It is the laird’s daughter, Adaira, who believes the answer lies with them, and Adaira is the one who insists Jack help. The disappearances are at the root of why Jack has been called home – to serve as bard and perform special songs that will initiate communication with the spirits who might have information about the missing girls. Everyone in his clan suspects the Breccans, although if this is true it would be a horrifying escalation. A mystery aspect comes into play when Jack learns that some Tamerlaine children, all girls, have been kidnapped and possibly killed. Then his laird sends a message he cannot ignore, and he finds himself in the middle of a mess that threatens everything and everyone he holds dear.Ī River Enchanted reads very much like a fantasy, and although there are many similarities to Scottish history (clans, lairds, plaids, music), the inclusion of capricious spirits certainly wrenches the novel from any sort of historical novel comparison.

Jack has been away for years on the mainland, studying music, and had no intention of returning. The war’s origins are buried in legend and song, but the end result is deep distrust, resulting in occasional cross border raids and murder. Steeped in the magic of the spirits who reside on the land and in the water surrounding the island, Cadence is also in the midst of a long-term conflict between the two clans, the Tamerlaines and Breccans, who live there. In Rebecca Ross’s enthralling mystery/fantasy/drama/romance, A River Enchanted, Jack Tamerlaine is called home to the island of Cadence for reasons he does not understand. A River Enchanted, Rebecca Ross ( Harper Voyager 978-7-3, $27.99, hc, 480pp) February 2022.

A river enchanted cover