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Warriors #1
A Warrior's Taking
A love that can transcend time . . . 981 Brogan Mac Lochlainn has heard of a magical stone that bestows great powers. Now the slaying of his father, the chieftain, has placed the clan's protection in Brogan's hands—and he will brave any danger to possess the stone. But only the strongest sorcery will carry the fearless Scottish warrior to the talisman—for it is hidden in Ravenfield, an English estate . . . 900 years in the future! 1813: Sarah Granger is wary . . . yet shamelessly intrigued by the near-naked stranger she discovers washed upon the beach. His tale is one the beautiful governess can scarcely fathom—yet never have her passions been so stirred by any man. Sarah knows in her heart and soul her destiny lies with this seductive barbarian. But an unrelenting evil has followed Brogan from ancient times—and he must battle it to the death to save the breathtaking beauty who is becoming more precious to him than the magic he crossed centuries to claim.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 26, 2007
3 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Margo Maguire
63 books146 followersAs a nice, sane break from the drama and fast pace of working as a registered nurse in an intensive care unit, Margo Maguire returned to college to study history, and fell in love. Writing about the historical characters she encountered in her classes was a good way to unwind from a crazy day in the unit. She soon started creating her own fictional characters and putting them into historical settings.
Margo is the author of twenty historical romance novels. Her books have been published in numerous languages, and have even come out in Japan as manga—animated books. She is the mother of three grown children and lives with her scientist husband in southern Michigan.
Margo is the author of twenty historical romance novels. Her books have been published in numerous languages, and have even come out in Japan as manga—animated books. She is the mother of three grown children and lives with her scientist husband in southern Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 15, 2009
Some books successfully combine two or more genres. This book is definitely not one of them. Warrior's Taking reads at the start like a fantasy novel, then morphs into an historical romance with a fantasy slant that doesn't work. Did Maguire have so many ideas that she couldn't decide what to leave in or take out? Where, oh where, was her editor? Even worse, the characters lack dimension, clichés abound, and terminology is used that is never explained to the reader. Confusion reigned by the middle of the book; who exactly was the hero and why was the heroine beyond degrading? Also along for this bumpy ride are two pesky and overall whiny little girls who can’t seem to stay in one place without getting into danger.
Brogan MacLochlainn is a Druzai warrior living on the Isle of Coruain. The Druzai are sorcerers and a thousand years earlier they created the island to keep them hidden from the Tuath - in this book the world's non-magical people. Apparently the Tuath are not the same as the Tuatha Dé Danann, whose mythology just so happens to have arisen in the same part of the world, which created mass confusion when I read through this mess.
Brogan lives in 981 and faces a dilemma; he must avenge his father’s death from the evil sorceress Eilinora, who escaped with his father’s specter of power 900 years into the future in Regency Britain. Brogan decides to go after her and stop her from gaining even more power and possibly destroying Coruain and his people. He doesn’t end up in the future delicately. He almost drowns in the ocean but is saved by Sarah Granger, who is governess to two young daughters of a military captain in the year 1813. The moment Brogan speaks, she assumes he is from Scotland because he has a Scottish brogue. And even though he is almost naked and can give no real explanation on why he was adrift in the ocean, Sarah and her friend Maud, the estate’s old housekeeper, take him in to recover.
Sarah is quite the depressing and pitiful heroine. Her father became a drunk after her mother died and soon after they were forced into the poorhouse. Following the death of her father, Sarah was taken in at the charity of the parsonage. The townspeople treat her worse than a dog and bully her because of her situation. She feels unloved and unattractive and even refuses to go into town unless it is an absolute must. And things are bound to get worse; word arrives that her employer died at war. Now there is no money for even basic needs and the two little girls Sarah loves so much may be taken away from a distant cousin who will come to rule over the estate. Sarah is in deep despair until this strange Scot washes up on shore.
