Scotland - Early 11th Century

Disillusioned with life after a particularly brutal and bloody battle in which many lives were lost, Mangan O’Bannon pledged to sheathe his sword forever and then forswore his inheritance to a great earldom. One year later finds Mangan living as a monk within the walls of St. Ignacio Abbey still searching for solace for his soul. He desperately longs to make his final vows to the church, but the abbot has assigned Mangan a task to recover some holy relics that were stolen from the abbey. Only after Mangan returns with the sacred objects will the abbot accept his vows.

At times, Mangan’s quest seems an endless one doomed for failure. After many miles, and many months, he is no closer to discovering the missing relics. He has all but lost hope and, when he comes across a beautiful young gypsy woman who needs help, he begins to question his future. Ashleigh has awakened Mangan’s passion again, and the anguish he senses in her calls to his own tortured soul. She is also unwittingly embroiled in a dangerous intrigue that threatens all of Scotland. In order to protect Ashleigh, Mangan must face his past and decide if his future belongs to the church or to Ashleigh.

After witnessing the murders of her beloved parents, Ashleigh’s only thought is of revenge. She does not want to trust Mangan, but when she learns that the men who killed her family are in service to a powerful earl, she has no choice. She and her parents were the victims of this ruthless man’s lofty ambitions. If she and Mangan do not find a way to stop him, others will suffer and her parents’ deaths will be in vain. However, the closer they come to gaining justice, the greater the risk grows that Ashleigh’s damning secret will be revealed; a secret so dark that it could jeopardize her life and Mangan’s feelings toward her.

WILD ANGEL is part of a series that stars bold heroes and fiery heroines, and each tale in the Wild Series promises a turbulent adventure for the leading couple to navigate while their scorching romance ignites the pages. Mangan O’Bannon is just as intense and formidable as his father and uncle are, who have both had their stories told in previous books. And Ashleigh is every bit as strong-willed as other heroines in the series have been. She also has paranormal abilities to recommend her as well. The couple’s quest to bring the men responsible for killing Ashleigh’s parents to justice while foiling a plot to overthrow the king of Scotland delivers action and intrigue into the story. And yet WILD ANGEL fails to fully satisfy. If the intent was to make Mangan and Ashleigh appear noble, the effort comes up short. At best, Mangan, the warrior turned monk, often comes across as self-righteous in his speech and thoughts, at worst ludicrous. Meanwhile, Ashleigh is impossibly young at sixteen, which in and of itself is not the problem, but she’s immature and it becomes tiresome. It's difficult to make a connection with her and, indeed, the desire to do so is not there.

It’s not necessary to have read the previous books in the Wild Series to follow along in WILD ANGEL, but then it’s not necessary to read WILD ANGEL to enjoy the series. You would do much better with some of the earlier books, which include the highly enjoyable UNDER A WILD SKY (February 2004) and IN A WILD WOOD (August 2004).

Sandra Brill