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The Midsummer Wife

Jacqueline Simonds

3.67 · Rating details · 6 ratings · 6 reviews

The reincarnated souls of King Arthur, Merlin, and an anxiety-ridden priestess return to save Britain after a devastating nuclear attack, only to find an old foe: Morgaine.

After a nuclear attack on London that heralds The Time Foretold, Ava Cerdwin, the high priestess in charge of fulfilling a 1,500-year-old prophecy, must assist the heirs of King Arthur and Merlin in ...more

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Published August 26th 2018 by Vagabondage Press LLC

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Oct 17, 2018 Jeanette rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

The Midsummer Wife by Jacqueline Simonds is a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy drawing on Arthurian legends.

In sixth century Britain, Anya charges her three offspring - Falcon fathered by Merlin, Stephen fathered by King Arthur, and her daughter Arianrhod - to guard the respective rites, relics and heritage of Merlin, Arthur and of the Goddess until the Day Foretold. Almost 1500 years later, in 2029, the nuclear annihilation of London and essentially all its leadership devastates Britain. With The Midsummer Wife by Jacqueline Simonds is a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy drawing on Arthurian legends.

In sixth century Britain, Anya charges her three offspring - Falcon fathered by Merlin, Stephen fathered by King Arthur, and her daughter Arianrhod - to guard the respective rites, relics and heritage of Merlin, Arthur and of the Goddess until the Day Foretold. Almost 1500 years later, in 2029, the nuclear annihilation of London and essentially all its leadership devastates Britain. With Midsummer almost here, the day fortold is fast approaching and Ava Cerdwn, high-priestess of the Goddess, ancestor of Arianrhod, and leader of the sacred Sisterhood, must convince the Merlin and Arthur heirs, Duke Drunemerton (Harper) and Lord Steadbye (Ron), of who she is and that the time has come to step forward and heal the land. Each of the heirs struggle with grief and mental demons. And an ancient and implacable enemy will stop at nothing to thwart their and the Goddess' plans.

The first one third of the book is heavy with set-up, backstory and long conversations and looking at ancient relics as Ava seeks to establish her credentials with both Harper (the Merlin heir) and Ron (the Arthur heir). Harper's distrust and Ava falling for the 'wrong' guy sets up some tension, but these are quickly resolved. The story momentum speeds up as the trio encounter murderous opposition and the final one third kept the pages turning with a cliff-hanger ending.

I did wonder about some of the historical 'facts' (for instance, Arthur's son Stephen arrives in Jerusalem during the Persian Muslim takeover in 636 AD and then takes a bride from Anatolia on the way home 97 years after he was born and 51 years after he died); or the heirs produce elaborate, detailed 'sixth century' tapestries, whereas even in the 12 century wasn't that advanced in this art form. Eleven years into our future, the Goddess religion is well established with only passing mention given to over 1500 years of Christianity in Britain. Even so, Simonds has built up a rich world of myth and legend which values 'a gentle love-centred power', peace and healing. The personal backstory/demons and their doubts and fears add to the portrayal of the characters and I did like how Ava's overcoming of her acrophobia and PTSD was portrayed.

Overall, interesting setting and complex, rich characters in fresh look at the legendary once-and-future king. ...more

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Nov 24, 2019 Barbara (The Bibliophage) rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-and-magical-realism, own-digital, 2019

Jacqueline Simonds offers an urban fantasy with a side helping of Arthurian legend in The Midsummer Wife. It’s a tantalizing reading combination, especially in a time when we know our leaders by their tweets rather than by their ancestry.

