"A delightful good vs. evil story"

This is a delightful good vs. evil story. Perfect for reading this time of year, as we move ever closer to Halloween.

Over two centuries ago, Hugh McNamara lost a battle with is evil brother, Alex, and has been condemned to a non-life in a parallel dimension of this world. Alex wanted control of the sacred Ogham Stones that would grant him untold power in all realms. Hugh's beloved, Julia, one of a line of powerful Irish Faeries, also becomes cursed when she tries to save him. Both are now forced to live an eternity apart from each other.

Julia gave her immortal powers over to Alex in one last effort to save Hugh's soul. Now, two centuries later, she is drawn back to the place where her torture began, and she has one last chance to save her love's immortal soul, on Samhain. If she fails this time, he will cease to exist on any plane, and she will be condemned to an eternity of emptiness. Her only aid is Hugh's nephew, Samuel, who was there and tried to help her in their last battle with Alex. Can they conquer the evil once and for all, and restore the sacred Ogham to its rightful protector?

Ms. Armae has shown her talent for weaving powerful stories of love, redemption... and magic. She skillfully intertwines a passionate story of a love that never ends with an otherworldly battle of good and evil... of black magic vs. white. The descriptions of magic used here are well done, making the reader believe that such a world, and such powers can, and do, exist.

Hugh and Julia are star-crossed lovers with whom the reader can relate and empathize. In spite of the fact Hugh feels betrayed by her, he never lets go of the love he has for her, which in the end turns out to be what saves him. Alex is suitably evil, making one's flesh crawl at the hate and lust for power he feels. Samuel is portrayed as a pure soul, full of nothing but love for his family and respect for the powers he controls. The only character who was hard to understand completely was Aodan, Hugh's grandfather, and the previous guardian of the Ogham. He is mentioned throughout the story as having one been a good witch, but was later corrupted by the black magic, and became a truly evil man. Yet later he comes across as a good soul. It was hard to decide if he was really the evil warlock he was said to be, or a good witch, or one who is more in a "grey" area.

In spite of the slight confusion over Aodan's character, and one other scene where it seems that the story contradicts itself, most likely a missed editing error, this was a very good story that readers will enjoy. The ending is also handled in such a way to make the reader think maybe it is not an ending after all, but the beginning of another story.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2004. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted November 22, 2004

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Summary

Locked in a deadly battle with his evil warlock brother, immortal witch Hugh McNamara sacrifices his own life for the sake of protecting the ancient Irish Ogham Stones—the sacred script of Ireland's legendary hero. Defeated, Hugh is stripped of his immortality and ends up trapped in time as nothing more than a mere ghost. But when his once- beloved Julia returns to the place of his death, Hugh is stirred from a centuries-old sleep and vows to take back that which was once his—life, liberty, and love...

When parapsychologist Juliann Moss purchases an 18th century tavern in upstate New York, she expects to meet with the occasional bump-in-the-night. After all, she is also an immortal Irish Fairy Witch. But after vowing to give up magic centuries ago, being drawn back into the world of ghosts, warlocks, and ancient witchcraft is a bit more than she bargains for...