Brogan changes his name to Brendan Locke and assumes the persona Sarah and the rest believe him to be. The remainder of the novel features him trudging through castle remains as he tries to find some sort of magic stone that will do away with the evil witch. When he defeats her, he plans to return home to his time and place - even though he has begun to care for Sarah. He thinks her beautiful and kind and would make any human man happy. Brogan also can’t stand the fact that he can’t use his powers to make things go easier, but some statues guarding the surrounding area are magical - they speak - and lend him aid.
Sarah remains suspicious of Mr. Locke even though she wishes he could stay. He alone makes her feel special; the evil townspeople think she is dirt because of her father's past deeds. Sarah is also a virgin who has never even been kissed. But that doesn't stop her once Brogan comes along. During one scene which takes place in an obligatory empty cabin during an obligatory rain storm, the two must take refuge. Though Sarah has some staunch ideas regarding respectibility, that doesn't stop her from doing everything outside of actual intercourse while they wait out the storm. After all, don't all virginal women - particularly during the Regency - take their first look at a penis and decide they want to kiss it all over?
As the story runs its course we have murder, mayhem, and more talking fairy statues that have really no reason to even be mentioned. Brogan constantly makes it known he must go back to his own world even though he starts to care for Sarah’s charges and is still intimate with Sarah (so he can show her that she is strong and better than most).
By the time everything was said and done, I was thrilled Brogan defeated the wicked witch and Sarah became a true beauty through incredible lovemaking on Brogan’s part just so I could close the book and hope a story like Warrior's Taking is never written again.
Brogan MacLochlainn is a Druzai warrior living on the Isle of Coruain. The Druzai are sorcerers and a thousand years earlier they created the island to keep them hidden from the Tuath - in this book the world's non-magical people. Apparently the Tuath are not the same as the Tuatha Dé Danann, whose mythology just so happens to have arisen in the same part of the world, which created mass confusion when I read through this mess.
Brogan lives in 981 and faces a dilemma; he must avenge his father’s death from the evil sorceress Eilinora, who escaped with his father’s specter of power 900 years into the future in Regency Britain. Brogan decides to go after her and stop her from gaining even more power and possibly destroying Coruain and his people. He doesn’t end up in the future delicately. He almost drowns in the ocean but is saved by Sarah Granger, who is governess to two young daughters of a military captain in the year 1813. The moment Brogan speaks, she assumes he is from Scotland because he has a Scottish brogue. And even though he is almost naked and can give no real explanation on why he was adrift in the ocean, Sarah and her friend Maud, the estate’s old housekeeper, take him in to recover.
Sarah is quite the depressing and pitiful heroine. Her father became a drunk after her mother died and soon after they were forced into the poorhouse. Following the death of her father, Sarah was taken in at the charity of the parsonage. The townspeople treat her worse than a dog and bully her because of her situation. She feels unloved and unattractive and even refuses to go into town unless it is an absolute must. And things are bound to get worse; word arrives that her employer died at war. Now there is no money for even basic needs and the two little girls Sarah loves so much may be taken away from a distant cousin who will come to rule over the estate. Sarah is in deep despair until this strange Scot washes up on shore.
Brogan changes his name to Brendan Locke and assumes the persona Sarah and the rest believe him to be. The remainder of the novel features him trudging through castle remains as he tries to find some sort of magic stone that will do away with the evil witch. When he defeats her, he plans to return home to his time and place - even though he has begun to care for Sarah. He thinks her beautiful and kind and would make any human man happy. Brogan also can’t stand the fact that he can’t use his powers to make things go easier, but some statues guarding the surrounding area are magical - they speak - and lend him aid.
Sarah remains suspicious of Mr. Locke even though she wishes he could stay. He alone makes her feel special; the evil townspeople think she is dirt because of her father's past deeds. Sarah is also a virgin who has never even been kissed. But that doesn't stop her once Brogan comes along. During one scene which takes place in an obligatory empty cabin during an obligatory rain storm, the two must take refuge. Though Sarah has some staunch ideas regarding respectibility, that doesn't stop her from doing everything outside of actual intercourse while they wait out the storm. After all, don't all virginal women - particularly during the Regency - take their first look at a penis and decide they want to kiss it all over?
