I finally got to read The Wild Sight this weekend after having it languish in my To Be Read pile for several months. This is a paranormal romance tale focusing on Wild Irish Magic- the hero has the gift of "The Sight". However, for me, it works better as an intrigue rather than a romance. In fact I wish the author had just stuck to the mystery because the romantic parts just didn't jive for me. (More on that later.)
Donovan O'Shea has a gift of clairvoyance. Whenever he comes upon ancient ground and trinkets of yore, he is immediately sucked into visions that leave him nauseated and weak. A curse more than a gift, He leaves Ireland and moves to America where his gift remains blessedly silent.
Years later, when his father suffers a stroke, he's called back to set his family's homestead in order. To help sell his land he has agreed to allow some excavating on the mysterious grounds surrounding his home, a place called The Fens, but every time he comes upon it, his visions return, threatening his sanity.
To make things worse a beautiful woman named Rylie Powell, an American on vacation in Ireland, invades his life claiming to be his half-sister. Donovan knows she' isn't, but she's determined to get to the bottom of it. Of course he's right, but her true parentage adds to the intrigue swirling around both Donovan and Rylie.
Meanwhile, things long though unsolved, including Donovan's Mother's disappearance, are resurfacing at an alarming rate at the Fens- and it doesn't take them long to discover that this mystical place is offering up secrets that could destroy everyone involved.
This book immediately drew me in, I'll give it that. It has quite a bit going on what with unsolved murders and killers that aren't ready to let sleeping dogs lie and the like. Throw into the mix the heroine attempting to solve her own mysterious past, along with a romance that shouldn't be- you have quite a bit to keep the pages turning.
Yep, I love a good intrigue and I love a good romance- unfortunately, in this book the two were an unlikely weave that ended up bringing the book down a couple notches for me.
First off, I hate the "I lust you, but you may be my brother, so I can't have you" plot device. Yes, I've actually seen it more than once so it does now sit firmly in as a plot device. It edges on icky and should just stay out of romance novels. `nuf said.
Second, no matter how much lust Rylie felt toward Dony, and vice versa, it remained tepid to me. Several times things were skimmed over , told rather than shown, and I just got a feeling of shallowness from the characters. I'm thinking if the author had not even attempted to heat up the sex, it would have been a better read.
It's difficult to rate this book. Overall it's a 3.5 for me-I did like the setting and mystery- but the romance gets a 2 as far as I'm concerned.