I want to start by saying that you shouldn't let the 4 sexual rating scare you away from this one. I felt I had to rate it that way because of one crazy sex rite done by our bad girl. But it's short and easily skippable (is that a word?) if you don't want to read it. Seriously, like one paragraph.

Shannon has settled into her life in Partholon with her centaur husband and endless supply of handmaidens ready to wait on her every need. The danger seems to have passed and life is returning to "normal" once again. But she's uneasy, and with good reason. She finds herself ripped out of Partholon into her old life.

I enjoyed this story, but I had some issues with it as well. Seeing Shannon come in to her own as Epona's Choosen and learning to trust herself and the world around her was great. But I didn't like the twisted love story that wove through the middle of everything. When she meets the man that mirrors her husband things got a little tricky. I totally get her confusion and attraction to him. But I didn't like where that always led.

Finally meeting Rhiannon was very nice though. I love how damaged her character is, and the glimpse into her past only cements that she isn't a truly evil person, but more a victim herself as well. She just didn't deal with things as in a very healthy way. Finally being able to compare her beside Shannon showed sides of both that were quite eye-opening.

A great addition to the world of Partholon, but I just didn't enjoy all the aspects presented.

This was a really cute prequel to the Partholon series. We get to see a bit more about how the Fomorians began their invasion and how they initially sunk their claws into the land. It also lays the groundwork for the vase and antique show - which actually does clear up a handful of questions that I just gave up on from book one.

The romance is very quick. It's a down and dirty novella so there isn't a lot of time for courting here. But it is still a very sweet one that is quite unexpected. The devotion in the relationship is great and I really enjoyed seeing how the whole realm jumping began.

Shannon has found herself in a bit of a problem. Sucked through a portal and dumped into a fantasy world where she may just have to marry a horse. She's confused, everyone thinks she's a horrible person, and yes....she may have to marry a horse - well a centaur to be specific. Don't worry, there's no funny animal sex or anything.

This book had a lot of great elements. There's a ton of fantasy creatures and they way the gods and their chosen priestesses were handled was brilliant. The lore was very rich and it seems like a lot of time was put in to make it easy to follow and believable. Shannon handled the strange events perfectly. She freaked the heck out! Who wouldn't?!? The interactions between Shannon and the people of Partholon her first few days there were a great mix of confusion, acceptance, and finding new ways to do things.

Her relationship with the centaur was well written as well. He was a very strong character that really understood what chivalry was. They may be thrown together quickly, but their friendship develops slowly over time into something else. I loved all of the centaurs and they added a wonderful dimension to the story. The Fomorians were suitably scary and totally freaked me out. I definitely do not want to run into one of them anywhere. The battle was huge with lots of fun twists and turns.

There were a few things I just didn't get. Maybe they will tie in better in book two? Certain things were stated as not possible, and then someone managed to do it. Small things, but they could have been left out entirely without the story missing them. I'm hoping a reason for them pops up in book two.