Throughout her childhood exploits, the feisty daughter, Rodanthe, of Kritsa’s pappas (priest), yearns for her father’s approval without appreciating his efforts to keep her safe under Ottoman oppression.

Years later, the ruling Pasha orders Rodanthe’s kidnap intent on making her his wife. Determined not to yield, Rodanthe tricks the Pasha, and then flees to the mountains dressed as a young man. After joining rebels as Spanomanolis (Beardless Manolis), she draws on her unusual experiences and rare education to maintain her disguise throughout daring raids.

Now, honored as Kritsotopoula (Girl of Kritsa), villagers celebrate Rodanthe’s exploits annually in front of a poignant stone carving. This monument portrays the moment in 1823 when brave Rodanthe's secret was exposed – a point mirrored as this story culminates with a twist.

Infused with myths and local flavour this historical adventure gives insight to customs that still shape many lives in Kritsa today.

Yvonne Payne enjoys a dual life between Wiltshire, UK and Kritsa, a village in Crete, Greece. Since 2001, short-term Human Resources (HR) contracts funded long breaks in the sun that inspired her to write fiction instead of redundancy letters.

Secondary school streaming meant English literature classes did not feature on Yvonne's timetable, despite her being an avid reader, and author of eagerly awaited, hand written, serialised stories for classmates. Leaving school at sixteen Yvonne worked in retail – a move that eventually led to her writing company newsletters and training materials, which subsequently launched her successful HR career.

As a regular contributor to Crete related forums, which included sharing children's stories based on observations of Cretan village life, Yvonne finally decided that the time was right to tackle a novel. With bins full of crumpled paper, Yvonne realised the adage: ‘Write what you know' was the answer. So she started to research the true story of a Kritsa lass who, in 1823, participated in a fierce battle against Ottoman oppression. Research into tales of Kritsotopoula (Girl of Kritsa), plus firsthand experience of Cretan food, customs, mountain hiking, and donkey trekking, delivered the inspiration for Yvonne's first novel: Kritsotopoula – Girl of Kritsa.

Yvonne has to be commended for the amount of research she has undertaken to give authenticity to life in a Cretan village in the 1820’s and under Turkish rule. Unfortunately the acts of barbarism that Yvonne attributes to the Turks are true.

Her vivid descriptions of village life and the battles, along with her sensitive portrayal of the innermost thoughts of her central character, are both moving and believable.

Rodanthe is depicted as a young and innocent girl until the atrocities she witnesses by the Turks both hurt and harden her.

As relatives and friends lose their lives her desire for revenge and freedom from the Turkish yoke knows no bounds. Masquerading as a young boy, she joins the rebels and moves across the area of Lassithi with them, sharing in their rough life and exploits.

She plays a leading role as a spy and decoy as well as taking a stand beside the men in battle.

Rodanthe was a real person and is acclaimed a heroine in Kritsa. Yvonne has made a very plausible story of her life and this is a very readable book.

– Beryl Darby, Author of Yannis