Duet by Eden WintersThe English are an evil not to be tolerated, or so Aillil Callaghan believes, and Malcolm Byerly, the Kentish tutor his father brings to the Highlands to teach his younger brothers, is no exception. Their affection for the boys and a shared passion for the violin brings the two men together, and scarlet fever tears them apart. When a Druid priestess offers her aid, grief-stricken Aillil vanishes into legend, to be handed down from one generation to the next.
Over two centuries later, violinist Billy Byerly’s arrival at Callaghan Castle for a concert feels like coming home. An old man presents him with a strangely familiar violin, and from its strings he draws melodies he doesn't remember learning. Billy doesn’t believe in ghosts, but if the tales of the Lost Laird aren’t true, then why does he dream of a dark-haired, kilted Highlander? And why is he haunted by the strains of a phantom violin?
Two violins, one love. How many lifetimes?
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I'm reading my way through Eden's books, lots of good stuff. This one is a little familiar -- love beyond death, one of her favorite themes, and a whole lot new. I didn't know whether to like the historical section better or the modern section, maybe just a smidge toward the historical, if only because I wanted to see Malcolm creep under Aillil's plaidie like the tune says.
A+ for using a name that I haven't seen a billion times to run together with the other stories that use it, and A+ for killing off so many characters and making me like it.
And A+ because the ending is happy after all. *cries and smiles*
My rating: 5 of 5 marbles
Buy it here. Really.
Thank you very much!
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