford University. While a student, I worked as a kitchen porter in a club near the Bank of England. Later I worked in IT marketing for 25 years, much of that time in London.
The Istanbul Puzzle was my first published novel (Jan, 2012,) The Jerusalem Puzzle was my second (Jan, 2013,) The Manhattan Puzzle my third (Aug, 2014.) The Nuremberg Puzzle (April, 2016) the fourth and The Cairo Puzzle (Aug 2018) completed the series.
In 2007 I won the Outstanding Novel Submitted award at the Southern California writer’s conference. The Istanbul Puzzle was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of 2012.
My research has taken me all over the world, from San Francisco to deep in the Arab world. I still enjoy looking at the stars and listening to the stories of strangers.
