Review: Lord of Always Is a Keeper
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 2, 2010
I devouredLord of Always(and recently reviewed it at length on Joan Slings [...], one of my blogs). This noteworthy historical romance with a paranormal twist is a KEEPER.The book's "blurb" reads: "How does a good and honorable man atone for wicked deeds he committed when he was neither good nor honorable?"I don't think I'll be guilty of posting any spoilers because that blurb tells exactly what the book is about, but the unfolding story, and the sometimes shocking turn of events, makes this book anything but ordinary. Ms. Wicklund's deft characterization makes the fictional people leap from the page, and the emotion-drenched scenes hold the reader captive.Though this marriage of convenience plot may seem familiar, this is not a commonplace story. The author's voice makes the book unique. You'll be hooked from chapter 1, sentence 1: "The world wept a silent, windless downpour. . . ."The paranormal twist foreshadowed by a very short prologue has an impact on the male protagonist that is rendered subtly and made more believable by the author's restraint. Like any good book, this one has an appealing heroine whose goodness is believable, and a  hero who was so despicable that it's hard to believe he could be redeemed. But he is.All in all, I highly recommend Lord of Always, a novel about love, dark deceit, and redemption, and I simply can't wait for the next book from talented Cynthia Wicklund.