Windkeeper

Prince Conar Aleksandro McGregor is the Prince Regent of Serenia. He is arrogant and somewhat childish, yet honorable in all his dealings with others. As a child, he had suffered dearly, with that pain being etched into his soul. He will let no one know what has been done to him. Upon being the recipient of an attack in a stable, he is surprised to receive assistance not from his Elite Force but from a beautiful young woman. His pride takes a beating when he realizes that this woman has saved his life. In his arrogance and conceit, he reluctantly allows her to travel with him to his home since that is her final destination, not realizing that this journey will change him completely. He tries to find out more about Liza to no avail. They encounter dangers, and along the way he finds love. The problem lays in the fact that he is betrothed to another and is to be married within the year. His heart lies with Liza, yet he has a duty to his country in marrying his betrothed, Princess Anya Wynth, Firstborn Daughter of Oceania. Liza is a courageous and secretive woman who knows how to defend herself. From the moment she saves Prince Conar from an attack, she is intrigued and curious about him. She worms her way into riding with him to his home as well as into his heart. On this journey, she learns more about Prince Conar and slowly falls in love with him, the person, not the title. She is powerful in her own right, and allows Prince Conor to see her power in order to save him. Liza freely gives herself to him, knowing that he belongs to another. Windkeeper: Wind Legends is a story full of love, romance, adventure and intrigue. Charlotte Boyett-Compo has created a world that I could clearly see in my mind's eye. I suffered and cried with Prince Conor, and I cheered for Liza. When an author can draw me in as Charlotte Boyett-Compo has done, I know that the story is a winner. I devoured every word and sighed with longing when the story ended too soon for me. Charlotte Boyett-Compo leaves you with a great follow up ending, and I can't wait to read her next installment in this series. Windkeeper: Wind Legends is a recommended read for all Idalmi reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I think this book rates in my top 5 as far as keepers. I devoured this dark fantasy, and believe me....it is dark. Prince Conar McGregor is only 20 years old, but one reading this book wouldn't think so. He is far more mature than his age. He has responsibilites. He is to be King one day. He has trained to be a soilder, is well educated, and even has a handful of illegitimate children. And he is also hiding a dark secret, a secret that has ruined his childhood and scarred his soul. And with all that against him he was still able to love. Conar met Liza while on one of his journeys. She basically saved him from death while he was fighting some thieves. One snuck up behind him and that was when Liza intervened. He was astonished to find out the person who saved him was a woman. He was impressed with her warrior skills, and later when she tells him her intent is to love him, he is astonished. He doesn't have high regard for her race. But that quickly changes when they began their journey to his home in Serenia. He begins to see she is differnet from any woman he has ever known. She cares about him not as a prince, or what he can do for her...but as a man. The man he really is inside, the man no one else knows. But their love does not seem destined to be as Conar is to be married to Princess Anya from a different land. This kills him for he will love no other but Liza. And on top of all that, there is an evil sorcerer named Kaileel Tohre who wants to destroy Conar. Tohre has made it his life mission to make sure Conar feels no happiness. In this book Conar is made to endure such pain and loss, that my heart went out for him. But that pain was rewarded richly at the end, and was a pleasure to read. I loved this book. Their was so much depth and emotion. Liza was such a strong character. She was smart, independent, and a skilled warrior. She was also devoted to Conar, and to her love for him. And Conar was one of the strongest hero's I have read about in a while. He had endured so much physically and emotionally, and still he was able to give and love. I cannot wait to read the rest in this series.

Hearing rumors about his fiancée whom he never met, Prince Regent of Serenia Conar McGregor dreads his upcoming marriage to Princess Anya though he knows he must fulfill the obligation his parents made for the good of his country. However, he reconsiders honor and obligation when Liza the keeper saves his life using a dagger more adept than any warrior he knows. At first thinking "he" would make a fine soldier apprentice, Conar realizes that his rescuer is a female as she rides off on her steed Windkeeper with him following her. A storm sends the couple seeking shelter in the keep of Conar's younger twin brother Galen who detests his sibling for being in the way of his inheriting the throne. Galen has allied with the evil sorcerer High Priest of the Brotherhood of Dominion Kaileel Tohre, who "owned" and abused Conar as a child leaving him unable to love anyone. With Liza assisting the Prince against deadly foes, Conar begins to learn that life truly is leaving behind his living dead existence for her love. The opening tale of the Windlegends Saga, WINDKEEPER is a terrific romantic fantasy that stars a powerful cast who make Charlotte Boyett-Compo's sword and sorcery world seem authentic. The story line is action-packed from the moment that Liza rescues Conar from thugs and never slows down until the final altercation, which provides a fine finish to this tale and sets up the next book (see WINDSEEKER). The lead duo is somewhat typical of the sub-genre, but no one will care an iota as they go about their adventures with fans rooting for them to succeed as a couple and against the Brotherhood turning WINDKEEPER into a keeper. Harriet Klausner

