After looking at the title of this book, I was a little apprehensive and I thought I was in for an excruciatingly long read, however after reading the first chapter, I was captivated.

The story takes us on the enlightening journey of Morwenna (Mora) and Aodhagán (Aidan) in 18th century Scotland. Mora was orphaned at 9 years of age and was adopted and raised by a Vicar and his wife. After their death, she begins to read a book of spells which her mother had given to Mora before her death. It is through this book that Mora begins to find that there is more to her than the meek, obedient woman that she was raised to be.

After leaving his home to seek his riches in India, Aidan comes home to find his mother dead and his home in danger. While Aidan knows of his parentage, he is forced to keep the secret of knowing that his "friends" are really his half-brothers. Against his wishes, Aidan finds himself in the midst of the meddlesome Malcolm women whom his brothers had married. This is where Aidan's and Mora's paths cross.

While Mora is learning to listen to the voices of the spirits that are talking to her and leading her down her destined path, Aidan refuses to acknowledge his powers and the powers of those around him. As we follow Mora and Aidan through their misadventures while solving the mystery of the "keystone", Aidan slowly begins to believe Mora about the voices and starts to believe that the odd things that happen around him are not coincidence.

Patricia Rice has spun a fast-paced, spellbinding tale that contains a perfect mixture of adventure, enchantment, and romance. With most romance novels, there either tends to be a lot of internal dialogue, or so little that you don't really feel, or understand, the characters. However the author has managed to minimize the internal dialogue to keep the pace of the story moving without losing that connection to the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and quite frankly, I couldn't put it down.

-----------------------------------------------

Publisher: Signet (July 5, 2006)
ISBN: 0451218965
Buy the Book