The Irish Enchantress - Amy J. Fetzer (Zebra - Mar 2001)

Series: Irish Trilogy (Book 2)

Destined To Rule

Banished from her home, Fionna O'Donnel is powerless to intervene when mercenary English knight Raymond DeClare is awarded GleannTaise Castle. An outcast among her clan and her gift of enchantment feared, Fionna cannot stand idly by as her people come to harm at the hands of a man whose life she once saved--a man who holds her kin's destiny beneath his sword while offering dangerous temptation with his searing kisses...

Bewitched By Desire

The cost of DeClare's reward for valiant combat is twofold--he must safeguard GleannTaise, and take an Irish bride. Yet he can do neither with Fionna's bewitching presence haunting him at every turn--and he will not accept her faith in magick to restore the castle to its former glory. But as passion burns like a flame between them, the cloak of Fionna's secrets and shame is torn away, and DeClare must choose between the dictates of pride and the love of a woman who has enchanted his heart...

Terrific book. I loved the inclusion of the Old Ways of Ireland, bits of its magical past, and the respect that the author shows it all. Fionna is the daughter of the previous holder of GleannTaise Castle. Ten years earlier, she was banished from her home after falling in love and using her magick in ways that were against the rules. At the same time, a curse fell over the land, causing the earth to wither and a perpetual cloud to cover it.

I ached for Fionna, who loves her people and her home. Because of the banishment, she is an outcast among them, even when she uses her healing abilities to help them. She has a five-year-old daughter, Sinead, who is being raised by friends because Fionna fears what would happen if people knew Sinead was hers. To further complicate matters, the English king gave her home to one of his knights, the very one whose life she saved years earlier. She never forgot him or the feelings he stirred in her.

Raymond is appreciative of his reward from the king, but the headaches it causes are countless. He was ordered to restore the castle and prepare for its defense. He was also commanded to take an Irish bride to cement his position. Marriage is the last thing on his mind while the castle is in disarray, and it is about to move even further down the list.

I loved the first meeting here of Raymond and Fionna. To protect some children from being run down by galloping horses, she used her magick to stop them, causing one rider to fall off. That rider was Raymond, who was furious at what she did. She is equally angry at what she sees as his recklessness and doesn't hold back as she tells him so. It doesn't take long for him to recognize her as the one who saved his life, and also remember her claim of being a witch. Raymond doesn't believe in magick and holds a "witch" responsible for his mother's death. But neither can deny the sparks that fly between them.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Fionna and Raymond. It is a stormy one, as Raymond refuses to admit to the reality of what she is, and Fiona will not give herself to someone who will not accept her as she is. Raymond's refusal to believe in magick and the old ways puts him at odds with the people as he rides roughshod over their traditions. Fionna tries to show him the error of his ways, but he refuses to see what is in front of him. I enjoyed their confrontations, even though I frequently wanted to shake him for being so stubborn. I had to laugh when one of his knights arranged for the arrival of a bunch of potential brides, and Raymond found himself hunted from morning until night.

Then the sentence of Fionna's banishment came to an end, and she was able to enter the castle once again. I loved the effect she had on everyone around her, as her natural leadership made a significant difference. It was fun to watch Raymond fight against his feelings for Fionna, while she tried to break through his stubborn refusal to admit the truth. I loved seeing them finally come together and confess to their feelings. I especially loved the side effects of their passion for each other and the reactions of those around them.

However, fate does not make things easy for them. There is someone out there who is wreaking havoc on Raymond's lands, destroying and killing indiscriminately. The tension mounted throughout the book as the attacks increased in frequency and viciousness. Matters come to a head when both Sinead and Fionna are taken by an unforeseen enemy. I was on the edge of my seat as Raymond raced to save them. An exciting twist provided help from an unexpected source. The final confrontation was intense and emotional. The epilogue provided a nice wrap-up for the book.

The secondary characters were as interesting as the main ones. Fionna's daughter, Sinead, tops the list. Even though she is only five, it is evident that she has inherited her mother's abilities. She is sweet and loving, but also mischievous and impulsive, which gets her into frequent trouble. She also wiggled her way into Raymond's heart, and there were some adorable scenes between the two of them. Fionna's cousin Connal is also the son of Raymond's best friend. He comes to Raymond for fostering, anxious to become a squire, then a knight. Connal is big for his age but still young and frustrated by Raymond's refusal to start his training immediately. Connal also finds himself the subject of Sinead's adoration. The last thing a twelve-year-old boy wants is a little girl tagging after him, and their confrontations are highly amusing. Raymond's knights all have their unique places. Alec ended up in hot water because of the whole bride thing, but he was always there to back Raymond up when necessary. Nikolai was an interesting character. A prince of Kiev, but with no homeland any longer, he has a fair amount of pride. I loved his interactions with one of the potential brides and how that worked out for him later.

