A woman of war…
A man of peace…
Together they must battle to save their world…
Exiled from Dramon due to her
father's avaricious attempts to steal the throne, Laila DiSanti lives
alone in the mountains distrusting everyone and killing slave raiders
and bandits while rescuing good people who find themselves in trouble.
She sells her services, but no one wants to buy them more than Pace
Alastar, who lives in the magically hidden Andacor Valley where the
residents are immortal due to crystals; they pay the price of no
emotions or desires
When they meet, she believes his valley is a myth; he explains about
the earthquake that led to the breaking of some of the crystals.
However, the remaining crystals are failing and consequently the
people are dying. Their only hope of surviving is with his daughter
Aria who can return the crystals back to health, but left the valley
when her mother decided to leave because immortality without feelings
is like death. Laila agrees to help him find Aria. On their quest,
they meet dangerous foes including the mountains, but it is the
attraction between them that is most lethal; as he begins to learn
what immortality's true price is, but to pay the fee of love means
leaving his beloved as a widow.
Elysa Hendricks's delightful updating of Shangri-La is a beautiful
adult fairy tale filled with romance, danger from various sentient
species, other obstacles, and a quest filled with spins and detours.
Part of the tension comes from the romance as viewers of the final
scenes of the classic Capra film The Lost Horizon will wonder if that
is how this couple's relationship will end. Filled with varying
cultures, the return to the Hendricks Moon realm of crystals (see
CRYSTAL MOON and SHADOW MOON) is a winner.
