THE MAGIC OF THE CIRCLE DANCE
I enjoyed this second addition to the Highland Fling Brides, but the story will hold up well as a stand-alone. The town of Glenash, Scotland, in the Highlands, hold different customs that the rest of Scotland, in that, two men will marry one woman. In the area, many of the men hold dangerous occupations like hunters or fishermen, making the possibility of an early death a risk to a woman and their children. Mythical creatures also enchant the town and area around it. The story has several humorous moments, but plenty of passion too. But what happens when Fiona Magellan returns to Glenash from London to be near her relatives after the death of both of her parents? She left behind Martin Roberts, a man who she is infatuated with, and one she corresponds with frequently.
On Midsummer’s Day, in the village of Glenash, they will celebrate the summer solstice with festivals, and couples will meet up, and new people will become acquainted. For a newcomer, Fiona, she will be introduced to William McCall, a hunter, and Graham Brannigan, the town mechanic. But when the night wears on, parents take their little ones home; it is the time for the single folks. When the drums began, then the fife is played, if its time, the trinity will be formed when two men and one woman are drawn to each other and dance.
“It’s the solstice. It’s traditionally the day when the boundaries between our world and the spirit world are weaker. So we can marry anyone at all who walks the Earth. There’s no vicar involved. The Circle Dance is older; more natural and visceral than the new ways of church and Sunday hats. Nobody can stop a match if all the parties are in the circle. The spirit world; the fey, the dryads, all those, simply bind the correct people together. As long as they consummate within three days, they’re as good as wedded.”
The Circle Dance will call to Fiona, William, and Graham. Not only will they dance and hold hands, but they will also consummate the union, right there on the lawn. There is nothing that will change the events; it is stronger than their free will.
“Her will tried to assert itself, tried to make her flee the circle, but her heart only wanted this, and for the first time in her life, it didn’t seem satisfied to allow decency or propriety to get in the way.
The rest of the circle might not have existed as the three of them shared this moment, and Fiona felt something strange happening around her. If she had to describe it, she thought it felt exactly like her soul was being stretched and intertwined with William’s and Graham’s souls, all wrapped around one another like the ribbons of the Maypole or the cords of the handfasting.”
“How had the Circle Dance drawn the three of them together like this, when they had barely met tonight? William knew better than most that the spirit world was fickle and mysterious. The old women of the village frequently set store by their memories of things to come. Second sight, they called it, and it seemed to get stronger as they got older. The spirits has spoken, and it appeared that both men were entwined with Fiona, whether they wanted it or not.“
Now, these three are bound together in a magical union of three, but there are angst and confusion between them. None of them had planned to be bound, there is animosity between William and Graham, and Fiona is still in love with Martin. When Fiona escapes to the forest, she will meet up with the nymph Kellie.
“Why are you here, making my tranquil sleeping spot full of angst and heartache? Anyway, your heart was calling out like a beacon. So what’s the matter? Tell me so I can fix it and then I can return to my slumber. The spirit world chooses. Once they’ve brought you together, no human can break those bonds. You’re bound to your husbands, you’ve consummated, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Make peace with your situation, and you’ll find it easier.”
Another spirit will tell her, “You don’t know yourself well enough to know what is best for you. The spirit world is only helping you. Something is coming. Something endangers the whole village. You need to be together before that came to pass, or you would never find one another.”
What happens when Martin shows up, and Fiona finds him? Can she just escape with him and marry him? What about William and Graham, they are bound by the spirits, and it cannot be broken. There is much more to come between them. There is a love formed between them, and it all revolves around Fiona. Can she be with three men instead of just two? How can they make that work?
The story is full of mystery, suspense, spiritual elements, mythic creatures, constant rivalry, angst, not to mention passion, desire, romance, and spankings. The story has several spanking scenes, as well as explicit sex scenes, including ménage encounters with Fiona, William, Graham, and eventually the addition of Martin. There is no M/M sex involved but does include sex in public places, and on the lawn at the Circle Dance. There is also a humiliating public spanking within the stocks of the town square when Fiona intentionally throws a fit and goes into the village.