IMMORTAL WARRIOR

Author: Lisa Hendrix ISBN: 9780425224540 11/2008 HISTORICAL/PARANORMAL Publisher: BERKLEY
Time Period: 1095

He came to England in search of treasure. Two hundred years later, he's found her... Ivar Graycloak is a brave warrior, a man known for his strength and integrity. He is also a man with a terrible secret. Long ago he was part of a Viking crew cursed by an evil sorceress to live for eternity as were-creatures. An eagle by day and a man by night, Ivar has lived a solitary existence for over two centuries. Then the king orders him to marry. Lady Alaida is everything a man could want in a bride—intelligent, spirited, and beautiful—and their wedding night is a balm to Ivar's lonely spirit. Then a seer brings him word of a dark vision, one that makes Ivar vow to stay away from his lovely wife forever. But now that Ivar has sampled Alaida's passion, her humor and warmth, he is enthralled. His traitorous body—his very heart—longs for that which he can never possess. Lady Alaida may surprise him yet, though, for she has a power of her own—a power that will either destroy everything they hold dear or ultimately set them free...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Lisa Hendrix has penned a winner with IMMORTAL WARRIOR, the first in a new paranormal series. In the 850s, a group of Vikings killed the son of a sorceress while raiding in England. In her rage, she ensorcelled the lot of them, cursing them to be an animal or bird for part of the time and a human for the other. Because of the bestial natures of what they become, most of the men can't stay together. There are nine of the cursed men still alive two hundred and forty years later, and this book introduces us to three of them, Ivar being our hero.

He is an eagle by day and a man by night, though he's able to retain some of his humanity in the eagle's form. This has allowed him to be useful to the king in 1095, and he is rewarded for his efforts with land and a wife. Little does he know he isn't going to just find great happiness, but also great evil.

IMMORTAL WARRIOR is a fast-moving, thrilling tale t hat kept me up at night. It's a perfect mix of romance, action, history and magic. Hendrix did a great job with her medieval setting and the book reads as mostly a historical, with the paranormal part forming more conflict than anything. There are a variety of interesting characters, and I'm curious to see what time and place the next book is set in. That one is due out June 2009!

Heather Hiestand