Fey Born

I'm on the last in this series and I love them. They are fast paced and interesting. The characters are good and exciting.

As unlikely as it seems, the girl perceived to be the weakest in the land, Lana, bears the birthmark that indentifies her as one able to contain the sword spirit, Valor. When the current bearer's life is endangered, the Water Guardian, Keegan, a Fey man who finds mortals more interesting than his own kind, is summoned to rescue the current bearer and to take Lana with him in case Valor needs a new home. As the two journey, they begin to fall in love, but it is a romance that is twice over forbidden; he cannot mate with a mortal, which he believes Lana to be, and she must be pure for Valor to accept her. Love denied only grows in intensity, and the consequences could be the undoing of more than two hearts. **** Impossible romances, especially those with an inherent sacrifice involved, hold an undeniable appeal, even though they bring tears to your eyes. Lana and Keegan's story is such a tale. If you enjoyed Predestined, this one is even better. **** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

This is the second book I've read by Ms. Gray, and I have been impressed by both. The first, Predestined, was a tad more to my taste (personal preference, I just liked the characters more) and easier to follow, but both are equally well-written and wonderfully original. In Fey Born, as in Predestined, the Fae are strong, beautiful, selfish, and very cold. When they do show some warmer emotions, especially toward mortals, they are rather ashamed of themselves, even angered by their loss of control. This mind set makes them both fascinating, and hard to like. Our hero (Rain) is so arrogantly Fae, and the heroine (Lana) is so incredibly vulnerable both physically and psychologically, they define the cliché "opposites attract". More or less, that's the real fun of this book. When Rain falls for Lana, he doesn't know how to behave or react and tries to convince himself that he merely lusts, not loves. Lana doesn't really understand lust (typical virgin with raging hormones), and believes herself to be in love. It's a delicious conundrum, but after awhile it does start to grate on your nerves. In the time it takes for them to figure it all out, you would have had a home in the `burbs and a kid on the way. Luckily, this novel is not completely character driven, there is also an interesting and complex plot to keep you reading. The kingdom of the Fae is in an upheaval. Lana is needed to complete her destiny as a living sword spirit to save the day, and different factions of the magical world are trying to keep her from her doing so. If she fulfills her destiny, any future with Rain is impossible. If she does not become the sword spirit of Valor, the world of the Fae will be destroyed, and Rain along with it. Problems abound, and the solutions/sacrifices are not comfortable, just necessary. I was emotionally touched by Fey Born, and the author slapped me around more than once. I didn't see a great many of the twists coming at me. I admit to being lost a few times, but never bored. Thank you, Ms. Gray, I appreciated the challenge. One warning. The road to the ending is harsh (the Fae are not nice people), a touch sad, but ultimately satisfying. Four solid stars.

Keegan, whose faery name is Rain, is bored with his existence and takes mortal form to live among the Tuatha De Danann tribe in Drumanagh, Eire. One of the members of the tribe is Lana who has a weak heart and a strange birthmark on her body. Both are erotically aware of the other but it is forbidden for a guardian of the waters to mate with a mortal. Keegan is called before the High King Nuada where he is informed that the talisman sword Valor is missing and drowning in the water so he must recover it. The druidess of his human tribe insists he take the Sword Host Lana with him. Her mark means she can meld with the sword if the human guardian inside Valor is dead because of being immersed in water so long. After they handfast, they travel north to find Valor, a trip made hard because both want to mate with one another but can't because Lana must be pure to meld with the sword. They remain unaware of an enemy planning to use magic to kill him and capture her so this adversary can use the sword to become the next High King. Romantic fantasy readers will enjoy this magical and enchanted tale of two-star crossed lovers who must fight against overwhelming odds to achieve their goal. Lana who always thought she was weak learns she has the strength to hold her own with her fairy man and love him with all her heart. R. Garland Gray has the magic touch when it comes to writing fantasy. Harriet Klausner