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. ( )