The Mage's Daughter by Lynn Kurland

*Neroche is under assault by a mysterious magic that has stripped it’s king of his powers and unleashed nightmarish creatures as weapons in a war of evil. Morgan of Melksham is fighting against that menace as well as for her life. Struggling to regain her strength after a near-fatal attack, Morgan realizes that she must decide between two facts: that of being a simple shieldmaiden or accepting her heritage as an elven princess. If only she could forget that she was the daughter of the perilous black mage of Ceangail…

Duty bound to aid his kind, Miach of Neroche is torn between what his responsibilities demand and what his heart desires. He is willing to risk his life to rescue Morgan from the darkness that haunts her, but he must do so at the peril of his realm. Forced to choose between love and the burden of his mantle, Miach sets out on his most deadly quest ever.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first. The characters are very likable and it is an easy read. A lot of times in fantasy novels I wish there would be more romance; well this book has plenty of that. I often felt it was more of a romance than a fantasy. I did enjoy that the characters really got to know each other, and were not kept apart for the majority of the story. However, it is nice in a story to have that tension of not knowing if they would be together or not and the book was lacking some of that tension, but it is still a fun read. The only other problem I had was that in the first book Morgan was really sure of herself, and although she does have a lot to take in it did get frustrating listening to her go on and on about how her insecurities, and also crying A LOT and seeking comfort in Miach. I guess it was nice to see how being in love has softened her and that being in a relationship helps us become whole. I look forward to reading the next book, which doesn’t come out until next year.

Reviewed by: Kathy
*Description taken from book cover.