As the story runs its course we have murder, mayhem, and more talking fairy statues that have really no reason to even be mentioned. Brogan constantly makes it known he must go back to his own world even though he starts to care for Sarah’s charges and is still intimate with Sarah (so he can show her that she is strong and better than most).
By the time everything was said and done, I was thrilled Brogan defeated the wicked witch and Sarah became a true beauty through incredible lovemaking on Brogan’s part just so I could close the book and hope a story like Warrior's Taking is never written again.
April 4, 2023
The heroine has not had an easy life but she is resilient and determined to provide a loving home for her 2 young charges who have recently lost their own father. Never will they endure the horrors she had when she was left penniless and put into a girl’s school that didn't feed her of keep her warm in the winter. So, now that all of their futures are once again in question, she works hard to earn as much money as she can in hopes of caring for the 2 young girls who need her so much. One, day while collecting shells from the beach to sell in the market, she stumbles upon an unconscious man who has washed up from the ocean. When the man comes to, she in stunned by his beauty but more so by his arrogance and dismissive personality. She'd had to deal with such people all her life and one more will not break her, no matter how handsome this one may be.
The hero is on a mission and nothing will prevent him from succeeding. He's been sent forward in time to collect a precious stone which will destroy the enemy that murdered his father. He's not expecting to remain in this world for very long and he's determined to not interact with the locals as much as he can. It's not hard to do because he is quite arrogant. As a prince, he's had everything given to him. He is rich, he is handsome and he's had his choice of willing females. He is also magically gifted and while he's prevented from using his magic now in case it attracts the enemy's attention, he is still dismissive of those less magically inclined. But when his quest for the stone turns up empty, he is forced to stay with the improvised woman who frustrates him to no end. It's slowly and without his complete awareness that he begins to soften towards the woman and 2 girls who depend in her. He is disgusted by how she is openly mocked and bullied by the towns folk and whenever possible he stands up for because she never defends herself. He is also stunned that the local men don't see how beautiful she is despite her shabby clothing. Still, he's not permitted to feel this way towards a woman whom he can never be with, however, that doesn't stop him from falling deep under her spell.
The heroine feels like she's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders what with the threat of being evicted from the house and having the girls taken away from her. She afraid to trust this foreign man to help her but whenever she is suffocating under the pressure and hopelessness of her situation, she finds herself in his arms and he's telling her he will sort everything. Dare she hope for a bit of good luck after a lifetime of bad?
What a marvelous book and such a strong but tortured heroine. I loved her character more than I can say because she was so damn admirable and relatable. She's had to make due all her life and never has anything seemed to work out for her but despite the constant misfortune, she has fought her way through. But she's up against a mountain now. The new owner of the estate has come home and he is determined to put the girls in that horrid school and kick the heroine out into the streets. But she doesn't fear for herself, she fears for those 2 girls. She had no self-esteem and couldn't fathom any man paying any attention to her. She never fought back against any rude comments said openly to her face and she was under so much pressure to find a solution to her problems that, as the reader, you could feel that waves crashing against her. But, she had a kind soul and a selflessness that made her the perfect woman for the hero, though he fought it at first. He too was a great character who certainly evolved as the story progressed. He paid more attention to those around him and after seeing the heroine's struggles, vowed to see every single one of them repaired before he leaves. Together they had great chemistry and they didn't immediately fall into bed together which I also admired. Instead, it was a steady progression as they became less and less able to deny the growing attraction between them. The plot was interesting but perhaps a bit simple. The enemy didn't appear until the end but there was always this looming cloud of evil throughout the story as the suspense hung over the little English village. This author is truly gifted and I can't wait to read more.is was not so bad.
