The Herbarium

Release Date: May 6, 2022

 
Synopsis

In 1559, King Henri II of France ignores the warnings of Nostradamus and is gravely injured in a joust. The only hope for a cure is contained within the pages of The Herbarium, a sacred healing text written by the ancients, hidden in a monastery. When the French Cardinal commands the monastery to deliver the manuscript to the palace, Abbot Mathieu reluctantly entrusts the text to Gillian, a young village girl from a magical family, and Artus, a former soldier now a seminarian. The race against time to save the King pits them against powerful factions across the known world who want to possess ̶ or destroy ̶ the Herbarium.

In current-day Northern California, the appearance of a young Renaissance girl in a bonfire unexpectedly plunges Paige Delaney into a mysterious world of family secrets, time travel and ancestral witches. She teams up with Jack Kaplan, a psychoanalyst and expert in past life regression, to uncover the mystical ties that connect Paige to the girl and to The Herbarium.


Early Praise

“From a Wiccan fire ceremony deep in the present day Santa Cruz Mountains, to a 16th century battle to save the life of the grievously wounded King of France, The Herbarium delivers a page-turning, taut thriller. The Herbarium is simply epic historical fiction.”
Don Sanders, Author of Go for the Green

“The Herbarium opens a doorway between the present and the past, as the healing secrets of a mysterious book are revealed. Chartrand paints life in 16th century France with color, drama and memorable characters; she’s a gifted storyteller.”
Victoria Kazarian, Author of Swift Horses Racing

“I found myself captured by a 16th century French maiden connected to today’s world. The intersection between the Crown and the Church during those tempestuous times had implications that carried on into the 21st century. I could not put The Herbarium down until the final page.”
Patrick W. Andersen, Author of Second Born