AMULET OF FATE

Author: Angela Ashton ISBN: 1897261640 6/2007 TIME TRAVEL Publisher: CHAMPAGNE BOOKS
Time Period: Scotland, England and Charleston, present day and 1333

Complicated by betrayal and murder, can two star-crossed lovers unveil the secret of a 14th century curse to be reunited and rekindle a love only found in fairytales? Scottish legend tells of a fourteenth century chieftain cursed by a remorseful sorceress in order to escape certain death at the hands of his lover's English husband. While visiting her native Scotland, Alicia Cameron stumbles upon the secrets of the old MacKintosh castle, and the truth of her own tragic past… Enslaved by a cursed amulet, Zachariah MacKintosh has roamed the remains of his castle for six centuries. Guided by fate, he’s reunited with the woman linked to his misfortune…the sole key to delivering him from his immortal hell. He realizes he must find a way to jog her buried memories, for if he should fail in this quest, the horrid curse would bind him for all eternity. There is just one problem… The curse has left him in the form of his clan motto...a cat.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I love time travel stories. I love getting a glimpse into another time and place and seeing how characters in a story react to being tossed around in time. I especially like getting a feel for the flavor of the new time and setting, experiencing the clothing differences, speech patterns and social dictates. For me, the biggest sign of a well-written time-travel story is how the author deals with these aspects of the tale. Angela Ashton does not disappoint. AMULET OF FATE is an excellent story, delivering flawlessly on every point.

This story shows that the author has a sense of humor, too. After all, how many heroes have been turned into cats? But that's exactly what's happening here. Zachariah MacKintosh has been cursed and has been waiting for six hundred years for the one woman who can release him. When Ali and her friend Sandy return to Ali's homeland—Scotland—with Ali's grandmother, she meets a man who recognizes her for the woman she really is-the woman who fate foretold would break the curse. That's all fine, except can Marcus convince the women that the cat who has taken a liking to Ali is really the Laird and Chieftain of the Clan MacKintosh?

The only problem I had with AMULET OF FATE was its ending. Honestly, I didn't want it to end-it was that good. I'm very much hoping there will be a sequel to this book. Angela Ashton's writing style is so engaging that I yearn to be pulled back into another of her tales!

Kay James