Goddess (Percheron Saga Series #3)

While enemy ships threaten Percheron's harbor, heroic Lazar lies afflicted with the drezden illness and cannot rise. And Zaradine Ana has been taken prisoner by the mysterious Arafanz and his warriors, and is believed to be with child—carrying the heir to the throne, the unborn son of Zar Boaz.

Torn by an inner conflict raging between heart and head, Zar Boaz can think only of Ana, even as his land sits poised on the brink of devastating war. Launching a daring, desperate plan, he calls for his country's strongest to make one more foray into the desert . . . even as the Goddess reaches the crest of her ascent, throwing mortal and divine alike into chaotic battle for the soul of Percheron.

The city-state of Percheron is in crisis. Zaradine Ana has been captured by the mysterious Arafanz and his desert warriors and is being held in their isolated fort. It is also suspected that she is pregnant with Zar Boaz's son, the heir to the throne . . .

Though Lazar has made it out of the desert, his heroics in bringing the Valide and Grand Vizier to safety have cost him. Afflicted with the drezden illness that befalls him when he is weak, he is too sick to move from his bed, when help comes from an unexpected source . . .

Zar Boaz finds himself trapped by both his heart and his head. Though he can think of nothing but Ana, imprisoned in the desert, his country is on the brink of war and his Spur is helpless. Hatching a daring plan, he calls for Percheron's strongest to make one more pilgrimage into the desert, even as warships threaten Percheron's harbor, and the Goddess reaches the crest of her ascent, throwing all parties—mortal and divine—into a perilous battle for their hearts, their lives, and their souls.

Publishers Weekly

The Arabian Nights-flavored Percheron saga finally comes to an end in this shallow follow-up to 2007's Emissary. Young, pregnant Ana (not to be confused with Lyana, a goddess, or Ellyana, her messenger) is held captive by Arafanz, a religious zealot who wants the child believed to have been sired by Zar Boaz, Ana's disloyal husband and Percheron's leader. Could the father actually be the man Ana loves more, Galinsea's Prince Lucien, aka Spur Lazar? Imprisoned, Ana frets while Zar Boaz and Lazar search for her with help from Iridor, a shape-changing demigod. Manipulative demon Maliz, who inhabits the Zar's grand vizier and skips to another human shell when need arises, does everything he can to stop them, and their efforts are further hampered when war breaks out between Percheron and Galinsea. The tale is marred by sluggish pacing and uninteresting characters, and lacks an introduction that might help new readers understand the multilayered plot. (June)

Born in 1960 and raised in southern England, Fiona McIntosh spent an early childhood in the gold-mining camp of Bibiani in Ghana, where her father was working. She studied in Brighton before starting a career in PR and marketing in London. She made Australia her home in 1980, continuing in a travel-marketing career with an ad agency, a tourism authority, and an international airline. Fiona married her magazine-publisher husband, Ian, and they now live in Adelaide with their teenage twin sons, Will and Jack.