Redeeming Vows by Catherine Bybee

Magic use, time travel, historical romance: should be enough to fill the pages of Redeeming Vows. But Lizzy also has to help save everyone from the very evil immortal witch Grainna. And you just thought you had a busy week!

For her own safety, modern day, single mom, Lizzy McAllister is forced to bow to the medieval men who surround her when she’s thrust back in time to the sixteenth century against her will. When Lizzie finds herself trapped in time with Fin, the one man she finds both irresistible and maddening, she agrees to combine forces with him to rid Scotland of the evil witch, Grainna. Finlay MacCoinnich’s attraction to Lizzie sizzles the very air they breathe. Tearing down the solid walls the woman has built around her won’t be easy, but he’s willing to do anything to keep her by his side. When a spell cast by their deadliest foe throws them forward in time, will they manage to find their way back in time to save their family from peril? And will Lizzy willingly stay in his time, or abandon him altogether?

Redeeming Vows starts with Lizzy McAllister already in 1600’s Scotland for almost a year now. This modern day woman had ended up there after following her sister, and son’s kidnapping by the evil witch Grainna. She and her son, Simon, are living with the clan MacCoinnich since her sister has married their clan leader’s eldest son. After arriving back in this time, she discovered they (her family) had Druid ‘power’ (earth & psy based powers, similar to witches of old), just as the MacCoinnich family does. This is what they are using to fight against Grainna.

Grainna is a five hundred year old immortal, very evil witch. She kills Druids and takes their powers. She also seems to ‘suck’ souls from normal people and then controls them (as stated, very evil). And of course, she has ideas of controlling the country (Scotland). She seems to have a grudge against the MacCoinnich clan for some reason. Maybe because they have stood against her, have fought her off before. They did send/curse her into the future (Lizzy’s time) in a previous book, eventually leading to Lizzy coming back in time. She also is after their powers, just like every other Druid and witch she comes across.

Finlay MacCoinnich is the second son of the leader of the clan Coinnich. Like the rest of his family, he too has Druid powers and is committed to the fight against Grainna. He is also attracted to but constantly “butting heads” with Lizzy. He knows about her never having been married (even though she has a son), knows she was a strong, independent 'modern' woman. He was one of the ones sent to her time to retrieve his sister when Grainna pulled her trap in last book and thus has some idea about her time. So he knows Lizzy is having a hard time letting go and adjusting to the rules for women in his time. He also helps with her son and his growing powers.

A wedding is an excuse of a gathering of the clans. Many are worried about missing men, even some strange occurrences. Fin’s family knows this is due to Grainna either killing them or taking them under her control. Just as things are starting to look okay and Fin and Lizzy are getting close, Grainna casts a spell to bring chaos and destruction to the gathering. Fin and Lizzy are also sent back to her time by this spell. Now they are stuck in modern times, worried about their family(s) back at the gathering with all the fighting and Grainna attacking, and no idea how to get home?

Redeeming Vows is the third book in this series and the only one I have read. So obviously it works well as a stand alone, though from reading this it does sound like lots happens in the first two books. Some of the background info in this review is missing from not having read those books, but I was able to understand and enjoy the story just fine. The one thing I do feel I missed is the reason for Lizzy and Fin to have withstood each other so long, to not get along if they are “that attracted” to each other. Since it feels inevitable that they end up together, why take a whole year? Not sure about that, but this is the only confusion I had from missing first two books. Even their attraction and ending up together works well. And as for Redeeming Vows, it has a great deal going on but is done well enough that I stayed up late and read it straight thru!

Redeeming Vows might sound a little too fantasy based with the magic use, but Catherine Bybee writes the scenes well enough that it comes across as just another skill, not something hokey. More than once she has the characters working as a team, using different skills/powers together as a group. I was impressed with how well she was able to portray this, for example the traveling scene where the family interacts to spot a group coming at them gave me a perfect visual. She does this several times with the family working together, or Fin and Lizzy in modern times, even Simon experiencing his new shape shifting power. And the historical aspect is not too strong, just enough to entertain. The writing seems that smooth.

Redeeming Vows is very good. I am glad it is a full length novel so we get to enjoy the whole story. Nothing was cut short or felt left out like is happening so often with many of the shorter stories that are coming out now. Redeeming Vows will definitely go in the keep pile and I will be looking for the other books in this series.