The hero is on a mission and nothing will prevent him from succeeding. He's been sent forward in time to collect a precious stone which will destroy the enemy that murdered his father. He's not expecting to remain in this world for very long and he's determined to not interact with the locals as much as he can. It's not hard to do because he is quite arrogant. As a prince, he's had everything given to him. He is rich, he is handsome and he's had his choice of willing females. He is also magically gifted and while he's prevented from using his magic now in case it attracts the enemy's attention, he is still dismissive of those less magically inclined. But when his quest for the stone turns up empty, he is forced to stay with the improvised woman who frustrates him to no end. It's slowly and without his complete awareness that he begins to soften towards the woman and 2 girls who depend in her. He is disgusted by how she is openly mocked and bullied by the towns folk and whenever possible he stands up for because she never defends herself. He is also stunned that the local men don't see how beautiful she is despite her shabby clothing. Still, he's not permitted to feel this way towards a woman whom he can never be with, however, that doesn't stop him from falling deep under her spell.
The heroine feels like she's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders what with the threat of being evicted from the house and having the girls taken away from her. She afraid to trust this foreign man to help her but whenever she is suffocating under the pressure and hopelessness of her situation, she finds herself in his arms and he's telling her he will sort everything. Dare she hope for a bit of good luck after a lifetime of bad?
What a marvelous book and such a strong but tortured heroine. I loved her character more than I can say because she was so damn admirable and relatable. She's had to make due all her life and never has anything seemed to work out for her but despite the constant misfortune, she has fought her way through. But she's up against a mountain now. The new owner of the estate has come home and he is determined to put the girls in that horrid school and kick the heroine out into the streets. But she doesn't fear for herself, she fears for those 2 girls. She had no self-esteem and couldn't fathom any man paying any attention to her. She never fought back against any rude comments said openly to her face and she was under so much pressure to find a solution to her problems that, as the reader, you could feel that waves crashing against her. But, she had a kind soul and a selflessness that made her the perfect woman for the hero, though he fought it at first. He too was a great character who certainly evolved as the story progressed. He paid more attention to those around him and after seeing the heroine's struggles, vowed to see every single one of them repaired before he leaves. Together they had great chemistry and they didn't immediately fall into bed together which I also admired. Instead, it was a steady progression as they became less and less able to deny the growing attraction between them. The plot was interesting but perhaps a bit simple. The enemy didn't appear until the end but there was always this looming cloud of evil throughout the story as the suspense hung over the little English village. This author is truly gifted and I can't wait to read more.is was not so bad.
May 7, 2015
I don't remember why I bought A Warrior's Taking. It's been in my 'to-read' pile for awhile, so I read it this weekend. I almost left it as a DNF around page 80, but I almost never do that, since some books redeem themselves by the end. This one didn't. It did have a happy ending, but it needed an epilogue, which is absent, since there is a sequel. I won't be reading that one, certainly. This book just isn't worth the time. I would give it about 1.5 stars.
October 17, 2012
This is the book that made me a permanent fan of Margo Macquire. This book as an original and fascinating story line that goes full throttle from the first chapter on. What I love about this author is that she does not take time to explain the circumstances to a reader she goes straight for the plot and expects the reader to be intelligent enough to get what is going on. At the same time she develops the main characters well enough that you feel the emotions of their individual dilemmas.
With Sarah the heroine, can be described as a strong willed woman who had to endure the cruelity of her community due to the fact that she was orphaned and had to accept charity as a child for her survival. She knows her stationed in life is limited and her future is uncertain. She has struggle to create a future for herself and the children that is in her care. New circumstances will change her fate for the ultimate worst unless she recieves the help that she is not willing to admit she needs.
Brogan the warrior hero, from an area not known to most people on Earth and who is on an emergency quest of salvation. Who talents are many yet limited given the conditions of his quests. He can best be describe as strenght and honor personified with few vulnerabilies or so he thought until he met Sarah.
His quest is distracted due to Sarah circumstances and through helping her a trust is established and then a growning love that both try to initally deny.
