Review: A Great Story, Loved It!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2013
(review shortened from my blog for brevity)You can read this as a standalone, but there are previous books that will make this read more enjoyable.  Although this is book two of the MacKay trilogy, there is actually another trilogy that's before it.  I'd recommend reading book one of the MacKay trilogy first to get more background info although it's totally not needed.Here's the series order:1-3. The MacLauchlans trilogy4. Released (The MacKays #1)5. Redeemed (The MacKays #2)6. Reluctant (The MacKays #3)Minor spoilers ahead!  Read at your own risk...Overview: set in the Highlands, we meet Kylah MacKay and Daroch McLeod, who first met in Released.  Kylah is a Banshee, a woman brought back to claim her vengeance for wrongs done to her--and boy has she been wronged.  Daroch is a  Druid, a tragic character obsessed with getting his revenge against the Banshee Queen and all fae.  When they cross paths, the two are drawn to each other and watching their love grow was a beautiful read.Branching off on the beauty theme, Kylah is extraordinarily beautiful, which ended up being her downfall when she caught the eye of a cruel ruler who with two of his closest friends, ended up brutalizing her, murdering her and her sisters, and horribly burning her mother.  Her mother brought her daughters back with the help of magic and the Banshee Queen, but while the three daughters took care of their mother, they lose their chance for vengeance and are doomed to be servants of the Banshee Queen in a year.Kylah's characterization is fantastic.  I could feel her frustration as she finds herself stuck as a Banshee with the memories of her brutal death haunting her.  She's drawn to Daroch, and when she finds him, I'm so happy for her, because she gets to finally find happiness.Poor Daroch had been enslaved by the Banshee Queen to essentially be her sex slave in order to save his Druid tribe, although in this book, he's been released.  I loved Daroch.  In Kerrigan Byrne's world, druids can draw power and communicate with animals, and they're also logical scientists.  Handsome, muscular, loves animals, and a nerd alert!  How could I not love this guy?  Well, Kylah sure couldn't resist him either.Annoyed with Kylah at first, Daroch started to grow fond of her and started seeking out her, wondering about the curious Banshee who drives him crazy in a good way.  For a moment, her need for retribution eclipsed his own, and he gave her a precious gift in a heart-breaking action that even her mother couldn't do.  When the unthinkable happens and his untouchable Banshee suddenly becomes touchable, he acts in a way that made me completely cheer for him.  This scene, where he has to choose between revenge and an impossible love, is my favorite part in the entire book.I wasn't too thrilled with the resolution of the Banshee Queen plot line, only because I had imagined her as a redeemable anti-hero in the first book when she turned out to be amazingly villainous in this book.  However, I was extremely happy with our hero and heroine's journey to overcome their emotional wounds to get their happily ever after and really recommend this book.  It's a long novella so it's a great read if you're looking for something that you can read in a night or two.Heat rating: 4/5 (two major sex scenes)This is a great book, and I highly recommend it!