GODDESS OF EIRE

Author: Janeen O'Kerry ISBN: 0505525879 2/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: Celtic

The goddess Eriu waited. The new Ard-Ri, high king of all Ireland, had been chosen, elected by his people to enter the Mound of Kings and to induce her to accept him as a wife would a husband. He would be difficult to resist if she were judging on strength and beauty alone; Parlan was as potent a mortal as any she had seen. But to be Ard-Ri required wisdom. Was it wise for Parlan to believe he might win the hand of a goddess? Such pride brought tragedy, the wrath of the most potent magics of Eire. No, Parlan could not succeed. And yet, did part of her long for his victory? Yes, when Eriu considered Parlan she trembled, for here was finally a man who might be worthy. If only he passed the tests to come.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

There are so many reasons that I loved GODDESS OF EIRE, it would be hard for me to put them all onto paper. I will stick to naming a few of the basics for my review.

Of course, my main reason for loving this book are the characters. Parlan and Eriu are phenomenal—to say the least. She is a goddess who has only to take Parlan as her husband for one night for him to become a king of the land, so that he may protect the land and love it as he would a wife. The only problem with that? He would give everything up to have Eriu love him, and therein lies the problem. Just him thinking in this manner makes him unworthy in Eriu's eyes.

Eriu is stunning. She is so strong and bears a huge weight of responsibility in her role as a goddess. She sees it as the only thing she will ever do because no man that loves her will ever allow her to take another man as her husband—even if it is only for one night for the king-making ceremony. So she feels that she is destined to be alone for all time. And yet, there is one man who makes her feel things, things that she knows she should not.

Janeen O' Kerry infuses this story with so much; it can honestly be called an assault on the senses—a wonderful, magical assault. By the end of the story I was breathing this land, these people, their magic and loving every minute of it. Besides, who wouldn't love a man who would dare to demand the love of a goddess, taking no answer other than the one that he seeks?

Kirstal Gorman