The beauty of the story is the soul stirring intimacy created between Sarah and Brogan that will send them both on an adventure that is beyond the imagination. This book is well worth the read
With Sarah the heroine, can be described as a strong willed woman who had to endure the cruelity of her community due to the fact that she was orphaned and had to accept charity as a child for her survival. She knows her stationed in life is limited and her future is uncertain. She has struggle to create a future for herself and the children that is in her care. New circumstances will change her fate for the ultimate worst unless she recieves the help that she is not willing to admit she needs.
Brogan the warrior hero, from an area not known to most people on Earth and who is on an emergency quest of salvation. Who talents are many yet limited given the conditions of his quests. He can best be describe as strenght and honor personified with few vulnerabilies or so he thought until he met Sarah.
His quest is distracted due to Sarah circumstances and through helping her a trust is established and then a growning love that both try to initally deny.
The beauty of the story is the soul stirring intimacy created between Sarah and Brogan that will send them both on an adventure that is beyond the imagination. This book is well worth the read
November 5, 2012
I'm about three-quarters through the book, and I'm having a hard time staying with it. Initially, I was sucked in: great concept and good start with an interesting world concept, but it began to drag somewhere near the half-way mark. He keeps searching for a relic in her time, and she knows something's odd with him but hasn't figured it out yet.
It strikes me that the author was hard pressed to keep them apart so long. His idea that she's beneath him and her idea that he's just going to leave both have lost their luster, and there needed to be a more concrete obstacle.
Not sure if I'll finish. Also - there are too many characters at times, such as the two guards only Brogan is aware of on her property. The first seems ridiculously convenient and the second, pointless.
The initial concept of why he traveled and the hidden relic were very intriguing. I like Brogan, other than he needs more to keep him away from her than he has (ie return to rule his world).
It strikes me that the author was hard pressed to keep them apart so long. His idea that she's beneath him and her idea that he's just going to leave both have lost their luster, and there needed to be a more concrete obstacle.
Not sure if I'll finish. Also - there are too many characters at times, such as the two guards only Brogan is aware of on her property. The first seems ridiculously convenient and the second, pointless.
The initial concept of why he traveled and the hidden relic were very intriguing. I like Brogan, other than he needs more to keep him away from her than he has (ie return to rule his world).
June 9, 2012
Interesting time travel romance. Hero is from a Druzai culture around the year 981 - some ancient magic kingdom in another realm. Heroine is young destitute English woman in 1813, trying desperately to make ends meet for two orphaned girls left in her charge.
Most of the story revolves around the comings and goings of the hero searching for a magic stone around the ruins of the local castle, Ravenfield; while eluding a lethal evil sorceress, he manages to develop tender feelings towards the heroine, who turns out to be the descendant of a former Druzai ancestor anyway...
The hero slays the evil sorceress in a climactic battle and takes the heroine away, back to his magic realm to finish the fight with the powerful evil forces. I think there is more to come in following stories...
Most of the story revolves around the comings and goings of the hero searching for a magic stone around the ruins of the local castle, Ravenfield; while eluding a lethal evil sorceress, he manages to develop tender feelings towards the heroine, who turns out to be the descendant of a former Druzai ancestor anyway...
The hero slays the evil sorceress in a climactic battle and takes the heroine away, back to his magic realm to finish the fight with the powerful evil forces. I think there is more to come in following stories...
January 26, 2010
The beginning of this book confused the hell out of me and I had for force myself to read the first half. The last half was much more enjoyable until I reached then end and poof! The conflict was resolved so unlikely and we never found out what really happened to the hero and heroine. I am searching for a sequel or prequel that will help me understand the story better.
October 9, 2011
A very enjoyable read. Time travel is not usually my thing, but this one was very good. A woman finds a near naked man washed up on a shore and helps him to find a talisman to save his hoime in 10th century Scotland. Recommended.
August 13, 2009
Quite a nice bend in the historical genre. I'm not usually that fond of time travel subplots, but the device was quite seamlessly integrated into the story.
March 4, 2011
Actually, it was well written and well thought out. Unlike anything I have ever read. I would say easily a 4 possibly even a 5.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews