Customer Reviews

Lily Fair (Sonnet Books)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Bard announces that the unborn female child will cause the downfall of the High Chieftain of Glenfluire. He recommends to Conn the Ever Truthful that he destroy the lass. Though Conn loathes the fetus, sired by the legendary warrior Fintian MacShane, he sends the baby when she is born to live in a nunnery.

For the next twenty years, the nuns raise and love Caitlin. Everything changes when Conn sends Niall of the Seven Betrayals to retrieve Caitlin. Niall is on his seventh quest to cleanse the dishonor brought to their family by his father. Caitlin is the final quest that Conn has assigned him. On the trek back, Niall falls in love with his charge and she returns his feelings. Still, loyalty dictates he complete his mission. That seems simple to Niall until he learns that Conn wants him to kill his beloved.

Award winning Kimberly Cates shows why she is so highly regarded by historical romance fans. Her latest novel, LILY FAIR, is a superb tale that demonstrates the magic of a Cates novel. The story line is filled with action, passion, and dilemmas. The lead characters are a charming duo while the support cast propels the fast-paced plot to its wonderful climax. Fans of Celtic romances will feel Ms. Cates has bestowed them with a bit of heaven.

Harriet Klausner

I had the pleasure of attending a romance writer chapter meeting and heard Kim do a reading from Lily Fair. She read the portion called The Prophecy. IT GAVE ME CHILLS!

I HAD to come home and read this book and let me tell you - it was EXCELLENT! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! Give yourself an early Christmas present and go out and buy this book. You will be as captivated by Caitlin and Niall and the story they have to tell as I was! There's nothing like a good love story and this certainly fits the bill.

Chieftain Conn the Ever Truthful owes his glory to Fintan, a blind warrior who has the gift of making his spear hit its mark with unfailing accuracy. Imagine Conn's horror, then, when a druid announces that Fintan's unborn child will be responsible for Conn's destruction. Fintan and his beloved wife, Grainne, cannot believe that the child they have waited for all their lives could cause the demise of their leader. With no other choice, they accept Conn's decree that the child should be sent to live in a convent. Conn's plans for the baby girl are far darker than anyone could imagine - let's just say that "Ever Truthful" is the least appropriate nickname for this man.

Twenty years later, Caitlin of the Lilies leads a peaceful life with the nuns of St. Mary's. Once a year, she travels to the spot where she was left as a newborn and finds a perfect lily there, a sign that whoever her family is, they are still watching over her. This time, however, Caitlin finds not the flower she expects, but a warrior who tells her he has come to the Abbey to fetch a wench by the name of Caitlin of the Lilies. After many tears and much grief in being separated from the only family she's known, Caitlin leaves with the man, and they begin the journey toward Conn's lands.

Niall of the Seven Betrayals is appalled by the menial task he has been given. By God, he's a warrior! What's he doing playing messenger and fetching wenches for Conn? In reality, his task is a grim one, but he only finds out after he's been thoroughly captivated by Caitlin. His decision is to take Caitlin to his family home - where he hasn't set foot in years - and where they are received by his mother and his young sister, who'd like nothing better than to bash Niall's head against a rock.

The attraction between Caitlin and Niall grows despite - or maybe because of - the huge difference in their personalities. Their first interaction sets the tone for how I saw them throughout the book: Caitlin skips toward the sea she is seeing for the first time; Niall saves her when she nearly drowns, and then gruffly pushing her away so he won't reveal how attracted he is to her.

Lily Fair has its share of problematic details. Caitlin can be precious and melodramatic at times, going from heartbreaking grief to innocent delight in a nanosecond, and by the fifth time I read about her "lily fair" skin, or some variation on that theme, I wanted to scream "Okay! The girl's white, I got it! "

Niall, on the other hand, is a dark and tortured hero, but unwittingly naïve, given Cates' treatment of Conn; it would have been much better had Conn not been so obviously evil from the very beginning. Niall is also confused - was his father a good man or not? Was Conn responsible for his family's ruin or are his mother and sister lying? Unfortunately, the reader figures out the answers much, much earlier than Niall does.

This book is not for everyone, the writing is sometimes overtly lyrical and lush, and if this is not your style, you might not have the patience to stick with it. However, the story beneath the ornate gilt is an interesting one, and while Lily Fair does not match the quality of Gather the Stars, it is a read that will be sure to transport you to the pagan Ireland of long ago.

Naill of the Seven Betrayals is a warrior with a cross to bear but underneath his gruff exterior is a noble, compassionate man waiting to find the truth and true love. Caitlin of the Lilies is an innocent drawn from her sheltered life into a world of betrayal, lies and deceit. She is Lily Fair, Naills savior and mirror! I had a really hard time putting this book down! It was extremely well written. I will buy more of her books! Thanks Ms. Cates for a wonderful story!

this was a great book about a man tortured by his past.the hero is a tough tortured soul,who you instantly fall in love with.the herione is a nice sweet trusting soul.she sees the beauty in everything around her.

This is the story of Caitlin of the Lilies, a rare beauty in days when hardships were common, and Niall of the Seven Betrayals who knows this more than anyone. Caitlyn was sent to a convent when she was a day old because of a Druids prediction that she would bring bloodshed to the cheiftain's kingdom. Conn, the Cheiftain, is a heartless brute consumed by greed for power and infamy. When he learns that the daughter of the subject of his jealousy, Fintan MacShane, a blind man who is deadly accurate with a spear, could be his downfall, he orders her to a convent saying that it will protect her from the superstitious men of his kingdom.

Years later, Conn sends Niall to go and retrieve her to bring her back, giving him a letter that he is only to read while she is asleep the first night on their journey back. While Caitlin is asleep by the fire, he reads the letter and is shocked and dismayed at what his directions are. He is to murder the lovely "Lily Fair" while she sleeps so that the prophecy doesn't come true. The intriqing part of this story, is that Niall actually tries to do it, but Caitlin escapes as the sword is at it's downward arc towards her throat. As she runs away, Niall is consumed by guilt and disgust at what he almost done, and runs after her afraid that the wilderness would kill this sheltered woman. An accident with a wild boar puts Niall at Caitlin's mercy, and instead of leaving her would-be murderer, she helps him. What follows is a story of grief and sorrow that is overcome by their love for each other.

I gave this book three stars only because the whole story is so sad. There is barely any joy in this book. The hero is an extremely tortured hero and Caitlin is way to naive. But, the setting was nice, this being only the second historical romance I've read set in Ireland, (and I've read hundreds). I quit reading this book after their first love scene, because I couldn't bear to read anymore sorrowful events. However, Kimberly Cates is an extraordinary storyteller. Her words evoke beautiful images of whatever time that she writes of. The beginning of this book was very melodramatic to me, but after the initial parting from the convent, it gets better, so stick with it. I recommend this novel to anyone who likes an emotional read and lots of historical accuracy. Very, very emotional read.