Honddu Vale, Glastonbury Grail Book 2

 The valley where I had been born twisted below me, a green serpent resting between the bracken-covered slopes of the Black Mountains. A thin trail of smoke rose from the stone chimney of my father’s manor of Cewi Glen. It carried a few bright orange sparks that the rain quickly extinguished. 

“Seventy times seven,” a child’s voice spoke in my memory, reminding me why I had come. Forgive, the Bible commanded. Not seven times, but seventy times seven. 

“I can’t,” I whispered, though there was none to hear.

I felt in the breast of my tunic for the cup wrapped in old wool. It was there. Safe. I clutched it and murmured a quiet prayer for strength. Slowly my breathing steadied, and I knew what I must do. 

Colin Hay returns home to Wales to reconcile with the father he blames for his mother’s death. But he finds Sir Stephen in the arms of a bewitching young woman with designs on more than a place in Sir Stephen’s bed. Belle covets the ancient olivewood drinking bowl that Colin brought with him when the abbey at Glastonbury was closed by King Henry VIII. Yet the cup, which once showed such supernatural power that some whispered it was the Holy Grail, now lies cold and empty in Colin’s hands. Were the glorious promises of God’s presence nothing more than a dream? ​

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Book Trailer

Take a look at some of the places in Wales that inspired the settings for Honddu Vale.

What people are saying about Honddu Vale:

... history and legend combine in a powerful tale of greed, injustice and avarice surmounted by the triumph of forgiveness, grace and love. And in the center of it all— The Holy Grail.
--Donna Fletcher Crow, author of Glastonbury and The Monastery Murders

Hardy has crafted another great historical novel ... [with] twists, turns, and revelations that keep you reading to the very end. This is a wonderful novel of forgiveness and redemption.
--Joan Niehuis, Reviews from an Avid Reader

I liked the idea of having a silent God verses a more active God, like the first book, Glastonbury Tor. Sometimes God is silent and, like Colin, we need to learn to be patient during that time.
--Rani Grant, Indoor Garden Musings

a page-turner…. I am so glad the author provides a pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book since Welsh can be a difficult language to work with ... Yet, Hardy lends great authenticity in keeping names, places and other terms in the ancient tongue of Colin’s people. So, let your tongue be loosened and read on.
 --Kevin Sorenson, Random Thoughts from a Cluttered Mind

On Writing Honddu Vale

Honddu Vale, sample chapter

Discussion Questions for Honddu Vale