The Isle of Courain, 981 and England, 1826

Merrick Mac Lochlainn, high chieftain of the Druzai, must time-travel to England, to the place he and his people call Tuath, and find the blood stones he needs to vanquish Eilinora and prevent her from taking over his world. Merrick's brother Brogan was already sent to England to complete the task but has not yet returned. There is no one else, and Merrick's oracle, Ana, fears there is little time before Eilinora strikes again. Ana cannot tell him much, other than that he is to search for "Keating." Merrick knows time is short; his father has been murdered and his scepter taken.

Merrick lands in Northumbria in 1826, just in time to see a gang of ruffians accost a young, beautiful woman. The girl is Jenny Keating, and she is traveling alone en route to Danbury, where she is to begin her new post as governess. First, however, she is hoping to retrieve her locket, the only memento from her mother, from a teacher who absconded with it that very same morning. Jenny has had a difficult, unhappy life and is desperately hoping her new post at Danbury will signify the beginning of a happier time. If not, her mother's locket will fetch her some money while she decides what to do next. One thing is for certain; she will not remain at the Bresland School where she arrived as a young girl and was repeatedly subjected to physical and emotional punishments from the Reverend Usher, who took an instant dislike to Jenny. It was during this time that Jenny had discovered that her despair unleashed in her strange forces that sometimes caused odd events to occur. With no place to go when she became an adult, Jenny had stayed on as a teacher at the school and was still treated as a leper by the Reverend. Now, finally, she has her ticket out of the hell that was Bresland School.

When Merrick "arrives" in England, bone weary and weak from the time-travel, he immediately jumps to the beautiful woman's rescue, but is wounded in the process. Little does he know that this woman is the "Keating" Ana warned him of. A band of Gypsies picks the pair up, and when Merrick regains consciousness, he finds himself in the presence of a beautiful woman who claims to be his wife. Merrick cannot remember any of his past but is so attracted to Jenny, he is quite willing to believe they are married. Jenny, who claims she is married to the handsome Scot (at least she thinks he is a Scot) to protect them both from the Gypsies while Merrick recovers, also finds herself helplessly attracted to the charismatic man, but cannot fathom why he feels the same way.

That covers around the first thirty pages of TEMPTATION OF THE WARRIOR, Margo Maguire's second release in her Sorcerer series. To say the story is action-packed is an understatement. This novel has everything -- in fact, if you don't pay close attention, you may actually miss a plot element. Ms. Maguire does an excellent job of weaving both time periods while still maintaining a taut story line -- one literally doesn't know what to expect from one page to the next. Merrick's temporary amnesia is an excellent touch in the story and helps give the characters time to develop the attraction they feel for each other regardless of their pasts or their future agendas.

Although you know the characters are going to have a happily-ever-after ending, it's how they get there that makes TEMPTATION OF THE WARRIOR such a unique read. It is one of the more creative and imaginative paranormal romances I've read, although with so much plot, the characters were, at times, not as multi-dimensional as I would have liked. Still, this story is sure to keep you up late at night, hoping that Merrick and Jenny can battle the evil forces in both their worlds and find true happiness at last. And isn't that what a romance is all about?

Astrid Kinn