Heart of the Oak by Rory Ni Coileain
3 1/2 - 4 Hearts
ARC Provided by Ellora's Cave
Reviewed for MM Good Book Reviews
Trevor is visiting the Isle of Skye as a way to find peace from his oppressive and homophobic family, his lonely life is wearing him down and he is looking for a connection in the land that his family left many years before. A night under an old oak tree gives Trevor a glimpse of true happiness but before he can find true peace he has to throw off the concerns of what other people think. Darach has been sleeping for centuries, with the return of the magick Darach and his darag awaken to a new time and a man who manages to steal Darach's heart. But can they both put aside their fears to bask in their scorching desire and love?
This is a wonderful whimsical feeling story that is infused with passion with a twist of angst. Trevor is returning to his family roots to visit distant family and to get away from his oppressive life, a life where he has to hide his true self. Beneath an oak tree he discovers a mysterious man who gives him a night of passion and a longing for so much more. Darach has just awoken from a long sleep and the human under his tree calls to him, Darach discovers that Trevor has done something that no one, human or otherwise, has ever done before, he has forged a connection that Darach has never experienced before.
We fall into a story that has longing, yearning, want and need, it drags us into a world that is whimsical yet passionate and has two men who find what they have always wanted, but who have insecurities that could tear them apart. Trevor is a man who longs for what he wants but doesn't think he will get it and when he does he becomes scared because the man he falls for isn't a man from his world. Darach is a tree spirit tied to the magick of his oak tree, Trevor becomes his dream so very easily and Darach begins to feel things he has never felt before and it has Darach believing himself a fool when Trevor runs from his fears.
This was a very easy story to be enraptured with, I was pulled along by the whimsical feel and mysterious dreamlike quality of the story. Both characters made me want to know more about them and what they had been through in the past, when they came together for the first time it was passionate and explosive and had me wanting more from them. The writing is wonderful, giving you the whole incredible story without being too whimsical or too angsty but giving you plenty of passion and longing.
I recommend this to those who love paranormal based on the old world tales, characters who have longings for something more, incredible passionate sex, some angst, forgiveness and finding a place to call home.
