I want to start by saying I have waited for this book since the day Mary mentioned she was trying to find a publisher. I knew, at that moment, this story would be a worthy read. I felt it to my core....and it is!
Descended from the Tuatha de Danann, half human, half fae, they are the Guardians of the Dragons....The Dragon Knights. With the coming of Christianity, the dragons perished - all but one. The Mackay Clan took her out of Eire into Scotland. An evil order destroyed the clan and the guardians dispersed. Only, one will fight for right....Duncan Mackay.
Scotland - 1204
Brothers Angus, Duncan, Stephen, and Alastair await their punishment as their younger sister, Margaret, lies dead. They have fouled holy ground by the battle and killing. The Guardian comes and levels a curse upon their heads for tainting the sacred ground. They were honorable men who now are made to live with their disgrace....to live in shame, without honor, until the curse is broken.
Present Day - Seattle, Washington
Brigid and her friend Lisa own an antique shop. Brigid receives a sword in an oak box and it has came from Scotland with a note... a verse mentioning destinies and fates and returning the sword to it's rightful place. There is no return address. When Brigid touches it, she gets light headed and knows there is something more surrounding this sword. It's a beautiful, old, heavy sword with a stone in the hilt and a dragon carved down the blade with Celtic carvings. Brigid has always believed the Old Ways and legends but when it's dropped into her lap she's almost gob smacked. Through a professor she knows, she learns it is part of the relics the Dragon Knights protected. The Order possessed the sword, stone, axe, shield, and book and each relic was bonded with a knight. She has the sword of Duncan Mackay and she is to return it to Scotland. The question that burns in her is, "Why HER???".
Take a love for medieval history, throw in an ancient relic, a "Viking God", a dragon, and a curse and you find yourself thrown back to the 13th century into the arms of the man not "OF " but "IN" your dreams. Brigid is a hoot! Fiery, saucy, and just out and out full of spunk who left me laughing many times. Duncan is a warrior who is wounded to his soul. Carrying guilt so deep he sees no light or future. Healing is heading his way but there will be prices to pay from both Duncan and Brigid to reach it.
I laughed and when I cried, I cried hard. I even found myself wanting to step right through the pages to stab a sword deep into the black heart of one druid, Lachlan. Plain and simple, this story and all the characters moved me to my soul.
I have to start with the residents of the village where Brigid stays when she gets to Scotland....magical....plain and simple.
Conn - the elite of the Fenian Warriors. Yes, I want one of my very own... I smile at him with his Viking God self!
Moira - a woman who works in the castle, who any woman would be blessed to call friend.
Matilada, an old healer who this reader feels has a soul older than time. She cares deeply for Duncan and, in in time, with Brigid herself.
Finn and Nell - two small children whom Duncan protects that climbed into my lap and into my heart as I read. Nell's "family' reminds me of the Misfit Toys from Toy Land.
Cormac, Laird of Castle Creag - Duncan's best friend who, bless his heart, took a few punches but always left me smiling.
Cathal - a Druid who's soul truly lives, I believe.
Archibald - a professor Brigid had in college who became like family to her. There is more to him than meets the eye, I believe, and I have a feeling we may not have seen the last of him or his assistant, Ms. Peterson.
Sorcha, Cathal's falcon and the dragon, who we all now know as Nessie.
I saw deeper than the words written on these pages, straight into a true medieval heart, and that one belongs to Mary Morgan. Her words transport, and if you believe, they will speak to your soul. I've read for many years now and I can count on one hand the authors that move me this deeply. She is one of them.
I think we all have our own inner demons we struggle with through our lives and it's how we overcome those things that makes us. This story is about struggles, the hope and faith we have to face them, and love....it's about love.