Misfits of Gambria Series

A science-fantasy adventure series.  Murder, intrigue, suspense, and romance - all set in a medieval rivalry of two kingdoms at war. With their spaceship destroyed, the remaining two survivors of a failed colonization mission jettison down to a planet with the hope they can survive. Duncan, a bookish linguist, and Alexis, a beautiful gladiator in the prime of her career, suddenly find themselves drawn into the struggles between two warring kingdoms. Their fortunes improve when Alexis' combat skills are discovered, and she is challenged by the nation's berserker who underestimates his opponent and pays dearly for it. Yet no sooner is she awarded his position, title, and wealth when she is called upon to lead the nation's warriors in the first full scale battle she has ever experienced, against an enemy who take no prisoners. With the very real possibility that Alexis might not survive the battle, Duncan is left alone to fend for himself. Calling himself a Wizard of the Universe, he is brought before the Council of Prelates to explain his obvious heresy. Deftly answering their questions, he throws caution to the wind and challenges the nation's High Priest to a contest of divine favor. The one who calls down thunder and lightning from the sky is the chosen one of God and becomes the nation's High Priest. The loser dies.   (This Series, The Misfits of Gambria is a reworking of a former series titled Wolf 359.   Unfortunately, too many readers associated it with a well-known TV show and the two are in no manner similar.)

Be careful when you get what you ask for… Especially when others believe they deserve the prize more than you. And some will do everything necessary to get what they want, even murder. Duncan's confidence has failed to account for a paranoid High Priest, a jealous King unhappy with the way the people have taken to this stranger, and a certain ambitious Priest who wants nothing better than to get rid of the High Priest and Duncan at the same time. Unfortunately, Vix, Gambria's High Priest, has a more immediate problem. He must eliminate Duncan before the contest reveals Vix is a fraud. It's time to call in assassins and eliminate this obnoxious threat. And where is Alexis when you need her? Unhappy with a woman as Berserker, especially one who is untested in battle and still learning the language, King Diad tells his Battle Commander to place her on a weak flank against the Rugian army. Hopefully, they can take care of the problem and Gambria can find a new Berserker. Then there's Bradwr, King Diad's brother, who believes Diad is no longer worthy of being king and has determined that the title is now within his reach.

Duncan's ambitions have been destroyed. Removed as High Priest, he and his pregnant lover have been exiled to the wastelands, a land so desolate that it's merely a matter of days before their dried-up shriveled bodies are food for the jackals. Unable to save Duncan, Alexis retreats to the Tarrac pastures only to discover her adoptive father Menec has decided he's had enough of palace intrigue and is off to the far north to find out what happened to his father all those years ago. Unfortunately, as the new Tarrac Master and nation's Berserker, Alexis' loyalty and obedience are demanded by the very man who sent Duncan to his death. However, things aren't going too well for King Diad as he finally realizes he has run out of time and quickly discovers he doesn't have the necessary forces to prevent his brother's quest to rule Gambria. With his brother marching on Mull, Diad must find a way to save himself. Back in the Temple, life seems to have returned to the dark days when Vix was High Priest as Cattwg has finally achieved his greatest ambition. Yet there are many in the Temple who remember the vibrance of life during the brief time when Duncan was in charge. Though they are silent, their thoughts are the same – if only Duncan was still here.

Murder, intrigue, suspense, and romance - all set in a medieval rivalry of two kingdoms at war.   With Diad shipwrecked on a deserted island and Alric on the run somewhere in the north, Bradwr solidifies his claim to the throne. That means eliminating all threats. The first to go is Guina. Though no longer a viable threat, she can't remain in Mull and the former queen is forced to live on the handouts of friends far away from the capital. The second to go is Alric. Though he is now Bradwr's son-in-law, Alric has more claim to the throne and despite the promise to Pavia of his safe return, Bradwr orders that his son-in-law have an unfortunate accident – a permanent one. Amidst the turmoil, Alexis manages to transgress Gambrian custom and finds herself at odds with the new King. Unwilling to obey, she escapes to the south, taking the nation's Tarrac with her. But Bradwr has a blind spot and overlooked another's ambition, someone who desperately wants to rule Gambria – alone. And she might just pull it off. All she'll need to do is get rid of her husband and her father… Yet the one person they have dismissed as dead, the Ghost in the desert, is about to give them the surprise of their lives.