5.0 out of 5 stars
Enthralling 2nd Story in Welsh Medieval Trilogy, July 31, 2011
I know there is low rating on this romance novel and I just don't agree with it. Thank goodness I read the first in the trilogy and found it so captivating I ordered the rest notwithstanding the low rating. I thought some of the criticisms in that review were petty. This story works and will hold your attention. It's the second in Jackson's medieval trilogy set in 13th century Wales (ENCHANTRESS, KISS OF THE MOON and OUTLAW). I gave ENCHANTRESS 5 stars in my review, and this one is just as good. I can hardly wait to read Wolf's story in OUTLAW. The fact is Jackson knows how to write and she writes wonderful historic romance novels. Don't miss this one!
The story begins in 1280, as a daughter is born to the lady of Castle Pyrdd. The midwife, Isolde, who delivers the child and saves the mother's life in a difficult birth, speaks of a legend--of the "Savior of Pyrdd": "Born during a tempest, with hair the color of a raven's wing, eyes the blue of midnight, and the kiss of the moon upon skin like alabaster." No one expected the legend to be true, or if it was, that it spoke of a woman. But Sorcha, who is born with a crescent moon birthmark (the "kiss of the moon"), grows up to be an extraordinary young woman. With a cruel, jealous older brother, she learns to defend herself with the bow, blade and whip and to ride and hunt as well as any man. When her younger sister Leah is kidnapped by Darton, the evil twin brother of Lord Hagan of Erbyn, a neighboring nobleman who is away fighting the Scots with King Edward, Sorcha goes after Leah even though Isolde tells Sorcha she will never return.
Just like ENCHANTRESS, Jackson has used her skill with words and wonderfully descriptive pictures to capture both the time and the place as she weaves an enthralling tale of magic, treachery, revenge, greed, lust--and love--in medieval Wales. There are amazing characters and lots of action in this one, and some terrifying, realistic scenes that will have you holding your breath.
I loved the heroine, Sorcha, who was smart, courageous and talented--especially for one so young (she is only 16). Unaware of her beauty, she wanted only the best for her sister and was loyal to the end, sacrificing herself for others. I loved the hero, Hagan, who was noble and protective, though not perfect. It took him a while to see the truth in others and to realize he wanted the girl some believed to be a witch. He may have been stubborn, but he was clearly a warrior worth waiting for.
You won't want to put this book down. I loved this romance and think you will, too--it's highly recommended. I also suggest you read the trilogy in order as the stories are related, the characters in one will be mentioned in the others.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Plot devices too obvious, characters too flat., February 1, 2009
This review is from: Kiss of the Moon (Mass Market Paperback)
When I read the prologue of 'Kiss of the Moon', I was blown away by the description of the storm. I was more than ready to immerse myself into a great romance laced with beautiful descriptions. But that was the last time I was impressed. Here's what I noticed:
1) The heroine is marked to be the savor of Wales. I get that. But the image of a new moon? That was a bit too simplistic and obvious. The Celtic people in general and Wales in particular are over run with ancient and sacred symbols. I seriously don't think the new moon is one of them.
2) Her name was a bit too simplistic and obvious. I know Sorcha is Gaelic for bright, shining. But there are some names that just seem to contrived and don't work in today's fiction.
3) Then there is the brother Tadd. He is the most evil person to exist since Satan. I know that there are psychopathic people in the world who are truly evil, but they are usually extremely bright and devious. We're told about Tadd's evilness before Sorcha is even born. I would've liked it better if we'd slowly become aware of his lack of feelings and downright hatred for his sister. When Leah is kidnapped, Tadd refuses to tell Sorcha what happened but makes her look to someone else for the answer. He did this in front of other people, revealing himself to be a really bad person. No self-respecting psychopath would ever do such a thing.
4) Then there are phrases that repeat themselves almost verbatim. Such as; born during a tempest, with hair the color of a raven's wing, eyes the blue of midnight, and the kiss of the moon on skin like alabaster.Once was descriptive and beautiful. Twice looked like the writer was using copy/paste a bit too much.
5) Now we get to the hero, Hagan. He also has a brother, Darton who is evil and hates his older twin. Were there no other relatives to use as the protagonist?
6) So Sorcha sneaks into Hagan's room when he just happens to return home. This is after Darton dropped a plot device by offering a whore to Hagan, even after Hagan had assured him he doesn't want one. But ignoring this, Darton offers another whore, this one who dresses up and fights. OK, we're now setup for Hagan to treat Sorcha as a whore who likes to fight. We can see it coming like a Mack truck.
7)Hagan is supposed to be the man we all want and dream about. But he is far from the perfect hero. To begin with, he's 'disgusted' by Darton's description of his whores. Is he disgusted because it's sex, or rough sex? We don't know. Next, though he's this unbeatable warrior, he simply laughs at Sorcha when she's tries to kill him, apparently forgetting how much such seedy sex disgust him.
8) Last, and this for me was the kiss of death, when Hagan starts kissing Sorcha and touching her, she immediately loses control of her body. Example; she can't stop her hips from arching the instant he sticks his hand between her legs. If only women could really lose control that easily!
I think this could have been a great book. Had the author fleshed out the characters and given them more complex personalities and emotions beyond simple jealously, I would've finished the book. Get rid of the hackneyed plot devices and I would've given a better review.
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