"Legends Lake" is the final
book in the Castlelough trilogy. The series began with
the much-acclaimed "A Woman's Heart" then
followed up with "Fair Haven".
In this story, Legends Lake is a racehorse named for the legendary
lake where the fictional village of Castlelough sits in County
Clare, a lake filled with legends. He's been sold to an American
horse breeder who has views on racing him, winning and making
a lot of money. However Legends Lake has a quirk that can't
be broken so he's sold to another horse breeder, Winifred Tarlington.
She knows the horse is a winner, no matter how gangly he seems
to be nor the severity of his quirk, and calls on the help of
a longtime friend to make it happen.
Alec MacKenna is a man haunted by a past he
continually fights to suppress. He comes from a long line
of horse trainers so is very well trained in his hereditary
profession. He's also inherited the famous MacKenna temper.
When his current employer insists on racing a horse Alec knows
is unfit there's nothing he can do but quit. He doesn't condone
putting an animal in danger for the sake of a race purse.
When his instincts ring true and the horse is seriously injured,
Alec gives the horse's owner an "I told you so"
by way of his fist, thus insuring his name at the top of the
racing black book for the rest of his life. But when long
time friend Winnie Tarlington calls him in to help train a
crazy horse Alec is beside himself with what to do. He's strapped
for cash, his stepdaughter, Zoë, has just moved in after
the untimely death of her mother and his ex-wife (bringing
with her red hair, tattoos and an attitude) and his future
in racing is non-existent. If he takes the chance on this
horse and he loses, Alec knows that it would be the end of
his career altogether and the end of any chances he may have
in the horse world. But if he wins...if he can retrain Legends
Lake...then it would be a certain shoe-in back into the race
circuit, as well as the promise from Winnie to deed her ranch
to Alec on her death (Winnie is older than the Kentucky hills
here she lives). But to make this happen, Alec concedes that
it will mean taking the horse back to Ireland where he was
bred. With an argumentative and highly agitated Zoë in
tow.
Kate O'Sullivan has been dreaming of a man.
Not just any man. But a man that she knows will change her
life forever. When she gets a call from American Alec MacKenna
about bringing one of her horses home for retraining she has
no idea that he's the one until their eyes lock. A Wicca by
belief, she obviously comes as a big surprise to Alec who
witnesses many of her "witchly" feats first hand.
She's not sure if she scares him or intrigues him. But this
is the last thing on her mind. Her first concern is Legends
Lake who she must connect with to see what's happened to him
since he left her farm. The connection knocks Kate off her
feet and forces Alec into caretaker position while she recuperates.
The nearness of them kindle flames that began to burn the
moment they saw each other, but memories of Kate's husband
Cadel continually creep into her mind. While legally separated,
Cadel is still out there somewhere, probably drunk and battering
any other woman he's with. If it hadn't been for Kate's brother
in law, Kate felt sure that she'd be dead by now. She knows
though, that if there were no other man on the planet to reawaken
her, it would be Alec…fight as she might!
"Legends Lake" is a fine conclusion
to a trilogy long in the making, though a sad farewell to
Castlelough. The development of Kate O'Sullivan over the course
of the book is natural and Alec, as hero, lets her take her
time in her adjustment to the fact that he WILL have her.
Even though he fights with himself continually over if what
he wants is the right thing to do. He's going back to the
US with Legends Lake and Kate's life is in Ireland. The relationship
between Kate and Alec is as natural as Kate's own growth because,
in truth, they're both growing as a result of their meeting
and coming to understand each other, each other's cultures
and each other's beliefs. Stepping into a stepfather role
to Kate's children is almost as natural as the fatherly feelings
he has for Zoë. There's a real feeling of parental love
and responsibility in him. And there's no denying the intense
love that Kate has for her children, one who's the product
of a love gone sour and the other from the rape of her husband.
This is a story with a realistic base and believable characters
who make it all come fictionally true.
But the story was not without it's faults.
One of which is the lack of setting, but I would attribute
this to being the 3rd book in a trilogy. The setting would
have been painted for readers in "A Woman's Heart"
and any bits and pieces would be highlighted in subsequent
books. So while this would be a fault for a reader picking
this book up first before reading the others, it's not really
a fault for anyone who's read the trilogy in succession.
I felt though that this book was rushed towards
the end. I didn't feel that certain aspects had been fully
resolved and others were conveniently done away with. One
of which was Zoë's newfound interest in horses. Zoë
is a troubled teen who's recently lost her mother and gone
to live with the only father she ever really knew, Alec. There
is a huge maturing in her that is only brushed upon here.
It might not be a focal point in other stories but Kate and
Alec make a point of trying to get Zoë to get involved
in the farm with the horses. When Zoë starts forming
a bond with Legends Lake she starts taking him out in secret,
which has the potential to lead to all sorts of mayhem since
he has a quirky habit of bolting for unknown reasons. As the
book progresses it's almost as if this incident is forgotten.
Another issue was the convenient riddance
of Cadel. No spoilers here but I will say that the scene where
Cadel comes home is wrought with emotion, anger and events
that aren't for the weak of heart. The careful writing of
this pivotal scene just goes to show the power of the pen
when in JoAnn Ross's hand. The issue of Zoë is a minor
one, as is the rushed ending, in comparison to the story as
a whole.
Ms Ross has risen in the ranks to become one
of America's best-loved romance writers, and justifiably so.
Not just America but anyone around the world who loves their
stories intense, emotional and full of real life characters
while at the same time rich in setting, culture and tradition.
I, for one, hope that this is not the end of
this series because we still have so many more stories to read
from other members of Castlelough. (hint hint JoAnn!!)
