Review: Warning: Camping in the Olympic Mountains could be dangerous to your sanity.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 27, 2014
TYRANT TROUBLE, by Phoebe Matthews. This is number one in the "Mudflat Magic" series. In TYRANT TROUBLE, you'll find an enchanting story. Claire, to escape a couple of creepy Mudflat brothers, runs off on an ill-advised camping trip in the Olympic Mountains. She takes a hike and cools off in a lovely stream from which she's literally swept away when a character from maybe a Viking reenactment, or some other kind of barbarian wannabe group hustles her onto his steed and gallops off with her to medieval-land. It takes her a while to believe she actually is trapped in their make-believe world and maybe it isn't quite so make-believe, despite the lack of hot showers. They're convinced she's a priestess of "The Daughter", who at some earlier date cured one of the warlords of a disease, but Claire, who's lied and told the first Viking guy her name is Stargazer, now has to act the part to save her skin. About all she has going for her in this strange place and time is her skill in astrology, telling the barbarians how their next battles will likely turn out.The blend of breezy, modern-day dialogue and attitudes with the horrendously fierce and definitely un-PC habits of the people who are now in possession of her life make for a humorous, touching and memorable story. I highly recommend it, and will definitely continue reading this series.