"Well woven fantasy where the love is deep and everlasting"
This is a book about light and dark; good versus evil... But
then again what good romance doesn't come from this angle.
Candace Sams does a great job creating an amazing lost
enchanted world in England. But the book does not open up
there, but rather in Maine on a farm. To bring us in to this story and really believe what
Candace is selling, she creates her lead male character
Blain McTavish, a simple farmer, who is unknowingly half
druid and half fairy. His parents have concealed this from
him for his own safety when they escaped from the
enchanted lands and the old Order. But now his parents are
dead under circumstances are almost suspicious. No longer alive to protect and shield Blain from the
Order, he suddenly starts to receive guests. A kind man
Uncle Huge, also a druid, comes to evaluate Blain's
condition and report back to Shayla, the Sorceress who is
now the new ruler of the Order. Hugh has also found that
a very malevolent force is moving in on Blain as he
discovers various dark curses and signs planted around the
property. Calling in the special forces, so to speak, Shayla flies
over to Maine with her young protégé', Afton, which I
think is a great name, (actually there were a lot of good
names in this book). Anyway Afton is a young Druid still
trying to come into her power under Shayla's tutelage.
She is a good balance for our hero with her kind and
gentle ways; and yet manages to demonstrate that she's no
frail flower, for much strength can be found in a true
heart. (Side note: I really loved the fact that while on
the farm visiting Blain, the animals would follow Afton
around. That just creates the coolest visual.) It is through Afton's kind and gentle ways that she
manages to awaken Blain's true heart to who he really is
and the beauty of his heritage. These two were a wonderful
couple to follow. For as Blain's attraction to Afton comes
into play so do his more alpha 'fairy' male like
tendencies. And discovering he is a fairy of the warrior
class lets you know this is one guy you shouldn't mess
with. But to really appreciate the beauty of this book you need
a great nemesis. And Candace does not disappoint as we
learn about those Fairies and other enchanted beings that
left as the new Order came into power when Shayla defeated
the old leader Freya. There are some who hold a grudge for
Freya's downfall and want to reclaim the enchanted lands
so as to rule once again where bloodlines are pure and
fear dictates actions. Thus the dark creatures disguise
themselves to prey upon Blain and try to manipulate and
use him to their advantage. This is definitely a well-woven tale, where the love is
deep and everlasting, the good is heartwarming, and the
bad guys, well you just don't like them! My emotions were
well played. The story was well written and I can
enthusiastically recommend this book.
Reviewed by Mindy Lobaugh
Posted May 21, 2003
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