Beyond the Wild Wind

BEYOND THE WILD WIND
Sasha Lord
ISBN: 0-451-21785-3
February 2006
Signet Eclipse
Paperback
Historical Romance

‘Beyond the Wild Wind’ is the fourth in Ms. Lord’s Wild series. A whirlwind adventure set on the untamed Scottish coastland, with some deeply sensual scenes.

Wild and very impetuous, Istabelle O’Bannon leads a group of men that follow no other authority but their own creed. Istabelle fights valiantly beside her men upon the seas, as she takes from the rich to keep the poor alive.

Ruark Haagan is a warrior who has spent his life being paid to kill chieftain’s enemies. After a bloody battle he asks for the monasteries help to cure his brother’s injuries. To pay Istabelle’s cousin, Mangan has asked him to help her. Reluctantly he agrees, although being beholden to a woman is not his style.

Istabelle is far more trouble than he had expected. She is partnered with a gyrfalcon that never hesitates to protect her, making them a formidable team. Ruark suffers from seasickness and learns she does have a tender side to her nature. She never gives him time to tell her who she is, and when he finds her nearness arouses him, worrying about it disappears. Secrets are kept by both and despite their differences they are at peace some of the time.

Ms. Lord has written a swashbuckling adventure, with plenty of action. Great descriptive prose as the sights, sounds and smells are conveyed to the reader, “a delicious hint of vanilla and lilac,” was to this reviewer an odd way to describe sweat. Research should also have been done as vanilla came from South America, so had not been discovered in medieval times.

The action was easy to follow with many fights, and sensual love scenes. The characters were interesting and never boring, with clear plot lines and tension to keep pages turning. This is an energetic story, on both land and sea. The falcon was pivotal in many scenes and had a wonderful character of its own. The bond between it and Istabelle was entrancing with an almost mystical reasoning, as they communicated and understood each other so well. The style and tone were good, and the pace suited the story. The energy flowed well and the ending was very well crafted, and kept to its theme throughout.

Reviewed by Marie
March 2006