In this fourth book of the Druid series Ms. Stewart has again built the kind of characters I’d love to have as friends and family. Stephen and Philip, Mairey’s brother, both struggle in such a good way to win the hearts of their ladies. Since the book is set in the 1920’s Mairey as an archeologist and Riva as an expert on the legal acquisition of artifacts are both portrayed as women in men’s fields.

They share with us the hell they have gone through to win and keep their jobs or fight off ignorant clods who want to use them as a rung on their climb up the ladder. Stephen and Philip have to go the extra mile in the eyes of their loves to prove they aren’t like all the other chauvinistic men in the world. And they perform beautifully. The author keeps us based in the reality that it's a process of trial and error but, like all the best relationships, there are fewer and fewer errors as they open their minds, their hearts and their lives to one another

The dialogues are excellent, filled with humor, compassion and friendship. Each scenario, whether on a boat, in a bar, at a dig site, in their apartments, at the impromptu clinic that springs up on the dig, has all the little details that help us visualize the settings easily and keep the story flowing. This fourth book easily stands alone but, if you’re like me, this great story will only make you want to know more about these fantastic characters, their friends and the Druid way of life that Ms. Stewart describes so well.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Dee Dailey
May 30, 2008