"You have no weapons, striapach." "I am the weapon, tuilí." It is 400 B.C. The mist clears, and three triremes glide into the calm waters of the bay in Southern Ériu. On a grass-topped dune, a young girl dances gleefully at the Goddess's gift. The warrior princesses, Brighid and Danu, leap over the vessels' sides into the cold waters and look north towards their ancestral home—the fort of Ráth Na Conall. The clash of weapons is not a good omen. From his throne in Caher Conri, the depraved Uallachán rages at the sight of the red shield embellished with a swooping black raven and the memories it provokes. He swears vengeance on the daughters of his old adversary. Draighean, a demi-goddess of the mystical Aes Sídhe, stands alone on the mountain peak. She bites full maroon lips, unhappy at her mission. Yet, does she have a choice? Evil must be confronted and defeated. Uallachán's idea of peace is to crush all dissent, but is he no more than a puppet of the powerful kings of the Connachta? The twins know they must defeat the invasion and stop the enslavement of their people. Still, even with the help of Draighean, the odds are daunting. The Dog Roses contains scenes of sex and violence and uses language appropriate to the period in which it is set, i.e., 400 B.C. It is not recommended for those under 14 without parental consent.

Sisters squabble. Queens go to war. Ten summers ago, victory brought peace and prosperity to Southern Ériu. Danu and Brighid were celebrated as heroes and saviours. The queens scaled the heights, and there was only one way to go. One twin became overbearing, the other resentful. Pride dug a pit filled with blackthorns between them. They became tyrants, and the kingdom was sundered. The people were left bitter, divided and afraid, and the lush farmlands fell barren. Stripped of their powers, the Dog Roses were no more. Each blamed the other, and neither took responsibility. Angry parents gave the twins’ brothers an army and tasked them to bring law to the kingdom. An embittered veteran and a beautiful assassin accompany them. Whose gold is in the assassin’s pouch, and what are her orders? In the Halls of the Aes Sídhe, Draighean is chastised and commanded to return to her wards. “Guide them, support them, or kill them. Just finish what you started.” An evil philosophy grows, and another army gathers. Can the sisters be reconciled? The people need the Dog Roses, but can they forgive them? Yet, do Danu and Brighid want the responsibility? Do they want their powers returned? Being normal is very tempting. The Dog Roses: Resolution is the sequel to The Dog Roses. Content warning: The Dog Roses: Resolution contains scenes of sex, violence, and language appropriate to the historical period (400 B.C.) and locations in which the story is set. It is not recommended for those under 14 without parental consent.

This 1920 work written by the Rev. Joseph Pemberton, then vice president of England's National Rose Society, is a thorough source of information on both wild and cultivated roses.