By: Erin Quinn
Published By: Berkley Trade
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Series: Mists of Ireland #4
Review:

"Haunting Embrace" by Erin Quinn was the fourth in this book series: Mists of Ireland #4 which was the conclusion. This author has given us the "mysterious evil of the Book of Fennore and the haunting romantic love of charismatic time traveling characters in Erin Quinn’s Mists of Ireland series." You will be whisked through time so you will have to keep up with it all of this 'Irish family as they gather more power for its insidious ways.' I will say it would be best to read the other three series so you will be able to keep up with this last series. By doing so you will see how this author's books are connected and intertwined with each other. You will find very intriguing characters along with a feeling that you are on those Irish shores. This series will be of Meaghan Ballagh's story after her leaving the 'Book of Fenmore along with the Druid Aedan.' Be ready for 'mystery, murder, romance, time travel and the supernatural elements.' All that and a surprising ending I would only say that I would recommend this magic paranormal romance series to you as a good read. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

The Irish countryside, a time-traveling heroine, an epic romance…These are the kind of elements that usually thrill me, especially since Diana Gabaldon only writes one Outlander book every two years. So you can imagine my excitement when I picked up HAUNTED EMBRACE by Erin Quinn, the latest book in her Mists of Ireland series which combined all those elements with an added supernatural twist involving ghosts and magic.

I was immediately struck by the very vivid and expressive writing style. I felt very much as if I were on the Irish island of Fennore while reading HAUNTING EMBRACE. The 1950’s time period came across less clearly and could have easily taken place in the 1750’s without many changes. There was also a very intriguing side plot and romance that was just as strong—if not more so—than the romance between time-traveler Meaghan and The Druid Áedán.

I wanted to enjoy HAUNTED EMBRACE more than I did, but there were several reasons why I didn’t. Jumping in mid series will almost always cause some disorientation, but I thought that would be minimal considering that all the Mists of Ireland books focus on a different couple each time. Well, I was wrong. There was a HUGE set up for this book that took place in previous installments and was never fully rehashed for new readers in this book. I was left feeling confused and frustrated as a result. The fact that Áedán and Meaghan had this intricate past together that I missed didn’t help the rushed romance I felt between them. The extensive suspense plot required them each to spend a lot of time apart dealing with other characters, so the sudden bond that sprang up between them lacked any real depth. Even the romantic scenes failed to ignite for me since every single time they kissed I was treated to another description of ‘velvety tongues’. And I mean every single kiss.

Overall, there are some beautifully written passages in HAUNTED EMBRACE, and I do love a good time-travel romance, but this one left me feeling rather cold in a way that had nothing to do with the frigid Irish coast. If you want to give this series a try, you’ll definitely need to start at the beginning. Hopefully, my issues with the rushed romance and confusing backstory will be better developed and explained in earlier books.

Sexual Content:
A couple sex scenes ( )