Customer Reviews

A Warrior's Taking

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There is only one way Brogan's clan may defeat their enemy - they must find and retrieve the Blood Stones, which have been hidden in different times and places. Brogan's search takes him to England approximately 900 centuries into the future where he cannot use any of his sorcery lest he be discovered by his enemies before he has found the precious talisman.

But in his quest to find the magical stone, he finds something even more precious - Sarah Granger. She stirs him in ways no woman in his own time ever has. If he didn't know better, he would say she was his céile mate.

Sarah doesn't know quite what to think of the nearly naked stranger who washed up on their beach. She does know he isn't telling her everything, although she finds she trusts him in spite of that knowledge. And she can't deny the way her body responds to the mysterious man...

I absolutely loved A Warrior's Taking, the first book in Margo Maguire's The Sorcerer series! Although this is the first time I have read any of Maguire's work, I am captivated by both the story and her writing talent!

Sarah is an admirable heroine, persevering in the face of adversity time and again, and never losing her empathy for others even as she finds herself scorned by her peers and abandoned to an unfortunate fate after the death of her father. Having finally found a true home caring for her late cousin's family, she will do anything to protect and care for the children left in her care when they are orphaned, no matter the sacrifice or hardship for herself.

Brogan is the kind of hero women fantasize about - strong, mysterious, noble, and still a good bit roguish in all the ways that count! Fighting his intense attraction to Sarah, he is determined to do right by her. His plan? Knowing he can't be with her himself, he decides he must help her find a husband, or at least teach her the ways to attract a man. As with all good love stories, his plans soon backfire on him, as he finds himself hopelessly in love with the winsome Sarah.

Ms. Maguire does a magnificent job of blending a bit of paranormal fantasy with an old-fashioned historical, weaving a world that is wonderfully believable. The romance between our lead couple rings true, and the suspense is intriguing. As I came to the story's end, I found myself disappointed that it had finished, but quickly cheered myself with the knowledge that this is only the first in a series I am definitely going to be reading more of!

Margo Maguire does not disappoint in her latest novel mostly because her main characters are really likeable. The story is a bit mystery, magic and time travel.

The heroine is long suffering Sarah Granger. She is governess to two girls who, by the way, are also likeable The family receives word that her charge's father is killed in battle fighting Napoleon. Sarah has no family and is frankly very worried what will happen to her make shift family; she dearly loves them. A distant cousin of her employer is coming to take possession of their home, Ravenfield.

The hero, Brogan MacLochlainn, is a Druzai chieftain's son who lives 900 years in the past. He, like other Druzai, can perform magic. When his father is murdered by the evil sorceress Eilinora, he goes on a quest to discover a magical blood stone which, when united with the other stone in his family's possession, can defeat evil. Unfortunately, the stone has been hidden 900 years into the future somewhere in Ravenfield.

When our hero and heroine meet he is washed ashore, nearly drowned. The family takes him into their home and sparks fly. There is instant attraction but Brogan is on a mission to find the stone, however he cannot help but be drawn into the affairs of this family. He genuinely likes them and wonders why there are no protectors for them. He wrestles with a desire to see Sarah wed to a good human, (he calls them Tuaths) and keeping her for himself.

Brogan is flabbergasted that Tuath males have not offered for Sarah. He decides he will boost her self esteem by buying her a beautiful dress for an upcoming musical soiree so she can attract these ridiculous Tauths. He also engages in some harmless flirtation with her, after all he believes she needs the practice. Little does he realize he is falling in love with her himself.

Sarah is very suspicious of her house guest, yet enchanted by his charm and caring heart. Sarah is truly selfless but not self-righteous. She is not accepted by the townspeople because she is the daughter of a drunkard. She is lovely but no man wants to marry her due to her father.

Adding to this romantic plot is the quest for the bloodstone. Brogan must find the stone quickly, no easy feat considering there are caves and castle ruins to be explored. Also he cannot use his magic as it will alert the sorceress. There are other magical creatures around Ravenfield, almost guardians really, and little imps too. Only Brogan sees them and they can be a help or hindrance.

The ending is nicely written and I was surprised a couple of times throughout the novel. Brogan is sweetly devoted to both his Druzai family and Sarah. His inner dialogue is revealing and his actions are tempered with compassion. He is still alpha male and it is easy to see why Sarah fell for him so fast. I usually am not a fan of time travel but this one is definitely worth keeping.

