Sandra @ My Fiction Nook

A very wise man once said that courage is not the absence of fear, but overcoming that fear. And Hal Porter is about to learn about courage and fighting his fears.

As with all of Heidi's books, this one contains a message too. A lesson, if you will, one that Hal has to learn for himself, but one that applies to all of us just the same.

Hal is in the closet, you see. He's afraid of people's reactions if he were to tell them that he's gay. He's afraid to come out to his mother, to his boss. He lives his life alone, away from his family, working in construction in L.A.

When he's thrown headlong into a magical world, tasked with saving the Oasis, his fears lead him down the wrong path for a while, but eventually Hal realizes that the only way to get the life and love he wants is to forge ahead, overcome his fear and do what his heart tells him to do.

It was fascinating to see an earlier work of this author whom I admire so much, and see how her particular brand of magic shines even in her early novels.

The story flows easily and naturally, the writing is descriptive and perfectly suited to this type of story. It's a romance, of course, but it's much more than just that.

It's a book about the fight for the right to be who you are, a fight to be free, a fight to love whom you love. And within its pages, there is courage - oh, so much courage.

I enjoyed the mythological world Heidi created, and I adored both Hal and Morgan. And I thought the ending was absolutely perfect.

Give this a try, would you?

** I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **