Morrigan's Cross, by Nora Roberts

Hoyt Mac Cionaoith has been charged with a heavy task. He must gather a circle of six (the sorcerer and the scholar, the witch and the one of many forms, the warrior and the one who was lost) and take up arms against a horror unlike anything he has ever known. The Goddess Morrigan has directed him that he must fight an epic battle against the vampire Lilith in order to save this world and those beyond it from utter destruction.

The vampire queen Lilith is what destroyed Hoyt's brother Cian, and he knows that he cannot fight her alone. He must go from the twelfth century in Ireland to modern-day New York so that he can gather his forces to himself and begin preparing for the battle that will take everything they have in order to win.

Along the way, Hoyt meets a beautiful, red-haired woman who comes to him first in dreams, and then finds him in twenty-first century New York City. Her name is Glenna, and she is a witch. Since Hoyt isn't especially fond of witches, the sparks fly almost immediately between them, and electricity begins to mount from very early on in the novel. They must work together to perfect their magic and their charms if they are going to defeat Lilith and her armies in the mythical land of Geall.

One of my first thoughts on reading this novel was that it was not written by Nora Roberts. Interestingly, pouring over Amazon reviews this evening, I see that I am not the only one who has that impression. Either Nora Roberts had this book ghost written, or her writing is going down hill. Since I have read the Sign of Seven trilogy and other stand-alones by her since this series, I have to say that it certainly appears to be the former.

This book disappointed me. I am not a Nora Roberts Fanatic, but I have read all of her trilogies (and the Chesapeake Bay Saga) except for the Born In trilogy. I have never been so disappointed by anything that she has written. I found that the characters were flat, the story lines over done or just cliche and the romance was seriously lacking. Fans of romantic fiction might want to take a pass on this book, unless...

...Unless they are willing to read the book with the attitude that the conclusion is worth the hassle, and focus their attention on the characters Cian and Moira, who are the most well developed and likeable characters in the entire series.

One last note: Though it didn't particularly bother me, this is the story of an old man telling a story to a group of his grandchildren. Understanding that this is (in theory) a romance novel, some readers may be uncomfortable with this scenario. As I understand it, the grandchildren are as young as four, listening to a story that includes sex.

Hoyt Mac Cionaoith is the sorcerer in the story, charged by the Goddess Morrigan in the twelfth century with the unbelievable task of gathering together a circle of six and going up against the armies of the demon-woman Lilith, the queen of the vampires.

Hoyt is a sorcerer of natural ability, passed down through the generations. While he got the talent and built the skill he needed to use his magic, his twin brother Cian did not. Hoyt is bookish and devoted to his craft while Cian has always been more flighty, a warrior.

And he hates witches, which is rather inconvenient as one of the commands of the Goddess Morrigan is that he should seek out "a witch, a scholar, a warrior, the one of many forms and the one you've lost."

Glenna Ward is the witch in the story, a fully modern woman who is satisfied with her life as an artist and with her craft. She has spent her entire life knowing that she would have a great charge to complete, and she knows the time has come when she begins to have very vivid dreams of a dark haired man in historical garb who speaks only Gaelic (Irish).

More amazing is the fact that she can understand him!

Glenna sets out to find the man in her dreams (and of her dreams) by using her magical powers to scry for him. She thinks that she must travel through time and space to find him, and is pleasantly surprised to find that he is now located only several blocks from her own apartment.
Fan Art Courtesy of the Amazing Luna2003