Keeper of the Light

Rating:
Summary: Irish fairy fantasy romance - could have been better
Review: First, the author needs the good services of a critique group, preferably a group who is part of RWA (Romance Writers of America). The story lacked passion. The hero ... was too fluffy and the author didn't change the tone of his voice apart from the heroine's. Men don't talk like women, or think like a woman - especially romantic heros! Even into chapter five, we still don't really get inside of his head, we don't see his tortured soul. Sexual tension was forced and obvious, predictible. Was there really any?? There was a scene where the heroine and hero talk about the difference between sex and making love ... the hero acts like he has no clue that there really is a difference and he is the King's champion, our ultimate to die for hero? UGH! Another scene where the heroine says the hero is boastful and arrogant ... the hero never up to that point said anything to live up to the heroine's claim. The author didn't really allow the characters to live their story ... many situations were forced. No passion in this story, very linear, cardboard feel. The only reason I give it two stars because the story premise is just lovely. The heroine is guardian of Sidhe gold and there are not enough fairy romance type of stories out there, so that was a winning point for me. I'm a writer myself in romance (not published), but I've been in critique groups, been a member in RWA and I know my own group, would have red circled this piece of work in so many places. Perhaps the author was just burned out when she wrote Keeper of the Light.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable paranormal historical romance
Review: In 400 CE Ireland, The King's Champion Donail accompanied by his soldiers visits the standing circle where the healer Rioghan allegedly lives. Donail wants Rioghan to help an ailing woman. At first she wants to refuse him because men are avaricious and would seek to steal the treasure of the Sidhe, the Little People of ancient Eire that she lives near and protects. However, Donail seems honorable.

Donail wants Rioghan and begins a courtship to win her trust. However, a spell is cast on Donail that places Rioghan in a bind. If she intercedes she must do so with dark forbidden magic to save her beloved, but if she does not, he will remain lost to her and to himself forever inside the enchantment. Her friends the Sidhe plead with Rioghan to trust in the cleanest purest magic of them all love rather than giving up as THE KEEPER OF THE LIGHT for the dark side.

This enjoyable paranormal historical romance acts like a roller coaster going slowly up the first incline before picking up speed. This enables the audience to better understand the heroine who is much more comfortable with Little People than she is with her own people. Donail's courting of Rioghan is fun to observe, but he fails to show the fire of a warrior when his beloved is threatened. Still fans of Janeen O'Kerry or the sub-genre will rate highly KEEPER OF THE LIGHT.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable paranormal historical romance
Review: In 400 CE Ireland, The King's Champion Donail accompanied by his soldiers visits the standing circle where the healer Rioghan allegedly lives. Donail wants Rioghan to help an ailing woman. At first she wants to refuse him because men are avaricious and would seek to steal the treasure of the Sidhe, the Little People of ancient Eire that she lives near and protects. However, Donail seems honorable.

Donail wants Rioghan and begins a courtship to win her trust. However, a spell is cast on Donail that places Rioghan in a bind. If she intercedes she must do so with dark forbidden magic to save her beloved, but if she does not, he will remain lost to her and to himself forever inside the enchantment. Her friends the Sidhe plead with Rioghan to trust in the cleanest purest magic of them all love rather than giving up as THE KEEPER OF THE LIGHT for the dark side.

This enjoyable paranormal historical romance acts like a roller coaster going slowly up the first incline before picking up speed. This enables the audience to better understand the heroine who is much more comfortable with Little People than she is with her own people. Donail's courting of Rioghan is fun to observe, but he fails to show the fire of a warrior when his beloved is threatened. Still fans of Janeen O'Kerry or the sub-genre will rate highly KEEPER OF THE LIGHT.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Irish fairy fantasy romance - could have been better
Review: Set over only a matter of weeks, Keeper of the Light tells the story of the healer Rioghan, who lives a hermit like life in Sion amongst the little people - the Sidhe. Rioghan's heritage is a mix of Sidhe and Man, and she protects the stone circle at Sion and the precious artefacts of the Sidhe. Donaill is the kings champion, a warrior that one day may be king. He is handsome, charming, and accustomed to getting whatever he wants. He rides out one night to get Rioghan to come and act to help a woman whose husband has betrayed her (and whose story is the strong secondary plotline in the book). Donaill becomes intrigued with Rioghan and over the course of a couple of meetings, including the defence of Sion from attack from his own village, Donaill persuades Rioghan that he wants to pay court to her. Rioghan reluctantly agrees - reluctant because she disbelieves that any man would remain satisfied with just one woman, let alone a man of status and influence such as Donaill. And sure enough, soon after that agreement Donaill comes under the influence of a village woman...

As someone who normally likes fantasy and magical tales, I didn't love this book. There is not much story to it, as the threat on Sion is the only action - repeated again and again but that's it. I did enjoy that Rioghan and Donaill were carefully built characters, products of their backgrounds and experiences and quite different from each other. Rioghan while being a woman of the earth, was quite unable to trust. Donaill, a warrior, seemed to have less of a problem with that than Rioghan, but of course he was much less vulnerable in the almost feudal system that operates in O'Kerry's creation. I was interested in their story, but there was no complexity to it, no richness, no real challenge that I felt had to be overcome, aside from the magical one. I could not connect with the lifestyle of the villagers. For example their rather feudal lord was referred to as a king. Donaill might one day become king, but there was no explanation of the hierarchy - making it difficult for me to picture the world O'Kerry was trying to create.

Many influences in the book, especially Irish and druid, but I'm not sure I found it engaging enough. Ultimately I didn't became involved in the story - the pace was too slow and there was simply not enough going on either between characters or in terms of plot to keep me interested.

Rating:
Summary: Fey, otherworldly story
Review: Set over only a matter of weeks, Keeper of the Light tells the story of the healer Rioghan, who lives a hermit like life in Sion amongst the little people - the Sidhe. Rioghan's heritage is a mix of Sidhe and Man, and she protects the stone circle at Sion and the precious artefacts of the Sidhe. Donaill is the kings champion, a warrior that one day may be king. He is handsome, charming, and accustomed to getting whatever he wants. He rides out one night to get Rioghan to come and act to help a woman whose husband has betrayed her (and whose story is the strong secondary plotline in the book). Donaill becomes intrigued with Rioghan and over the course of a couple of meetings, including the defence of Sion from attack from his own village, Donaill persuades Rioghan that he wants to pay court to her. Rioghan reluctantly agrees - reluctant because she disbelieves that any man would remain satisfied with just one woman, let alone a man of status and influence such as Donaill. And sure enough, soon after that agreement Donaill comes under the influence of a village woman...

As someone who normally likes fantasy and magical tales, I didn't love this book. There is not much story to it, as the threat on Sion is the only action - repeated again and again but that's it. I did enjoy that Rioghan and Donaill were carefully built characters, products of their backgrounds and experiences and quite different from each other. Rioghan while being a woman of the earth, was quite unable to trust. Donaill, a warrior, seemed to have less of a problem with that than Rioghan, but of course he was much less vulnerable in the almost feudal system that operates in O'Kerry's creation. I was interested in their story, but there was no complexity to it, no richness, no real challenge that I felt had to be overcome, aside from the magical one. I could not connect with the lifestyle of the villagers. For example their rather feudal lord was referred to as a king. Donaill might one day become king, but there was no explanation of the hierarchy - making it difficult for me to picture the world O'Kerry was trying to create.

Many influences in the book, especially Irish and druid, but I'm not sure I found it engaging enough. Ultimately I didn't became involved in the story - the pace was too slow and there was simply not enough going on either between characters or in terms of plot to keep me interested.