Monday 4 March 2019

Romance Across Time: Prehistory

by Sharon Bryant
from pixabay.com

Love in the Stone Age


I’ve always been fascinated by books set in prehistoric times. The world they describe is one of action, adventure and discovery. It was a time when Homo sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted, leading to a potential clash of civilisations. What was romance like during these times? Here are some details of my favourite prehistoric romance novels.


The Valley of Horses by Jean Auel


I discovered the Earth’s Children series when I was in my early 20s. The romance between Jondalar and Alya, and the fascinating historical information, kept me turning the pages through all six books. Alya, an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl is found and raised by Neanderthals. Eventually, she is exiled by the tribe, and travels in search of her own people known as the Others. Jondalar, one of the Others, is on a great journey. They meet when he is attacked by a cave lion, and Alya saves then heals him. Watching their relationship grow as Jondular battles his prejudice against Neanderthals whom Alya has the greatest respect for makes this book a fascinating read.




Transcendence by Shay Savage


Ehd is a strong, intelligent caveman living alone in the wilderness, when he discovers a young woman caught in a pit trap. It is simple logic as far as he is concerned that she should become his mate. She is wearing strange clothes, and she makes a lot of noise, but she is beautiful and brave, and he likes her so he carries her to his cave. Elizabeth is scared and frustrated, and doesn’t understand what has happened to her. She has no interest in this handsome prehistoric man’s advances, but he respects her wishes when she says no. He seems determined to provide for her. Winter is coming, and she has no choice but to stay. If only she could teach him to comprehend the simplest words. The struggle for coexistence, and the growth of love without verbal language makes this book a fascinating read.



The Cave of Lost Love by Morton Chalfy



This book intertwines a prehistoric romance with a contemporary one. Muta receives a sign that she must leave her tribe, and go on a journey, accompanied only by her husband, Rami. The future of the tribe depends on her respecting this omen. Together Muta and Rami find an amazing cave where their tribe could live in the future. Their lives change dramatically when Rami is injured while hunting. He now makes it his life’s work to create paintings depicting their tribal way of life and recording their knowledge. Rami’s cave drawings draw Matthew, an archaeologist, and Stella, a photographer together. The magical atmosphere of the cave and the fascinating discoveries they make set the scene for their growing romance.


Have you read any prehistoric romance novels? Which one was your favourite?


Love to love time with my family.


Love to laugh at the cute things children say.


Love to learn more about the craft of writing.

13 comments:

  1. I have to be honest and say I have never read a pre-historic novel. Thank you for letting me know it even existed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cassandra. It's amazing how many romance sub-genres exist.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for including Cave of Lost Love. Writing this novel was a labor of love for me and gave me months of pleasure. I'm happy to share it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Morton. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Cave of Lost Love" and look forward to reading more of your work.

      Delete
    2. Hi Morton. Thanks for dropping by. I love the sound of your story.

      Delete
  3. Love, love, love Jean M Auel's Earth's Children series! And thanks for the other suggestions, Sharon. They look fascinating, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marilyn. I also loved reading Jean Auel’s books. When we were in Heraklion last year we had the chance to view some Mother figures. I imagine they were similar to those described in the Earths Children series.

      Delete
    2. The Earths Children series was recommended to me some years ago. I bought the first two books and my son has read them but I haven’t found the time yet.
      Morton, your story sounds fascinating too. Thanks for dropping by the blog.
      Great post Sharon!

      Delete
    3. Thanks Alyssa, I loved the Earths Children series too. I hope you enjoy Morton's book as much as I did.

      Delete
  4. Wow, Sharon, this is an unexpected post! You don't really hear much about cave man romances, so I found it fascinating! Of the 3 you've presented I've read the Jean Auel series, probably around the same time as you. I loved it! But I haven't read these others, so thanks for the hot tips. They sound great. And so unusual. Fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Miranda. It’s so much fun to read new romance novels. I agree that cave man romance novels are rare. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sharon. I have to admit that the only prehistoric novel I've read was a James A. Mitchener one. Not a romance. I do know of Jean M Auel's series but never picked it up. Too many other choices and not enough time to read them all. But prehistory is fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Enisa, prehistory is fascinating. I think the period where Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens coexisted is particularly intriguing. I hope you get a chance to read some of these marvellous books.

      Delete

We love getting comments. Why not leave one?!