Prince Of Magic

Anne Stuart delights yet again with a tale of a mysterious man and the woman who learns to love him. Caught dancing in the moonlit woods, barefoot and clad only in her shift, Elizabeth Penshurst is banished to the country to live with the Durhams, cousins she has never met. Daughter of a stodgy but lovable Dorset minister, Elizabeth vows to stay out of trouble. Her resolve fails to last even one day in Yorkshire, where she meets Gabriel, black sheep of the Durham family, an expelled Catholic priest and scholar of the lost religion of Druidism. The reclusive Gabriel finds his vow of celibacy severely challenged by Elizabeth, who cannot seem to resist the siren's call of the haunted woods surrounding the ruins of Hernewood Abbey that Gabriel calls home. Warned by villagers to beware "the Dark Man" and plagued by strange and frightening dreams of restless spirits, Elizabeth nonetheless finds herself irresistibly drawn to the mystical Gabriel. But something evil is indeed disturbing the peace of Hernewood as the ancient Druid festival of Beltane fast approaches and so-called practitioners of the lost religion seek a virgin sacrifice. Gabriel, aided by two helpful priests who happen to be the resident ghosts of Hernewood Abbey, will do anything to protect Elizabeth, even going so far as to relieve her of her maidenly status. Prince of Magic delivers humor, whimsy, historical detail, and torrid desire in a fast-paced romance. --Alison Trinkle