I bought this book at a garage sale without reading the back to see what it was about. I am not into books about sorcery or other worlds, so I almost just threw it in the bag to donate to the library without reading it. But I decided to at least look to see what others had to say about it on Amazon before I did. I want to thank you all for the reviews that made me decide to read it. I am very glad I did, I liked Brogan and Sarah very much and I enjoyed the story too. About all I might have liked... to make it even better, was to read a little at the end of the book, about Sarah and Brogan's arrival and reception back in Coruain. But other than that it was a very enjoyable read.

I just finished reading 'A Warrior's Taking' and absolutely loved the refreshing original storyline intermingling magic, romance, and mystery with a bit of humor. Of course, a magic wielding Warrior who speaks with a Scottish brogue and mutters the occasional Gaelic word or phrase is a fantastic addition to the story. Needless to say, I'm anxious to get started on 'Temptation of the Warrior'.

The premise of the Druzai, Dragheens, sitheans, and the mystical, magical world of Coruain is a fantasy lover's delight. I'd love to read more about the home land of Brogan and the circumstances that lead up to the desperate quest to seek the brigha-stone. Just a suggestion, but perhaps a spin off series dedicated to the magical world of Coruain. I'd definitely be an instant fan!

I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and felt it somewhat reminiscent of Moning's Druid Kelter line. After all, what girl can resist an alpha male Scotsman with a magical lineage who happens to be over six feet and speaks Gaelic with the resonance of a buttery burr?

This is the book that made me a permanent fan of Margo Macquire. This book as an original and fascinating story line that goes full throttle from the first chapter on. What I love about this author is that she does not take time to explain the circumstances to a reader she goes straight for the plot and expects the reader to be intelligent enough to get what is going on. At the same time she develops the main characters well enough that you feel the emotions of their individual dilemmas.

With Sarah the heroine, can be described as a strong willed woman who had to endure the cruelity of her community due to the fact that she was orphaned and had to accept charity as a child for her survival. She knows her stationed in life is limited and her future is uncertain. She has struggle to create a future for herself and the children that is in her care. New circumstances will change her fate for the ultimate worst unless she recieves the help that she is not willing to admit she needs.

Brogan the warrior hero, from an area not known to most people on Earth and who is on an emergency quest of salvation. Who talents are many yet limited given the conditions of his quests. He can best be describe as strenght and honor personified with few vulnerabilies or so he thought until he met Sarah.

His quest is distracted due to Sarah circumstances and through helping her a trust is established and then a growning love that both try to initally deny.

The beauty of the story is the soul stirring intimacy created between Sarah and Brogan that will send them both on an adventure that is beyond the imagination. This book is well worth the read.

In 981 in the Isle of Coruain, Druzai warrior Brogan MacLochlainn learns his father High Chief Kieran was killed by the evil sorceress Eilinora who also stole his scepter of power. Neither he nor his brother Merrick has time to grieve their loss as their people's enemies will not allow that luxury. Instead, while Merrick placates the elders to buy them time, he must travel to the future seeking an ancient blood stone that is critical if he and his people are to survive their more powerful adversaries.

In 1813 in North Cumbria, an impoverish Tuath, Sarah Granger worries about her future and more so those of her preadolescent wards Margaret and Jane Barstow since her employer died and his heir seems only interested in ancient ruins. The three females met Brogan when he lies near dead and near naked on the beach they collect cockles on. Although Brogan wants Sarah, Druzai law forbids warriors from making it with Tuath women. He decides he must find her a mate who will worship her like he does; not realizing she chose him.

This is the opening act of what looks like will be a strong romantic fantasy trilogy. The story line is fast-paced but also filled with full dimensional characters. The two young children add depth to the audience understanding of Sarah while Brogan struggles with love vs. the law and with completing his mission without using magic. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this fine tale as love proves the most powerful magic in the Margo Maguire mythos.

Harriet Klausner

I was not impressed by this book and I felt rather disappointed. I have read the author's other two books and I loved both of them very much. But unfortunately, I had a hard time getting through this one.
I like to read stories that draw me in and make me feel for the characters. I felt the H/H were weak and I had trouble connecting with them or feeling any true depth of emotion. Too much time was spent on Brogan's search for the stone and Sarah's daily life. The story line felt like it was thrown together with not much planning to it and the threat to the H/H seemed contrived. No sense of real danger felt and the end just came together too neatly and quickly.
I'm not saying it was altogether bad, it is just not one that I would bother reading again. If you are just looking for something to kill time then by all means, wait until it is available at a used book store and save yourself the full book price.
Now Margo Maguire's other two books, The Perfect Seduction and The Bride Hunt I would highly recommend.

For those interested in supernatural this book might be tolerable. However, because I really dislike the genre. I found the book a total waste of time.