Book Review: Healer by Linda Windsor

Linda Windsor’s Healer is the first book in The Brides of Alba Series.  Set in Sixth Century Scotland, the book tells the story of the O’Byrne and Gowrys Clans, locked in a bitter feud started by unrequited love.  After a murderous attack on her home and her family, Brenna of Gowrys grows to womanhood in seclusion with a wolf as her only ally.  Ronan O’Byrne is raised by a father looking for vengeance, but grows weary of a hunt that is not his own.  Fate, or is it faith, brings the two together.  What follows is a story of love, of healing, and of the power of faith and belief in the Lord Jesus to overcome darkness, no matter its power.

Linda Windsor is a precocious researcher and a talented writer.  She weaves together the history of this time, its characters, and her fictional characters seamlessly.  Her characters are well-developed and the story’s plot moves quickly, drawing the reader into the story from the very first page.

I was fascinated by the Arthurian history woven into the story line of this book.   The idea, for example, that Arthur, Gwenhyfar (Guinevere), and Merlin are believed in fact to be titles, not given names, thereby accounting for the over two-hundred reign of Arthur in the history books.  For those, like myself, who are drawn in by the history of this time period and wish to learn more, the book includes an extensive bibliography, condensed from Ms. Windsor’s three years of research for this book, for further reading on the subject.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale.  The only downside is that I now have to wait a full year for the release of the second book in the trilogy:  Thief, due out in June 2011, to learn if Caden will be redeemed and if Ronan will be able to find forgiveness in his heart… and for a story this engaging, a full year is a long time to wait!

For a preview of the first chapter of Healer visit Linda Windsor’s website here.

David C Cook