Whispers of an ancient magic drew them together ... In the medieval land of Hafne, a curse has swept through the land leaving it barren and without hope. As one of the chosen, Vala watches for signs of the prophecy and with it, the owner of a ring who is destined to fight by her side and drive away the darkness. The newly arrived Norman enemy is an unnecessary complication in Hafne-and in beautiful Vala's heart. ... An unspeakable evil fights to keep them apart. Giles arrives with his Norman men in time to rescue a mysterious woman from a watery death. Holding Vala in his arms, the stirrings of destiny and desire begin, binding him to a prophecy of which he surely has no part-binding him to a search for his true origins and a fight to save his soul and hers.This book from the moment I opened it intrigued me. I read the synopsis and while I am not a big fan of historical fantasy, thought I might enjoy this book. The beginning was very good and I found myself drawn in, but as I got further into the book, I realized I really wasn't as into as I was in the beginning. Once again it could be because I'm not a fan of historicals... all the nays and maidens ...but I actually got confused within the pages. Later on it did iron out and I got back into the novel, but the damage had been done, unfortunately.
It was very well written and the plot was entertaining and original. The bad guys were very creepy. I think where it was lacking was in the main characters, I just could not relate to Giles and Vala. They were just so different that I wasn't drawn into them to care what happened. In the beginning Vala's plight was intense and I was drawn to her, but she began acting oddly later on and I just didn't get what her motives were.
If you are a fan of Historical Fantasy, maybe this would be something you would be into. I am not going to rate it though, because I think any rating I put on it would be unfair, since this is not a genre of preference for me - and now I know in the future not to tread these waters.
