Book Review: One Magic Moment

Product Description

Medieval studies scholar Tess Alexander is thrilled for the chance to live in a medieval castle. But then a trip to the village brings her face-to-face with the owner of the local garage, who looks a great deal like the man who married her sister...800 years in the past. She's determined to remain objective about magic and destiny, but she can't help wondering about that mysterious, sword-wielding mechanic.
 

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Review:
Lynn Kurland can still craft a heartwarming time travel romance, however, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed many of her other stories.  The characters seemed a bit too “bolt-y” for my taste, the heroine a bit too emotionally fragile and the hero too secretive.  The lack of communication was problematic in the beginning (on both sides). 
 
John de Piaget has many characteristics of the trademark LK heroes: handsome, protective, wields a mean sword, curses in many different languages and grumbles but he doesn’t have that loveable arrogance so many of them have.  It was a satisfying addition to her paranormal world but it felt a little bit long, although I’ll readily admit I wanted to finish it quickly so I could read another book that was on my list.  It was nice to see several characters from past books and it made me want to re-read Kendrick’s story, Stardust of Yesterday (Haunting Hearts Series)which has to be my all-time favorite Lynn Kurland book, closely followed by This is all I ask, which I previously reviewed.  This would be a fantastic beach read or a lazy Saturday afternoon read.
 
Sensuality: kissing and references to sex
Rating: 3 stars

Review: This Is All I Ask

Book Blurb:
A courageous border lord who has lost everything he has ever cared about finds new meaning in his life when he encounters a young woman willing to sacrifice it all to find love. Original.

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Review:




Any book that begins with a trio of witches, two of whom are bickering over a burned love potion and the other looking into the future holds great promise for an excellent read and this book does not disappoint.  Gillian of Warewick's father abuses her horribly, physically and emotionally and sells her in marriage, to her horror, to the Dragon of Blackmour, a man widely rumored to be a warlock who sprouts demon horns and practices his dark arts in his keep tower in the middle of the night.




Christopher of Blackmour is a knight retired from the tournaments but not retired from honor and he gave his word to Gillian's brother he would protect her in the event of the brother's death. He plans to wed Gillian, giving her his name and eventually an heir,but no real intimacy as his first marriage was a disaster. 




Gillian and Christopher must learn to trust each other in spite of the adverse situations each has encountered in the past, often with a little nudge from supporting characters. The supporting characters, Jason of Artane, Colin of Berkhamshire and the trio of witches: Nemain, Magda and Berengaria, are every bit as wonderfully well-crafted as the main characters and add a great bit of depth to the story. One of my favorite scenes is when Gillian visits the witches to get a courage and beauty potion because she knows Christopher would only grow to love someone as courageous as he is. 




Watching Gillian grow to womanhood is a delight, as is watching Christopher learn to trust not only her but himself as well. The story is not action-driven, but rather character-driven, so if you want a fast-paced novel, this might not be for you. The first time I read this book, when I read the back I thought "That's probably going to be a boring book but I like the author's other books, so I'll go ahead and read it." I was VERY glad I did because it's such a beautiful story. Funny at times, heart-rending at others, this book sticks with you long after you turn the last page. 




Sensuality: kissing and a few scenes of "fade to black" sex (I let my daughter read it at 13) 




Rating: 5 stars