It wasn't until I was well into this book that I discovered it was the second book in a trilogy. I have already ordered the other two books and can't wait to read them. The first is the story of Fionna's friend Siobhan and the knight that Raymond worked for. There are things referred to in this book that occurred in the first book, so I am anxious to read the backstory. I am especially looking forward to the third book, which is the story of Connal and Sinead and seems to be as wild a story as this one was.

 

Stolen by the Viking - Michelle Willingham (HH #1490 - Mar 2020)

Series: Sons of Sigurd (Book 1)

Bought for his vengeance

But claimed for his bed!

Battle-scarred Viking Alarr is a broken warrior who expects to die carrying out his oath of blood vengeance. He saves maiden Breanne O'Callahan from slavery only with the intention of getting close enough to kill her foster father. Until their spark of passion ignites a desire to keep her close...and presents Alarr with a gut-wrenching choice--his revenge or his heart?

Good start to the new series. It opens with a joyous occasion that turns to tragedy. Alarr is about to marry the lovely Gilla, an arranged marriage, but one he looks forward to. But before the wedding can take place, uninvited guests attack. His bride and his father are killed, and Alarr is viciously attacked. Two years later, Alarr has regained some of his fighting ability but feels he will never be the warrior he once was. He is determined to take his revenge on King Feann and plans to use the man's foster daughter to get close to him.

Breanne was abducted from her home and sold to a slave trader. For two weeks, she waited for her foster father to rescue her, and has about given up hope. She thought he loved her as if she were his own, but maybe she was wrong. Breanne won't give up without a fight, though, and hatches a desperate plan to escape. She might have succeeded, too, if a Norseman hadn't caught her.

I enjoyed the first encounter between Alarr and Breanne. Though he stopped her escape, he bought her from the slaver. She was afraid of his intentions but refused to show her fear. Alarr admired her spirit, and because he was raised to treat women well, he showed her some kindness. He meant her no harm, as he was only going to use her as a tool to get close to her foster father. Neither expected to feel sparks of attraction.

Breanne believes that Alarr is her savior, no knowing that he was responsible for her abduction. She is more and more drawn to him as they travel toward her home. She feels cared for instead of ignored. Alarr is attracted to Breanne also, but thinks that he is no longer good enough for any woman. Breanne is horrified when she finds out Alarr's true intentions and wants to convince him not to kill Feann. Her methods are not unusual, and it isn't long before they form a deeper connection. I ached for Alarr, whose desire for vengeance is wrapped up in his self-perceived loss of manhood. Even his growing feelings for Breanne can come to nothing because of it.

There are other players in the game that neither is immediately aware of. Breanne has a rejected suitor who won't give up making her his. Breanne's mother, who she believed to be dead, was exiled to another holding. A visit between Breanne and her mother shows her to be another person who wants to use Breanne for her own purposes. Breanne is torn over the right thing to do.

I hurt for both Breanne and Alarr. Their feelings for each other were strong, but neither believed anything could come of it. Breanne doesn't know what Alarr's intentions are, and staying with him without a commitment is just asking for heartache. She also doesn't want to leave her homeland. Alarr wants Breanne for his own, but besides his lack of belief in himself, he doesn't think he will survive his fight with Feann. There is a heartbreaking scene between the two as they push each other away.

The confrontation between Feann and Alarr is exciting to watch as Alarr pits his diminished skills against the fit, but older Feann. The ending of the fight was not what I expected, and made unlikely allies of the two men. Breanne's return to her mother placed her in unexpected danger. She was furious at the betrayal and horrified by the fate that awaited her. I loved that she wasn't going to give up without a fight, and laughed out loud at the way she used her head. The confrontation between Oisin and Alarr was a nail-biter, and I enjoyed seeing how Alarr fought smart as well as hard. The ending was terrific. I especially liked Alarr's support of Breanne and belief in her abilities. Their big moment at the end was sweet and romantic, as they bring out the best in each other.

I liked Alarr's younger half-brother, Rurik, who went along with Alarr on this trip. It's easy to see that there is both love and respect between the two men. Rurik is also very protective of Alarr, which causes a little tension between the two men at one point in the book. Rurik had his reasons for accompanying Alarm on his trip, which we learn a bit of. I'm looking forward to his book and learning more about what he discovered.