Prince Conar McGregor and his wife, Princess Anya "Liza" Elizabeth, were still deep in love. Conar and his father, King Gerren, ruled the Serenia region of the world. Liza was part of the Multitude, one of the Daughters of the Sea. Few knew that, of course. She was more well known for her ability with a crossbow. Conar and Liza were dedicated in their quest to destroy the Brotherhood of the Domination. Conar's evil twin, Galen, wanted Conar dead and Liza by his side. Knowing this, the Domination planned to use Galen as a way to force Conar into returning to the Great Abbey of the Domination - from where he had escaped just before the age of thirteen.The sorcerer known as Kaileel Tohre had always had a dark fascination with Conar. He wanted Conar the same way Liza did, as mate. To save Liza, Conar would return to the Domination and complete the Rite of Passage to become "One of the Chosen". Then he would go through the Final Rite of Consecration. If Conar lived through it, he would BE "The Chosen One of the Chosen"! Conar would possess the combined power of the White and the Black Paths. The battle between good and evil continues!***** RATED R for dark fantasy scenes and violence. No one under the age of 17 should read this series! Now that I have stated that, if you like your fantasy novels to be "anything goes", then this author should be on the top of your Favorites list. I never knew what would happen next and often it was the worst thing possible. It kept my on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the end and hungry for the next book! True Dark Fantasy gets no better than this! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

Fans of Charlotte Boyett-Compo will cheer the release of WINDKEEPER, originally available only in paperback under the title THE KEEPER OF THE WIND. Complete with previous pieces that had been edited out, WINDKEEPER is destined to become a best seller.The three thieves thought him an easy mark, little suspecting that the intended victim was Prince Conar Alexsandro McGregor. Conar would have fairly beaten all three of them in a fair fight if the innkeeper hadn't arrived at an inopportune moment. But help quickly arrived from a most unexpected direction. Concealed in the loft, a mysterious stranger leaps to the Prince's aid, showing deft proficiency with weapons. But this was no ordinary weapons expert. Indeed, when the expert of blade and crossbow is revealed to be a woman, Conar is astonished. His rescuer only gives the name Liza, refusing to reveal her surname, heritage, country or past. As they journey together, Conar falls madly in love with the mysterious beauty. But he has been pledged to another since birth. It was the deceased Queen's wish that he marry Princess Anya of Oceania as her parents were close friends to herself and the King. Conar has refused to journey to meet his intended, relying on another's account of the young woman, who has been described as a limping toad -- certainly no comparison to the mysterious Liza. And so a promise is made, that while on their journey, they might be together. And when the journey ends, so does the romance. But a heart is a delicate thing, and not likely to give up that which it loves.Beneath the surface of Boyett-Compo's romance runs a tantalizingly evil subplot. Conar, without full memory of his past, has fallen victim to the evil Brotherhood of the Dominion, a sinister sect of warrior priests dedicated to the erudition of free thought and the enslavement of humanity. A vicious and cruel sect, the Domination is led by Kaileel Tohre, a priest who intends to control the prince and has sorely underestimated the adversary he faces with Liza.A rich and complex weave of adventure, romance, and fantasy, WINDKEEPER is an extraordinary tale with great promise of powerful sequels. As readers have come to expect, both humor and grace are well balanced in this tantalizing novel. Indeed, move over Robert Jordan, for you have competition. With the depth of characterization so easily penned by Boyett-Compo, these characters live long in the readers memory, demanding the story continue. This reviewer not only very highly recommends WINDKEEPER, but wishes the sequel were ready now!