Review: review of celtic spirit
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2014
Out of Ms. Ria Cantrell’s books from her Celtic series this is the one I like the best!  Yes, I do like reading about Scottish highlanders, knights and romances between bitter enemies but it is more the content of this book being more a paranormal romance with the fact there is a cursed ghost who really isn’t a ghost sparked my interest than the other two in the series Celtic fury and Celtic tempest.  I have always enjoyed reading paranormals whether fiction or romance and fantasy more so than any other kind of read.The story starts off with Derek who is planning and plotting to kill some of the MacCollum clan high up in a tree falls out of the tree and dies but through divine intervention from the guardians pleads on his behalf to save his sorry soul.  Derek must redeem himself the guardians give him a second chance to live again unfortunately he is cursed by his step-mother and so becomes a ghost so no one can see him until almost 700 years later he meets Kiera.  I kind of feel sorry at first for the beautiful seer and heroine Kiera in a sense she seems like a great person but a lot of her attitude and doormat personality kind of bothered me though.  She runs away to England to escape a cheating ex-fiancée who uses and abuses her into a job with a boss who verbally abuses her and lastly to Scotland to a handsome vengeful mean-spirited cursed ghost of a man and hero Derek.  It took me close to about 55% of the book to actually like Derek since his whole existence seems to be about wanting revenge even as a ghost no less he still wanted revenge.  Derek wanted revenge against the MacCollum clan his sister for marrying into that clan, revenge on his family, revenge against Kiera and on and on it just got a little old.  I was beginning to think that really they should have just let him go to hell there really wasn’t anything worth saving in him. In fact I was really beginning to hate everything about him until he fell in love with Kiera.  Kiera it took me about 40% of the book to actually like her as well since I wanted a strong heroine throughout the book to stand up to the other characters that hurt and abuse her which she doesn’t do instead she runs away at every chance she gets.  Plus, Kiera doubts Derek at every turn even though he professes his love for her she doubts him and even acts like an immature girl attempting to banish him but then realizes her mistake and forgives him time and time again.  Kiera was not only a doormat but emotionally unstable and very wishy-washy for a mature 30 year old woman.  Eventually as the story progresses both Kiera and Derek grow up emotionally as characters learning to trust and love each other which really helped me learn to like them as characters.  I think the side characters Gavin a guardian and Morag a wise old woman kind of made the story for me.  I loved their humor, banter and sage advice they gave the couple throughout the story.  That it wouldn’t have bothered me in the least if those two ended up together anyway.Now after saying all of this it sounds like I didn’t like or enjoy the story which is untrue.  Yes, both the hero and heroine bothered me at times but I just liked the idea of a ghost moving past his hate in love and actually getting his second chance to fulfill out his life.  Plus the idea of soul mates that without each other both would wither and die but that love for each other is eternal makes for a truly beautiful romance.  So for that I rated the book four stars, will keep it in my library to read again and will read another from Ms. Cantrell!