THE DRUID MADE ME DO IT - Natale Stenzel
Love Spell
ISBN: 978-0-555-52777-6
August 2008
Paranormal Romance

Present Day Richmond

Jenelle Corrington hoped never to see Kane again after he snuck out without a word following the most wonderful few days and nights of her life. Jenelle thought they had made a real connection. Boy, was she wrong! Eight years have passed; Jenelle is now a physician with a dream job in a private clinic. How is it, then, that she is standing among the trees with Kane and a bunch of Druids who call him Robin Goodfellow? It seems he is a puca, the very one who imprisoned his brother, Riordan, a puca also, in a cornerstone for two millennia. It is all rather complicated. What is a puca? Kane and Riordan are the only two in the world. They are products of matings between Oberon, King of all Faerie, and human women. Pucas are immortal and have magic, including shapeshifting. Kane thought his brother deliberately seduced his fiancée, so he took a terrible revenge. While Riordan's essence was split in two, one half sealed in the rock, his physical body kept reincarnating until the present when Jenelle knew him as her neighbor, Teague. Teague and Riordan are now one; how that came about can be found in February's PANDORA'S BOX.

Back to the meeting in the sacred grove. Kane has been found guilty of a serious crime by the druids and a guardian is to be appointed over him to keep him in line while he somehow atones for his misdeeds. That guardian is Janelle. Why? Because she was witness to the curse being broken and has accepted the magic? Because she's known to be honorable? Because she hates him?

There are strings attached to this guardianship. Kane loses some of his puca powers, and Janelle gains an ability or two. Will she be able to control them? Will either she or Kane be able to control the strong physical attraction that still zings between them?

The human and Faerie worlds were not designed to happily coexist. Their societies and mores are different, the relative powers unfair. Misunderstandings are bound to happen, and not all are accidental. Kane may be sincere in his attempts to make amends, but is he doomed to failure?

Minor characters add fun and danger to the plot. Oberon is rather likable for a king, but his wife, Titania, is...well, descriptions of her character are far from flattering. Riordan and his Mina, for whom he gave up his immortality, are welcome additions as are several other humans. Then there is a devastatingly handsome but scary stranger known only as Tremayne.

THE DRUID MADE ME DO IT has a well-written if intricate storyline. Kane is not as instantly likable as was Riordan, but that's because Riordan was an innocent victim, while Kane needs to be redeemed. This second book is a bit more serious and weighty than the more amusing PANDORA'S BOX, but they are both highly original and entertaining. They stand alone well enough, but reading them both would more than double the pleasure.

Jane Bowers