Set in the near future, the story goes like this. Ava Cerdwin is the High Priestess of an Order worshipping The Goddess. She travels to Britain in the wake of a terrible nuclear disaster, which devastated London and the surrounding area. Her task is to connect ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 S.E. Sasaki rated it really liked it

The Midsummer Wife by Jacqueline Church Simonds is an interesting take on the King Arthur legend in that it brings the story of Arthur and Merlin and Morgaine 1500 years into our near future. It also introduces a High Priestess of the Goddess—Ava Cerdwen—into the story. London has been hit by a nuclear bomb that has knocked out the government and the Royal family leaving the country in a shambles. Up step three people who can heal Britain, the direct descendants of King Arthur, Merlin, and Anya, ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Linda rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle

The Midsummer Wife (The Heirs to Camelot Book 1) by Jacqueline Church Simonds

“The Midsummer Wife” is an imaginative, well-written urban fantasy, with a beautiful book cover, and flawed characters who must face their past and come to terms with the truth. Lord Ron Steadbye – the heir to King Arthur, and Duke Drunemeton – the heir of Merlin, who is known as The Harper. The Harper was created to keep the Arthurian tale alive and preserve the artifacts which would help prove they are who they say The Midsummer Wife (The Heirs to Camelot Book 1) by Jacqueline Church Simonds

“The Midsummer Wife” is an imaginative, well-written urban fantasy, with a beautiful book cover, and flawed characters who must face their past and come to terms with the truth. Lord Ron Steadbye – the heir to King Arthur, and Duke Drunemeton – the heir of Merlin, who is known as The Harper. The Harper was created to keep the Arthurian tale alive and preserve the artifacts which would help prove they are who they say they are when the time of reckoning comes. The High Priestess of the Sisterhood, Ava Cerdwen, is the heir of Mother Anya. These three characters are challenged to live up to their mythical strengths to heal Britain after a nuclear blast in the heart of London.

The story takes place in the not too distant future and is mainly told through Ava the High Priestess’ eyes, who has flaws of her own to work through. She is the pivotal character who guides Ron/King Author, and Harper/Merlin. Ava will also lead the healing ceremony at the Summer Solstice with Ron and Harper by her side, along with Druid Priests to lend power to the Celtic rite to heal and cleanse the affected area. But is Ava strong enough to handle all this power? Morgaine has had 1500 years to hone her dark magic and gather power. She also has the cult of Hela tracking our three heroes who are on the attack to divert the healing ceremony that is approaching quickly.

“The Midsummer Wife” is enthralling, with captivating, complex characters you want to succeed. Ava, as High Priestess, is also charged with bringing about a new world order featuring spirituality at its core.

I was disappointed in the cliffhanger ending, it’s a cheap way to hook the reader to want to read the next book in the series. I think the story and characters are strong enough for readers to want to continue without tricks or a cliffhanger. I was further soured by the way this book ended. Morgaine is a thoroughly evil character, which I admit every story needs. I just hope our heroes are not so blinded by their success as to not see the truth.

If you love Arthurian tales with strong characters and a captivating plot, this is a good one where the story continues into the future. And did I mention the eye-catching book cover? Sometimes it’s okay to judge a book by its cover.

FYI: “The Midsummer Wife” is book one in Jacqueline Church Simonds’, THE HEIRS OF CAMELOT series. Adult language—numerous F-bombs, and adult situations—where sex is NOT behind closed doors. If you are sensitive to either of these, this book may not be for you. There is also one whopper of a cliffhanger. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** September 25, 2019
Format/Typo Issues: A small number of proofing issues.

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Aug 06, 2019 Rob Edwards rated it really liked it

The Midsummer Wife is set in an alternate near-now Britain, where descendants of King Arthur’s court must come together to right a terrible wrong: an event that has devastated much of the country. Along the way Ava, must recruit the heirs of Arthur and Merlin in a plot that encompasses romance, psychic powers, trauma, prophecies and ancient cults. There’s a lot going on in this book!

Two caveats on an otherwise excellent read. First, because much of the story involves fulfilling a prophecy, the ...more

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Nov 17, 2018 Norman Turrell rated it really liked it

The Midsummer Wife is an imaginative and original fusion of the classic Arthurian legend and magical psychics, set in a dystopian world. The author concentrates on the characters—focusing heavily on dialogue and the internal reflection of the protagonist—and gives great depth to their trials and relationships as we travel through their quest to forge a future for devastated England.

For lovers of detail, we are given a lot of information about the history of the legend and the powers behind it, ...more

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