The House of Baric Part One: Shields Down by Jillian Bald

The House of Baric is a story about . . .

~ soldiers in and out of war, their friendships and their struggles to come to terms with their dutiful roles in life.

~ a mismatched young Ottoman woman sent into this Venetian world in 1648 to marry a stranger.

~ a clash of cultures; a clash of sexes.

~ everyday, and not so everyday, happenings in the lives behind the walls of The House of Baric.

Most of all, it is a love story--Mauro and Resi’s.

Set in the Venetian Empire's colony of Croatia in the decadent baroque era, this first novel in the trilogy is a fast-paced read with many colorful characters and promising romances. Open the pages of "Shields Down" and enter the House of Baric.

"Part One: Shields Down" introduces you to the young nobleman, Mauritius "Mauro" Baric. Mauro was the last of his family bloodline. With the sudden death of his father, Mauro unhappily took his title as Baron Baric. His first duty in this new role was to marry and make an heir.

Resi Kokkinos was not interested in marrying an aristocrat any more than Mauro wanted a common, Ottoman Greek girl as his bride. Betrothed as children to settle Resi’s father’s debt to the Barics, the two had no choice in their paired future together.

After the long war brought Mauro and his soldiers home for good, the mismatched lovers could no longer deny their arrangement was more than tolerable.

The Baric’s story takes flight after the couple’s first wedding anniversary. Unexpected visitors arrive at the castle and add a new dimension to their predictable lives in Solgrad. Cultures will clash, and sexes will too. Mishaps and adventures are a certainty for Mauro and Resi as their saga unfolds over the three parts of the trilogy.

Journey along with the Barics, their soldiers, servants and friends during one pivotal summer in 1649. Can they avoid their allotted fates hiding behind the high Baric walls? In part one of this engaging trilogy, you will discover, as they do, that it is not so easy.